Friends, U.S. and Israeli military power is making short work of the mighty Iranian Navy, pictured above back when it was afloat. Indeed, our military operations are proving extremely successful, but it's the political piece of the puzzle that counts: the formation of an organized, viable opposition movement that can take control of the country and install a new government. Of course, Rome wasn't built in a day... Neither was Persepolis.
In other news, France is extending its nuclear umbrella, ambiguously but adamantly, over several of its European allies, in a gesture that underlines, as per usual, its pusillanimity. It's unclear what France is promising to do, or if indeed it would even have the gumption to use nukes to defend itself, and it's extra unclear why this declaration matters when ALL the relevant countries are in NATO, and thus already enjoy a total security guarantee from every NATO member state, including the United States (and France). Of course, to be fair to the French, NATO's strength and integrity, over the years, has been buttressed by the fact that no one has ever dared challenge it. The same could be said for France's nuclear deterrent as well. What we know for sure is that France, and every European country, refuses to deploy even conventional military forces, in miniscule amounts, to defend the people of Ukraine, who they regard as part and parcel of "the West", even if they lack membership in the EU or NATO. Bottom line: the Europeans' record of fighting (and dying) for their sovereignty and their freedom, at least since 1945, doesn't bear much scrutiny.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4zlnezrl7o
Finally, almost every poll, except this one, agrees that the dastardly Dems have the edge going into the midterms. The margins matter a great deal, however. If the Dems squeak by with a slim popular vote majority in the House, they might fail to capture the majority of seats. If they win by 5 points or more, then even the Republican Senate could be in jeopardy. Will Iran play a role in determining the outcome? It's way too early to tell.
