Folks, I’m sipping my coffee and reading about the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and I have to say, it’s been a wild ride. Since then, US presidents have been slowly but surely expanding their power to wage war anywhere, anytime, as they please. I mean, who needs Congress or NATO allies when you’ve got a good ol’ American president, right? It’s like they say, “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” and boy, have we seen some corruption over the years.
The article talks about how President Donald Trump reached new heights in war-making powers with Operation Epic Fury in Iran. I mean, the guy launched a war of choice without any congressional authorization, NATO support, or UN resolution. And let’s not forget, he didn’t even bother to learn from past American wars or have a plan for the “day after” hostilities commenced. It’s like he thought, “Hey, how hard can it be, right?”
It’s not like Trump was the first to do this, though. His predecessors, like President George W. Bush, also laid the groundwork for the Iran war with their “war on terror” and “preventive war” doctrines. And who can forget President Barack Obama’s prolific use of armed drones in countries like Pakistan and Yemen? I mean, it’s like they say, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” and boy, have we seen some good intentions go wrong over the years.
The article also mentions how the US military has been pretty good at breaking things and killing people, but when their tactics aren’t aligned with a clear strategy, we end up in quagmires like Vietnam or Iraq. And don’t even get me started on the civil war in Libya that lasted a decade after Obama’s campaign to remove Moammar Gadhafi from power. It’s like, what did we expect would happen after we toppled a dictator? A unicorn party?
Now, I’m not saying there haven’t been any successes in the war on terror. The CIA became an effective paramilitary agency, and Joint Special Operations Command transformed into a killing machine. And let’s not forget, we eventually decimated the leadership of al Qaeda and ended the geographical “caliphate” of ISIS. But, as the article says, “a lesson that the United States never learned after 9/11: Make real plans for the ‘day after’ the war appears to be won, or you will likely lose the peace.”
It’s like, we keep making the same mistakes over and over again. We don’t plan for what happens after we win a war, and then we’re surprised when things go wrong. I mean, come on, folks, it’s not that hard to see what’s going to happen when you topple a regime without a plan. It’s like, did we really think that regime change in Iran would have a happy ending? Please.
In conclusion, it’s been 25 years since 9/11, and the United States has become the chief disruptor of global order. We’ve gone from being the guarantor of peace to the instigator of chaos. And as I finish my coffee, I’m left wondering, what’s next? Will we ever learn from our mistakes, or will we just keep on keeping on, making the same errors over and over again? Only time will tell, folks, but one thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a wild ride. 🙄
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
