War of Words

War, huh, good God y’all, What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Edwin Starr’s anti-war song worked in part because of its simplicity. Limited combat operations, huh, good God Y’all just doesn’t hit the same way. Neither does, Hostilities, huh, good God Y’all. That doesn’t even have a good rhyme. But anti-war song composers will have to come up with something. Because whatever is happening in Iran, it’s not a war. “When President Trump gave reporters a brief update this week on the accelerating bombing campaign against Iran, he said, ‘We’re doing very well on the war front.’ That complicated matters for Republicans on Capitol Hill, who have spent the days since the U.S.-Israeli attacks began engaging in semantic gymnastics to describe the widening conflict as a ‘major combat operation,’ a ‘mission,’ ‘hostilities’ or really just anything other than ‘war.'” NYT (Gift Article): Republicans Toil to Avoid Saying ‘War’ as Iran Conflict Widens. (What is this abject stupidity and wholly unserious response to this very serious moment good for? Absolutely nothing. Say it again, y’all.)

+ “In announcing the goal of regime change through air power alone, President Trump is up against the weight of history. Not just Iran, but the weight of history. For over a century, states—including the United States, European states, Russia, and Israel—have tried to topple regimes with air power alone. It has never—and I’m choosing my words carefully—it has never worked.” Trump Cannot Achieve Iran Goals With Bombing Alone, Expert on Airpower Warns. Can the Kurds offer a ground war solution? Iranian Kurdish Forces Say They May Enter Iran. Who Are the Kurds?

+ Trump says he has to be involved in picking Iran’s next leader as war ripples across the region. (In fairness, this is Trump’s version of American democracy.)

+ Here’s the latest from NBC, Times of Israel, and the NYT.