KaiBear said:

---

ATL Bear said:

---

KaiBear said:

---

ATL Bear said:

---

KaiBear said:

---

BearFan33 said:

---

Kent did this correctly. If your boss is going in directions you can't support and won't listen to your advice, you resign. You don't resist and undermine like the embedded democrats do.

He's setting himself up for some good talk show money if he choses to go that route.

The conflict drags on. Trump desperately needs oil flow to continue through the straight for political reasons. I'm wondering why we don't escort ships through. I suspect it's currently too risky for our very expensive naval ships. Even if Japan was to mobilize their navy (which is probably modest) how long would it take to get there?

Iran is like if we are going down, we are going to make everyone feel the pain. Is droning the Gulf countries igoing to backfire? We will see.

This is going to really strain relations within NATO and the Ukraine war. Next time Ukraine comes with its hand out, I suspect Trump is going to send them to Europe and rightfully so.

---

The US economy has its own oil reserves.

Japan, India , China and most of Europe are the ones that need access through the Straits the most.

Past time to bomb Iranian oil facilities.

It's the obvious target.

---

Squeezing out Iranian supply squeezes everyone's supply, and thus price inflation.

---

Good grief......it s real ****ing war we are dealing with.

The goal is regime change otherwise these mullah's are going to just keep up their crap.

Bomb the Iranian oil fields and the locals will demand a new government when they begin to go hungry.

Really think the United States gave a **** about price inflaction when we were sinking the huge Japanese oil tanker fleet ?

---

When the boots hit the ground is when the war becomes really real. Perhaps understanding it isn't oil keeping them in power would be a good perspective for you. This is a nation that has spent decades under economic hardship. They are beholden to an ideology, and our Israeli bilateral war with them confirms to many their Friday prayer chants. You'd serve the purpose of regime change more by carpet bombing Tehran and Qom than taking out oil facilities. There's no appetite for such brutality, so if you just want to aggravate the global economic situation thus putting more pressure on the US to pull out, then sure, take out their oil infrastructure.

---

The goal is regime change.

Thankfully Israel is killing an unprecedented number of Iranian political and military leaders. The US has destroyed the Iranians air force and navy.

If this does not produce regime change immediately…..time to increase the pressure.

Privation of an enemies population always works.

Fire bombing civilian populations.
Unrestricted submarine warfare
Naval blockades.

The US has a long history of applying such tactics…. because they work. Destruction of Iranian oil facilities will shock the entire Iranian population and make them realize they have lost the war and regime change is necessary.

By the way……war is always brutal……the lack of a draft has insulated 90% of Americans from that bloody reality.

---

The oil infrastructure has to stay to provide stability after a regime change. If you don't change the regime, the IRGC can easily rebuild the oil infrastructure if it is destroyed. At this juncture, we can't let the IRGC remain in power.

boognish_bear said:

---

BREAKING:

Trump says the US has been informed by "most of our NATO allies" that they "don't want to get involved" in the war with Iran. pic.twitter.com/tCGDzEnXtI

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 17, 2026

---

Trump is spot on here. Nato has no navy other than the US Navy. It was the US Navy that reopened the Red Sea shipping lanes when the Houthis shut them down a year ago. No other Nato country had the resources available to do the work; the US Navy was on station.

Sure, they'll send a platoon or two to help out in a bush war somewhere. It's a training opportunity for their soldiers. Sure, they'll engage in exercises with us. It's a training opportunity. But no European military has the ability to deploy substantial forces beyond Nato borders. It's the US military doing all the work protecting their shipping lanes, their citizens, their borders, etc....

The_barBEARian said:

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D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

whiterock said:

---

The_barBEARian said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

Even in 1990, Iraq and Iran were two different animals. Iraq was about removing them from Kuwait after they invaded. We had overwhelming force, most of the world on ous side and months to position ourselves. The objectives were clear and everyone knew them.

In 2003, a no foy zone and inspectors were in place for over a decade. Iraq was a weakened opponent with no real air force. Objectives were met fairly quickly, Baghdad in 3 weeks. Even then it turned into a quagmire to get out.

This Iran mission is much harder than and against a more sophisticated enemy than Iraq. Iran has four times the population, twice the land mass, worse terrain and an advanced military. It is not a good comparison.

whiterock said:

---

The_barBEARian said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

I agree with you.

Even in 1990, Iraq and Iran were two different animals. Iraq was about removing them from Kuwait after they invaded. We had overwhelming force, most of the world on ous side and months to position ourselves. The objectives were clear and everyone knew them.

In 2003, a no foy zone and inspectors were in place for over a decade. Iraq was a weakened opponent with no real air force. Objectives were met fairly quickly, Baghdad in 3 weeks. Even then it turned into a quagmire to get out.

This Iran mission is much harder than and against a more sophisticated enemy than Iraq. Iran has four times the population, twice the land mass, worse terrain and an advanced military. It is not a good comparison. Iran invasion would be years of occupation after hellish fighting.

whiterock said:

---

boognish_bear said:

---

BREAKING:

Trump says the US has been informed by "most of our NATO allies" that they "don't want to get involved" in the war with Iran. pic.twitter.com/tCGDzEnXtI

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 17, 2026

---

Trump is spot on here. Nato has no navy other than the US Navy. It was the US Navy that reopened the Red Sea shipping lanes when the Houthis shut them down a year ago. No other Nato country had the resources available to do the work; the US Navy was on station.

Sure, they'll send a platoon or two to help out in a bush war somewhere. It's a training opportunity for their soldiers. Sure, they'll engage in exercises with us. It's a training opportunity. But no European military has the ability to deploy substantial forces beyond Nato borders. It's the US military doing all the work protecting their shipping lanes, their citizens, their borders, etc....

---

yeah doktor Maga. Trump is a moron and has NO plan. This is an Epic FUBAR. Hey NATO we need your help. Nah, we don't need NO stinking help. Mixed messages much? What a child. Such a freaking baby. NATO won't help with the war I started. Donnie t. Yeah, NATO jumped through their ass after 9/11 as that is an attach on a member.

whiterock said:

---

The_barBEARian said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

Other than killing all current regime leaders, how do we help the rebels? I would suppose IDF is arming them somehow.

J.R. said:

---

whiterock said:

---

boognish_bear said:

---

BREAKING:

Trump says the US has been informed by "most of our NATO allies" that they "don't want to get involved" in the war with Iran. pic.twitter.com/tCGDzEnXtI

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 17, 2026

---

Trump is spot on here. Nato has no navy other than the US Navy. It was the US Navy that reopened the Red Sea shipping lanes when the Houthis shut them down a year ago. No other Nato country had the resources available to do the work; the US Navy was on station.

Sure, they'll send a platoon or two to help out in a bush war somewhere. It's a training opportunity for their soldiers. Sure, they'll engage in exercises with us. It's a training opportunity. But no European military has the ability to deploy substantial forces beyond Nato borders. It's the US military doing all the work protecting their shipping lanes, their citizens, their borders, etc....

---

yeah doktor Maga. Trump is a moron and has NO plan. This is an Epic FUBAR. Hey NATO we need your help. Nah, we don't need NO stinking help. Mixed messages much? What a child. Such a freaking baby. NATO won't help with the war I started. Donnie t. Yeah, NATO jumped through their ass after 9/11 as that is an attach on a member.

---

LOL The plan is clear, you just can't understand it. We do not need Nato. Nato needs us. Trump is reminding them of that by demanding they do something they are incapable of doing (keeping Straits of Hormuz open) despite the fact that it benefits them far more than us.

You have to rub a puppy's nose in the poop to housebreak it.

BearFan33 said:

---

whiterock said:

---

The_barBEARian said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

Other than killing all current regime leaders, how do we help the rebels? I would suppose IDF is arming them somehow.

---

Here's your sign: Israeli drones are striking Basij checkpoints. That is de facto air support for insurgency.

Because we have air supremacy over Iranian territory, we can loiter conventional aircraft (non-stealth) anywhere in Iran 24/7. We will play whack-a-mole for a few more weeks, striking every police and Basij and military effort at crowd control. That will not just attrit those forces. it will undermine their combat effectiveness. Personnel (who are not getting paid at this time) are going to quit showing up at all. There are already indicators that such dynamics are well underway.

That is the plan. Own the skies and suppress regime security response to the point that it cannot quell civil uprising. It's not one we've tried before. Frankly, it's not one that would have worked before. But new technologies have made it possible. It will be very hard for the regime to survive this. Just keep at it......

J.R. said:

---

whiterock said:

---

boognish_bear said:

---

BREAKING:

Trump says the US has been informed by "most of our NATO allies" that they "don't want to get involved" in the war with Iran. pic.twitter.com/tCGDzEnXtI

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 17, 2026

---

Trump is spot on here. Nato has no navy other than the US Navy. It was the US Navy that reopened the Red Sea shipping lanes when the Houthis shut them down a year ago. No other Nato country had the resources available to do the work; the US Navy was on station.

Sure, they'll send a platoon or two to help out in a bush war somewhere. It's a training opportunity for their soldiers. Sure, they'll engage in exercises with us. It's a training opportunity. But no European military has the ability to deploy substantial forces beyond Nato borders. It's the US military doing all the work protecting their shipping lanes, their citizens, their borders, etc....

---

yeah doktor Maga. Trump is a moron and has NO plan. This is an Epic FUBAR. Hey NATO we need your help. Nah, we don't need NO stinking help. Mixed messages much? What a child. Such a freaking baby. NATO won't help with the war I started. Donnie t. Yeah, NATO jumped through their ass after 9/11 as that is an attach on a member.

---

By any reasonable measure ….the United States is not only winning this war…..we are dominating the Iranians.

An unprecedented number of their military and political leaders have already been killed.

Their air force and navy have been fundamentally destroyed.

We have established total air supremacy.


All in a few weeks.


Obviously there is a plan.


Now if one hates Trump enough no matter what……just give credit to the JCS.

Who probably deserve the lion's share of the credit anyway.

whiterock said:

---

BearFan33 said:

---

whiterock said:

---

The_barBEARian said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

Other than killing all current regime leaders, how do we help the rebels? I would suppose IDF is arming them somehow.

---

Here's your sign: Israeli drones are striking Basij checkpoints. That is de facto air support for insurgency.

Because we have air supremacy over Iranian territory, we can loiter conventional aircraft (non-stealth) anywhere in Iran 24/7. We will play whack-a-mole for a few more weeks, striking every police and Basij and military effort at crowd control. That will not just attrit those forces. it will undermine their combat effectiveness. Personnel (who are not getting paid at this time) are going to quit showing up at all. There are already indicators that such dynamics are well underway.

That is the plan. Own the skies and suppress regime security response to the point that it cannot quell civil uprising. It's not one we've tried before. Frankly, it's not one that would have worked before. But new technologies have made it possible. It will be very hard for the regime to survive this. Just keep at it......

---

What's the plan to pay off the national debt?

Is Greater Israel going to pay it off for us?

D. C. Bear said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Osodecentx said:

---

Sam Lowry said:

---

Osodecentx said:

---

Mitch Blood Green said:

---

Osodecentx said:

---

Mitch Blood Green said:

---

Osodecentx said:

---

Mitch Blood Green said:

---

National Counterterrorism Center resigns over Iran war

---

And you know what that means….

---

It means I don't post the link.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/national-counterterrorism-center-resigns-iran-war-rcna263692

---

What does his resignation mean? I don't know

---

Embarrassment in the near term. Probably not enough authority to impact the agency.

---

Another perspective:

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/good-riddance/

At first blush, the resignation of America's Director of the National Counterterrorism Center in wartime indeed, in protest against a war with the world's foremost exporter of Islamist terror is an unnerving development. Fortunately, the former director, Joe Kent, authored an open letter explaining the thinking that led him to abandon his post. A cursory survey of his deliberative process should reassure trepidatious Americans that they're better off without him.

---

Kent is no snowflake. He was as MAGA as it gets until MAGA went full neocon.

---

Full neocon? What does that even mean?
A nuclear Iran is an imminent threat

---

Fully interventionist and on board with widespread regime change, which has been the goal for 30+ years.

Iran has a right to nuclear power under the NPT. There's no reason that has to lead to nuclear armaments or an imminent threat to the US.

---

Iran's habit of hiding elements of their nuclear program and enriching uranium well beyond anything that would be appropriate for civilian use, it seems to be reasonable to expect it to lead to nuclear armaments.

At the very least they wanted to be able to threaten to create nuclear weapons very quickly.

Should you wait until they actually have the weapons to decide to do something about it?

---

Iran hasn't been caught hiding elements of its nuclear program in a very long time. 97% of its enriched uranium was removed from the country under the JCPOA, and the remainder was diluted. It wasn't until a year after we withdrew from the treaty that Iran began exceeding its limits.

I agree that their current stockpile is a "threat" in the sense that it makes Iran a nuclear breakout power (as distinct from making them an imminent military threat). If we really want to do something about it, we should go with what's proven effective, i.e. verification and cooperation under the NPT. Instead we've created exactly the situation we were trying to avoid. We have no idea where Iran's stockpiles are or what they're being used for, we've given them every incentive build a nuclear weapon, and we've done our best to eliminate the moderate voices that previously held them back.

KaiBear said:

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ATL Bear said:

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KaiBear said:

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ATL Bear said:

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KaiBear said:

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BearFan33 said:

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Kent did this correctly. If your boss is going in directions you can't support and won't listen to your advice, you resign. You don't resist and undermine like the embedded democrats do.

He's setting himself up for some good talk show money if he choses to go that route.

The conflict drags on. Trump desperately needs oil flow to continue through the straight for political reasons. I'm wondering why we don't escort ships through. I suspect it's currently too risky for our very expensive naval ships. Even if Japan was to mobilize their navy (which is probably modest) how long would it take to get there?

Iran is like if we are going down, we are going to make everyone feel the pain. Is droning the Gulf countries igoing to backfire? We will see.

This is going to really strain relations within NATO and the Ukraine war. Next time Ukraine comes with its hand out, I suspect Trump is going to send them to Europe and rightfully so.

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The US economy has its own oil reserves.

Japan, India , China and most of Europe are the ones that need access through the Straits the most.

Past time to bomb Iranian oil facilities.

It's the obvious target.

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Squeezing out Iranian supply squeezes everyone's supply, and thus price inflation.

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Good grief......it s real ****ing war we are dealing with.

The goal is regime change otherwise these mullah's are going to just keep up their crap.

Bomb the Iranian oil fields and the locals will demand a new government when they begin to go hungry.

Really think the United States gave a **** about price inflaction when we were sinking the huge Japanese oil tanker fleet ?

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When the boots hit the ground is when the war becomes really real. Perhaps understanding it isn't oil keeping them in power would be a good perspective for you. This is a nation that has spent decades under economic hardship. They are beholden to an ideology, and our Israeli bilateral war with them confirms to many their Friday prayer chants. You'd serve the purpose of regime change more by carpet bombing Tehran and Qom than taking out oil facilities. There's no appetite for such brutality, so if you just want to aggravate the global economic situation thus putting more pressure on the US to pull out, then sure, take out their oil infrastructure.

---

The goal is regime change.

Thankfully Israel is killing an unprecedented number of Iranian political and military leaders. The US has destroyed the Iranians air force and navy.

If this does not produce regime change immediately…..time to increase the pressure.

Privation of an enemies population always works.

Fire bombing civilian populations.
Unrestricted submarine warfare
Naval blockades.

The US has a long history of applying such tactics…. because they work. Destruction of Iranian oil facilities will shock the entire Iranian population and make them realize they have lost the war and regime change is necessary.

By the way……war is always brutal……the lack of a draft has insulated 90% of Americans from that bloody reality.

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Such tactics almost never work and usually have the opposite effect. That's one reason the US now has a long history of losing wars.

whiterock said:

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The_barBEARian said:

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D. C. Bear said:

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FLBear5630 said:

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Doc Holliday said:

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My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable.

---

I suppose that's true in a way...every bit of it is indisputably wrong.

whiterock said:

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boognish_bear said:

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BREAKING:

Trump says the US has been informed by "most of our NATO allies" that they "don't want to get involved" in the war with Iran. pic.twitter.com/tCGDzEnXtI

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 17, 2026

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Trump is spot on here. Nato has no navy other than the US Navy. It was the US Navy that reopened the Red Sea shipping lanes when the Houthis shut them down a year ago.

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Not really.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/business/red-sea-houthis-shipping.html

whiterock said:

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BearFan33 said:

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whiterock said:

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The_barBEARian said:

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D. C. Bear said:

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FLBear5630 said:

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Doc Holliday said:

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My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

Other than killing all current regime leaders, how do we help the rebels? I would suppose IDF is arming them somehow.

---

Because we have air supremacy over Iranian territory, we can loiter conventional aircraft (non-stealth) anywhere in Iran 24/7.

---

Then why don't we? Our strikes have so far been concentrated within standoff distance from the western border...hmm.

FLBear5630 said:

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whiterock said:

---

The_barBEARian said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

Even in 1990, Iraq and Iran were two different animals. Iraq was about removing them from Kuwait after they invaded. We had overwhelming force, most of the world on ous side and months to position ourselves. The objectives were clear and everyone knew them.

In 2003, a no foy zone and inspectors were in place for over a decade. Iraq was a weakened opponent with no real air force. Objectives were met fairly quickly, Baghdad in 3 weeks. Even then it turned into a quagmire to get out.

This Iran mission is much harder than and against a more sophisticated enemy than Iraq. Iran has four times the population, twice the land mass, worse terrain and an advanced military. It is not a good comparison.

---

You nailed it.

FLBear5630 said:

---

whiterock said:

---

The_barBEARian said:

---

D. C. Bear said:

---

FLBear5630 said:

---

Doc Holliday said:

---

My guess, and yes it’s a guess, is that there is going to be major escalation in Iran. Joe Kent isn’t some wilting flower. He wouldn’t resign over a bombing strike or two. He even supported some action being taken and was an Iran hawk. We’ll see soon enough.

— Cernovich (@Cernovich) March 17, 2026

---

Yeah, I would say. Some idiots think these guys know and do nothing. Guy just dedicated his life to working on protecting American since 9/11. His resignation letter is linked below. You may not agree with all his politics, I don't, but he knows war and intel.

It amazes me that otherwise intelligent people believe that all Government employees do nothing of value.



Joe Kent resignation as posted to Twitter - Joe Kent - Wikipedia

In a real quagmire here, it is a mess now that it is on and finishing Iran seems only logical move, but the cost is going to be too high for little return.

---

The operation has lasted less than a month so far. It may be a little early to characterize it as being a "real quagmire."

Do you know which war he lost his wife in? I am wondering whether he blames Israel for us removing Saddam from Kuwait or for removing Saddam from Baghdad, or maybe it was some other war he attributes to Israel? Perhaps Afghanistan?

Trump has never done diplomacy properly.

---

You still support the decision to remove Saddam?

Easily the most counter-productive and destructive move by any President in my lifetime.

It did nothing to benefit America. It did, however, benefit Israel as they thrive on chaos and instability.

---

Yes. Saddam had to go.

He already had Chem/Bio weapons and was pursuing nuclear weapons while engaging in state sponsored terrorism (for decades) and engaging in liaison with Al Qaeda. Not one keystroke of that sentence is debatable. All of it seamlessly documented in intelligence and open source reporting. Bad. Actor.

The problem was not the policy to take out Saddam.
The problem was what to do about Iraq after Saddam was gone. We botched that hugely.

All indications on our Iran policy is that we are going to stand off and reduce the regime to rubble and let the people rise up & sort out the rebuilding themselves. That is the correct policy. We do not need to invade Iran and try to remake it as a western democracy. We just need to destroy the nuke program and have a stable regime that doesn't A) chant Death To America all-day/every-day and B) doesn't support terrorist groups who chant Death To America all-day/every-day.

It's not the use of our military to coerce better behavior from rogue regimes that gets us into trouble.
It's the nation-building that gets us into trouble.
Every. Time.

So just stop the nation-building.
(and ignore the idiotic isolationist babble. You cannot reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.)

---

I agree with you.

Even in 1990, Iraq and Iran were two different animals. Iraq was about removing them from Kuwait after they invaded. We had overwhelming force, most of the world on ous side and months to position ourselves. The objectives were clear and everyone knew them.

In 2003, a no foy zone and inspectors were in place for over a decade. Iraq was a weakened opponent with no real air force. Objectives were met fairly quickly, Baghdad in 3 weeks. Even then it turned into a quagmire to get out.

This Iran mission is much harder than and against a more sophisticated enemy than Iraq. Iran has four times the population, twice the land mass, worse terrain and an advanced military. It is not a good comparison. Iran invasion would be years of occupation after hellish fighting.

---

The objectives were clear, everyone knew them, but the objectives were incomplete. It was expected that Saddam would fall, but the things needed to make him fall were not done for fear of fracturing the coalition. This was a mistake. It left us in a low-grade war in Iraq with a significant American presence in Saudi Arabia. Our presence in Saudi Arabia was a significant motivation behind 9/11.

It always cracks me up when people actually think they know what Iran has/had and didnt

LOL

JUST IN: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the Israeli military killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Follow live updates: https://t.co/1rAfF5SqhT

— ABC News (@ABC) March 18, 2026

Yeah, Hormuz is probably staying closed for a while. Dude on the Intelligence Committee decided to go into XOM at all-time highs. https://t.co/XLF3RgEFek

— My screen is red (@tradeoilstocks) March 18, 2026

🚨BREAKING: Israel strikes South Pars, Iran’s largest gas field pic.twitter.com/yHyyzbOHqv

— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) March 18, 2026

BREAKING: Iraq says gas supplies from Iran have been completed halted following Israeli strikes on the South Pars gas field.

This is the world's largest natural gas reserve and is jointly operated by Iran and Qatar.

— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 18, 2026

BREAKING: U.S. clears the way for more oil sales from post-Maduro Venezuela as Trump tries to boost the world oil supply during the Iran war. https://t.co/g9ZhE8BUpC

— The Associated Press (@AP) March 18, 2026

🚨This is a massive escalation in the war.

Israel and the U.S. just struck South Pars, Iran's largest gas field and the largest in the world.

South Pars accounts for 75% of Iran's gas production and gas fuels 85% of Iran's electricity grid.

This isn't just hitting military… https://t.co/9k78f3AM2C pic.twitter.com/vJydxlqpyh

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 18, 2026

BREAKING: The USS Tripoli has just been spotted passing Singapore at a high rate of speed.

They are rushing to get 5,000 U.S. special forces & naval landing group into position for a possible invasion of Kharg Island, Iran.

ETA March 25 https://t.co/Mok33p7aUW pic.twitter.com/JiVk1COm84

— Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) March 18, 2026

Israeli Defense Minister Katz:

"PM Netanyahu and I have authorized the IDF to eliminate any senior Iranian official once an intelligence and operational window is established, without additional approval. [...] Even today, there will be significant surprises across all fronts." pic.twitter.com/rodxzMrH5W

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 18, 2026

🚨 BREAKING: The USS Ford is now leaving combat after a a major fire broke out last week injuring ~200 sailors and knocking out about out ~100 bunsleeping quarters.

It took 30 hours to fully control the blaze

Iran claim they struck the aircraft carrier. The U.S. states damage… pic.twitter.com/Tz906e6pef

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 18, 2026

Sam Lowry said:

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EatMoreSalmon said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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EatMoreSalmon said:

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Sam Lowry said:

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Go back to my posts. We had excellent access under the JCPOA. Even after we ditched the agreement, Iran exceeded its obligations. There may have been some disagreements about the process, but we had a very good idea of what they had and what they were doing with it...unlike now.

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Go back to the actual reports by the UN. I linked them in reply to your posts.

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I know how to link UN reports too. The question is whether they support your argument.

---

The question is, why are you unable to accept that you might be wrong, or your opinion might turn out to be off when you have been given receipts from the source.

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That would be my question to you.

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I rest my case.

boognish_bear said:

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JUST IN: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that the Israeli military killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Follow live updates: https://t.co/1rAfF5SqhT

— ABC News (@ABC) March 18, 2026

---

#WhackaMullah

- UF

D!

{ sipping covfefe }

boognish_bear said:

---

Israeli Defense Minister Katz:

"PM Netanyahu and I have authorized the IDF to eliminate any senior Iranian official once an intelligence and operational window is established, without additional approval. [...] Even today, there will be significant surprises across all fronts." pic.twitter.com/rodxzMrH5W

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 18, 2026

---

These brave men who slaughtered 300,000+ defenseless are getting their Justice.

- UF

D!

BREAKING: Iran buried three of its most powerful men today. Then it threatened to burn the Gulf to ashes.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, issued a direct warning: if strikes on Iranian energy facilities continue, Saudi Aramco… https://t.co/WsOBcLkVLo pic.twitter.com/8lIWzewMit

— Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ (@shanaka86) March 18, 2026

boognish_bear said:

---

BREAKING: Iran buried three of its most powerful men today. Then it threatened to burn the Gulf to ashes.

Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, issued a direct warning: if strikes on Iranian energy facilities continue, Saudi Aramco… https://t.co/WsOBcLkVLo pic.twitter.com/8lIWzewMit

— Shanaka Anslem Perera ⚡ (@shanaka86) March 18, 2026

---

#WhosGotNext

- UF

🔴ELIMINATED: Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian terrorist regime Minister of Intelligence, in a targeted strike in Tehran.

Khatib played a significant role during the recent protests throughout Iran, including the arrest & killing of protestors and led terrorist activities against… pic.twitter.com/654lpYCZ1c

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 18, 2026

boognish_bear said:

---

BREAKING: The USS Tripoli has just been spotted passing Singapore at a high rate of speed.

They are rushing to get 5,000 U.S. special forces & naval landing group into position for a possible invasion of Kharg Island, Iran.

ETA March 25 https://t.co/Mok33p7aUW pic.twitter.com/JiVk1COm84

— Financelot (@FinanceLancelot) March 18, 2026

---

It looks like we are taking Kharg Island. We are going to bomb Iran and make them pay for it!

In all seriousness, if we could get russia to behave and we control oil leaving Iran and Venezuela we really have China by the nuts.