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According to media figures, President Donald Trump has assured America 39 times that he is about to reach a peace deal with the Iranians. Networks used montages of these same sounding affirmations.
However, it didn't seem to happen.
In between, Trump will threaten to hit Iran VERY HARD — to “blow the s— out of them,” as he told Fox — only to back down at the last minute.
There were bombings against the mullahs, who bombed the US in the region and shot down an Army helicopter, in a cycle of blame and revenge that reduced the ceasefire to false advertising. Things took a turn for the worse a few days ago when Trump called the Iranians “dishonorable,” saying they had leaked a draft deal that bore no resemblance to what the two sides had been negotiating.
WHY TRUMP CONTINUES TO BE SAFE IN IRAN: A PRESIDENT WHO SEES THE WORLD AS HE WANTS IT TO BE
President Donald Trump has repeatedly assured the American people that an Iran deal is close — and it finally appears to be done. (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Was the president falling into the same trap?
And so this weekend, he says the long-awaited peace agreement will be signed the following day, Sunday. Then, like clockwork, Iran scrapped it, saying there was no deal. Most of yesterday, Trump also said that the agreement was “very close.”
But in another plot last night, with the intervention of Qatar, Trump wrote that “The deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!”
WHERE IS TRUMP IN THE MIDTERMS? WHY IS THAT MISSING THE MARK
Iran said the deal was a “historic victory” for its side.
Not to rain on the president's show, but some analysts see this as an extension of the ceasefire that was available all along, when Tehran opened the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for Trump removing the US blockade. No text has been released, so we can't see well here.
But it's been a while, Trump was able to celebrate his 80th birthday yesterday with a step out of the war that has been unpopular here, especially for a leader who promised that “there will be no more wars” in his campaign.
Remember, this is the same dictatorship that took 52 American hostages during the Carter administration and held them for over a year. Iran has also financed terrorist activities around the world, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
In yet another plot twist, Trump is angry at Israel for attacking Lebanon, which angered the Iranians. And the president is making sure people know it.
Trump called Bibi Netanyahu “f——- crazy,” Axios reported, and accused him of ingratitude.
Critics were already drooling over the deal before last night's update.
“It's basically a surrender document,” Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton told MSNOW. Moulton, a Marine veteran who fought in Iraq, said the reported plan “just reopens the road that was already open before he started this stupid war.”
Senate Republicans were also speaking out.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he was “very concerned” about the prospects for the accords. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Ted Cruz said he was “very concerned” and this would be a “terrible mistake.”
“It doesn't make a lot of sense to me,” said Thom Tillis.
Roger Wicker said “everything achieved by Operation Epic Fury will be for naught!”
Hawkish Lindsey Graham, Trump's golf buddy, said the US would be seeing Iran as a powerful force in “Israel's nightmare.”
There is also internal opposition in Iran, including street protests. As the New York Times reported, one conservative member of Congress called for impeachment of diplomats, while another said, “Iran will become an American colony.”
Not since Henry Kissinger's Nixon “peace is at hand” moment has there been such a failure of American rhetoric. (White House via CNP/Getty Images)
What we do know is the president's definition of the “concept” of the deal, which sounds pretty vague. And there will be 60 days of negotiations to agree that the terrorist regime will not produce nuclear weapons, which would be useless without strict external inspections. But that was the sticking point all along, which is why Trump launched the war.
With the details still under wraps, Trump had to settle for a different fight last night – the Ultimate Fighting Championship bout on the South Lawn.
Not since Henry Kissinger made a pre-election announcement in 1972 that “peace is at hand” – which just bought Richard Nixon's term before the fall of South Vietnam, and the Communists took power – has there been such a failure of American rhetoric.
George W. Bush's “Mission Accomplished” disembarking from an aircraft carrier, after it defeated Iraq, may be a close second.
JD Vance, defending his boss, said: “This is how wars are ultimately resolved. If you go back to World War II, if you go back to World War I, if you go back to every major conflict in human history, they all end in some kind of negotiation.”
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A brief history lesson: World War II ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany and Japan.
Look, it would be a good thing for America and the world if the latest steps lead to a meaningful and workable agreement. Even the president's biggest critics will have to give him credit, although some will see it as a return to the status quo before the attack on Iran.
And if that helps Trump and the Republicans get in, that's politics.
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When the president said the other day that the American people have no “desire” for more war, he was right. And the truth is, neither does he.
