Trump Gambles His Presidency on War

“President Donald Trump’s decision Saturday to strike Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities was an extraordinary bet that he could eliminate a nuclear program that has bedeviled multiple presidents while avoiding another long-running Middle East conflict of the sort he and his supporters have long denounced,” the Washington Post reports.

“What happens next will have profound consequences for his presidency. If Iran is sufficiently weakened that it cannot meaningfully retaliate, Trump will have delivered a blow against a longtime adversary that will send a message to China, Russia and other global rivals that he will not shy from using military power when necessary.”

“But if Iran does not agree to peace on Trump’s terms, the president’s vow that ‘there are many targets left’ opened the door to a much deeper and potentially longer conflict. Already, that prospect is angering some members of his political base.”