© Susan Walsh - Pool / Getty Images
Journalist Ryan Grim comments on the below video clip of Graham responding to the lack of action by the US, "His life force is being drained in front of us by the lack of bombing." When this armchair general is deeply disappointed and shattered by American non-action abroad, it without doubt means something good for America.
Dear Lindsey, the adults in the room took over, now go cry outside...
The Wall Street Journal reports that "President Trump was advised that a large-scale strike against Iran was unlikely to make the government fall and could spark a wider conflict, U.S. officials said, and for now will monitor how Tehran handles protesters before deciding on the scope of a potential attack."
By that moment of the briefing, Iran's streets had already gone largely silent, with Iranian security services firmly in control, and Tehran leadership vowing not to hold any executions. In short the demonstrations, riots, and crackdown had ceased.
Continues the WSJ, "The U.S. would need more military firepower in the Middle East both to launch a large-scale strike, protect American forces in the region and allies like Israel should Iran retaliate, the advisers told Trump, the officials said."
Still, it seems the world was very close to the US launching yet another war more "precision strikes" against a nation we are not actually at war with (still a possibility though!). Per the WSJ:
Trump, without making a final decision on which action he would take, asked for military assets to be in place should he order a big attack, the officials said.
"The president and his team have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. "Only President Trump knows what he's going to do and a very, very small team of advisors are read into his thinking," Leavitt said.
Comment: The threat to Iran is far from over: Washington & Moscow Trade Blows At UN As US Carrier Steams Toward Middle East
The US is still rushing military assets to the area. "The Pentagon is moving a carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, which includes the Middle East, as tensions escalate between the Trump administration and Iran," according to NewsNation.
"Moving the carrier strike group - a naval formation centering around an aircraft carrier, with a variety of other vessels, including at least one attack submarine - is expected to take about a week, a source said," the report continues. "The USS Abraham Lincoln reportedly is the aircraft carrier that is on the move."
But again, Lindsey's pain is America's gain.
© Getty Images
When in doubt... sanction higher, the D.C. blob mantra says...
The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on five Iranian officials it accused of being behind the crackdown on protests and said it was tracking Iranian leaders' funds being wired to international banks, as President Donald Trump keeps the pressure on Tehran.What might happen in the next major Iranian protest go-around? The Islamic Republic's severe economic woes, and with yet more US sanctions being unleashed on Tehran, won't be getting better anytime soon.
The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on the Secretary of the Supreme Council for National Security as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and law enforcement forces commanders, accusing them of being architects of the crackdown.
He'll get a really big war rush, that he's been craving.
Poor sick bastard.