Had a phone catchup with an old buddy, and we were flinging outrages back and forth across the wires. “When did we decide Bibi Netanyahu was co-commander in chief?1” one of us said, and then the other replied, “And why do we have to find ourselves agreeing with Candace Owens when we say stuff like this?!”
It was a spirited discussion, as they say.
This war is not going to go well. It’ll end someday, they always do, and the people who started it will say we won, but nah, we aren’t going to win anything other than another Middle East tinderbox. I got into another spirited discussion with a group chat, which I started by asking when we might see retaliatory strikes in this country, by civilians. One or more targeted mass shootings at synagogues, perhaps. Or worse. One of our number said I was thinking too small, that it’d be another 9/11-scale event. Hijack a UPS or FedEx plane (smaller crew to overcome), then fly it into a packed stadium. There’s a cheery thought. Or truck bombs, detonated randomly around the country. They certainly won’t find it difficult to get guns, not in the freedom-loving United States.
Operation Epic Fury is perhaps the dumbest marketing tag for an American war I’ve yet heard, but there you are. It will soon be one of the most ironic details about this whole misadventure, I fear.
In the midst of this chaos, we went to see Bridget Everett last night. You might remember her HBO show, “Somebody Somewhere,” which is loosely based on Everett’s own life. She was as expected — loud, sloppy, sings great, very blue. The seats, in the first row of the balcony, were the most uncomfortable I’ve ever occupied. Think the tightest airline seat you’ve ever occupied, then subtract 20 percent. Also, the drunken WOOOOOs from the audience were annoying, but that’s the Bridget Everett fan base.
She was very entertaining. Not a bad way to do a Monday night.
I wish I had more to report, but alas, it’s one of those weeks.
FDChief said on March 4, 2026 at 11:17 am
Couple of thoughts:
I don’t think there’s a “going well” or “going poorly” at this point. The war is just going. If the Trumpkins thought the IRGC was going to hands-up before now? Then it’s “not going how they thought it would”, but given that nobody BUT those clucks thought things would go like that, well, there you go.
At this point, though, it’s still possible that the U.S. and Israel can do enough damage to Iran that their ability to fight back is degraded to the point where the war “goes well enough” for Tubby to declare victory.
The real question then becomes how deeply this damage drives local and regional hatred of Israel and the U.S. Enough to inspire the sort of next-9/11 attack you mention? It’s certainly not impossible, and the ability to detect, and deter, such an attack will be extremely difficult for even the Israeli intelligence outfits.
But that’s what happens when you go to war; you open the door to unexpected consequences.
The other thing is how irritating these “Operation…” names for what are simply “wars”. There’s a reason no one calls the 1941-1945 fighting in the Pacific and Asia “Operation Slap-a-Jap”…
(…although there WAS a 1941 pop song titled “We’re Gonna Have To Slap A Dirty Little Jap”. It’s adorably racist in true Forties style, as you can imagine)
…but it would probably be too much work for the news media to figure out which Gulf War this is (the Fourth, by my count – Iran-Iraq #1, the 1991 War #2, then the 2003 invasion/occupation #3).
The twelve-year-old-boy quality of the names for these, well, that’s all of a piece with the doofy level of thinking that produces them in the first place. Start stupid wars, give them stupid names, win…well, probably not even stupid prizes.
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FDChief said on March 4, 2026 at 11:33 am
And the whole “Forties war song” thing made me think about how degraded the jingoism level of our modern pop music has become.
It’s hard to find anything as full of pure nationalist (and racist) fervor as the “Slap…” song from WW2. But the Greatest Generation had SO much more pop-chart patriotism; “American Patrol”, “Remember Pearl Harbor”, “Praise the Lord and Pass The Ammunition”, Goodbye Mama, I’m off to Yokohama”, “Let’s Put The Axe To The Axis”…
And that’s just off the top of my head. It’s kind of amazing what they produced in only four years.
The now-more-than-twenty-year-long “Global War On Terror”?
The only thing I could find was something called “Snoopy versus Osama” by the Royal Guardsmen. I’m not linking to it, but Google it. It’s…real special.
I guess you could throw in that awful Lee Greenwood “God Bless The USA” song. Ugh. I’d rather not.
Makes you wonder, though.
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Mark P said on March 4, 2026 at 11:46 am
I wonder how important our degraded intelligence capabilities will be when it comes to identifying and stopping threats inside the U.S. First there is Trump’s history of mishandling intel material, and then his alienation of all of our allies. Will it come back to bite us? Who’s going to want to help us now?
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Scout said on March 4, 2026 at 1:25 pm
Mark P, you took the words right off my keyboard. This bunch of unqualified kooks have FUBARed the intelligence community and our relationship with our now former allies for decades to come. I have to give them extra incompetency points for coming up with a lame name so easily morphed to Operation Epstein Fury, which is exactly what this whole clusterfuck was designed to distract from.
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Sherri said on March 4, 2026 at 2:09 pm
Our most incompetent FBI director fired all the Iranian counterintelligence experts a few days before the war began, because they supposedly worked on the Mar-a-lago documents case.
https://newrepublic.com/post/207263/kash-patel-fired-iran-experts-donald-trump-war
How do you determine whether a war is going well when there is no goal? What is the outcome the US and Israel want to achieve? No one seems to know, or be able to articulate a consistent answer.
The administration started a war without making any plans for whether they might need to evacuate embassy personnel in the region, much less US citizens. It didn’t seem to occur to them until after the fact that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz might be affected. Nor, apparently, did they count up the number of Tomahawk and Patriot missiles they have, consider how many they might use, how fast they can replace them, and where else they might need them.
Again, to accomplish what?
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Dorothy said on March 4, 2026 at 2:10 pm
I posed this same question yesterday – when will we experience a retaliation event here in our country? Someone is bound to do it. I don’t attend very many events where there are thousands of people, but surely there will be something awful that happens, sooner rather than later. I’ll be avoiding any big events for awhile just to be careful.
I just wish the bad guys would find a way to retaliate against the one who said he got the Supreme Leader in Iran before he could get him (Dumpy McDumpsterFire.) Or words to that effect. So he is blowing up a country just to say “Nyah nyah, I won!”. His demise cannot come fast enough.
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David C said on March 4, 2026 at 2:48 pm
Iran can take out multi-billion dollar systems that will take years to replace with $20K drones that can be produced just about anywhere. Also, does anyone believe that the Kuwaiti pilot accidentally downed three F-15s. I don’t. Our “allies” there are the billionaire autocrats. Their people, probably, not so much. That’s going to be a problem that nobody in the admin is even close to thinking about. They lit the fuse on a powder keg.
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Sherri said on March 4, 2026 at 3:04 pm
Spencer Ackerman discusses the math of missiles here: https://www.forever-wars.com/interceptors-versus-missiles-the-iran-wars-wrath-of-the-math/
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Sherri said on March 4, 2026 at 4:13 pm
They’re really trying to push the narrative that Trump didn’t start this war, we’ve been at war with Iran since 1979.
Sooo, does that mean that Ollie North and friends were selling arms to a country we were at war with?
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Jeff Gill said on March 4, 2026 at 4:40 pm
What about “Good Ol’ Shoe”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v4ZLwevXAI
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Brandon said on March 4, 2026 at 5:19 pm
Re: FDChief’s first comment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carson_Robison
He was apparently very popular in his day, but mostly forgotten now.
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FDChief said on March 4, 2026 at 5:19 pm
Sherri; in a sense “they” are not entirely wrong, but I’d put the beginning-date even further back. “We” – the U.S. – has been effing with Iran since at least the Mossadegh coup in ’53. Our buddy we installed – the Pahlevi shah – proceeded to immiserate vast numbers of Iranians to (among other things) ensure he stayed on the right side of the U.S.
When he got his conge’ the gloves were off. We had a whole fist on the scale during the First Gulf War in the Eighties, and have been pretty mercilessly messing with the ayatollahs since then.
That said, to pretend that this is part of some sort of seamless foreign policy continuity with what the previous administrations did is…well, what else could we expect from these congenitally-lying nitwits?
The thing about this that worries me more than anything else is the obvious lack of actual thinking and planning involved. This ain’t some whorehouse ballroom or play-money tariffs. This might – who knows, but it might – be lighting a fuse connected to who-the-hell-knows-how-big an explosion or SERIES of explosions.
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FDChief said on March 4, 2026 at 5:27 pm
Long form discussion of the Fourth Gulf War: https://milpubblog.blogspot.com/2026/03/worse-than-crime.html
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FDChief said on March 4, 2026 at 5:33 pm
At least when the U.S. did this before – in Libya – it provided some material for comedy: https://milpubblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/libya-dialect-dramedy-in-probably-more.html
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Jerrie in midMD said on March 4, 2026 at 5:38 pm
It took more than Bibi. Saudi Prince MBS called Trump for weeks to push an attack on Iran, while publicly calling for diplomacy and saying that the US wouldn’t be allowed to use Saudi airspace. All 3 should be in prison.
https://wapo.st/46A7Ad0
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Sherri said on March 4, 2026 at 7:01 pm
I detest Rand Paul, but at least he actually has beliefs about interventionism and war he’s willing to stand up for. And I suppose it can be said that John Fetterman has principles, too, if the principle is whatever AIPAC tells him to do.
Preliminary estimates from the Pentagon are that this don’t call it a war is costing a billion a day. Bet that’s an underestimate.
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Jeff Borden said on March 4, 2026 at 7:27 pm
When the stupidest “administration” in history consists of ignorant sycophants who bend to the every whim of a profoundly dumb leader, disaster is guaranteed. All the guardrails have been removed. All the speed bumps have been bulldozed. All logic has been outlawed.
Now, consider this. You know who is in charge of protecting us from the virtually certain response from the mullahs? That would be Kristi Noem, secretary of hair extensions and bed monkey of Corey Lewandowski. She’s diverted almost everything to immigration enforcement. We’re so fucked.
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Mark P said on March 4, 2026 at 8:06 pm
Senators coming out of a classified briefing on the Iran disturbance say it’s worse than we think. Apparently no one from the regime could come up with a coherent explanation for … well, for anything.
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Jeff Gill said on March 5, 2026 at 8:16 am
This ain’t no party. This ain’t no disco. This ain’t no foolin’ around.
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Brandon said on March 5, 2026 at 1:54 pm
Re: Jeff Borden’s comment.
Not anymore.
https://abc7.com/post/trump-says-markwayne-mullin-will-replace-kristi-noem-dhs-secretary/18680931/
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Deborah said on March 5, 2026 at 1:55 pm
Noem out, Markwayne in, although he hasn’t said he would do it yet. Lordy!
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Suzanne said on March 5, 2026 at 1:58 pm
Well, well. Bye-bye doggie killer.
Word has it she will be replaced by old Double Name MarkWayne!
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-congress-war-powers-dhs-funding-ballroom-elections-live-updates-rcna261251
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alex said on March 5, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Tubby’s reassigning her to something more low-profile… Western Hemispherical Undersecretary of Hyaluronic Acid, I think.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/05/us/trump-news?unlocked_article_code=1.Q1A.nnOJ.VU2EiO-GUKtx&smid=url-share
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Dexter Friend said on March 5, 2026 at 2:21 pm
I was introduced to the brilliant fantastic Bridget Everett on The Bennington Show, XM 103 12-2 PM
Who else , sort of mainstream anyway, could pull off her signature song?
I love her , and her show never should have gotten the axe. Jeff Hiller was great as well, and has found work in movies lately, including Bugonia, a great film. I thought Murray Hill dragged the show down too much, he was hard to take, so brash and loud.
Another icon I am enamored with is Jennifer Coolidge. We need to see her in more roles. She was so fantastic working for Mike White.
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Jeff Gill said on March 5, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Justice for Cricket.
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Dexter Friend said on March 5, 2026 at 2:32 pm
Mushmouth Markwayne, what a wonderful choice. Noem off to lead another phony government agency. I will not miss her.
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Suzanne said on March 5, 2026 at 2:52 pm
Doggie killer Kristi is apparently now going to be the Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, whatever in God’s name that is. I guess it’s where the women folk go when they are no longer useful. They are just pulling names of positions and organizations out of their…well, you know.
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DavidC said on March 5, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Wonder if she’ll keep the planes and her fuck buddy.
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Sherri said on March 5, 2026 at 3:25 pm
I bet Corey loses interest in Kristi now that he can no longer run the department through her. Being the shadow Special Envoy of the Shield of the Americas seems like it wouldn’t provide much opportunity to do much. I hear the Secretary of Labor might be open to some extracurricular activities, though…
I’m surprised Trump didn’t see the video of former Navy Seal Tim Sheehy, Senator of Montana, breaking a Marine vet’s arm, and decide that’s the kind of energy he wanted at DHS. Good ole Markwayne only challenged the head of the Teamsters union to a fight in a hearing, he didn’t actually fight him.
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Sherri said on March 5, 2026 at 3:42 pm
These people are just so weird….
https://www.businessinsider.com/sen-markwayne-mullin-picked-noses-of-colleague-and-spouses-in-israel-2023-11
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Julie Robinson said on March 5, 2026 at 3:48 pm
Markwayne. JFC.
In other news that should surprise no one, the state of Florida is getting stiffed by the feds for the $608 million it spent building the so-called Alligator Alcatraz abomination. They should have paid attention; Trump never pays his contractors!
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Jakash said on March 5, 2026 at 6:54 pm
Among “all the best people” from 2 administrations to be fired, Ms. Noem was one of them. She lasted longer than three dozen Scaramuccis, but proved in the end that frightening plastic surgery, even when coupled with gross sycophancy and her eagerness to be an attack dog for Rumplethinskin wouldn’t save her from being put down in the end. I’m sure somebody has a tally of how many of “all the best people” foisted on the nation by the orange felon have been cashiered, but I’m not gonna bother looking. My, though, there have been a lot.
Try and keep the utter incompetence on the down-low, people! Don’t go broadcasting it all over the place. Only Metamucilini gets away with that totally unscathed.
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Heather said on March 5, 2026 at 11:00 pm
Relax, everyone! It’s not like the head of terrorism prevention is a 22-year-old with no previous experience!
Oh. Wait.
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-dhs-thomas-fugate-cp3-terrorism-prevention
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Brandon said on March 6, 2026 at 12:24 am
Quite the devolution from Jeannette Rankin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannette_Rankin
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Suzanne said on March 6, 2026 at 1:13 pm
If you weren’t already depressed:
https://sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/the-no-world-order
“Over the past decade, operatives built a narrative to present Trump as an arbiter of an apocalyptic and messianic age. The least convincing participant has been Trump, a void of a man who now may feel he has no choice but to strike the final blow.”
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Dexter Friend said on March 6, 2026 at 2:17 pm
It took the security police to stop Markymarkwayne from going after the union head. Tough guy…it actually didn’t go any further than both men standing at their seats.
Trump said Marco is now laying plans to go into Cuba, “…as soon as we are done with the current thing.” The Miami anti-Castro Cubans are creaming their linen pants and sweating up their Guayebera shirts.
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Deborah said on March 6, 2026 at 4:02 pm
Suzanne, that link is fascinating, depressing yes, but all of the connections are crazy, and scary.
I read that Markwayne used to be a plumber, never went to college. Is that true?
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ROGirl said on March 6, 2026 at 4:19 pm
Is there a Rickybobby in his family?
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Julie Robinson said on March 6, 2026 at 5:06 pm
“Markwayne Mullin graduated from Stilwell High School in Oklahoma and attended Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship in 1996. He later earned an Associate of Applied Science in Construction Technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology in 2010 and received an honorary doctorate from Bacone College in 2018.”
That plumbing business he built from the ground up, pouring his blood, sweat and tears into? Inherited from Daddy.
There is video of him questioning Linda McMahon, first asking her about asanity, where she literally rolls her eyes as she asks if he means sanity or insanity. Next he asks “what was we ranked in reading and math in 1979?”. Again, you can see her disdain as she asks him to repeat the question, and he does, verbatim. Markwayne, making Linda McMahon look like a sterling intellect.
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Sherri said on March 6, 2026 at 10:45 pm
Linda McMahon, who kept calling AI A-one.
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David C said on March 7, 2026 at 6:19 am
The dude is deeply weird. The trained GOP seals (and Fetterman) will clap their flippers and consent anyway.
“We were in the clothes we’d been wearing for like 24 hours,” Kappy says. “We get on this bus, and it’s a couple-hour bus ride and people were kind of leaning on their spouse’s shoulder and falling asleep. And this idiot starts walking up and down the bus with his camera and anyone who fell asleep, he would put his finger in their nose and take a picture.”
“I said [to myself, ‘If] that idiot comes near me when I fall asleep, I’m going to punch him,’” Kappy told us. “And I said to Dave: ‘This is a U.S. congressman?’”
That congressman? Markwayne Mullin.
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/markwayne-mullin-reportedly-fingered-nostrils-of-colleagues-and-their-spouses-during-visit-to-israel/
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susan said on March 7, 2026 at 9:36 am
Also, MarkwayneMarkwayne Mullet is allegedly a member of the Cherokee Nation.
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Sherri said on March 7, 2026 at 1:58 pm
Lindsey Graham has been pushing for this war since the beginning of Trump’s term. He coached Netanyahu about how to persuade Trump, and got intelligence from Israel to present to Trump.
He wants to hit Lebanon next, in retaliation for the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/lindsey-graham-trump-iran-fa5f54f0?st=FMr7eu&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
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David C said on March 7, 2026 at 2:31 pm
They should bomb the Reagan Library in retaliation for the Beirut attack. Those Marines never should have been in a place where a truck bomb could just drive up to it. Plus, it was over forty-three yeas ago. The people responsible are likely mostly dead, other than the suicide bombers who are most definitely dead. So many of the world’s problems stem from people not letting go of things that happened generations ago.
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Deborah said on March 8, 2026 at 12:05 pm
This is already all over the internet, Fox reported Trump being at Dover yesterday when bodies were transferred but they showed a clip of Trump being at a different transfer years earlier because they didn’t want to show him at the very dignified transfer with one of his campaign baseball caps on. Then later Fox apologized and said that inadvertently used the wrong clip but of course they didn’t show the recent one of him, because it’s so obviously disrespectful and heaven forbid Fox show Trump doing something cheezy at such a solemn event.
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Deborah said on March 8, 2026 at 5:08 pm
LB is at a protest in Santa Fe at the Lensic Theater in the Plaza area where Amy Coney Barrett is speaking about her book and other things. Why do these Justices get to write books? I know they’ve done it for years and the liberal ones do too but it seems wrong to me. Making money off of their service in their role on SCOTUS just seems unethical to me.
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