Cheney and Dubya started a war based on LIES and we were told we needed to "move forward" - NO ONE was ever held accountable

reason, it always does.

But its Mammon who reigns in the WH and maralago -- not New York City.

You may think everyone knows what you're talking about at the time -- and perhaps most do -- but in the long run, your post lacks context. Punished for what and why? Attacking Iran, I get it, but if someone is just popping on the site, this post is receiving likes and recommendations despite absolutely lacking in clarity. Imagine someone reading your post in the future... Without having to do a lot of extra work, they won't know what you're talking about.

But in this case, I thought it was more than obvious.

And it's not insulting. It's a matter of fact.

To work out for Trump. I hope not.

becsuse of what we will have to put into "nation building".

Reread VegasVet. Make some effort at clarity. Not everyone is willing to help you out with that, and rightfully so.

Thought it was obvious

Why isn't that obvious to you?

When you make people hate America, they hate all of us, not just the people who voted for The Orange Menace.

In other on line forums I've seen International posters who were/are very aware of how many USA'rs despise trump; and don't lump us all together.
I'm talking recently, too.

how people voted.

15,000 deaths of Iranian protesters the last few months. I don’t support the admin but the decision can change the paths of 100 million Iranians. I pray for peace in Iran which would give peace in the region.

I have a really good deal on some memecoin that I can sell you.

The Omanis used to always point out that there has never been an Omani that has lead a terrorist attack. That’s because there is not religious extremism in the leadership and in their mosques. It’s not the people it’s the leadership.

The Iranians fund terrorism against the saudis and others. They are not liked in the region. They are seen as religious extremist. The Middle East wants peace because they now have prosperity and development. The world is global and the people can see the good life in different countries.

Yemen is not stable because of their government. The rest all want peace and actively punish country’s that support regional terrorism. All except Iran. It’s a backward country that is stuck in the past. Nobody will rise up to defend Iran. It’s killed thousands of its own people the last few months. Tens of Thousands more will die if nothing changes. Beautiful country. Beautiful people. One of the worst governments in the world. And they are developing nuclear capabilities.

I presume you remember our history in Iran, overthrowing the democratically elected leader and installing the shah, the trajectory of which led us to today's insanity.

If we created this monster initially, hopefully the government will change for the people. No Middle East country will defend Iran. They kill their own people and fund regional terrorist in the Middle East. Their people hate the government but lack the weapons to rise up.

What’s done is done, but we’ve dealt with threats and bluster and bombings for 40 years. We’ve already attacked so I hope they finish it and a new leader kinder to the people rises up.

just as venezuela did not change and any plans for cuba include a battista style kleptocracy.

the trump people are not original thinkers.

The Iranian people would have to somehow rise up. But they were disarmed decades ago. We have no stomach for war. Hopefully any change will be better. We know the direction of khamenei. It was a nuclear weapon and the same as North Korea except they believe in martyrdom and are religious fanatics.

cynical, jaded person who has seen and experienced far too much.

I get your wish, but no offense, it's more than a bit naive. The real world rarely works like that. You sure all Iranians hate the regime? Not hardly. And would any of them be any better? Perhaps not. We sometimes have a very bad habit of America-morphizing other cultures. They don't work like ours. Two Dubya wars should have taught all of us that.

I'm reminded of the Marine colonel in Full Metal Jacket who thought inside every (inset ethnic slur) is an American trying to get out. No. There isn't.

Iran has not changed. The country’s don’t want war. Even Afghanistan is trying to welcome tourists now. Saudi, Qatar, UAE, Oman. They all have brand new 4 lane highways. Beautiful buildings. Hospitals. It’s crazy to be there. The changes in 20 years are dramatic. Countries either don’t want to be left behind or don’t want regional nutcases costing them money.

Iraq was poorly done and Afghanistan. But despite the mistakes, incredibly they have changed.

The biggest regional risk was a nuclear Iran. We should have taken action longer ago.
North Korea has nuclear weapons but they are isolated and lack wealth or technology to advance much. They also are not religious fanatics. They are nationalistic and want to preserve the autonomous state. Iranian leadership are religious fanatics and have made the country poor. They lead wealthy lives but can control fanatics that brr we live martyrdom is the way to heaven. They will use a nuclear weapon. If they have killed 15,000 of their own people the last few months, they’d be just as willing to nuke Israel or us.

"The biggest regional risk was a nuclear Iran. We should have taken action longer ago."

I have a recollection of a US president who took action to prevent a nuclear Iran.

And, frankly, going from "they killed 15,000 of their own people" to "they will nuke us FOR SURE" is an incredible leap that, in the real world, makes no sense.

Iran being nuclear armed is a global threat. What was attempted 40 years ago failed. That doesn’t mean you let it happen again. Behind the scenes i absolutely believe that there is support from Saudi and others. You see it different.The same path yields the same results.

The attack has already happened so I hope that it changes their government in a meaningful way. The US can’t change their government, the people in Iran need to. At the least it’s a warning to their government that going nuclear will have reprisals.

The region is very rich. Iran is poor. The people are poor. At some point, this will drive change. The internet and access to the world reveals how their neighbors live. Oil and the money it can provide is time limited so they can’t wait forever.

or potentially creating a power vacuum is not how this should work. There are non-kinetic methods and those rarely come with galactic blow back. "Strikes" often times do.

The Iranian regime is bad. With you there. But so are a lot of others. Are we going to "small strike" them too? You see the problem with "small strikes" is they can quickly get out of control. Anytime you go kinetic, the outcome becomes uncertain.

And I hate fiscal waste. Missiles are expensive and I want less spending.

When I was in the Middle East a decade ago, a man told me that they were praying the US would save them. I frankly don’t remember who we were talking about. And it may have been longer ago than a decade. But it was an Iranian or maybe Yemen.

There are a bunch of country’s where the people are in hell. They can’t speak out and they can fight back. Or they are killed. In Iran woman are executed. Prior it can be ordered that they be raped so that Allah will not allow them into paradise. And despite our current country situation, they see the US as a great saving hope. That we can swing in and save them like they’ve seen us do for other countries.

I don’t care about the Iranian government, but the people are living a horrible situation. There can’t be change from within because the government is too strong versus the people.
The strike happened so I hope that it results in change. I’m also fearful that if Iran ever got a nuclear weapon, they would use. If for nothing else but to appease allah.

in Gaza

However, the Ayatollahs, Mullahs and the Iranian Republican Guard had significant support in the more rural regions that didn't want to be Westernized. Even in areas where education for both genders was prized, so was sharia as practiced in Iran.
The rural areas preferred what they saw as a social and class protection that a rather strict Islamic structure gave them.
Even if the Iranians aren't as tribal as the Afghans, there's still a significant cultural difference between urban and rural.
There will be civil war. What falls out afterwards will determine what sort of blowback will come from that region.
The primary blowback from this that I see is Orange Julius Caesar now believes he has every right to go into any country he wants to and take down their government. And I'm pretty sure that's going to come around and bite us in the butt big time as various world leaders might want to step in and reduce the threat to their nations.
Just waiting for Putin or his Russian mobster cadre to decide to drop the trap door out from under the GOP and start the wake and fire sale for what is left of the US.

Iran. The other two times things went badly for Iran. They suffered far more than people in the US. And certainly the people who run the US not only didn't suffer but profited from the regime change. Obviously if Trump didn’t feel that he and his friends would profit from attacking Iran he would never have done so.