It’s amazing how much the Democrats hate Trump.
The Democrats in Congress, the Democrats on the evening news, the Democrats in the college classrooms.
Their hatred for Donald Trump and the people who voted for him is so great and overpowering that it blinds them to truth and fairness. Hating Trump becomes their defining principle, their primary loyalty, their constant fixation.
Like this deal with Iran.
In the aftermath of what may be the transformative juncture in the relationship between Iran and the United States, the first bright spot since 1979, all the Democrats can come up with is gloom and denunciation. Further, they seem intent on undoing or obstructing the progress recent days have brought.
And they have brought great progress.
That fact is illustrated by contrasting two Iranian actions – the attack on the American embassy two weeks ago, and the missile strike of earlier this week. In the one, Iran feared no American retaliation, in the other, it went out of its way not to provoke the United States.
Two weeks ago, the Islamic Republic of Iran had contempt for the United States – and acted accordingly. This week, the Islamic Republic of Iran had fear and respect for the United States – and acted accordingly.
In the attack upon our embassy – the sovereign territory of the United States – Iran used AK47s, firebombs, grenades, and mortars to destroy American property and endanger American servicemembers and diplomats.
That’s because they had no respect for us, because they thought we were a joke. Because experiences with the four preceding American presidencies had convinced them that they could strike us with impunity and we would be too weak or cowardly to strike back.
So they tried to go Benghazi on our Baghdad embassy.
Then Trump killed their guy.
Instead of taking it, we fought back. We killed the Iranian general who ordered the attack on our embassy, and who had the blood of at least 600 Americans on his hands.
Apparently that got their attention.
Because this week we saw another Iran. An Iran that – for the first time in a generation – clearly didn’t want to screw with us.
Trump killed their guy, flew in some B52s, sent over the 82ndAirborne, turned some ships around, and the Iranians crapped their pants.
All of a sudden, the dynamic of the relationship had dramatically changed.
And as a consequence, the behavior of Iran dramatically changed.
As proof of that, when Iran launched its obligatory face-saving retaliation for the death of its general, it did so in a fashion clearly intended to not provoke the Americans.
Yes, it launched missiles at two Iraqi military installations being used by American GIs. But it picked the two installations farthest away from the missile launch sites – to allow for as much warning as possible – and it called ahead to make sure nobody got hurt. Not only did it pick installations where the likelihood of casualties – military and civilian – was lowest, but an hour before it launched its missiles, the Iranian military contacted the Iraqi military through official channels and notified it of the targets and attack times.
That allowed all the aircraft to get off the runway and all the men to get in bunkers.
And so it was that almost no equipment was damaged, and no one was injured.
It was a public relations retaliation, not a military retaliation. It was a sign that Iran didn’t want a fight.
And Iran didn’t want a fight because Donald Trump had shown that America would fight.
Finally.
It wasn’t #WorldWarIII, it was a new chapter in the relations between our two countries. And a chapter with opportunity for improved relations and agreements. Why? Because the guy who has contempt for you has no interest in making a deal with you. But the guy who fears you, he wants a deal.
And one blown up car on a Baghdad road may have put Iran in a frame of mind more conducive to playing nice with others.
Unless the Democrats eff it up.
Which seems to be what they are intent on doing.
Because in the hours immediately after Iran’s sham retaliation, the top Democrats in the House and Senate – as well as the usual candidates and squad members – called for a congressional block on the president’s ability to strike Iran. The Democrats in politics and on the news said that Trump could not be trusted, he had destabilized the region, only Iranian forbearance had saved us from cataclysm, and the Congress must make sure no aggressive act could be taken against Iran.
Which I’m sure the ayatollahs and Iranian generals appreciate.
And which I’m sure gives aid and comfort to our enemies.
It was fear of American military retaliation that made Iran mends its ways, and the Democrats want to take that fear of American military retaliation away.
Which would seem to free the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism to go back to the contempt of two weeks ago.
Let there be no confusion, killing the general was a power move that has already paid off in a more docile Iran. Trump did a good thing, not a bad thing.
No matter what the Democrats in politics and the press tell you.