The famed “cowboy philosopher” and social commentator Will Rogers once observed, “The short memory of the American voter is what keeps our politicians in office.”
Lest we forget, however, that on Nov. 10, 2013, Donald Trump tweeted: “Remember that I predicted a long time ago that President Obama will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly — not skilled!”
J. Basil Dannebohm
Contrary to that prediction, Barack Obama went on to negotiate a nuclear agreement with Iran — an agreement President Trump chose to scrap and later attempted to rebrand under his name.
And so, we find ourselves in yet another Middle Eastern conflict.
Since returning to office, the “America First” “Peace President” has attacked Minneapolis; Chicago; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Iran; Venezuela; Nigeria; Somalia; Yemen; Syria; Iraq; and civilian boats in Latin America.
Like the previous attacks, within hours of the strike on Iran talking points offering various milquetoast justifications were being distributed among MAGA influencers for mindless parroting on their social media channels.
For more than a decade, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed Iran was just “weeks away” from launching a missile at the contiguous United States. Following the strike, Trump offered that same unfounded allegation.
“For more than a decade, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed Iran was just ‘weeks away’ from launching a missile at the contiguous United States.”
Yet just last summer, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth boasted that the United States had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The excuse perhaps closest to the truth likely came from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said in no uncertain terms the strike was conducted in service to Israel.
Which brings me to an important point.
Trump is not without support on Capitol Hill for the attack on Iran. In a rare show of bipartisanship, Congressional staffers reported that mere hours after the State of the Union address, some Democrats were working with Republicans behind the scenes to block a vote aimed at stopping the president from waging war with Iran.
For their part, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spent the last few weeks tampering Democratic calls for Congressional action against Trump’s increasing appetite for an Iranian conflict.
Why, you ask?
Because the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has deep, influential pockets.
Both sides of the aisle are financially cozy with Israel, content with members of our armed forces fighting and dying in battles on their behalf.
Last year, while the Left was applauding Sen. Cory Booker’s marathon speech, I was using my platform to point out that just days later he was courting Netanyahu while genocide raged on in Palestine. As Minnesota Democrats praised Sen. Amy Klobuchar for speaking out against the atrocities committed by ICE in Minneapolis, I was pointing out that she’s one of Bibi’s favorite senators and dines with him nearly every time he visits Washington.
But let’s be clear, unwavering support of Israel is not some sort of “biblical obligation” to God’s “chosen people.”
“Both sides of the aisle are financially cozy with Israel.”
There are those, such as U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who go to great efforts to deceive you into believing the nation of Israel and Judaism are synonymous.
Those who peddle this fallacy are known as Zionists.
While few have the moral fortitude to say it, the fact no less remains: Zionism is to Judaism what Christian nationalism is to Christianity. They are bastardized, politicized representations of their respective faiths.
Zionists will attempt to gaslight you into believing it is antisemitic to oppose America’s blank check to Israel, sending troops to battle on its behalf, or pointing out the fact that Netanyahu is a manipulative war criminal.
Voter amnesia be damned, it’s important to remember that in the autumn of last year, while average Americans like you and I were the collateral damage of a government shutdown and federal workers were standing in line at food banks, Israel was still receiving uninterrupted funding from the United States.
Various polls suggest that voters of all political persuasions are growing weary of America’s unwavering and excessive support for Israel. Yet the only thing politicians in Washington seem to work together on is ensuring that Israelis are assured safety, access to outstanding health care and affordable education.
When it comes to providing the same for Americans, however, bipartisanship is a non-starter. Meanwhile, as our troops are sent to the front lines, there isn’t a single state in the U.S. where a 40-hour minimum wage work week is enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
Don’t be confused. The conflict in Iran is not about peace or security. It’s about Israel padding political pocketbooks and expensive midterms drawing near.
J. Basil Dannebohm is a writer, speaker, consultant and former state legislator. He is a registered independent.