In the days after the midterms, a simple explanation began to take hold: that the Iran war is the reason Republicans lost. It is an understandable conclusion, and the war is surely part of the story. But elections are rarely as black and white as that.
If the Iran war were ongoing, but we had peace and prosperity at home instead of the current chaos, things might have looked different.
If the Iran war were ongoing, but gas prices hadn’t soared, the situation might have looked a little different.
If the Iran war were ongoing, but the messaging were clear and steady instead of the current weak, tweet-driven messaging, people might have held the line.
And if everyone in the administration had been on the same page, things might have looked brighter.
People don’t like wishy-washiness, and they don’t like weakness. We saw that in the last presidential election.
Where it gets messy is that the enemy doesn’t care what you prefer, whether you lean liberal, wishy-washy, Islamist or isolationist. He will simply take advantage of it.
It makes no difference to him whether you support the humanitarian cause of the people of Gaza, the Houthis or the Revolutionary Guard. He doesn’t even understand why. But he will be there, ready to take advantage.
Americans don’t care about the ifs and the buts, the strikes and the ceasefires. All they want is strength.
And if people in this country decide to take an enemy’s side because it advances them politically, then I think we have truly lost.