1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Yesterday morning the president posted: “Iran is officially a Failed Nation. IT IS DEAD! They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country. The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA, a willingness to kill their protesters (now over 100,000 people dead. They must be tried for war crimes against humanity!), and a good line of “BULLSH*T.” Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP” This is a master-class in projection. Not to mention just plain crazy. Think back in time…ever remember any US leadership, especially the main guy, throwing such language at we the people? In the real world, military leaders are warning, (have warned, will warn until they’re fired) Pete Hegseth that a plan to continue large-scale operations in Iran is unsustainable. And weakening their ability to protect US interests in other places. Including here at home. Hegseth has either fired or forced into early retirement admirals and generals whom he considered insufficiently loyal in what appears to be “an ongoing, blatant campaign of intimidation to keep senior brass in the Pentagon toeing the line and not pushing back against administration officials.” And yet, a broad range of military leaders are doing just that. You know how bad it has to be in order for that to happen? Some views from people who watch this kind of thing for a living… “If any of the defense secretaries under Presidents Biden, Obama, or Bush had gotten this degree and range of pushback from top uniformed personnel, there would be immediate congressional hearings, calls for resignations, and talks of impeachment.” “Moreover, someone had to leak the information contained in this classified briefing and did so knowing that it would further confirm the extraordinary weakness the Trump administration has exhibited in its apparently dead-on-arrival ‘negotiations’ with the Iranian regime to end the war.” And another…”This is a good time to note that Hegseth is terrible at his job, that the Pentagon is a mess, that he should never have been confirmed, and that he should be fired first thing in the morning. But in this administration, sycophancy is more important than competence.” So instead of competence we get more of this from the Oval…Trump posted an AI video of military strikes and fires on what appears to be Iran’s Kharg Island. The major storage facility for their oil and the seaport for about 90% of its oil exports. The caption read: “Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT.” But the Defense Department this morning clarified that the US had not attacked Kharg Island. Instead incipient chest-thumping with bombs on both sides has caused oil prices to rise. Again. Instead of competent leadership we read that the Pentagon has hired right-wing social media influencers as special government employees. Using our money to amplify Hegseth’s viewpoints and attack anyone who tries to hold the Trump administration to account. Propaganda. And reporting shows that an active-duty US Army lieutenant colonel, Adam D’Ortona, posts pro-Hegseth and anti-Democratic material during working hours in violation of the military’s traditional nonpartisanship. Another story in the WaPo reports that the Pentagon has also secretly hired several right-wing military veterans with large social media accounts to boost Hegseth’s positions. We are paying for trolls to create a false reality to cover for the incompetence leading the Pentagon. But what would we expect from an ex-talking head whose biggest concern is how he looks on camera? P.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll just resigned after butting heads with Hegseth. This leaves the Army without any Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders. I hope the GOP is happy with what they’ve allowed to happen to our military. It’s disgraceful. You should be ashamed. And very worried.