The undefined war the US and Israel are fighting in Iran has reached its third week, and social media continues to be dominated by riveting images of exploding oil tankers and refineries; alarmingly skyrocketing prices at American gas stations; and, heartbreakingly, the remains of an annihilated Iranian elementary school. It makes one wonder about previous wars the United States has waged. Leaders and military experts provided no cogent or feasible explanation for why we embarked on such risky and, in many cases, futile endeavors. As for this latest military attack, President Trump’s motives for it lacked clarity from the outset. They are no clearer now that he has declared the war “very complete.”

American and Israeli bombs have rained down death and destruction, rattling but falling short of overturning the Iranian government. Supreme leader Ali Khamenei was assassinated and succeeded by his son - whom President Trump deemed “unacceptable.” Although regime change was the end goal, Trump and his advisors made the curious decision to continue to alter their strategy and revise their plans. What began as a long-haul commitment to reverse the decades-old Islamic Revolution has become a brief military exercise to neutralize Iran’s military power. Trump has not yet declared “victory” or stated, “mission accomplished.” He argues that he has won but also that he has many more victories in mind. Trump’s egoism has no space for the nation’s physical and economic well-being. His actions have provided a stark demonstration of what one man’s exercise of the armed forces, unrestrained by the rule of law and devoid of any concern for potential economic consequences, ostensibly in the interest of larger American prestige, can bring about.

That is the significant dilemma of the MAGA movement. Appeasing Trump’s imperialistic psyche is leading to the unraveling of American exceptionalism. In usurping power to himself, the president has weakened the pillars of the nation’s influence throughout the world and jeopardized the safety and stability of the United States’ allies. As we reach the 21st day of the war in Iran - bringing carnage and massacre to the Middle East - it is imperative to ponder who is responsible. So far, nearly 2,500 people have been killed, including almost 200 Iranian schoolchildren and several US service members. More than 150 US service members have been physically injured, several severely so. Such statistics are no doubt a sobering precursor to the final total.

The amount of resources being spent on this war - at the moment, roughly $1B per day, or $41,666,667 per hour, $11,574 per second - is arguably obscene. Such money and resources would be much better served assisting and augmenting American people’s quality of life! Millions of Americans need health care, decent and affordable housing, stronger K-12 education, quality childcare, and eldercare for an ever-growing elderly population. Just a fraction of the money that the United States has spent on misguided or ineffective wars would help mitigate many of the nation’s infrastructure issues. After all, charity begins at home and spreads abroad! Home is where the president, his cabinet, and Congress need to be directing the country’s resources. Instead, they have spent more than $1 trillion on the Pentagon, and Trump has argued that it needs $500 billion more!

Many people, including yours truly, have been shouting for an eternity at the top of their lungs at MAGA voters that Trump does not care about them. He cares about only one person, “THE DONALD,” to quote his late ex-wife, Ivana Trump. He is reckless and impulsive. He spouts numerous falsehoods to deflect the overwhelmingly justified criticisms directed at him and is forever shifting the narrative. Regrettably, he has successfully manipulated much of the mainstream media even as he has moved from one controversy to the next.

Honesty, transparency and credibility are crucial factors in times of war. The public needs to be assured that it can trust and verify the information being fed to them by the government. If there is any degree of doubt, or even ambiguity, support cannot be forthcoming. It is just setting the nation and citizenry up for another round of mishaps and failure. Even more troubling is the fact that we are subjecting young people to risk their lives in an effort to carry out orders. There is nothing redemptive about ample destruction and loss of life to military personnel and regular citizens.

Attempting to promote war without adequate public support is a futile effort. To put it bluntly, after decades of ongoing international conflicts, much, if not the majority of the American people are weary, if not, outright, resistant toward the nation entering into another global conflict. Such opposition is well founded. We have been in enough wars with no feasible exit strategy. You certainly do not initiate a war unless you have a reasonable plan on how it will most likely conclude! Afghanistan anyone? After all, President Trump, who fiercely railed against forever wars during the 2024 presidential campaign should be astute to this fact!

Fortunately, many Americans are finally waking up to this, as evidenced by the polls. The polls have routinely shown that Trump has low approval ratings, including for his handling of the Iranian conflict. Indeed, a recent poll revealed that 89% of Democrats and 60% of independents oppose Trump’s military action in Iran. However, the same poll found that 85% of Republicans support the war. These are the diehard, largely MAGA faithful who, either from willful ignorance or naivete, are laboring under the delusion that Trump is concerned for their welfare despite rising gas and food prices. Several of the president’s tariffs are having adverse effects on their pocketbooks as well. It is apparent that the president has no feasible exit strategy. He has failed to provide a concrete statement about what victory will require, claiming that he will do so when he “feels it in his bones.” It is a ludicrous state of affairs. The current political, social, and cultural climate reminds me of the 1967 song “For What It’s Worth” by folk/pop group Buffalo Springfield.

It is imperative that those of us who ascribe to the principles of multilateralism, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law continue strenuously to resist an administration that represents the antithesis of moral values. Democracy is more than “on the ballot.” It is on life support.