Don’t Confuse the Iran War’s MAGA Critics With Most Republicans

There’s a joke circulating in political circles opposed to President Donald Trump that encapsulates the dilemma facing some of his most ardent supporters in the wake of ongoing US military strikes on Iran. The current variation goes something like this: “They told me that if I voted for Kamala Harris, we’d get more regime-change wars in the Middle East — and they were right!”

First, let me be crystal clear: War is no laughing matter. American soldiers are risking their lives for Trump’s stated goal of ending Iran’s murderous regime. Whether you agree or disagree with the underlying approach, there is justification for Operation Epic Fury after more than four decades of the US trying and failing to assuage Tehran diplomatically. But the president’s decision raises salient political questions for a Republican who said he would end wars — not start them, especially in the Middle East — while simultaneously warning that his Democratic opponent would surely do the opposite.