Deeply Unserious
One of the most passionate supporters of the Iraq War is professional Twitter user Matthew Yglesias. He recently posted a photo of Trump in a golf cart, with the caption “[a]fter attending the dignified transfer in Delaware, Donald Trump hurried back to Florida to huddle with his top economic, diplomatic, and military advisors to develop next steps on the ongoing war.” Many liberals shared this post, adding their own commentary about how ridiculous Trump looks, and how deeply unserious he is.
What specifically is it to be serious from the perspective of an American President? Was Barack Obama serious? Many would argue yes. Obama remained almost entirely scandal free throughout his presidency. The quaint criticisms of the latte salute or the tan suit were artificial. Some liberal observers have pointed out that there were “no new wars” under Obama. Is this accurate? This apparently doesn’t count operations in Libya (Operation Odyssey Dawn), or Pakistan (Operation Neptune Spear), or drone strikes in Yemen, or Syria, or SEAL operations in Somalia, or surges in Iraq (Operation Inherent Resolve), or Afghanistan, that included thirty-thousand new troops on the ground. Obama’s military actions, which included the killing of countless civilians, including the drone bombing of American citizens without trial, were all very serious.
Matthew Yglesias almost certainly wants war in Iran. In fact, his biggest fear in all likelihood when he read that the United States and Israel had begun strikes on Iran wasn’t that this was another quagmire, or that there would be blowback that would kill American civilians, and certainly not that Iranians would die despite not in any way deserving to die (which should be the singular focus for any actual opposer to this actions: Iran does not in any way deserve this), but that Trump would taint this action. He worries that Trump’s lack of seriousness will lead to military action in Iran hemorrhaging support.
The problem with military action in Iran is that it’s a cruel and unnecessary attempt to control the region that will cost countless lives for the sole purpose of the enriching of a very small group of the the bourgeois. Countless Iranians will die for no reason other than a few bottom lines. Trump’s particularly undignified approach is immaterial. The seriousness of an Obama, Clinton, Harris, Biden, or Newsom changes nothing. There will be more military conflicts in the future, and many of them are likely to be supported by very serious people.