As he campaigned on behalf of Rep. Ashley Hinson (R–Iowa) on Sunday, President Donald Trump boasted that he could have "won the Vietnam War in a week."
uncertain
he → campaign → week
Instead of dropping chemical weapons like Agent Orange "in the forest," Trump says he would have advised "going after Ho Chi Minh City."
asserted
he → drop → City
That very well may have ended the war more quickly—as it would have meant bombing the capital of South Vietnam, the country American troops were deployed to defend.
uncertain
troops → end → Vietnam
Perhaps it is for the best that Trump's medical issues kept him away from that conflict.
asserted
issues → keep → conflict
Unfortunately, they haven't stopped the president from launching a different war that Trump also believed could be won in a short order.
uncertain
Trump → stop → order
These things must be easy when you're brimming with confidence but dangerously ignorant of history, geography, and military tactics.
asserted
you → brim → history
Who could have known that the Iranians would blockade the Strait of Hormuz (aside from everyone who had ever studied the potential conflict)?
uncertain
who → know → conflict
The conflict has become a serious political anchor for Republicans, who are facing an electorate that not only dislikes the war itself but is unhappy with the higher prices that have resulted from it.
asserted
that → become → it
In many key races, Republicans have wavered between supporting Trump and acknowledging the political and economic costs of the war, as the costs have climbed and promises that victory is just a week away have piled up.
asserted
victory → waver → war
Take Hinson, for example, who is running for Senate in Iowa.
asserted
who → take → Iowa
As a member of the House, she voted six times against resolutions that sought to limit Trump's ability to wage war.
asserted
that → vote → war
Only in the late stages of the campaign did she turn against the conflict, saying in September that Iowans "shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran.
asserted
Iowans → turn → Iran
Even so, it was newsworthy that she was "diverging" from Trump at all.
asserted
she → diverge → Trump
Other Republicans in swing states have been caught in a similar bind.
asserted
Republicans → catch → bind
In North Carolina, Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley has defended Trump's handling of the conflict.
asserted
Whatley → defend → conflict
In October, he said it should end only when Iran agrees not to develop nuclear weapons.
asserted
Iran → say → weapons
Whatley has emphasized support for military families—North Carolina is home to Fort Bragg, the largest military base in the U.S.
Just one problem: Members of the military and their families don't like the war, either.
asserted
Members → emphasize → war
Among military families and veterans, a plurality oppose the war, according to a poll conducted by Change Research.
uncertain
plurality → oppose → Research
In that same poll, 55 percent of respondents said "the length of deployments and troops' health, safety, and welfare during the war with Iran" was a top issue they believed Congress should investigate.
asserted
Congress → say → Iran
That investigation is more likely to happen if Democrats are in charge of Congress.
asserted
Democrats → happen → Congress
Perhaps unsurprisingly, polls show Whatley trailing North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who has called for ending the war.
asserted
who → show → war
In Michigan, Republican candidate Mike Rogers called the Iran War a "win-win-win" in May.
uncertain
Rogers → call → May
Only in the latter stages of the campaign did he shift gears, calling for the war to "end and end quickly" in late September.
asserted
war → shift → September
The story is much the same in Texas, where GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton told The Texas Tribune in mid-October that he is "supportive of what the president is doing" with regard to Iran.
asserted
president → tell → Iran
Privately, however, Paxton seems to disagree with his own assessment—Axios obtained and published audio of Paxton admitting the war has caused political damage for Republicans by increasing food and fuel prices.
asserted
war → seem → prices
It was launched without any attempt to justify it to the public, without congressional approval, and in direct contradiction to Trump's own promises to avoid a conflict in the Middle East.
asserted
It → launch → East
It has been deeply unpopular since it began.
asserted
it → begin → ?
By June, the Quincy Institute had labeled it the most unpopular major conflict in American history.
asserted
Institute → label → history
A Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey in August found that 68 percent of Americans believe the war "is not worth fighting."
asserted
war → find → Americans
Instead of listening to their constituents, too many Republicans followed Trump's lead.
asserted
Republicans → listen → lead
Maybe they believed him when he said the war would be over in a few weeks.
asserted
war → believe → weeks
One must wonder: Would they have bombed Ho Chi Minh City if he'd suggested that?
uncertain
he → wonder → that
The Aporia
