The dust has begun to settle after the Republican Party’s worst midterm defeat in half a century.
asserted
dust → begin → century
And as it becomes clear that the Iran war is the main culprit behind the GOP’s wipeout, the finger-pointing has begun.
asserted
pointing → become → wipeout
Cynically seeking to ding his 2028 prospects, two camps — the left and warmongers on the right — are training their attacks on Vice President JD Vance.
asserted
camps → seek → Vance
The left claims Vance bears responsibility for failing to prevent the war, while the war’s most ardent apologists are bizarrely accusing him of disloyalty to President Donald Trump and of undermining the war effort by promoting peace.
uncertain
apologists → claim → peace
Democrats’ attacks on Vance for the war make zero sense when one recalls that it was Vance who was the only voice in the room against going to war in the first place.
asserted
who → make → place
Vance spoke plainly of the risks: many Americans who voted for the ticket in 2024 in part because of Trump’s impressive record of no new wars would be unhappy with the decision.
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who → speak → decision
Of course, as any good vice president should, Vance also understood his role as to provide the president with the best counsel he could and then support him unambiguously once the decision was made.
uncertain
decision → understand → him
And that is precisely what Vance has done since, working tirelessly to articulate the administration’s agenda at home and abroad to Americans.
asserted
Vance → do → Americans
On multiple occasions, Trump has made clear he agreed with the vice president’s lengthy post on X noting that the war hurt Republicans’ electoral fortunes.
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war → make → fortunes
When Vance cited polling showing that ending the war, focusing more on domestic issues, and readjusting America’s relationships abroad were top priorities for voters, foreign policy hawks cried foul.
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hawks → cite → voters
George Bush strategist Karl Rove accused Vance of being a “neo-isolationist” who — unironically on Rove’s part — holds views that would “bankrupt our economy.”
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that → accuse → economy
Republican Florida Rep. Randy Fine essentially accused the vice president of being a Nazi, akin to the smears radical leftists have directed at conservatives for years.
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leftists → accuse → years
Of course, when President Trump cited the exact same issues when asked about the midterm rout, the likes of Fine and Rove were notably silent.
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likes → cite → Fine
Moreover, it is Vance whom Trump entrusted with leading negotiations to reach a diplomatic solution to hostilities after they began.
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they → entrust → hostilities
And never mind the countless times the president’s own press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, maintained that Trump’s preference was always diplomacy first.
asserted
preference → mind → ?
And as the war’s biggest cheerleaders—from the likes of Mark Levin to the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board and the rest of the aging DC establishment—lambasted the vice president daily for seeking to end the war, he steered clear of the bluster.
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he → age → bluster
Vance pushed for a deal that would put Americans and our military in the strongest position possible.
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that → push → position
The Memorandum of Understanding that Vance spearheaded for the administration implemented a ceasefire and reopened the Strait of Hormuz to toll-free commercial shipping.
asserted
Vance → spearhead → shipping
While critics like Ted Cruz attacked Vance for negotiating the deal, the memorandum was popular.
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memorandum → attack → deal
Other data bore out the vice president’s position: when the memorandum was in force, the GOP narrowed Democrats’ edge in the polls.
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GOP → bear → polls
So, as Vance increasingly comes under bad-faith attacks from the warmongers who in large part cost the GOP the midterms, the sober-minded should be able to see that the results of November 3 were a clear vindication of the vice president’s warnings about the war.
asserted
results → come → war
And as for the accusations of disloyalty—mostly coming from people who have fought repeatedly against President Trump and his America First agenda on everything from tackling drug prices to enforcing the border—Vance has been as devoted an advisor and confidant as anyone in the Trump administration.
asserted
Vance → come → administration
The truth is that the foreign war-absolutists are becoming increasingly desperate because, deep down, they know Vance is right.
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Vance → become → ?
And they’re going all-out against him now because they know he’s the biggest threat to their decades-long stranglehold on the Republican Party.
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he → go → Party
If we want to bring young Americans, my peers, back into the Republican coalition, we cannot let the hawks spin themselves out of their own mess.
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hawks → want → mess
Gabe Guidarini serves as Chief of Staff for the Ohio Young Republicans, established in 1935.
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Guidarini → serve → 1935
He previously served as Chairman of the Ohio College Republican Federation.
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He → serve → Federation
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
asserted
views → express → Foundation
The Aporia
