Red Lines, Real Consequences: The Debate That Never Came
In every American war there is what should be an indelible truth: that we pull together and stand behind our mission and our troops. Support among our countrymen should be unambiguous and unwavering. Yet too often, that unified front becomes fractured by politics once the fighting begins. Of course, debate, dissent, and political maneuvering are the lifeblood of our constitutional republic. They're such an important part of our collective problem-solving formula that we protected that right in the U.S. Constitution. The issue with the politics isn't the dissent—it's the timing. And poor timing signals weakness. For decades, American leaders of both parties have declared that the United States would never tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. Those statements weren't whispered in some back room; they were repeated openly by presidents, secretaries of state, members of Congress, and allies abroad. They were a red line drawn by a long line of administrations intended to assure Ir...