There’s a poker analogy hidden in the confrontation between Israel, the USA, and Iran. It’s like two players with lots of cash, Israel and the USA, decide they want to break a third player, Iran, who is low on cash but who’s been around a long time, 4000 years and counting, and can still play.
Why do the USA and Israel want to break Iran? Because Iran exists and isn’t properly deferential to its richer competitors. If you have enough money you don’t need reasons to do what you want to do. As they say in Las Vegas, “money talks and bullshit walks.” But, there’s a lot of folks watching. The whole world is “on the rail”, as they say. So USA and Israel want to pretend its a fair fight and Iran started it.
Believe that and you’ll believe anything.
So USA and Israel say to Iran how much money you got? Iran says “if we sell all the oil and our UNESCO World Heritage Sites and all our Persian Rugs we can come up with $100 Billion by Midnight. Let’s play Poker!” Israel says “we can get $100 Billion. We’ll get ours from the USA. They’ve given us much more than that already.” USA says “sounds like I’ve got to front $200 Billion. I’ll give Nancy Pelosi a call. If she gives us the money we can play.
Iran…”Make it easy on yourself. We’re not going anywhere.”
All of a sudden, nobody’s pushing for war. The very thought of John Bolton is, for lack of a better word, BORING. He’s so yesterday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is much cooler. Pompeo is taking up more space these days literally and figuratively. Pompeo has said he’d “like to talk to the Iranian People.” Zarif says we have just the person to interview you. Turns out the person they have is an African American woman born in New Orleans who moved to Iran and converted to Islam many years ago.
Can you say Game, Set, and Match? Memo to Pompeo: You got to get out of this. Go into the Hospital for that long postponed Hemorrhoid Operation.
MEANWHILE THE DEBATES…
I’ve got my eye on the second night…two people in particular: Michael Bennet and Tulsi Gabbard.
Bennet is known for one thing that he announces at every opportunity. He is the son of a Jewish mother who escaped the Holocaust. Every time his name is mentioned online, a flood of similarly worded comments come in declaring Bennet to be the best thing since sliced bread. A very “staged” operation. If Bennet is doing it himself that doesn’t pass the “laugh” test. I think Israel views him as friendly and/or as a blocker against Gabbard, They’d run an operation like that in a New York Minute.
Tulsi Gabbard is cool as the other side of the pillow. She’s a Veteran who has deployed twice to Iraq. She supported Bernie Sanders in 2016. She says things nobody else will say…like calling the “chickenhawks” that name and saying “Netanyahu and the Saudis” are pushing for a war against Iran. In the first debate she got the most “Google Searches” and Google inexplicably shut down linkage to her website precisely when she could have raised a lot of money. Whenever Tulsi’s name is mentioned online a flood of comments come in…”staged operation” for sure… cursing her out as a “cult fanatic” and creepy stuff. I don’t see any other candidate doing that. How about Israel? They wouldn’t do that AGAINST a candidate in the USA would they? They would.
MSNBC is basically ignoring Tulsi…she’s a proactive peace person….if not for peace, why does MSNBC exist? Kudos to Chris Matthews, he’s an exception. Also, Tucker Carlson of FOX had her on in a very positive interview. I’m not on his side very often, but he can be effective.
Here’s a clip of Tulsi in the First Debate:
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