The Trump White House's public messaging on the Iran war is incoherent, shifting from demands for unconditional surrender to claims of victory and back to threats within a matter of days.
Ben Rhodes argues Trump started the war with no clear objective, driven by a political gamble on a swift regime change that failed to materialize.
The killing of Iran's aging Supreme Leader installed a younger, more militant successor, an outcome Pod Save the World argues may have worsened the strategic situation.
A panicked White House pulled back from war rhetoric after advisers warned that spiking oil prices, which hit $120 a barrel, would hurt Republican midterm election prospects.
Tommy Vietor notes the war's goals and broader strategy are less clear 11 days in than at the start, with military actions disconnected from any diplomatic endgame.
Contradictory statements from Trump and acting Defense Secretary Pete Haggerty on whether the fight was 'complete' or 'just the beginning' underscore the undefined nature of the conflict.
Pod Save the World frames the war's direction as being managed by a president who views it as a political football game, controlled by financial panic and polling rather than a coherent strategy.