Why?

Susan Estrich
Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:00:00 -0800
Opinion

A very bad guy is gone. We did it. Yes, we can. But was he a threat to us? Was his country? An imminent threat? Of what? Do they have nuclear weapons? How much of their capacity did we already destroy? Eliminating the nuclear threat? Regime change?

I've been listening. I listened to the State of the Union, where President Donald Trump devoted by my count 3 minutes of 147 (some counted it as 4 minutes, to be generous) to the war he was getting ready to launch.

I listened all weekend, as the war expanded, and the president kept to his weekend schedule in Mar-a-Lago. No Oval Office address to mark this war.
Updated: Thu Mar 05, 2026

A very bad guy is gone. We did it. Yes, we can. But was he a threat to us? Was his country? An imminent threat? Of what? Do they have nuclear weapons? How much of their capacity did we already destroy? Eliminating the nuclear threat? Regime change?

I've been listening. I listened to the State of the Union, where President Donald Trump devoted by my count 3 minutes of 147 (some counted it as 4 minutes, to be generous) to the war he was getting ready to launch.

I listened all weekend, as the war expanded, and the president kept to his weekend schedule in Mar-a-Lago. No Oval Office address to mark this war.

And I've been listening ever since to the conflicting rationales, as Israel pushed us to do it (that one never sounded very good), to its opposite, that we were the ones pushing Israel.

Clearly, the military force of the United States and Israel, working together, is awesome to behold.

But that is not a reason for using it.

In my lifetime, and in Trump's, we have learned some hard lessons about war, or we should have. It is not enough to have superior military might, tempting though that makes the use of force. There is a political side to waging war, at home and on the ground. That's the part that this administration has done its best to ignore.

They have not kept Congress informed. They did not even pretend to consult. This is not how democracies make war.

This war has sparked vocal criticism from some of the most credible members of Congress, the ones who are veterans of the Iraq War, and know something about forever wars with no exit strategy, the sort of thing Donald Trump used to rail against.

On Wednesday, Rep. Pat Ryan, a graduate of West Point who served two tours in Iraq, led 10 other veterans in speaking out. "I served two combat tours in Iraq. I've seen what happens when a lying, chicken-hawk president beats the war drums, more than willing to send our kids off to die in the Middle East, but unable to articulate why. We passed the War Powers Act after the Vietnam War to ensure that before the president sends our troops into harm's way, he has to make his case to the American people. Trump hasn't done that. He still hasn't clearly explained his goals. He still hasn't told you what it will cost - both in our tax dollars and even more of our kids coming home in flag-draped coffins. We need to have a full and honest conversation in front of the American people about what comes next. That is how we stop yet another forever war."

Rep. Eugene Vindman: "I served in the Army for 25 years, including in Iraq, and my twin brother was wounded by an Iranian IED. I understand the threat posed by Iran. But wars are easy to start and hard to finish — and Americans are the ones who pay the price."

Republicans control both Houses, so the likelihood of their passing a War Powers resolution is slim, and Trump would veto it if they did. Schumer is pushing for a vote as a first step in a real national dialogue

"Today every senator — every single one — will pick a side," said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer during a floor speech. "Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war?"

The Democrats are right to be asking the hard questions of how we avoid a forever war, which changes nothing and costs precious lives and billions of dollars. We need to understand why. "Because we can" is not an answer.