War is messy and typically unpopular. Americans are experienced in leaders communicating the necessity of military force, Ali Velshi reminds us this week, but President Trump’s shifting timelines, mixed messages, and threats surrounding the Iran war are wreaking dangerous consequences for Americans and the world.

Trump began a war with Iran expecting a minimal response, but the escalating conflict has led him to improvise. Ever since the outrage over the misleading of the press and public by our government over the Vietnam War, administrations have put effort into convincing Americans of the value of military interventions.

As NATO bombed Kosovo in 1999 to prevent ethnic cleansing, President Clinton addressed the nation to say that he believed our interest justified the dangers to our armed forces. After 9-11, invading Afghanistan was supported in response to the attacks, and President Bush then campaigned on invading Iraq to prevent their development and use of “weapons of mass destruction.” While that was a lie, many Americans supported this rationale.

This commander in chief, Velshi says, has delivered over the last several weeks “the most convoluted, misleading sales pitch for war in this country’s history.”

There has been no strategy communicated, no idea of how long this will take or even what are goals are. He’s reassuring stock markets that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will resume, and then responding with threats when the Iranians remain steadfast. He’s called the war in Iran both a “little excursion” and “major combat operations.” He has declared the war has been won, but we still have to finish the job. Which is it?

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