Courtney Brown

Because a smarter person than I am, Aaron Blake at CNN, used to be at the Washington Post, wrote a really interesting piece a few months ago or a few weeks ago about how in two major cases involving the economy, tariffs and now the war, Donald Trump has asked Americans to have and endure the short-term pain for a long-term gain on something they weren't really looking for.

Like, yeah, sure, Americans don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons when you ask that question.

But we have enough polling evidence to indicate by now that Americans don't think this war is worth it.

Right.

That we have enough evidence now that Americans didn't want tariffs because they thought it was bad and it raised prices.

And so, yeah, sure.

Americans, again, they don't want nuclear on Iran, but they also don't want the war.

And people say, well, that's sort of a contradiction.

But, you know, I guess there's an old saying that the cat loves the fish, but hates the water.

I think you're raising a good point that there are broader issues of, let's say we do those four things and we pull out and gas is now $5, $6 a barrel, or pardon me, a gallon, and oil is $150, $200 a barrel.

And Iran now controls the Strait of Hormuz and is the tollbooth operator for it.

Is that really winning?

This is sort of the strategic versus tactical conversation.

But I do think there are sort of multiple conversations that are going on.

I'm not saying you're wrong for saying that, but there is that.

Well, I don't think it's accurate because if you and I would imagine if I had an opportunity to have a conversation with Rubio, he would acknowledge it.

One of the things that's happening in this war and that's happening in Iran largely as a result of this war.

And so while Rubio, I understand, to sort of sell the war and the need to continue to prosecute it by the United States is saying that these are just a bunch of lunatic terrorists doing crazy terrorist stuff.

And one of the things that Iran has done, which some people in the administration will admit privately, is they surprise the administration.

I think even Trump might have said this publicly because he says lots of things, is that they lashed out at all of these different civilian targets and quasi-civilian targets in the view of Iran, including energy-related targets.