David Frum

The main weapon to break Russian power and stop the aggression against Ukraine and make Europe safe is the economic collapse of the Putin regime.

Well, this war saves the Putin regime economically.

They're still having a bad time militarily, but they've got a billion dollars a day more to spend to pay pensions to soldiers and others.

China gets oil from Iran.

There are lots of places.

China has money.

If you have money, you can get oil.

It's a planet awash in oil.

So the reason China likes buying oil from Iran is because of American sanctions, Iranian oil is cheaper to China than other countries' oil, but they could buy it from somebody else.

And if there is an American war with Iran, it isn't just China that will be paying more for oil.

It's everybody, including Americans.

So begin with the assumption that Bantz is an entirely political creature, that he is entirely about his own advancement.

And while he lacks Trump's charisma, he has much more strategic sense.

And of course, he's a totally amoral person, one of the most amoral people ever to reach the high ranks of government.

So he's got two goals right now.

And they're a little bit in tension and everything you're describing fits in one of two goals.

So goal number one is,

is not to be so against Donald Trump on Iran that he gets an actual Trump endorsement of Marco Rubio instead of Vance for 2028.

Remember, President Obama was succeeded as the nominee of his party, not by his vice president, Joe Biden, but by his secretary of state, Hillary Clinton.

It can happen.