Bombings and Buggy Whips

In this episode we examine some of the bad arguments against the strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities this weekend. Beginning with the president’s constitutional authority, we look back at precedents for the president’s power to wage undeclared war from Thomas Jefferson to Bill Clinton, and I voice support for a constitutional amendment to strengthen Congress’s power in this area, built on a diplomatic authority to declare war that’s as dated as a buggy whip. Next we discuss the far-left invocation of the 1953 coup that removed Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, where the arguments are weak and largely irrelevant to discussions of the Islamic Republic that seized power 26 years later. Then we discuss some argument that were more persuasive a decade ago but have expired: The threat of reprisals is neutered by the post-October 7 devastation of Iran’s regional proxies, and with or without the strikes Iran was already engaged in the types of asymmetric plots in the US that some worry about. Next we revisit the JCPOA, Obama’s deal with Iran that Trump’s decided to scuttle: Even if Iran hadn’t cheated on the deal (which they likely would have), the weaknesses in the deal and the resources Tehran would have had absent sanctions would have made them more dangerous. Finally, we address the worries being raised about the current state of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, and note Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comments suggesting that the Israelis are likely tracking it.