He began by picking off small boats in the Caribbean he allegedly suspected of carrying illegal drugs from Venezuela to the United States.

Then he deployed an armada to the region — including the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS GERALD R. FORD — purportedly to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States.” [Konstantin Toropin, AP, October 24, 2025.]

But it had really been about regime change, and not just drugs, all along. Because on January 3rd — in an operation worthy of a Jason Bourne sequel — he sent in U.S. special ops Delta Force commandos to kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and bring them to the United States, where they currently await trial in New York on charges of drug trafficking and narcoterrorism. And he declared that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until a new administration had been installed to his satisfaction, which hasn’t officially happened yet.

Of course, I’m talking about Donald Trump, who — fresh off of his Venezuelan “success” — now has his sights, and a sizable number of U.S. military forces, aimed at Iran. The issue there is bigger than the Latin American drug trade; it involves ongoing talks concerning nuclear containment, which have dragged on with little or no progress for longer than he anticipated.

At the first meeting of his ironically-named “Board of Peace” in Washington this week, Trump gave the Iranian regime another ten days to knuckle under to his demands, saying:

“We have to make a meaningful deal otherwise bad things happen.” [Bernd Debusmann, Jr., BBC, February 20, 2026.]

Trump did not explain what he meant by “bad things.” But I doubt that what then actually happened on Thursday was what he had in mind. That was the day that Iran and Russia began joint military drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, with the purported goal of “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences.” [Ryan Mancini, The Hill, February 19, 2026.]

Apparently, Trump does not understand the difference in consequences between stepping on an anthill and poking a hornets’ nest. Furthermore, in his own ignorance concerning the history, the culture and the mindset of the Middle East nation — and his failure to anticipate Russia’s willingness to step into the fray — he placed responsibility for the negotiations in the hands of two equally unqualified individuals: realtor Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s own wunderkind son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Yes, the same pair who have thus far failed to bring Ukraine a millimeter closer to peace have simultaneously been tasked with convincing Iran’s leaders to bow down before the Temple of Trump.

Well, good luck with that, boys. The countdown has begun.

10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
2/21/26