Imagine Iran freed. Or, more cautiously, imagine ending Iran’s evil, aggressive, anti-American, anti-Western, antisemitic, theocratic dictatorship: women walk outside freely, dissidents criticize as necessary, and members of the LGBTQ+ community no longer face hanging. China and Russia lose an oil-rich ally. And, once again, Islamic Jihadism proves itself a failed ideology harming the haters more than the hated.
More selfishly, the Islamic Republic of Iran would no longer threaten “Big Satan,” America, and America’s trusted ally, Israel – merely “Little Satan.” No mullahs going nuclear. No ballistic missile program. No bankrolling terrorists globally – who murdered 241 Marines in Lebanon; over a thousand American soldiers in Iraq; hundreds of innocents, Jews and non-Jews, in Argentina, Israel, and elsewhere.
True, there’s no guarantee that if the Mullahocracy falls, a democratic Iran arises. Civil war, Putin-like dictators, or extended chaos could follow. We’ve learned: liberty isn’t inevitable. But most scenarios beat today’s status quo.
Don’t believe me – trust the Iranian people, cheering on America and Israel. They know what “social justice” for them looks like. They can distinguish the “oppressed” – their people – from their “oppressors” – the mullahs and IRGC.
Aren’t you ashamed that many leading Democrats condemned this long-justified war, while some so-called Progressives even defend Iran? Aren’t you ashamed to see Saudi Arabia and Qatar now demonstrating more moral clarity and courage than you do?
Beware: Too many of you are on the wrong side of history.
When Kamala Harris opposes “a regime-change war in Iran,” branding it “Trump’s war of choice,” you should shout hallelujah – that she isn’t running foreign policy, even if you detest Donald Trump. As “pedrosastyles” posted on X: “If you’re not Persian and have no Persian ancestry, SHUT THE FU*K UP. We don’t need your ‘human rights’ talk’ – where were you when 40,000 people were slaughtered? Persians are celebrating with tears of joy that the United States has stepped in and that the Islamic regime is finally coming to an end.”
Around 40,000 protesters were murdered in Iran
Indeed, where were you in January when the estimated 40,000 Iranian protesters murdered by their fellow Iranians in two days approximated the number of Gazan civilians Hamas claimed were killed unintentionally in Israel’s two-year war of self-defense? And who respects Zohran Mamdani’s condemnation of this US-Israeli attack as “a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression?” The Mullahs justified their tyranny for 47 years by fighting America, murdering many Americans along the way. What self-respecting American ignores such wickedness, such direct threats?
No wonder another Iranian, Sana Ebrahimi, mocked Mamdani the “Islamist”: “When our people were getting slaughtered and hunted like animals by the Islamic Republic terrorists, you stayed silent… Now that the regime, the murderers of our people, are under attack, you came out of the woodwork to defend them.”
Compounding your insensitivity to Iranian suffering, your hypocrisy is comical. Congressional leaders and experts pressuring Trump to seek congressional authorization forget Bill Clinton’s 78-day air campaign in Kosovo – defying the House of Representatives’ refusal to vote “yes.” Similarly, Barack Obama bombed Libya without Congress, while Joe Biden attacked Houthis and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
Donald Trump called this long-overdue campaign “major combat operations.” Clinton, Obama, Biden – all lawyers – similarly preferred weasel wording like “kinetic military action,” or “overseas contingency operations.” Clinton said his non-war would guarantee peace, avoiding an “even crueler and costlier war.”
I supported those actions, too. In our insta-age, presidents often cannot sacrifice the element of surprise or be distracted by congressional debates when ticking time bombs threaten Americans or their allies.
Speaking of allies, note the British pussyfooting. Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially endorsed “de-escalation” and a “return to a diplomatic process.” After Iran bombed the Gulf States, Starmer kept broadcasting spinelessness. “We are not joining these strikes,” he bleated, “but we will continue with our defensive actions in the region.”
By contrast, Israeli pilots dropped 2,000 bombs in 48 hours, pulverizing Iranian missile launchers, ICBM sites, and command-and-control positions. Israel again emerged as the ROI and DIY ally, providing clear Returns on Investment, while functioning boldly as a Do-It-Yourself, defend yourself nation.
Let's address your greatest obstacle. You so detest Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu that you cannot applaud anything they do, even if it betters the world. But thoughtful patriots adjust to changing realities. During the Cold War, Americans believed: “politics stops at the water’s edge.” James Madison taught that “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”
Thanking Trump and Netanyahu doesn’t insulate them from other, legitimate critiques. Such nuance recognizes politics as balancing acts, involving difficult choices. In the Bible, Moses’ failure to trust God in securing water for the people, and King David’s adultery and manslaughter didn’t minimize their other accomplishments.
Analyzing David’s sins, the Talmud (Tractate Yoma 22b), teaches a profound Jewish – and liberal-democratic – lesson. Leaders should bear a publicly-recognized kuppah shel sheratzim, basket of creepy-crawlies. This “reptilian bundle” should keep bosses humble, while reminding citizens that nobody’s perfect. Injecting theological absolutes of all-right versus all-wrong drains the two fuels healthy democracies need: doubt and trust.
Trump and Netanyahu may ignore their own flaws, but supporters shouldn’t worship them – nor should rivals demonize them. By thanking your president for his courageous, justified, most-necessary, game-changing Iranian attack, patriotic Democrats might earn broader credibility – and that in turn might inspire true cooperation. Together, you could tackle other pressing problems that, like fighting Iranian jihadists, transcend Left versus Right, and are about right versus wrong.
The writer is an American presidential historian and Zionist activist born in Queens, living in Jerusalem. Last year he published, To Resist the Academic Intifada: Letters to My Students on Defending the Zionist Dream and The Essential Guide to October 7th and its Aftermath. His latest E-book, The Essential Guide to Zionism, Anti-Zionism, Antisemitism and Jew-hatred was just published and can be downloaded on the website of JPPI – the Jewish People Policy Institute.