Bill Kristol, editor-at-large at The Bulwark says this about the Iranian deal.
“The ceasefire is "Trump's failure" — one that confirms America's retreat from its role as guardian of a U.S.-friendly international order. "This failed war will leave us both less feared and less respected than before."
He also called the cage matches a symptom of "imperial decadence," invoking the Roman poet Juvenal's lament about bread and circuses.
What I find about his comments is that they are about 25 years too late.
America became less feared the minute the SC stole the 2000 election. That was when the entire world began to see the US as a corrupt government run by oligarchs who could control the outcomes of elections.
We became less feared when the Tea Party, the original MAGA started showing their faces everywhere. That is when the whole world saw half of America was completely half drunk, obese, and stupid.
We became less feared every time Bush Jr opened his mouth and ignorance came out. The same President who attacked Iraq and Afghanistan for a 9/11 attack planned by Israel.
We became less feared when we simply could not defeat the Taliban who had no army to speak of in any modern sense.
We became less feared the minute white people went ape shit over a black man occupying the WH. Americas racists showed their faces everywhere, and the world saw how truly weak minded we as a nation were as a result.
We became less feared with the rise of the Kardashians, WWE, and UFC. Reality television showed our collective national IQ. The country loved Jerry Springer, all the Housewives shows, men or women beating up other men or women fake or not fake didn’t matter. America has shown through its programming that we are in fact intellectually inferior, and in many cases a barbaric and decadent society. The mere fact Trump’s celebrity apprentice lasted so long is very telling of who we are intellectually.
Then there is Trump. A man who made “grab them by the pu*^y” famous. We elected a sexual offender, an obvious pedophile imo, and a man who made a living borrowing money from banks and never paying it back. A man who went bankrupt 6 times and we put him in charge of America’s money. A man who makes decisions not based on love of country but on how it affects his personal wealth. A man who pardons every criminal who slips him some cash.
Those that voted for him get tattoos that say “boner garage👇” or many other shameful tattoos they will regret. Those who claim to be religious yet support his pedophile ways. Those who believe every word he says.
We have been a decadent nation since our existence with slavery, forced relocations of Native Americans, Jim Crow, the Mafia, the drug trade, sex trafficking, political insider trading and more. We are a nation where laws are created based on who profits from them. We are a nation where many innocent go to jail and many guilty go free. A nation where sentencing is not based on crime, but rather color of skin or how much money you have.
We have always been an ignorant corrupt country, but George Bush and Donald Trump have really made it pronounced enough for the whole world to see. Those two men have highlighted our ignorance, our intellectual inferiority, and our penchant for cruelty.
We are no longer feared because we don’t fight for worthy causes and we don’t have the financial stomach to finish the job. We spend billions accomplishing nothing. The Taliban is back in power and Iran is now in a much stronger position than before the war. Other nations should be so lucky to fight us.
We are weak because we elect the weak, we are weak because those we elect are corrupt and stupid. We are in fact who we elect. You want to be respected? Start electing respectful, intelligent people, who not only serve the American people, but represent the world with honor and dignity.
America will never be decent again until we make being a billionaire illegal. The rot in this country starts at the top.