Robert Baruch

As U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War began, we were warned of communist hordes overrunning Asia — a concept known as the domino theory. As the war dragged on, we were spoon-fed rosy predictions of our inevitable success and repeatedly told there was “a light at the end of the tunnel.” That war lasted eight years (1965–1973) and cost the lives of 58,000 American soldiers due to the unforgivable hubris of both political parties. Yet, the dominoes never fell.

These were Donald Trump’s stated goals for starting a war with Iran: (1) Regime change (2) Destroy their missile capabilities (3) Obliterate their nuclear stockpile (4) Cripple their ability to provide logistical and financial support for terrorist proxies in the region (5) Ending with Trump’s gracious acceptance of Iran’s “unconditional surrender.” None of these goals have been achieved.

A point-by-point response to a recent letter (The Real Deal) claiming Trump is a “consequential” president: (1) Tariffs — Tariffs are paid at the dock by American wholesalers. The cost is passed on to retailers such as Target, Walmart, and Costco. Those costs are then passed on to consumers.