Barry Greene

When @JDVance says that two of the major reasons for the anti-Republican tsunami are the Iran War and the Trump Administration’s relationship with Israel, he’s actually conceding his own failure and placing the blame on himself. The rationale for the Iran War was to prevent a rogue terror state from acquiring a nuclear weapon. No American, properly informed, would oppose such an essential action to protect American citizens. But JD did not support the President in this core exercise of executive power, and even garbled the message by saying it was all about the price of gas (an incoherent justification insofar as gas was not expensive before the war). So if Republicans do not support the war, JD should look no further than a mirror. As to Israel, it was the only country to risk its blood and treasure in support of America’s self defense. Israel didn’t and couldn’t force America into this war — it alone came to America’s aid. But JD, instead of leading on this issue, succumbs to the all too convenient “blame Israel” crowd that he has never disavowed. If Republicans are to recover from this shellacking, a sober assessment of its mistakes is essential. In my view, that begins with the recognition that on a core and necessary exercise of presidential power, the vice president was off the reservation.