Hawks turn against Trump as peace deal with Iran draws criticism

Commentator Göran Eriksson observes a significant shift among Republican foreign policy hawks regarding Donald Trump's approach to Iran. Initially, hawks, who traditionally advocate for military intervention to protect American interests, found themselves at odds with Trump's "America First" rhetoric when he launched military action against Iran.

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Sure, I've been called a lot worse than that. And yes, I'm definitely a guy who wants to hit them before they hit you.

Figures like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, formerly of Fox News, publicly denounced the war as "evil" and "the dumbest thing any American president has ever done." However, hawks such as Senator Lindsey Graham, whom Eriksson met in Washington, initially celebrated the military action. Graham, a proponent of a strong stance against adversaries, famously stated, "We're going to blow these people to hell. This regime is in its death throes right now, it's going to be forced to its knees." He dismissed cost concerns, comparing the situation to World War II.

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We're going to blow these people to hell. This regime is in its death throes right now, it's going to be forced to its knees.

Months later, the dynamic has reversed. The same hawks now feel betrayed by Trump's administration's pursuit of a peace deal. Senator Ted Cruz criticized the deal, calling it "history teaches us that it is not a good idea to give billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us." Media personality Ben Shapiro labeled the agreement a "disaster." Senator Bill Cassidy, who has long advocated for a hard line against Iran, declared the war and subsequent deal "the worst foreign policy mistake in decades," even invoking Ronald Reagan's legacy. Eriksson notes that Graham, whose expectation of seeing the Iranian regime "forced to its knees" has not materialized, has also expressed skepticism about the deal, though he has since composed himself.

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I don't think anyone during World War II asked how much it cost to defeat the Germans and the Japanese.