My idea of adequate reform is no more oligarchy. That's where the rot is coming from.

Gabba gabba hey1

They deserve each other. Greece has Balkan levels of brainless nationalism, and Turkey is no better, as well as aspiring to be more of a regional power.

It takes less effort to smash a vase than to put it back together. That damned Second Law is a wicked pisser.

I don't think the Iranians ever trusted the US all that much. Just enough to make a treaty.

And yeah, Trump is the one who tore that treaty up, and then waged an unprovoked war, so the least bad option for the Iranians is to make him eat crow, feathers and all, until hopefully he chokes on it.

Even competent, sane leaders can get it badly wrong.

lead poisoned brains

Their brains are poisoned by conservatism and corruption (yeah, I know, overlapping categories). The whole lead story is grotesquely exaggerated, mainly by the Freakonomics people, who make even Malcolm Gladwell seem credible.

then Biden only pulled us out because it was easier than getting run out Saigon style

That's not how it happened. Trump surrendered to the Taliban before he left office, then left the withdrawal to Biden as a final turd on the coffee table.

Ask Iranians who have left the country. Rule by religious reactionaries is hellish, wherever in the world it happens. The fact that Trump and his mob are gangsters doesn't in any way imply that there are no other assholes in the world.

Majority of Americans don't know shit from Shinola.

He's not transactional with Putin or Netanyahu. I wonder why that is.

And his being transactional doesn't mean he's not also stupid. It just means he's greedy and vain.

That's nice. So the choice is surrender or fight. Which side are you on?

They do that because there has been a relentless propaganda onslaught telling them to do it.