Do you think the wars in the Middle East are now playing themselves out in Washington?

@CountScrofula I am watching the battle between American Jews and anti-Semites in Congress on television, and also the ramping up of disgust for the anti-Semites in Congress.

Hatreds that originated there are creeping into our own government. How do you think that will affect our response to Iran?

@4meAndyou By antisemite do you mean anti-Israeli or people putting forth the "George Soros is replacing the white race by funding immigrant caravans" kind of antisemites? I see them as two very very different camps.

@CountScrofula The anti-Israelis.

@4meAndyou I gotcha.

Israel is important here. Netanyahu wants nothing more than Iran wiped of the map and the feeling is mutual from Iran, although Iran legendarily has never invaded another country.

Meanwhile, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been using proxies to fight over territory for the past decade. The mass deaths in Yemen are a result of the conflict between those two powers.

So Saudi Arabia and Israel both hate Iran, and have a kind of alliance of convenience against a common enemy. As Trump is hugely pro-Saudi and pro-Netanyahu, and has warmongers like John Bolton as his national security advisor it means war is as likely as it ever will be.

@CountScrofula The news seems to be slanted in that direction. They are saying that the Iranian people hate their own government, and would overthrow them if not for the IRG. They also are saying that if the IRG were gone, the Iranians could have control of their own country once again, and the largest sponsor of world terror would be gone.

However, as much as the news says that, the white house doesn't seem to want to be manipulated.

@4meAndyou Yeah - I've known a few people who have visited Iran who say the people are the sweetest, friendliest people they've ever met. There is a huge divide between the religious fanatics who run the country and the general population, particularly the younger generation.

And they don't deserve to die in some stupid war any more than American soldiers do :(

@CountScrofula thanks both of you for the education and the food for thought.