Re: Joseph Kent's letter resigning from Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and other MAGA folks blaming Israel for the debacle Trump initiated with Iran:
While I'm happy to see some of the die-hard MAGA finally breaking ranks with Trump, I have trouble endorsing Joseph Kent's overall message, including his repeated blaming of Israel and endorsement of Trump:
* Where was he when Netanyahu was bombing civilians during the summer of 2024 and Biden was under pressure to speak out, or reduce military supplies sent to Israel
* If Iran's not a threat to the US, does he seriously believe Venezuela was?
* If we were going to war with Iran, why didn't this Administration better prepare our allies and civilians in the Middle East by building an international coalition, making a case before the UN, issuing travel advisories, withdrawing non-essential US personnel from the region, and preparing for the Strait of Hormuz to be closed (by releasing oil from the Strategic Reserve and backing renewable energy sources). These political and economic mistakes cannot be blamed on Netanyahu or Israel.
* Is he okay with the tactics employed by this Administration & Pete Hegseth, including shooting shipwreck survivors and promising "no quarter" attacks? Both of those have reduced US standing in the world, and increased the risk of terrorist attacks against US troops & citizens - which would seem to be within his professional mandate.
* Netanyahu is unpopular in Israel, much as Trump is in the US. Both have been seriously accused of multiple crimes, and used their positions as Heads of State to postpone trial & punishment. Both have also pushed for foreign wars to distract from domestic troubles, and in an apparent attempt to boost their own political standing. Why is he conflating Israel with Netanyahu?
* If he's backing out of supporting Trump over Iran now, why didn't he back out six years ago when Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA - which Israel disliked but most of our international partners liked, and which effectively limited Iran's nuclear program. By pulling out of the JCPOA, Trump made clear that he wasn't going to be party to any form of compromise, and certainly didn't care about the law, facts on the ground or "the art of the possible." _That_ set the stage for the current Administration's initial claims in this conflict with Iran - that Iran didn't trust the Trump Administration enough to negotiate in good faith, or that Iran was building nuclear weapons & delivery mechanisms.
While I'm happy to see Trump's toadies jumping off the sinking ship of this Administration, I'm uncomfortable with the scapegoating (of Israel & American Jews, in this case) and the refusal to confront the problems with _Trump_ which have been evident for years. The President has surrounded himself with opportunistic yes-men. Their inability to foresee the negative consequences of his policies should not be taken as either an endorsement of those policies, or of him, or of their own political acumen.