To distance himself from Donald Trump’s nosedive in public approval ratings, Tom Tiffany is doing a 180 degree turn on the president’s war against Iran.
Rep. Tiffany of northern Wisconsin, the Republican nominee for governor, has always super-glued his political career to our MAGA president. He has voted five times during his three terms in the House of Representatives to enable the continuation of the war in the Middle East. The seven-month war shows no sign of ending any time soon.
Tiffany is not alone. At least a half-dozen other Republicans running in tight races are also jumping ship on support for the war. It makes total political sense for them to do so; the stalemate conflict has closed down oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which predictably raised gasoline and diesel prices sharply. Did Donald not see that coming as a possibility?
As recently as May, Tiffany voted against a war powers resolution that would have limited U.S. involvement in the Iran fight. He said, “I think most Americans agree it is reasonable to start winding down in Iran, while also recognizing that it is unreasonable to undermine the president’s role as commander-in-chief.”
Despite hedging, he stuck with Trump, at least until last week when he said, “I’ve been saying for months that it’s time to wrap things up in Iran. I mean, they’ve largely been degraded militarily and (with) their nuclear capability, and it’s time for us to come back home and make sure that we take care of things here in Wisconsin.”
Think back. Trump arguably got it right when he authorized a brilliant long-range air strike on Iran’s nuclear operations that could have led to nuclear weaponry. The zealots in Iran can’t be trusted to not use such weapons.
But, like George H.W Bush in 1990 in Kuwait in a battle over free flow of oil, he should have gotten in, gotten the job done and gotten out. Trump could have settled for “obliteration” (his word) of Iran’s nuclear capability and gotten out. Instead, Trump expanded the war. Big strategic blunder. War in the Middle East is like quicksand.
His lame rationale for extending the war is still about not letting Iran get nukes. What happened to “obliteration?”
If he had been satisfied with the strike, he retained the option of further quick strikes if Iran showed signs of building nukes again. Get back in, get the job done, get back out.
Tiffany’s Democratic opponent for governor, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, of course, jumped all over Trump’s blunder. His statement said, “This is a war-of-choice with Iran and two-faced Tom (Tiffany) is only walking back his support because he is worried he will lose an election, not because he regrets the pain he caused Wisconsin families, farmers and manufacturers who are paying steep prices for the affordability crisis he created.”
As long as gas prices are north of $4.30 and diesel is above $6.50, and related products are also higher, Tiffany won’t have much response on that score.
In his campaign, Tiffany has ducked being a Trump Republican in his signage and messaging.
Indeed, with Trump’s disapproval rating at around 60% in several leading polls and a negative 71% toward the Iran war in a recent Associated Press survey, the congressman and his campaign team must be debating how much more distance they need from the MAGA president.
