Response to “Rhetoric Doesn’t Buy the Groceries” on TheHustings
Posted By RichC on May 19, 2026
Once again, commentary slated to run in TheHustings this week has triggered me to write a response. I suspect the editor will post my follow up in the right-column later this week, since there aren’t all that many commenters from those of us on the political right. Nevertheless, if it doesn’t get included, I don’t mind just archiving my thoughts on MDB.
Temporary Sacrifice, Enduring Security
I respect Macaulay for highlighting the burden on American taxpayers and the real pocketbook pressures families face every day – from gas prices to grocery bills to the rising cost of living – because those realities matter. No one wants to see hardworking people stretched thin, but ignoring a nuclear-armed Iran that vows death to America and its allies shouldn’t be ignored.
The nuclear evidence is not speculation. The IAEA has repeatedly documented Iran’s enrichment to near-weapons-grade levels, its concealment of military dimensions … and its rapid reconstitution efforts repeatedly after 47 years of failed deterrents. The U.S. and allied intelligence confirmed that Iran was racing toward breakout capacity, even after Operation Midnight Hammer (Reuters). President Trump’s clear, consistent message isn’t the lackadaisical jibber-jabber of politicians past, it is recognizing that a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to our and the world’s security. Allowing it to happen is not an option.
Yes, the short-term economic pain is real. Conflicts disrupt markets, oil prices rise and the risks inherent to curtailing Iran’s ambitions are real. History shows these pressures ease once stability returns. What history also shows is that the long-term cost of a nuclear Iran – higher defense spending, regional chaos, oil shocks far worse than anything we’re seeing now – and the risk of far deadlier conflict would dwarf today’s discomfort. Decisive action now is the responsible path to lower prices and safety in the months and years ahead.
On the War Powers Resolution of 1973: that law was written for sustained, open-ended wars, not short-term defensive operations to eliminate an imminent nuclear threat. The Trump administration’s targeted strikes were precisely the kind of limited, time-sensitive action a President must take as Commander-in-Chief to avoid a full-scaled war. Congress was briefed, the mission was narrow and strikes successful; the 60-day clock was never intended to handcuff a President from stopping a potential nuclear 9/11 before it starts. This is not nation-building or endless war – it is a swift, necessary defense in order to prevent “death to America” in our homeland.
Strength isn’t cheap, but weakness is far more expensive. President Trump chose the harder right over the easier wrong being proposed by his shortsighted, or more likely midterm ambitious, political adversaries. I’m convinced history will show that protecting America from a nuclear Iran is a decision that will ultimately make life more affordable – and keep America safe.
young (Hm, I think “happies” is the plural for “happy?”)
