How It Started vs. How It’s Going

In case anyone was wondering, we’re still stuck in this forever war with Iran, and there’s still no discernible end in sight. What are we doing? What is Congress doing to uphold its Constitutional powers and responsibilities for our nation at war?

The President spoke at the United Nations yesterday to, among other things, say that Iran will be “annihilated” if it doesn’t give up on its nuclear program. To me, that doesn’t sound like we are any closer to peace. If anything, it’s repeating what he has said in the last six months. I’ll ask again: “What are we doing?” The threat of annihilation rings hollow when just earlier this year he had claimed “a whole civilization will die tonight.”

Such threats give Iran all the more reason to claim to the international community that it “needs” a nuclear weapon. I hope no one takes that claim seriously, but it’s still concerning.

It’s all escalation, and it’s all dangerous. Houthis in Yemen are becoming a bigger problem for international shipping and America’s foothold in the Middle East.

There is no doubt in my mind that the Iranians and the Houthis (along with other Iran-backed terrorist organizations) would certainly become larger enemies in the months and years to come if this war hadn’t taken place. The problem is that our own recklessness has moved up the timeline, and we are not prepared for what’s on the horizon.

During my 26 years of service in the Navy and Air Force, I was taught that when you see a problem, you take initiative to solve it. I see a lot of problems in our country, and a lot of career politicians who won’t take initiative. I’m running for U.S. Senate to fight for solutions that bring real change. The polling is close, so I need your help to ensure that I can make it happen. Thank you.

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We never should have entered this conflict in the first place. Congress’ War Powers are meant to ensure large military operations are put together ahead of time. Congress, including my opponent Mike Rounds, should have asked “What does victory look like?” or “What is the exit strategy?” or even “How much will this war cost?”

Congress didn’t ask anything. Mike Rounds didn’t ask anything. Now, diesel is hitting record highs, gasoline keeps crawling up, and the price of everything regular folks buy will rise as a result. Just in time for harvest season!

The situation has gotten so dire that we’re floating the idea of a temporary ban on diesel exports. It’s a band-aid solution that would help Americans today, but potentially hurt them down the road. There’s a reason why the military doesn’t operate on a “shoot first, ask questions later” basis. Asking questions is how we define objectives, and how we put together Plans B, C, D and so on when Plan A doesn’t work out.

Even after the President’s comments and Iran’s similarly intense response, there has been some negotiation to re-open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. ending the naval blockade. I think that is truly the best-case scenario, that all parties slowly walk away without any more lives being lost. All I can do is hope that stays the case, and that we can get out of this war as soon as possible.

I like “will they/won’t they” in rom-coms, not when American lives are at stake. I’m praying and hoping that South Dakota’s Congressional Delegation pushes for “won’t they,” but I wouldn’t be running for U.S. Senate against them if I had full faith that they had our best interests at heart.

Thank you for reading.

Brian L. Bengs, Lt Col (Ret)

Independent Candidate for U.S. Senate

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