Here There and Everywhere

How a Grown Up Ends a War and Wins

It is not my intention here to give our current president a strategy for a gracious exit from the War with Iran. I am writing this only because I believe he is incapable of adopting my solution.

Years ago, my very smart husband, AdventureMan and I played strategic board games. One time, I beat him in only six moves, at which point he stood up and stomped his foot (a very strong statement from a normally restrained man) and yelled “You can’t do that! It’s unorthodox!”

And that’s how wars are won. Yes, you can waste billions on sophisticated weaponry, and have a lot of fun with bombs and destruction. High T at work. You can also waste lives, and I believe that is a crime against your country. Our young people are not expendable.

We’ve all started fights we can’t win. It’s wired into us as human beings. What is the way out?

“I’ve made a big mistake. I take full responsibility. I’m sorry I got us into this mess, and now, I am going to do everything in my power to make it right.”

Those words, and the humility it takes to say them, save relationships, re-establish peace, and a firm foundation for moving forward.

It takes a grown-up to say them. It takes a grown-up to even think them. To continue on a losing path is wasteful and self-destructive.

We are not winning.

It’s time to own up, exit, and begin rebuilding our alliances.

New York’s Participation Trophy for Trump and his Iranian debacle. Everyone invited to contribute; no achievement too paltry to commemorate. The more gilt, the merrier.

July 30, 2026 - Posted by intlxpatr | Bureaucracy, Character, Civility, Community, Cross Cultural, Cultural, Economic Issues, History, Interconnected, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Leadership, Middle East, Money Management, Political Issues, Saudi Arabia, Values | Exit Strategy, humility, Trump, War with Iran, We All Win