Republicans Toil to Avoid Saying ‘War’ as Iran Conflict Widens

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/iran-war-republicans.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Q1A.kvyb.UPmWeQ_xwLzV

Mission? Hostilities? Don’t call it a war, say G.O.P. lawmakers grappling with the political and legal challenges of the operation in the Middle East.

210 points · 15 comments · view on lemmy.world

15 Comments

shittydwarf@sh.itjust.works · 72 pts · 202d (1 reply)

"Journalist" immediately folds and calls it a conflict in the title

theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 202d

It's the New York Times. Even "journalist" in quotes is generous.

Bassman27@lemmy.world · 51 pts · 202d (1 reply)

“It’s not a war” - Department of war

daychilde@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 201d

Dr. Strangelove was not fucking supposed to be a manual of operations.

7112@lemmy.world · 42 pts · 202d
wuffah@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 202d

The Department of Defense was changed to the Department of War, and its official website: www.war.gov has a front page propaganda piece for Operation Epic Fury, the military designation for the war in Iran.

The supermassive black hole of sheer mendacity here defies description. They seem to be unable to realize that you’re supposed to present a believable lie under which people can operate so that it becomes easier to choose to believe it than not. The Trump regime is composed of people who aren’t even competent fascists, it’s just egotistical chaos somehow still propped up by a 100 years of absurd American success.

Lasherz12@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 202d

Way to literally call it conflict after making it clear distraction is the goal. Joke of an institution

I_Jedi@lemmy.today · 11 pts · 202d

Aha! I've got it! The US is performing a humanitarian operation where they aid Iran with reducing their CO2 emissions.

Dionysus@leminal.space · 6 pts · 202d

It's a "Special Military Operation".

See? He's learning from the best to make merica the bestest and biggestest in the world.

resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 201d

Da, ees spetziel military operation. Three days, tops, tavarish.

quick_snail@feddit.nl · 5 pts · 201d

Secretary of....special operations

oleastre@social.trom.tf · 4 pts · 202d

@silence7 Special military operation.

homes@piefed.world · 4 pts · 202d

All of these verbal gymnastics, and with the winter Olympics just ended…

Akasazh@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 201d

It's funny as Trump himself calls it a war al the time

nullPointer@programming.dev · 2 pts · 202d

vietnam was just a "police action", nothing new with this strategy.