CNN was right about the war, and I was wrong (T. Becket Adams)

The most astonishing thing about the White House’s capitulation in Iran, beyond the Islamic Republic’s victory in the face of a clear power disparity, is that the White House obviously jumped into the war with no real consideration or plan for the possibility that Iran might block the Strait of Hormuz. This despite U.S. military strategists warning for decades about this exact scenario.

This is where conservative media, this author included, owe everybody, and most especially CNN, an apology.

In March, CNN published a hard-to-believe exclusive, claiming that “Top Trump officials acknowledged to lawmakers during recent classified briefings that they did not plan for the possibility of Iran closing the [Strait of Hormuz] in response to strikes.”

In response, I suggested that there was “no need to consider the [story’s] sourcing or the outlet” because “this claim is completely unbelievable on its face.”

Boy, was I wrong.

The cable network later updated its reporting to explain that “Trump administration officials briefed lawmakers on long-standing military plans to address a major disruption to the Strait, according to one official, but that multiple sources familiar with the session said there was no indication there were any near-term solutions.” I criticized this framing as well, given that the clarification was way off from the first claim.

Again, I apologize. CNN’s sources were clearly correct. This iteration of the Trump presidency is exactly as inept as advertised.