22 June—So last night the United States effectively declared war on the Islamic Republic of Iran because Donald Trump unilaterally and illegally decided to bomb the bastards for what’s likely the trumped-up reason that Iran has been working on an atomic bomb. Where does Israel come into it?

Trump’s intelligence advisors had advised him that Iran had not in fact been working on an atomic bomb. But it’s common knowledge that Trump seldom takes the advice of his advisors. (That’s not always ill-advised, mind you, since he knows that most of his advisors are unqualified and don’t know what they’re doing any more than he does.) In all events, Trump’s unqualified and pusillanimous advisors without fail alacritously amend their advice in order to conform with their tyrannically infallible leader’s wishes, lest they run afoul of his mercurial ire, thus risking their ignominious political and/or business careers.

For all it’s worth where a tyrant like Donald Trump is concerned, Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution says in no uncertain terms that only Congress has the power to declare war. Since it requires only a simple majority of both houses, it’s not impossible that had Trump respected the law he could have bullied enough Republicans to support and therefore legalize his brazenly ill-advised decision to bomb the bastards that doubtless will enhance his popularity, at least among some voters.

One wonders what the Trump Organization will market to commemorate the Iran War.

And it’s just possible—if not likely—that Trump will bully Congress pretty damn soon because the War Powers Act of 1973 among other things requires the president to notify it within 48 hours of deploying troops into hostilities. (Yes, dropping bombs qualifies as deploying troops into hostilities.) Of course, the War Powers Act also says that the president must consult with Congress “in every possible instance” before deploying the troops—a step he conveniently skipped.

It’s likely, however, that Trump intended from the get-go to bomb the bastards last night—or at least before the specified deadline—when a couple of days ago he broadcast his intention to give them two weeks to capitulate to his terms, whatever they may have been. Or may be. It’s a ruse (or perhaps even a feint) taught in military science and tactics courses that he may have learned in military school before his bone spurs grew.

The question, then, is what’s next? God forbid that Trump in defense of Ukraine should deploy troops in any manner to Russia. Because it’s ruled by his tyrant pal Vladimir Putrid. And because everybody knows that the Russian Federation, as it’s officially known, really does have atomic weapons just waiting to be deployed . . .