Is the Mission Accomplished?

Donald Trump strikes Iran, claims a brokered peace, but a victory celebration may be premature

I have a vivid memory from years ago: The bass thumped as sweaty bodies gyrated on the dance floor at The Hawk in Lawrence, Kansas. 

It was March 2003, and America had just announced war with Iraq. We had been hit on 9/11, and so many wanted blood. I stood there watching as my fellow college students danced, cheered, and popped bottles while Outkast's "Bombs over Baghdad" played. 

I was decidedly against the celebration. We were headed to war, a war I didn't want to see.

I was a skeptic of that war from the beginning — part of the reason I was drawn to work for President Obama. (It's also part of the reason I'm sympathetic to Vice President JD Vance, who is part of my generation, and who fought in that war.) But that night, as the music pounded and the crowd celebrated around me, young men and women from my hometown of Galesburg, Illinois, from our Lawrence community, had kissed their loved ones goodbye and deployed to Iraq.

It wasn't long before President Bush — just six weeks after the invasion began — gave a speech in front of a banner declaring "Mission Accomplished." That proved to be a false declaration. Our generation learned words like “quagmire” and “insurgency” and too many fought and died until President Obama finally began pulling it down. The mission, 6 weeks in, was far from accomplished.

Now, over two decades later, we find ourselves in a familiar dance.

President Trump has struck Iranian targets and claims to have brokered peace in the Middle East. He ran this election positioning himself in the anti-war camp, promising to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. But was his celebration of peace in the Middle East another premature "Mission Accomplished" moment?

What's the mission?

Here's what we know: Recent military strikes targeted Iranian assets following escalating tensions in the region. President Trump announced what he calls a comprehensive peace deal, though details remain sparse and verification from other parties is limited. There were early signs that both Israel and Iran were having trouble abiding by the cease fire, and President Trump, seemingly at wits end, declared that both sides had been fighting so long they “don’t know what the the f*** they’re doing.”

I see parallels to 2003, and they are troubling. While President Trump debated bombing Iran, Senator Ted Cruz, a leading hawk pushing for action, couldn't correctly answer how many people lived in Iran. This ignorance in the face of military action is inexcusable. The domino effect of one decision can change the course of history. And I'm still not sure what goal we have.

President Trump has also waffled on regime change. 

Certainly a lot of women who have risen up and fought against brutal leadership in Iran would want it. But is that the goal? And then who comes next? 

I watched the enthusiasm we had for a free Libya. That effort ended not with true freedom but a failed state. And while we paid for that conflict, Americans struggled to pay their health bills, to trust an education system that's been underfunded, to see a housing system that has them priced out.

I remember after I left the Obama administration, having worked for the anti-war President who ended up in conflicts, I was questioned by an anti-war activist about his use of drones. Sometimes those drones killed children. As a mother, it broke my heart. But I explained that having seen that office up close, there's rarely an easy decision. Strikes are often weighed against the real risk that if one didn't take action, the strike would hit the US. And I suppose if I'm honest: Often the march toward war is more seductive than the hard work of peace through diplomacy. And there's this: Can anyone negotiate with terrorists?

In the aftermath of 9/11 when we watched terrorists attack our country, we rightly questioned why we weren't safe. Leaders were emboldened to make quick and lethal decisions, because we didn't want any harm to the US. Torture was authorized. And a war would change a generation.

I think it's ok to say I'm genuinely torn about President Trump's recent actions. 

I'm proud of our military might and the brave women and men who serve our country. I don’t think the world is safer if Iran has atomic weapons.  I'm proud of the young people who gave their lives for us in Iraq, too. I don't trust Iran's government that suppresses its own people. I also don’t think we talk enough about Bibi Netanyahu, who endangered his own people by fighting democracy in Israel while ignoring intelligence reports leading up to October 7. Ultimately, I wonder whether our bombs will ever truly bring about lasting peace. And whether Trump, seemingly trusting Israel's intelligence, made the right call.

The questions aren't simple. Many who have lived in conflict zones where America has intervened say they owe their lives to our military action. The moral calculus is complex, and the world is dangerous.

The world as it is vs the world as it should be

Last night I joined Abby Phillip's show on CNN, as part of the panel where we debated the newly announced peace deal, whether regime change was the goal, and what role Congress should have in authorizing war.

Dr. Cornel West questioned whether any country should have nuclear weapons, and whether we should have used nuclear weapons in Japan. In theory I couldn't agree more. I would love a world where there are no nuclear weapons, and whether we should have used it in Japan, whether it was necessary to end that war, I really question. But if Germany had gotten the bomb first, how different the world would be.

I agreed with Dr. West that the world as it should be, doesn't have nuclear weapons. But we're living in the world as it is, and we can't be naive about global threats.

Scott Jennings, ever brash in what also can be a changing position, was confident that this President's strike was just, necessary, and will result in peace. But will it? I’m not sure we can make that prediction at this early juncture. 

If President Trump genuinely brings about peace, I will cheer him on. But having traveled with a President, I've seen how other countries play the long game, while our memories are often short. Sustainable peace requires patience, consistency, and institutional memory that transcends any single administration. And right now too many are busy trying to score political points.

It's ironic that it's now elected officials like Marjorie Taylor Greene, someone many had accused of being part of the Trump cult, openly questioning her own party's rush to conflict. I said something on air that I never thought I would say: I agree with her. We should challenge the hawkish consensus. I'm the same person who previously questioned her judgment on plenty of other issues, to be clear. But I truly believe it's only when we openly debate these conflicts, and take off our partisan armor, that we can begin formulating what we actually want America's role to be in the world.

American leadership

As I often talk about, I grew up in a town that lost manufacturing jobs, with a social safety net that didn't keep pace with growing need, and an education system constantly facing budget cuts. Then I traveled the world with the President of the United States, saw real poverty, corrupt regimes, and children who desperately longed for the schools we have in the US.

I realized just how blessed we are. I want a just America, a moral America, an America that fights together for the rights of more people to have freedom. But some days it seems we're too busy fighting each other to discuss how we could get there.

The world also wants a moral and just America. It's the biggest force, the strongest country where we can have these debates. To be that beacon, though, we must first be fair to each other, and to the people within our own borders. 

We can’t export democracy while our own democratic institutions strain under partisan warfare. We cannot promote peace abroad while sowing division at home.

The question of whether a mission for peace is accomplished demands we examine not just whether immediate military objectives were met, but whether our actions serve lasting peace and justice.

That “Mission Accomplished” banner in 2003 became a symbol of American hubris — a reminder that declaring victory is easier than achieving it. As we watch President Trump's Iran gambit unfold, we cannot repeat that mistake.

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For those who missed it, I wanted to include the CNN footage from Abby Phillip’s show last night.  Her show airs at 10 PM Eastern every night on CNN. And for those of you who are new to this newsletter, please let me know what you think about the conflict, the debate, your perspective. I try to respond and I always welcome your thoughts. #RespectEmpowerInclude