Tom Nichols

If Donald Trump ever had any control over the war he started with Iran, he's lost it. The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president. The “ceasefire” Trump declared last month — a move probably meant to both soothe international markets and avert legislative action from Congress — never really existed, because neither side ever ceased firing. The situation is now back to a kind of slow-motion punch-up: In the past few days, the Iranians have struck tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the Americans attacked dozens of targets in Iran, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps now claims it hit dozens of U.S.-affiliated targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.

His speech was a mashup of charges that aren't supported by the documents he released.

Congress must demand an explanation from the president about why he's gambling with the lives of U.S. service members.

The president and the Pentagon are not being upfront about what has happened in more than 20 weeks of hostilities.

The president’s recent rant is a sign of serious dysfunction in the Oval Office.

The president cleverly evaded a serious threat, but he shouldn't have kept it a secret.

The Brink of War , a new film about the Reykjavik summit, is too kind to the Gipper.

His rage is driving him to make irrational policy choices. Last winter, Donald Trump plunged recklessly into war with Iran.

He may also have blurted out classified information about North Korea. Anyone can get distracted now and then, and say things out loud he or she probably shouldn't say.

His magic lay in his ability to be outrageous without being self-conscious.