Letter to the editor: Groundhog Day

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 07.09.26

June 8 was another day ending in “Y.” I woke to my clock radio flashing “6:00 AM,” Sonny and Cher singing, “I got you, Babe” — and Trump promising “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal” with Iran.

I felt like Bill Murray, reliving the same day again and again — as the media ignored our problems to cover an overfed rodent whose sole purpose in life is contemplating his own shadow.

It wasn’t just me. Aaron Blake’s CNN article asked, “How many times has Trump claimed an Iran deal is around the corner?” Blake’s tally: “at least 38 times.”

Following Trump’s “final throes” remark, Iran fired missiles at Israel, which fired back at Tehran. So much for Trump’s March 14 claim, “We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability.”

Then, Iran shot down an American helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, which remains contested. Fortunately, the crew was rescued. Trump retaliated by bombing Iranian radar and anti-aircraft sites, giving the lie to his April 1 claim that Iran has “no anti-aircraft equipment. Their radar is 100% annihilated.”

Bill O’Reilly called Trump’s negotiations “a farce.” At Trump-friendly Fox News, an exasperated John Roberts said, “That’s nine weeks of ‘we’re close to a deal.’ At some point you’ve got to acknowledge it’s not happening.” Brit Hume said Trump is “telling the American public and consumers and the owners of stocks that we’re close to a deal, perhaps in the hope that it will calm the petroleum markets.”

On June 17, Trump signed a vague Memorandum of Understanding supposedly ending hostilities and commencing 60 days of negotiations. On June 26, Trump promised American farmers “a new market ... the lovely country of Iran.”

The next day, Iran attacked American bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. Trump resumed bombing Iran and threatened, “Iran will no longer exist!” if it continues to violate the ceasefire. And the beat goes on. Cue Sonny and Cher.

L. McGann

Leland