A number of decisions by the Trump Administration define its proclivity for military action. These decisions give context to the attack on Iran. They're almost a path to the present conflict.
And a part of this path is what can be called the chicken-hawk factor. The term describes an individual who has avoided military service but who promotes a martial or pro-fighting stance. It's a show of bravado to the world. And there's an assertion that the President is a chicken-hawk.
One chicken-hawk assumption is that the decision to engage in hostilities may come more quickly than for someone with combat experience. It may also be repeated more often.
And while a number of presidents never served in combat, the idea of combat and war appears to engage President Trump more than most of his predecessors. It's the bravado effect that sends our military into harm's way without due process, and in the case of Iran, without an end plan and goal in mind.
A few examples of this bravado are the attack on Venezuela, the adoption of a more martial persona and the attempt to force Denmark to cede Greenland to the US. It sets a pattern that helped lead us to the war in Iran.
We'll also cover the failed War Powers Resolution to limit the President's ability to engage in a war without Congressional approval, the agreement with Iran made during the Obama Administration and the confusion created by the Administration's shifting reasons for engaging in this war. We'll also raise a question: what do we do when the fighting stops? Other related topics are covered as well.
To read the full text of the podcast and the links to the quoted materials, please see: https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-the-path-to
Notes:
(1) “Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam?,” by Steve Eder, The New York Times. Dec. 26, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/us/politics/trump-vietnam-draft-exemption.html. Also see: “Donald Trump's Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet, ‘ by Steve Eder and Dave Philipps, The New York Times. Aug. 1, 2016.https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html
(2) “Democrat mocks Mullin for remarks on ‘smell' and ‘taste' of war: ‘Call of Duty doesn't count',” by Tara Suter, The Hill. March 3, 2026. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5765144-ryan-mullin-iran-debate/
(3) Congressional Budget Office, Re: The Costs of Using the Name “Department of War.” January 14, 2026. https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2026-01/61942-DoD-Name-Change.pdf
(4) “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores the United States Department of War,” The White House. September 5, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/09/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-restores-the-united-states-department-of-war/
(5) “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing,” US Department of War. March 2, 2026. https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4418959/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-gen-dan/
(6) “Five Democrats Kill War Powers Resolution to Rein in Trump on Iran,” by Malcolm Ferguson, The New Republic. March 5, 2026. https://newrepublic.com/post/207425/every-democrat-killed-war-powers-resolution-trump-iran
(7) “War Powers Resolution: Expedited Procedures in the House and Senate,” by Michael Greene.Congress.gov. June 24, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47603. Also, please see “Declare War Clause,” by Michael D. Ramsey and Stephen I. Vladeck, National Constitution Center. https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-i/clauses/753 for information about the Declare War Clause.
(8) “Trump's Iran Strikes Are Unconstitutional,” by Katherine Yon Ebright, Brennan Center for Justice. March 2, 2026. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/trumps-iran-strikes-are-unconstitutional#:~:text=By%20acting%20unilaterally%2C%20Trump%20has%20usurped%20Congress's,strikes%20on%20Iranian%20nuclear%20facilities%20last%20June
(9) “Belfer Center Experts on U.S. Withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal,” Press release from the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School. May 8, 2018. https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/belfer-center-experts-us-withdrawal-iran-nuclear-deal#:~:text=Trump's%20decision%20to%20unilaterally%20pull,into%20effect%20in%20January%202016.
10. “Trump Abandons Iran Nuclear Deal He Long Scorned,” by Mark Landler, The New York Times, May 8, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/world/middleeast/trump-iran-nuclear-deal.html
(11) “Trump denies that Israel forced US's hand in launching strikes against Iran,” by Robert Tait and Chris Stein, The Guardian. March 3, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/03/trump-israel-iran-war
(12) “Trump says he'll help pick Iran's leader, predicts regime change in Cuba,” by Dasha Burns, Politico. March 5, 2026. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/05/trump-unleashed-president-bullish-on-iran-eyeing-regime-change-in-cuba-and-impatient-with-ukraine-00814292
(13) “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing--Transcipt,” US Department of War, March 4, 2026. https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4421037/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-gen-dan/
(14) “Leavitt, CNN's Kaitlan Collins spar over coverage of US deaths in Iran,” by Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill. March 4, 2026. https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5767376-karoline-leavitt-cnn-kaitlan-collins-iran-deaths/
(15) “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing--Transcipt,” US Department of War, March 4, 2026. https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4421037/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-of-staff-gen-dan/