特朗普称对伊冲突为“小事”，引发政治争议

T TRUMP'S REMARKS TODAY ON THE CONFLICT WITH IRAN, AND HIS INFLUENCE OVER THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, WE TURN TO THE ANALYSIS OF BROOKS AND CAPEHART. THAT'S THE ATLANTIC'S DAVID BROOKS AND JONATHAN CAPEHART OF MS NOW. ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE YOU BOTH. WE WILL START WITH THE WAR IN IRAN. YESTERDAY, JD VANCE SAID HE WOULD NOT DESCRIBE THE CONFLICT WITH IRAN AS A WAR. PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS ASKED HOW HE WOULD CHARACTERIZE IT.

I CALL IT A MILITARY CONFLICT BECAUSE IT'S SMALL POTATOES FOR US, IT'S NOT A BIG THING, WE DID VENEZUELA AND WE DID THIS. VENEZUELA WE LOST NOBODY AND THIS WE LOST 18 PEOPLE. IN VIETNAM WE LOST 100,000 PEOPLE AND OTHER CONFLICTS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. GEOFF: SMALL POTATOES, HOW DOES THAT STRIKE YOU? DAVID: NICE THING TO TELL THE FAMILIES OF THOSE 18 PEOPLE. IT WAS A LITTLE FLIPPANT. IT'S LIKE THIS GUY WHO SAYS I'M GOING TO KILL YOU GUYS IN THIS RACE AND THEN THE THIRD LAMP, I DIDN'T WANT TO RACE ANYWAY, IS NOT A RACE, IT'S JUST A CONTEST.

HE TRYING TO GET OUT OF BEING LAME TO BE AT THE MORE SERIOUS POINTS -- BECAUSE OF DRONE TECHNOLOGY IT'S TOO EASY TO GO TO WAR AND THE TEMPTATION FOR PRESIDENTS TO THINK WE CAN GO TO WAR, WE WILL BOMB ANOTHER COUNTRY AND WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY A PRICE AND THE FOLKS BACK HOME WON'T NOTICE. THAT'S A PEERLESS PLACE TO BE BECAUSE IT'S SO EASY TO START THEM THEY ARE TEMPTED TO DO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN. AND THE SECOND THING, ON THE GROUND, LOOK AT WHO WAS ACTING WITH CONFIDENCE.

IRAN IS ACTING WITH CONFIDENCE, THEY DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THEIR PEOPLE BUT THEY ARE ACTING WITH CONFIDENC. TRUMP DOESN'T HAVE THE MORALE. GEOFF: JONATHAN, YOUR ASSESSMENT OF. -- PRESIDENT TRUMP'S APPARENT EFFORT TO DOWNPLAY THE WAR? JONATHAN: I'VE GIVEN UP TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO DO BECAUSE EARLIER THIS WEEK HE WAS THREATENING THEM AGAIN WITH TOTAL ANNIHILATION. IF YOU DIDN'T GET HIS WAY.

NOW IT'S SMALL POTATOES? I WANT TO ECHO WHAT DAVID SAID. IT'S REPREHENSIBLE FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO CALL A WAR HE STARTED, A WAR OF CHOICE, SMALL POTATOES, WITH 18 U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS LOSING THEIR LIVES AND 50,000 SERVICE MEMBERS IN THE REGION THROUGH THE NEW YEAR. IF THIS ISN'T A WAR, IF IT ISN'T SMALL POTATOES, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY TROOPS IN THE AREA? I WISH THE PRESIDENT WOULD JUST MAKE A DECISION, JUST DECLARE VICTORY AND BRING OUR SERVICE MEMBERS HOME.

GEOFF: AT A ROSE GARDEN EVENT THIS PAST WEEK, PRESIDENT TRUMP URGED REPUBLICANS RUNNING IN TIGHT RACES TO RUN ON HIS RECORD, SAYING THAT'S ALL THEY NEED TO DO TO WIN BIG IS EMBRACE HIM. WHAT'S STRIKING IS THE PRESIDENT SEEMS TO BE ARGUING THE MIDTERMS SHOULD BE A REFERENDUM ON HIS PRESIDENCY WHEN SO MANY OTHER PAST PRESIDENTS HAVE ARGUED THE OPPOSITE. DAVID: CHARLIE COOK WAS PROGNOSTICATING THE ELECTION AND SAYING REPUBLICANS HAVE THREE LIKELY OUTCOMES.

ONE IS BAD, THE OTHER IS REALLY BAD AND THE OTHER IS HORRIBLE. THE WINDS ARE NOT ON THE REPUBLICAN SIDE. HE KNOWS HE'S A PROBLEM FOR PEOPLE IN SWING DISTRICT'S BUT HE'S INCAPABLE OF