The Iraq War Lit a Fire in Me That Never Went Out

Two decades later, we’re fighting against the same stupid decisions.

I've been feeling this deep, visceral rage since the crisis in Iran erupted about a week ago. It’s not just about what's happening now—it’s rooted in the anger I still carry from the Iraq War. That war was my political awakening. I protested one of the dumbest foreign policy decisions this country has ever made. I was a teenager making signs, organizing students, showing up to events—because kids my age were being sent to fight and die in a war we should’ve never started.

That experience led me to drop out of college, join Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and help him win the Iowa caucus. Opposing reckless wars isn't just a political belief for me—it’s foundational. It’s part of who I am. And for all the ways I dislike Donald Trump, and for my inherent mistrust of everything that comes out of his mouth, I genuinely wanted to believe the promise he made to the American people—that he didn’t want to start another war in the Middle East. Maybe because it wasn’t politically smart, maybe because he’s a coward—I don’t know. But I thought even he wouldn’t go there.

And yet, here we are. Watching our country rush toward another crisis in the Middle East. Watching Republican leaders cheerlead a war with Iran like it’s 2003 all over again—actively choosing to ignore the consequences, without understanding the region, and without even pretending to level with the American people.

Donald Trump is being dragged into this crisis, and he’s too clueless—or too reckless—to resist. He’s not making a case to the world. He’s not building a coalition. He’s not even pretending this is about “Putting America First.” Meanwhile, the same government that says we can’t afford cancer research for kids, or to make sure nobody goes bankrupt if they get sick, or build basic infrastructure, is apparently ready to pour hundreds of billions—if not more—into another endless war. And who is paying for it? The American people—with our tax dollars and, for the brave men and women who serve our country, with their lives.

Let me be clear: I believe Israel has the right to exist and to defend itself. I believe Iran’s government is dangerous and supports terrorism. But toppling another regime without a plan or an understanding of what comes next is madness. If anyone thinks we’ll be greeted as liberators or that we can install a U.S.- or Israeli-backed government in Iran—they're living in a fantasy. This isn’t strength. It’s hubris. And it will make the world less safe.

They’ve been telling us Iran is “days away” from nuclear weapons since the ’90s. It’s the same, tired playbook. The same manipulation we saw with Iraq. And it’s happening again.

It pisses me off. Deeply. Because Americans don’t want this. It doesn’t make any of us safer or more secure. We’ve seen this movie before. We know how it ends. And yet the same warmongers—people like John Bolton, Lindsey Graham, and Ted Cruz—are back at it again, thrilled to push us into disaster while the rest of us are left to carry the burden of their ignorant, reckless, and dangerous actions.

We deserve better. We need to stop this before it’s too late.