Wednesday, March 04, 2026

War or no war. Mispoke or no mispoke

There are those in the MAGA camp who seem unsure whether the US is actually in a war

For example, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, a prominent Trump ally, led his Fox News interview with "We are not at war with Iran". Period. Then he wobbled. "This is war, and we're taking out the threat." Ah, right. When pressed, he clarified: "We haven't declared war. They declared war on us, but we haven't." But, another reporter pointed out, "Just now you said, 'This is war'. You called it war." "OK, well, that was a misspoke', Mullin concluded. Clear as mud, then.

Mr. Mullin is not alone. Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham both seem to think that American is not at war with Iran.

For context, there is an interesting article by the Globe and Mail's Standards Editor about the use of the word "war" in press reports, and when "strikes" seamlessly morphed into full-scale "war". Essentially, it's nothing to do with a declaration of war - the last time the USA actually declared war was 1942! - but more to do with "the scope and intensity of the fighting".

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