America has already won the war it isn’t fighting, which is why it must continue bombing Iran until the Islamic Republic accepts “unconditional surrender,” defined by the White House as a set of conditions that it will decide without Tehran’s input.

President Donald Trump sees victory in making Iran “cry uncle,” and seems to believe the regime is already doing so. His senior military leaders have identified success in meeting narrow military objectives that they have largely achieved, while also saying they must continue to ramp up strikes — to achieve these objectives even more.

All of this is intended to serve a broader goal of reshaping the Middle East into a kinder, gentler region by beating a hostile regime into submission, until it becomes friendly to the United States and Israel.

But also it isn’t, because undertaking such an ambitious and complex enterprise is expensive and destabilizing, and favorable outcomes cannot be assured. America doesn’t do “endless nation-building” or “quagmires” any more. Those kinds of wars are unpopular.

If America were fighting an unpopular war with Iran, the conflict might deserve the moniker the “Third Gulf War,” as it now involves at least a dozen countries in and around the Persian Gulf.

It's darkly funny that if Trump hadn't insisted on raping underage girls, gas prices would be stable.