Mission not accomplished
By 
Michelle Goldberg on an all too predictable catastrophe, i.e., Donald Trump trying to do something:
Israel may have astonished much of the world with its tactical skill in its recent war against Iran, but at least for now, it’s lost. With the help of cheerleaders on Fox News, Israel pulled Donald Trump into its war; The Times reported on his eagerness to take credit for a mission that appeared to be succeeding wildly. But then Trump turned around and forced Israel to back down, declaring a cease-fire and lambasting the country for its continued bombing.
If that cease-fire holds, it will mean, thankfully, that this harrowing episode has concluded without triggering World War III, as some feared. But it also hasn’t achieved Israel and America’s primary objective, which was ending Iran’s nuclear program. Indeed, it now may be more likely, not less, that Iran will become a nuclear power. . . .
Meanwhile, Israel has shown Iran the extent of its intelligence penetration into the country and cannot, at least for the foreseeable future, continue its war without enraging Trump. Nor is Trump likely to restart the war anytime soon, since doing so would puncture his narrative of success.
“Now the U.S. and Israel have basically demonstrated their capabilities,” said Jon Wolfsthal, who was a senior director for arms control and nonproliferation on Barack Obama’s National Security Council. “They shot their shots,” he said, and they neither got rid of Iran’s nuclear program nor toppled its regime.
Whoops.