On Monday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” CNN Military Analyst and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) stated that the Houthis and Iran react to rhetoric from the Biden administration by saying, “they don’t want it to escalate, well, let’s do it again and make them escalate.”
And “as long as the United States is holding back and saying, oh please, don’t do this to us, oh, please, stop, it’s like saying to the bully on the street, oh, please don’t hit me again, he’s going to hit you again.”
If you’re addressing the American people or the Congress or Republicans who are accusing you of being a — seeking a war in the Middle East or something, fine, I understand that messaging.
But if actually — if you want to stop the escalation, you’re going to have to dominate the cycle of escalation. And in this case what that means is, not only going after the ships that are — little boats that are coming after you, but make a more dramatic move…dominate it by going after the fleet, however many of these little ships there are, wherever they are, I’m sure we know them, take them out.
That will stop it. At least it will put the onus of responding back and stop the tit-for-tat. It’ll put the onus back on the Houthis.”