Risking another forever war

A file photo of American soldiers boarding a helicopter to leave a base in Kunduz, Afghanistan, on March 6, 2011. Trump has been unwilling to commit ground troops to the fight against Iran, as his predecessors did in Afghanistan and Iraq. — Damon Winter/The New York Times

NO one starts a war expecting it to last forever.

Yet, since Vietnam, American presidents have repeatedly gotten into conflicts that seem like they could last forever, at least until the next president – or the one after that – decides that the expense and political pain are not worth it, declares victory and goes home.