A Proportional Response
by Craig Wiesner - San Mateo Daily Journal - June 30, 2025
During the 1980’s, serving in an intelligence unit not too many miles from the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea, Land of the Morning Calm, we lived knowing that at any moment something, somewhere might happen along or near the 38th Parallel that would spring us into a different mode than our usual posture of “keeping the morning calm.” As is now true for today’s Washington D.C. “pizza watchers,” folks who kept an eye on our unit could tell when something was afoot if our unit suddenly went into lockdown mode, or, something many watched for with the greatest trepidation, if our group suddenly “bugged out” (evacuated to another location.
The pizza reports, in case you haven’t heard about them, come from folks monitoring pizza joints near the White House and Pentagon. When there is a sudden spike in orders, watchers know that something significant is about to happen, keeping officials stuck at their desks, unable to go home for dinner. I took a college class in Korea, taught by an officer from another unit, who kept using a non-secure radio during class one evening, trying not to reveal anything classified on an open channel, but failing miserably as he discussed the need for hundreds of meals to be brought in starting that evening, how many cots to set up, and what extra equipment needed to be borrowed. Obviously a major operation was soon to commence. Oopsie.
Iran should have, and probably did, keep an eye on the pizza reports in the last few weeks, as Israel launched a series of attacks, Iran retaliated, and then the United States joined in by attacking three of Iran's nuclear sites. Iran most likely cleared personnel and enriched Uranium out of those sites ahead of the attacks.
As I doom-scrolled through the news, I worried about escalation, fearful that things would spiral out of control. I was reminded of a favorite episode of the West Wing TV series. In it, Syria blows up a plane in which fictional President Barlet’s friend is killed. Bartlet’s advisors present him with “proportional” responses he can take against Syria. Bartlet, usually a voice of calm and reason in a world of chaos, explodes at the idea of a proportional response. He demands that they go back to the drawing board and come up with a devastating response, one that matches the fury he feels in that moment. They do, one with the potential to kill thousands of civilians. In the end, proportionality wins. Bartlet’s Chief of Staff, asked whether what they’re doing is good or bad, simply responds, “there is no good; it’s what there is.”
It appears that Iran, after the U.S. naval and air attack on three nuclear sites, not only chose to go with a proportional response, but even warned us ahead of time about what they were going to do, potentially saving many lives. The president responded with gratitude and called for a complete cease fire by all sides.
As I write this the situation between the United States, Iran, and Israel is still fluid, with observers on all sides weighing in. Some call for the president to be impeached. Others call for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, something his own social media posts claim he richly deserves. Many in Congress want more detailed classified information on all that transpired, including details on how significant a setback Iran suffered in their nuclear ambitions. Was their program “obliterated?” Others called for a vote on the 1973 “War Powers Act,” which was designed to limit a president’s power to engage in armed conflict without Congressional consent. The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, but our Commanders in Chief, from both parties, have exercised the option to take military action around the world as they deem necessary, without a declaration of war. The WPA requires Congress to be notified within 48 hours of engaging in military conflict, and limits the duration to 60-90 days with Congressional approval. If hostilities continue, I strongly support invoking the War Powers Act. It does not impede the president from carrying out whatever actions he and his advisors deem appropriate but gives Congress the ability to reign the administration in if we are heading into a prolonged and undeclared war.
I oppose the attack on Iran, but I’m also in awe of how the mission was executed. Despite White House claims to the contrary, mainstream media did a good job of featuring the people and technology behind it. Check out my AI search results for detailed coverage at bit.ly/44kwV8y. And/or, order a pizza and watch the West Wing “Proportional Response” episode.
May we all fervently work for calm mornings, days and nights for everyone on our planet. Humanity deserves peace.