War Hawks Use False Patriotism Claims to Silence Conservative Opposition to Iran War
Source: Joseph Addington. "‘Unpatriotic Conservatives’ Redux - The American Conservative." March 25, 2026. www.theamericanconservative.com
The Gist
The author argues that pro-war conservatives are unfairly attacking anti-war conservatives as unpatriotic, just like they did during the Iraq War. Since the Iraq War turned out to be a disaster and most Americans oppose the Iran War, these attacks are dishonest. Real conservatism has always been against getting involved in foreign wars.
Conclusion
Accusations of unpatriotism against conservatives who oppose the Iran War are intellectually dishonest smears that contradict genuine conservative principles
Premises
- David Frum's 'unpatriotic conservatives' attacks during the Iraq War were lazy and dishonest smears that have been discredited by history
- The Iraq War was acknowledged as a mistake based on false pretenses, vindicating those who opposed it despite career consequences
- Ben Shapiro and others are now recycling these same dishonest arguments against Iran War opponents, calling them anti-American and claiming they want to 'take down the United States'
- Historical American conservative statesmen like John Randolph and Robert Taft were markedly noninterventionist, making opposition to foreign wars genuinely conservative
- The current Iran War has only 27% public support, making it implausible that the majority of Americans opposing it are anti-American
- True conservatism seeks to preserve the republic and American tradition of noninterventionism, not transform America into a global empire
Assumptions
- Historical precedent (Iraq War outcome) is a reliable predictor for current foreign policy debates
- Public opinion polling accurately reflects genuine American sentiment about the war
- There is an objective, historically grounded definition of 'true conservatism' that favors noninterventionism
- Motivations behind war support are primarily ideological rather than based on legitimate security concerns
- The same argumentative patterns from 2003 are being deliberately recycled rather than independently developed