SAN DIEGO — I honestly didn't think it was possible.

But, as remarkable as it sounds, President Donald Trump managed to say something really smart about the war with Iran.

Before we get to the smart thing, let's look back at some of the dumb things the president has done since the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. It was those missteps that helped the president lose the war.

By the way, don't be fooled by the continued missile strikes in both directions. At this point, those are mostly for show. The war is over, and — as hard as it is for this Mexican American Yankee Doodle Dandy to admit — the United States lost.

How do we know? Simple. Trump initially said he joined Israel in attacking Iran on Feb. 28 to prevent the ayatollahs and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Since then, he has discovered two things that are more important to him: reopening the Strait of Hormuz and getting out of the Persian Gulf.

And so, while Trump still talks about how Iran can't have a nuclear weapon, the actions of U.S. negotiators tell a different story. Recently proposed language about a ceasefire didn't say much about Iran surrendering its highly enriched uranium, so it couldn't build a bomb. Iran gets stronger, and the United States emerges weaker.

That's a defeat for Americans. And it's on the president.

As for the dumb things that the Commander-in-Chief did, quickly, here are a half dozen examples:

— Underestimating the enemy and assuming that Iran would fold as easily as Venezuela

— Telegraphing, on April 1, that he planned to leave the theater in the next two to three weeks, so the Iranian leaders could wait him out

— Casting the conflict as a religious war, by mocking Islam and framing the war as serving Christian nationalism, all on Easter Sunday

— Failing to imagine that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz, and thus hold hostage much of the world's petroleum industry

— Going to China in an attempt to undercut Iran and winding up with a threat not to interfere with a possible invasion of Taiwan

— Teasing that a ceasefire was pretty much a done deal, while Iran contradicted that claim and fired missiles at U.S. air bases

Note that I didn't say the U.S. military lost the war. Our men and women in uniform performed brilliantly, as usual. For years, they've trained for just this kind of conflict, and the training paid off.

Ours is the most highly skilled fighting force in the world. Their civilian leaders, however, are probably among the least skilled.

History will record that it was Trump, his political advisers, and politicians back home who lost the latest war in the Persian Gulf. Unfortunately, this is a familiar story. For Americans, wars are usually won on the battlefield but often lost on the Potomac.

Trump bragged that he knew more than the generals. And then he found himself out of his depth in waging war against Iran. So he tried to apply CEO hocus pocus by overselling and underdelivering.

That confused our enemy, but also our allies — not to mention the American people. Generating fog at home is never good in wartime.

Now for the smart thing Trump said. This week, the president expressed ambivalence about the stalled peace talks with Iran.

"I don't care if they're over, honestly. I really don't care," Trump told CNBC's Eamon Javers. "I couldn't care less. If they're over, they're over. If they're not ... I think (Iran) took too much time."

About the negotiations, Trump added: "Frankly, I thought they started to get very boring."

As Americans are painfully aware, the Mad King is never boring.

In a separate interview with NBC News, Trump said about the Iranians: "If they don't want to talk, that's OK with me. I think it's fine. I don't particularly want to talk, either. We talk too much."

That may be the first true thing that Trump has said about this war. The parties do talk too much. Trump especially talks too much. And, the more the two countries talk, the less likely a ceasefire seems.

This had to have been what former president Theodore Roosevelt — a Republican who actually fought in a war before taking office — meant when he advised: "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

Mr. President, you always do the opposite. In the Persian Gulf, you should either escalate the fighting or bring the troops home. You can declare victory or admit defeat. Whatever. But, for God's sake, stop talking about this war.

To find out more about Ruben Navarrette and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Stijn Swinnen at Unsplash