When the war is not going well?

You assassinate more leaders.

They replace those leaders with equally bad/worse leaders?

You threaten to destroy the civilization!

That does not go over well.

Back down on that one.

Declare Victory.

Threaten to Blockade.

Tell People We're Winning.

Tell People you don't even think about the price of gas when you're thinking about the war in Iran.

What do you do when the war is not going well?

You go to China and talk about trade. No wonder the president's numbers are in the toilet and his ranting and raving on Truth Social is off the charts. He has crowded as many CEO's as he can fit on a trip, hoping the Chinese will have a welcome mat for someone.

I've been visiting a seriously ill patient in the hospital and every day I look for something new. Or something old. The war has not been going well for a while. So has Kash Patel's reported drinking, and his repeated denials remind me of the way one Virginia Senator held a press conference to deny that he was the stupidest man in the Senate.

Anyway, Kash Patel had his counterattack ready for Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the subcommittee overseeing the bureau's budget. "Director Patel, as you ask for more taxpayer resources, we cannot look away from the credible, extremely troubling reports about your misconduct at the FBI."

Patel responded with a personal attack, accusing Van Hollen of "slinging margaritas" with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland resident whom the Trump administration mistakenly deported to a megaprison in El Salvador last year. "The only person who has been drinking during the day on the taxpayer's dime was you," Patel said. "You don't know what you're talking about," Van Hollen shot back.

The senator had visited Abrego during his time in the Latin American prison and was photographed seated with him at a table with glasses that appeared to have liquid inside. Van Hollen has previously said Salvadoran officials put those glasses on the table during the meeting, which was monitored by the government, but that neither he nor Abrego touched them during their discussions.

But as Van Hollen pushed, Patel attacked him for once running up a $7,000 bar tab at an event — a catering expense for a campaign-funded event for his staff last year. This is what passes for oversight of the FBI.

And something to look forward to this weekend. The Trump administration is sponsoring a 9-hour prayer tribute on the mall featuring celebrity candidates Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, as well as a prominent slice of conservative Christianity. "I'm unaware of anything like this, with this involvement of senior government officials, on this scale, trying to paint this false picture of the United States as a quote-unquote Christian nation," said Amanda Tyler, executive director of BJC, a Baptist group that aims to promote religious liberties through church-state separation as outlined in the First Amendment, told the Washington Post. "Trump's rhetoric in the past 18 months is how he's 'going to make America Christian again,' that it's his job to push religion. This is all part of that piece."

What do you do when the war is not going well? China. Drink. And God.

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

Photo credit: Laurin Steffens at Unsplash