In what may be the most disgraceful public statement ever made by a retired U.S. military officer, Colonel Douglas Macgregor—once respected for his battlefield acumen—has chosen this moment, as Israel faces a historic threat to its survival, to condemn our longstanding ally for defending itself against those who have sworn, as a matter of policy, to destroy it.
Here is MacGregor’s tweet:
In the last 72 hours, Israel launched a preemptive strike against Iran when negotiations between Washington and Tehran were still ongoing.
— Douglas Macgregor (@DougAMacgregor) June 15, 2025
Iran was caught off-guard. But Iran recovered more quickly from its Pearl Harbor moment than Israel expected.
In less than 18 hours…
Let’s be clear: Macgregor’s remarks are not merely misguided—they are cowardly, false, and morally indefensible.
“Israeli intelligence failed.”
This is stunning. Even Joseph Goebbels couldn’t have written such a preposterous claim. Israeli intelligence has executed what is arguably the most audacious covert operation in modern history—eliminating Iranian nuclear scientists and military leaders in targeted drone strikes launched from within Iran itself. And after just three days of coordinated strikes on Iran’s air defenses, Israel has already achieved air supremacy. That is not failure. That is battlefield dominance.
“Israel’s Iron Dome failed.”
While some missiles have made it through with horrific consequences, the claim that “Iron Dome failed” is nonsense. Iron Dome intercepted over 90% of incoming threats. That’s not failure; that’s near-miraculous performance under the strain of saturation attacks, including ballistic and hypersonic threats. No air defense system in history has achieved comparable results.
“Netanyahu is pleading with Washington to intervene.”
Another fabrication. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not called for U.S. troops. As agreed to weeks before the strike, the U.S. is providing defensive materiel and intercept support for missiles headed for civilian population centers—support that any sovereign ally would expect in the face of genocidal threats.
“Russia, China, Pakistan, and most of the Muslim world are rallying to Iran.”
Sure, rallying with rhetoric, but in deeds? Quite the opposite. The Saudis, the UAE, and other Gulf States have been sharing radar intelligence, and Jordan is intercepting Iranian drones over its airspace. The Gulf monarchies despise Iran and, while publicly restrained, are privately celebrating its destruction.
Macgregor claims Americans voted for Trump to stop “the march to World War III.” That’s not what brought voters to turn out in droves for Trump. Americans voted to shut the border, restore order, and end the DEI madness undermining our institutions. And if anything, Trump’s vision prevents World War III—by stopping Iran from acquiring the bomb.
But Macgregor’s hypocrisy reaches its peak when he decries Israel for starting “an insane war.” How can a lifelong military officer be so blind to his own history?
In 1962, the United States went to DEFCON 1 over the mere possibility of Soviet nuclear weapons being placed in Cuba. Israel now faces an Iranian regime with genocidal ambitions, actively building nuclear weapons, and openly calling for its annihilation. And yet Macgregor has the gall to call Israel’s self-defense “insane”? What would he have advised President Kennedy—unilateral disarmament?
Macgregor warns of $7 gas, collapsed supply chains, and an American military bled dry. But energy markets have barely blinked. Oil futures are up a couple of bucks. Gas is holding steady around $3. Trump has unleashed the American energy sector, and Saudi Arabia is more than ready to cover Iran’s shortfall. The sky is not falling—except in the minds of defeatists.
And then the Colonel crosses a line from isolationism into something far darker:
He blames Israel for the war. He proposes U.N. ceasefires, sanctions on Israel, and foreign troops in Gaza. He suggests Russia and China should arbitrate peace in the Middle East—as if tyrants should determine the fate of democracies.
This isn’t strategy. This is surrender.
Let’s call it what it is: anti-Israel, anti-American, anti-Western rhetoric cloaked in military gravitas. A decorated officer using his rank to lend credibility to cowardice.
Macgregor ends his diatribe with “America First.” But there’s nothing “America First” about abandoning your allies to genocidal regimes. There’s nothing patriotic about whitewashing Iran’s crimes while slandering Israel’s right to exist.
Colonel, you once led men under fire. But today, you’ve chosen to fire rhetorical bullets at the very civilization you once swore to defend.
You’ve betrayed your legacy.
Enjoy your retirement. But in the eyes of those who still believe in truth, courage, and moral clarity—you are now worse than irrelevant, you are, quite simply, already dead to us.
Picture created using images by BMG-2048 and RRRRRRRRRRR999, both CC BY-SA 4.0).
Huck Davenport is a pseudonym.