Here we go again.

We went to bed Friday evening with the dulcet tones of the chattering class reminding us of the word of the week - Epstein. By the time we sat down to Saturday morning’s coffee, their tune changed. We were at war - again.

Once again, Uncle Sam showed the world we could hammer another nation into submission. Or did we? By all accounts, our military jets and missiles killed the leader of Iran and many of his top allies, smashed some of their expensive defense hardware, and tore up buildings. Of course, they shot back, firing off rockets and drones that hammered some posh high-rise towers in neighboring oil-rich Arab states and US military sites.

Our president posted a video where he said the Iranians had to be stopped because they wouldn’t pledge to scrap their nuclear research that could lead to an atomic bomb. He said they posed an immediate threat to our nation. And, he urged the 90 million Iranians to rise up, rebel, and kick their government out.

If you turned to Fox TV, Hannity and Co. praised his actions while other talking heads ranted that anyone who questioned his actions, especially Democrats, was way off base, or evil, or obviously unpatriotic. On MSNOW, the fledgling network that used to be MSNBC, their experts featured Democrat pols who admitted the Iranian leader was a bad guy who sponsored terrorism and hated us, Israel, and his own people. They wondered what triggered Trump’s actions and asked why he didn’t ask Congress for permission to drop the bombs.

Top Maine political leaders split along party lines. Sen. Angus King, an independent, said the decision to go to war should be made by Congress, not the executive. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, said Iran’s support of terrorist groups posed a threat to our nation, but she said further military action requires congressional approval. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat running to replace Collins, called the military strikes reckless, put American service members at risk, and warned it could be the start of another “forever” war. Oyster farmer Graham Platner, who also seeks to replace Collins, suggested the military action was done to draw attention from the Epstein scandal.

Now that you know all there is to know about our latest war, what do you think? Most seem to agree that the Iranian leader was a bad guy. After that, the opinions are all over the lot.

It is hard to fathom what the president was thinking, as he seems to switch positions at will. For example, he said the recent raid was to keep the Iranians from obtaining nuclear bomb materials. But, last June, he said an American bomb strike had “obliterated” their nuke program. When he ran in 2024, he criticized his opponent for being surrounded by advisors who would send US troops overseas. He also called the Iraq war a big fat mistake. This is the same guy who told us he deserved the Nobel Peace prize for stopping a series of wars, then, over the weekend, he started one.

Having had a chance to see what a war looks like from the front seat of a jeep, I believe all bets are off when the weapons are turned loose. All the fancy studies and military predictions are just guesses. Things happen, bad things happen, real bad things happen in a war.

Within hours, the world’s oil market reacted to the conflict, as crude prices jumped almost 10 percent. Will that translate to our local gas prices?

So, what is next? No one knows the answer to that question. One thing is for sure. Wars produce death. We have already seen reports of the deaths of three American service members and the wounding of five others. And mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, and children of the thousands of American men and women serving in the war zone are on their knees every night praying that the Almighty protect their loved ones.

Again, what is next? Will Iran turn into a blood bath as civilian protesters clash with armed hardliners? Who will wind up running that ancient nation? More to the point, will the White House send in American troops to do Lord knows what in Iran?

Look for the Congress to devolve into a tizzy as the members try to figure out which side will benefit them the most. And the chattering class and sad-faced “experts” will opine at will. All we can hope is that no American parent will be forced to bury their progeny who died in the service of what?

In the words of Pete Seeger: “When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?”