When I hear updates on America's war with Iran, I can't help but think two things can be true at once: Like most Americans, I don't want Iran to have nuclear capabilities, but we also don't want our servicemembers sacrificing their lives in a lengthy conflict with a muddled objective.

Yet despite this, President Donald Trump has sent 3,500 additional ground troops to the Middle East as talks and threats with Iran ramp up. This is part of a conflict that Trump said he won three weeks ago. Sending ground troops to fight against a country that has vowed to "rain fire" upon U.S. troops seems unwise at best, potentially catastrophic at worst.

We are over one month into this war, and I struggle to see how this escalation squares with Secretary of State Marco Rubio's stated objectives, which he told reporters on March 27. He said our goals were to destroy Iran's air force and navy, severely diminish Iran's missile launching capability, and destroy their missile and drone factories without boots on the ground.

Perhaps Rubio means America could do this........

© USA TODAY