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Finally, Washington has realized the war is far more than it bargained for. It has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the conflict that is now in its fourth week. 

From the start, the US wanted to topple the Iranian government, weaken its nuclear program, and tighten the grip on oil resources.

But the result? 

The Strait of Hormuz was shut down. Key NATO partners refused to help as Trump requested. Oil prices surged to their highest level in years, and investors are dumping US debt on growing fears of inflation. 

And then there is politics at home. Trump's approval rate fell to its lowest point since he returned to the White House. A Reuters poll shows only 36% of Americans approve of the job he is doing, down from 40% just last week and from 47% in the early days of his presidency. 

Now, ending the war is imminent. That is why Washington is talking loudly about diplomacy.

But at the same time, the Pentagon is preparing to deploy 3,000 troops to support operations in and around Iran. That could mean trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, seizing strategic islands of Iran, or even moving on sites linked to enriched uranium. 

That raises a hard question: Is this peace plan really about ending a disastrous war, or is it about saving a weakened presidency at home? If the US truly wants to end this war, it needs more than talking points.

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