Mike Luckovich is a national treasure. His "Mideast Meat Grinder" cartoon last week featuring "tiny hands" turning the crank nails the stakes in Donald Trump's next moves vis-a-vis Iran:

A force of 3,500 US sailors and Marines arrived in the Middle East aboard the USS Tripoli -- as Tehran warned that American forces will be killed if President Trump orders a ground invasion of Iran.

The flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived over the weekend with troops in tow, US Central Command said Saturday.

Along with the troops, the amphibious warship brought transport and strike fighter aircraft, as well as assault and tactical assets, with the Pentagon allegedly preparing for weeks of boots-on-the-ground operations in Iran.

Luckovich makes a visual point I made with audio in a 2007 Blue Century ad about another Mideast war of presidential choice. (We never ran this spot.)

COMPULSION (30 sec.) Topic: Iraq

SFX: Casino ambience, slot machines, coins dropping

AIDE: Sir. Sir, I think it's time to leave.

GEORGE: Can't leave. Making progress. Gonna win any time now.

SFX: Casino ambience, coins inserted, slot machine handle cycles

AIDE: But, sir. You've already lost a fortu- ... um ... sir, are those ... dog tags?

GEORGE: Running low here. Here's a billion for more. [to himself] If you don't quit, you don't lose.

SFX: Slot machine handle cycles, casino ambience, more "coins" inserted

VO: You can tell a calculated risk from a bad bet. Call your leaders in Congress. Ask if they can.

Here's the audio.

Trump's casinos failed too, didn't they?