It saddens me to write this, yet the undeclared Iran War is heading to be the worst defeat in American history. While Iran’s tenacity in times of conflict is well known, the current administration appeared ignorant of their resilience as it initiated war without the consent of the Congress. Our country expended a boatload of missiles—depleting half or more of key stockpiles—in the first two months of the war.

According to the Center for Strategic Studies, the military used these critical munitions:

• Patriot Air Defense Interceptors: Nearly 50% of the total pre-war inventory was expended within the first few weeks.
• Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM): At least 45% of the stockpile was consumed.
• THAAD Interceptors: Between 50% and 80% (up to 290) of the THAAD inventory was used, creating severe near-term shortages.
• Tomahawk Cruise Missiles: The U.S. used over 1,000 Tomahawks, which accounts for roughly 30% to 50% of the total available U.S. arsenal.
• SM-3 Interceptors: Nearly half of the inventory was expended during the campaign.
• JASSM & ATACMS: More than 20% of the long-range JASSMs, as well as approximately 1,000 ATACMS and other ground-based missiles, were used.

What did we get for that? Closure of the Strait of Hormuz, destruction at our regional military bases, and little else. Joe Cirincione described the president’s position, “Simply put, Trump is out of cards to play.”

This week, the president was on a state visit to China. He is damaged goods. Cirincione presents the analysis of David Rothkopf as follows:

Trump has so damaged the core U.S. relationships with countries worldwide that he is seen more as a pariah than any American leader ever. Certainly, as an enemy of democracy and supporter of strong men worldwide, Trump can no longer claim, as past U.S. presidents did, to be the “leader of the free world.”

Indeed, in many ways, this trip will mark the end of the idea that America’s president is the world’s most powerful person.

Where do we go from here? That’s an open question, however, I never want to hear the words “American Exceptionalism” again.