Bacon urges Trump to 'say less' after 'contradictory' Iran messages

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) on Tuesday urged President Trump to "say less" following "contradictory" statements about the state of the U.S. conflict and negotiations with Iran. "Some action had to be taken, if not with this president, maybe previous presidents, but something –– this could not be allowed to continue like this," Bacon told CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead." "I think the president is on to a strategy of blockade. I also recommend: say less. There should be fewer people talking on this because there's contradictory messages going out there." Bacon added, quoting former President Theodore Roosevelt, "Speak softly, but carry a big stick." The full quote attributed to the 26th president is: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." The Nebraska Republican said Trump "overpromised" that the conflict with Iran would be short-lived and "tried to go it alone" without Democratic support. "It's got to be a bipartisan fight," he said. "And he should have anticipated a more of a longer-term fight. I really think this is handicapping him now because the Democrats do not wank to work with the president on this, and this needs to be a bipartisan effort." Trump on Tuesday posted a picture of the Strait of Hormuz, the passage between Iran and Oman through which roughly 25 percent of the world's crude oil is exported. In the image, the strait was labeled as a U.S. territory in an apparent effort to double down on his calls to annex it. He had told reporters last week that …