In an election flush with conspiracy theories, 
here's one that's real: Both major party 
nominees, as well as the journalists who 
cover the election and moderate the 
debates, are actively conspiring to avoid 
talking about the fact that the United States 
is waging war in at least five countries 
simultaneously: 
Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia.

In the first two presidential debates, our 
involvement in the Syrian civil war was 
briefly discussed, as was ISIS in vague 
terms, and the Iran nuclear deal, and 
Russia's mischief-making in Eastern 
Europe and the Middle East, and Libya, 
though mostly in the past tense, 
focused on our 2011 intervention to 
depose Moammar Gadhafi and the 
subsequent attack on American government 
facilities in Benghazi a year later.

But our role in "advising" the Iraqi army 
"a few miles behind the front lines" as 
it works to take back territory from ISIS? 
Our "secret war" against Shabab militants 
in Somalia? Our support for Saudi Arabia's 
bloody assault on Houthi rebels in Yemen? 
Our air strikes pounding positions in and 
around the city of Sirte on the Libyan coast?
Nada. Zip. Nothing.

And everyone involved has powerful 
reasons to encourage this conspiracy 
of silence — in tonight's final presidential 
debate, and beyond.