1 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:19,079 Speaker 1: Hello, everyone, Good Thursday afternoon. Welcome to the Warning and 2 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: the Read Letter. Got Steve Schmidt here for everyone who's 3 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 1: watching on YouTube. Very exciting. Yeah, it's great to have you. See. 4 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:31,080 Speaker 1: We haven't done this in a while, so I'm really 5 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: happy that we're Yeah, it's great to see you. We 6 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,959 Speaker 1: haven't done a collaboration in a while. And it feels 7 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: like the topics that we were talking about last time 8 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: have changed completely and the world is officially on fire, 9 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: even though it felt pretty much on fire last time 10 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: we spoke. We're in a war and Iran. It's been 11 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: a few weeks. We don't know when it's going to end, 12 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: but we know that President Trump has just asked for 13 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: two hundred billion dollars to pay for this more more 14 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: more than we asked for for the war in Ukraine 15 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty two. I mean, it feels like we're 16 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: pretty deep in here. And for everyone who has been 17 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,120 Speaker 1: following the show, Mike Davis was scheduled to join us. 18 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: He's one of Trump's pitbulls, but he canceled. So we're 19 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:21,640 Speaker 1: just going to go deeper into the issues, and I 20 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: hope you are all down for that, because we're going 21 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 1: to do a Q and A too. So send your questions, thoughts, ideas, 22 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: and I will try to get you on screen too. 23 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: What do you think, Steve, What do you think about 24 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:34,680 Speaker 1: the fact that we're about to spend a ton of 25 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: money on this war and we don't know when we're 26 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: going to. 27 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 2: Gay So I think there's a lot of different ways 28 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 2: to talk about it. So I guess start with the politics. 29 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 2: I spent a lot of my career in politics and 30 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 2: running change. It is the single biggest, not even really close, 31 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 2: broken promise of my lifetime. It's the fundamental premise of 32 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 2: Donald Trump's campaigns going all the way back, was we 33 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 2: were not going to do this again. If you go 34 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:21,880 Speaker 2: back and you're if you were to give out Gold 35 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 2: Medal awards for the craziest thing that anyone said in 36 00:02:25,320 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 2: twenty sixteen, it doesn't go to Trump. 37 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 3: It goes to Jeb Bush. 38 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,919 Speaker 2: Jeb Bush is on the debate stage and Jeb Bush 39 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 2: has asked a question, Hey, Governor, knowing then what we 40 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: know now, would we have invaded Iraq again? And Jeb 41 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: Bush's answer is basically like, oh yeah, absolutely, it made 42 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 2: the world so much safer. We're better off without Saddam 43 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 2: and Trump's response to that overthrew the Bush era in 44 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 2: Republican politics and it also defenestrated Fox News. 45 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, and what he what he said was what's wrong 46 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 3: with you people? Wow? 47 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 2: Do we have dumb leaders? And so here we are. 48 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 2: Trump has started a war with Iran. We have no 49 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 2: allies to fight this war with. And he is wrong 50 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 2: in his assumptions completely about what would happen. And what 51 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 2: he said was, we have to start this war because 52 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 2: there's an imminent threat to the United States. 53 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 3: Well what what? What? What? What's the threat? 54 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 2: Well, it's it's a nuclear threat from the obliterated program 55 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 2: and it doesn't make a lot of sense. And where 56 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 2: we stand right now is Trump has laid out something, 57 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 2: which is that for him to succeed, he has to 58 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 2: depose the Iranian regime, and it doesn't look like they're 59 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 2: going anywhere. 60 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 3: In order for the Iran. 61 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 2: Regime to succeed, the uranium regime simply has to survive. 62 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 2: And so that is asymmetrical. But that's warfare in the 63 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 2: twenty first century. And Trump has started this war. Did 64 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,240 Speaker 2: he promise not to start? Not only did he start it, 65 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 2: but he's losing this war. So we're losing a war 66 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 2: to the Ayatolas, which, by no one's account, does that 67 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 2: make America great again? 68 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, it is really shocking because he was the president 69 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: who said no more foreign wars. We've been entangled in 70 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: more foreign interventions, whose, et cetera, probably than anyone could 71 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: have imagined in twelve months. You know, I want to 72 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:52,840 Speaker 1: go back to Bush because you know, you did work 73 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: in the Bush administration, and George W. Bush has a 74 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: pretty you know, he didn't. He didn't leave office with 75 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: a pretty with a good reputation. People felt like they 76 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: were lied to when he was sold on the weapons, 77 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: selling people on the idea of weapons of mass destruction. 78 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: Why we get to go into Iraq and Afghanistan? You know, 79 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: do you look back on that and did you support 80 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,760 Speaker 1: the war at the time. Do you think that he 81 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: did the right thing by going to the UN, by 82 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 1: trying to build support for the war. How does this 83 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: feel the same and how does it feel different? And 84 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: how do you feel the same or different from them? 85 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 2: I did support the war in two thousand and three. 86 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:42,720 Speaker 2: In the aftermath of nine to eleven, I believed the government, 87 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 2: I believe the officials, and what I believe today is 88 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 2: that a lot of people who I believed in were very, 89 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 2: very careless with their with their representations. And one of 90 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 2: the takeaways that that I from the sum of all 91 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 2: of my experiences from that era is at any time 92 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 2: people start talking about war, it's very important for everybody 93 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 2: to be very rigorous in examining every word, every claim, 94 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:29,599 Speaker 2: every utterance. I look back from that era, for example, 95 00:06:29,839 --> 00:06:34,599 Speaker 2: at someone like Condoleeza Rice, who was universally hailed as 96 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 2: a genius. And you get to two thousand and five, 97 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:47,599 Speaker 2: I think, and there's an election in Gaza that Hamas wins, 98 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:52,479 Speaker 2: and it wasn't a surprise to me that Hamas would 99 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 2: win that election, but apparently it was to her. And 100 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 2: I remember one of the takeaways from that is that 101 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:08,679 Speaker 2: all of these people who claim expertise very often don't 102 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 2: know what they're talking about. And there's a very American 103 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 2: myopic worldview about all of these issues that involve the 104 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 2: use of our military, that involve the use of our 105 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 2: of our power, that are almost that are almost childlike. 106 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 2: And by the time in two thousand and five when 107 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 2: I was in the White House and I got back 108 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 2: from Iraq, and I had spent an extended amount of 109 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 2: time there, I had a good sense of the incoherence 110 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 2: of the mission and that what we were doing was 111 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 2: not succeeding, and that by then the entire mission had 112 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 2: changed to one where we were supposedly going to build 113 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 2: functioning democracies in both Iraq and in Afghanistan. And you know, 114 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 2: by firsthand experience of being there for a bit, I 115 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 2: just didn't think that the that the project was particularly realistic. 116 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 2: And I think that one of the lessons of the 117 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 2: whole era is one about the limitations of American of 118 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 2: American power, and you have to have a lot of 119 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 2: circumspection before you commit the country, the country to war. 120 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: You know, I was thinking about it too, Like clearly 121 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: from Tulsi Gabberd's testimony, she came infore Congress, she had 122 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,719 Speaker 1: the face hearings her and she's the director of National Intelligence, 123 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: and John Radcliffe came with her, and they were asked, 124 00:08:55,200 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 1: what does a run have intercontinental ballistic weapons essentially weapons 125 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: of mass destruction? Right, and or at least could they 126 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 1: build them in the next six months? I mean President 127 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:11,679 Speaker 1: Trump was telling us that it was going to be 128 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: weeks and we were going to get bombed by Iran. 129 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:19,839 Speaker 1: And she was like maybe six months if you count 130 00:09:19,920 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: their air their airspace program, but we're more realistically twenty 131 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:29,439 Speaker 1: thirty five, that's ten years from now almost. 132 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 3: And is that. 133 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: I mean, clearly she has information that does not line 134 00:09:37,360 --> 00:09:40,439 Speaker 1: up with President Trump's like did you feel that during 135 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:46,280 Speaker 1: those days during the Iraq War in Afghanistan that the 136 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 1: leaders were just trying to like cherry pick information to 137 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: support their wark. 138 00:09:52,760 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 2: I think that one of the main differences about the 139 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:58,079 Speaker 2: Iraq War today. 140 00:09:58,200 --> 00:10:00,520 Speaker 3: Some of that's not very often talked about. 141 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 2: In the Iraq War and the fact that there were 142 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 2: no weapons of mass destruction, and by weapons of mass destruction, 143 00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 2: those were chemical munitions, biological weapons, and nuclear capability. Is 144 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 2: that in the case of Iraq, Saddam Hussein had a 145 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 2: weapons program, and he did everything he possibly could to 146 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 2: make the world believe that he still had those weapons 147 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:40,319 Speaker 2: even when he didn't, right up to and through the 148 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 2: beginning of the US invasion in two thousand and three. 149 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:51,480 Speaker 2: So Saddam Hussein conned the world into believing he possessed 150 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 2: these weapons, and a lot of the world, including the 151 00:10:55,720 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 2: US intelligence services in the Bush presidency, all fell for it. 152 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 2: In the in the aftermath of nine to eleven. The 153 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 2: government on a pretty constant basis, I think exaggerated, misled, misinformed, 154 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 2: and Bush made bad decisions, demonstrated over and over again 155 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 2: bad judgment. And once we were at war and those 156 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:37,679 Speaker 2: weapons weren't there, it was shocking at the time. The 157 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 2: question politically became by the time you get to two 158 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 2: thousand and five, two thousand and six, two thousand and seven, 159 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:49,080 Speaker 2: is we're there, what do we do now? 160 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,640 Speaker 1: So you're all stuck, which is what happened. Basically, what's 161 00:11:52,679 --> 00:11:55,080 Speaker 1: happening right now is we're stuck in. 162 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 2: That and that is one of the central lessons is 163 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 2: that it's easy to start wors, it's difficult to stop them. 164 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 2: And once you're in one, the stakes in Iraq were 165 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 2: what they could become in Iran is that by stopping 166 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 2: and trying to walk back, you lose a war that 167 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 2: you can't afford to lose. In this case in Iran, 168 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 2: the difference is that Trump is constantly contradicting his own words, 169 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:40,839 Speaker 2: his own representations, and his own intelligence about what it 170 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 2: is that Iran threat. And none of this makes any sense. 171 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 2: And the reality is the way you talked about the 172 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:54,559 Speaker 2: threat is the ability of tran to place a warhead, 173 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,640 Speaker 2: a nuclear warhead on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile 174 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 2: and hired at the United States, And they do not 175 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 2: have that capability. They may have that capability in ten years, 176 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,120 Speaker 2: but they've always been at a place where they've been 177 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 2: approaching that capability. That's what the entire basis of the 178 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 2: disagreement between the two countries is. That's why we had 179 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 2: a nuclear deal during the Obama era on this. 180 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 3: And so. 181 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:28,559 Speaker 1: Maybe they were just presenting like Saddam like they had 182 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:30,559 Speaker 1: a missile that they never really had. 183 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 3: You don't know, you. 184 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 2: Don't you don't know for sure what you don't know. 185 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 2: It was one of the things that Rumsfeld always talked about, 186 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:42,480 Speaker 2: the unknown unknowns. 187 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 3: But there is. 188 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: And I supposed to be doing if they don't know, 189 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:48,760 Speaker 1: Like what is their job? Is not it to find 190 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:49,480 Speaker 1: out what they don't know? 191 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,679 Speaker 2: The job is to know is as much as possible 192 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:57,680 Speaker 2: to know? And I my my personal view on this 193 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 2: is I don't trust representations of the government on any 194 00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 2: of this. And I don't say that as a conspiracy nut. 195 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 2: I say that as an institutionalist. Who's who's who's very 196 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 2: pained to say it, But I don't. I don't think 197 00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 2: Trump in this moment has any credibility. And I think 198 00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 2: one of the lessons from from the Iraq War is 199 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 2: how many people led us into this quagmire, who took 200 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:38,560 Speaker 2: no lessons away from the from the experience whatsoever. 201 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 3: And don't hesitate. 202 00:14:39,880 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 2: Now looking at you, Lindsey Graham, you know, to be 203 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 2: on the white stallion charging into the to the next war. 204 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 2: It's it's pretty pretty outlandish. 205 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:55,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, it's interesting that you know. Trump's disapproval 206 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 1: reading is around fifty nine percent. He basically decided this 207 00:14:58,480 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: in the dead of night, no one, with no buy 208 00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:03,480 Speaker 1: in from the American people, which explains why a new 209 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:08,520 Speaker 1: new poll pulling from Data for Progress finds a majority 210 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: American voter sixty eight percent. That's a really big majority. 211 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,320 Speaker 1: Sixty eight percent of Americans don't agree on much nowadays 212 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: opposed deploying ground troops, with only twenty six percent supportive. Obviously, 213 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: it's higher among Democrats and independents. Republicans are split fifty 214 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: to fifty, which still shocks me actually that they're that 215 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 1: they're split on this. But we've got a comment from 216 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: Matt Klein on Substack. He said it's interesting and understand 217 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: he's interested in understanding how Iran is winning the war 218 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:42,000 Speaker 1: given that they have no naval forces left, no air 219 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: defense is left, no senior leadership, and proxies are getting neutralized. 220 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: He's asking if we think that the that the US 221 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: is losing the war because we won't commit ground troops. 222 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 3: Well, so it's great, it's great. Question. 223 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 2: Again, we have to look at why we're fighting the war. 224 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 2: And I'll just stipulate to what it is that Donald 225 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 2: Trump has said about why we're fighting the war, since 226 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 2: he's the person who started the war, and Marcarubio has 227 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:17,480 Speaker 2: said a number of things, but in essence they said, 228 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 2: we're doing two things. Is that I Ran was about 229 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 2: to attack us, and they had these weapons, and we 230 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 2: have to make sure that they never have these weapons. 231 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 2: And we're going to try to topple the regime. So 232 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:39,360 Speaker 2: that's what we set out to do. We have destroyed 233 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 2: eight thousand targets. We at least we have replaced one 234 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 2: Iotola Kamane with another Iotola Kamane. 235 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 1: Who may be more deranged. 236 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 2: We've killed Dollie, Laura and Johnny. We've killed dozens of leaders. 237 00:16:56,640 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 2: We've killed many many top Iranian officials, and the regime 238 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 2: has not fallen. The regime is not trying to destroy. 239 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:17,240 Speaker 2: The regime is not trying to defend a navy. The 240 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 2: regime is trying to survive. And so this war, right now, 241 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 2: nineteen days into it, the Iranian strategy to enlarge the 242 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:35,760 Speaker 2: fight as the smaller side. This isn't a war about 243 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:40,199 Speaker 2: the Iranian navy. This is a war about the global economy. 244 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 2: And the Iranians have made the war about the global 245 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:49,920 Speaker 2: economy and have put Donald Trump under significant stress. Can 246 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 2: they break the global economy? Can they push oil up 247 00:17:53,880 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 2: to two hundred dollars of barrel before Trump loses his will? 248 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:05,359 Speaker 2: That's the test at hand right now. Who blinks first? 249 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:09,720 Speaker 2: And the person who will blink first is Donald Trump. 250 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:14,080 Speaker 2: Because he does not have an achievable goal, he will 251 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 2: not be able to topple the Iranian regime with air power. 252 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 2: And so what happens in these situations is that the 253 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 2: bad result can always be postponed until later by purchasing 254 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:36,440 Speaker 2: a future worst result with a decision that postpones the 255 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 2: immediate decision or judgment on the original bad decision, meaning 256 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,359 Speaker 2: that Trump can say, oh, yeah, we may need to 257 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 2: send ground troops to prevent us from losing, so. 258 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 3: We can't lose. This war argument is beginning very very. 259 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 2: Early, and so the all to put ground troops into 260 00:19:03,119 --> 00:19:06,520 Speaker 2: Iran to do something will grow louder and louder. 261 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:09,199 Speaker 3: Iran as a. 262 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 2: Country of ninety three million people, however you want to 263 00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:16,920 Speaker 2: think about, it's a big country. We're at about three 264 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:21,520 Speaker 2: hundred thirty million people. We were one hundred million person 265 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 2: country in the First World War. Ninety three millions a 266 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 2: lot of people. We have twenty five hundred marines in 267 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:35,120 Speaker 2: an expeditionary force headed towards Iran. The core issue here 268 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:40,320 Speaker 2: is that Donald Trump dismissed all of the concerns about well, 269 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,800 Speaker 2: we can drop a lot of bombs. But there's a 270 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 2: very narrow waterway that the Iranians control from the shore 271 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 2: which is elevated on one of those sides. It's called 272 00:19:56,320 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 2: the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman, and the 273 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,360 Speaker 2: Iranians have the ability to let some ships pass through 274 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 2: and to blow up other ships. And I just want 275 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:14,159 Speaker 2: to say one last saying. In World War Two, at 276 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 2: the height of American power, we built eighty eight thousand airplanes. 277 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 2: In nineteen forty four, and that was enough airplanes to 278 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:28,920 Speaker 2: supply every Allied Army air force in the world in 279 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,120 Speaker 2: the Atlantic and European theaters. We talk all the time 280 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 2: about Ukraine and how Trump has cut Ukraine off. 281 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 3: A lot of that is true. 282 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:49,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, Ukraine will manufacture seven million drones this year, seven 283 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 2: million under military attack. These things can be built underground, 284 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 2: they can be built all over the country. The idea 285 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:04,879 Speaker 2: that you can end to countries. The German capacity for 286 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 2: making weapons was at an all time. 287 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:11,280 Speaker 3: High, as they were at an all time high. 288 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,480 Speaker 2: Of losses from the bompartments. These are the limits of 289 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:17,680 Speaker 2: air power. We know this. Donald Trump may not know this, 290 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,159 Speaker 2: but every air force officer knows this. So we have 291 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:25,719 Speaker 2: bitten off proverbially more than we can chew, so to speak, 292 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:32,440 Speaker 2: here with no clear ability to achieve the objective that 293 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:37,800 Speaker 2: Trump laid out as the metric to winning, and therefore 294 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 2: that means the other side is winning. 295 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you know, Michael Duke writes, why are we 296 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 1: talking about this as a policy issue. It's illegal to 297 00:21:47,040 --> 00:21:50,479 Speaker 1: do this without Congress. It's also illegal in international courts, 298 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,480 Speaker 1: but we never gave a shit about that, which is true. 299 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: But I do want to hit on something that you 300 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:59,760 Speaker 1: said about how basically the Iranians know the way to 301 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:05,640 Speaker 1: see Trump is by basically taking down the international economy. 302 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: It's not just the global economy, It's not just the US. 303 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: Everyone is suffering. The Europeans are suffering, the Asians are suffering. 304 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:14,880 Speaker 1: So many of them get their oil through the strade 305 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 1: of our moves we have. We are pretty much oil sustainable, 306 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: but we've had to release oil reserves over this. But 307 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: NAS prices are rising four dollars that's in some places. 308 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:34,359 Speaker 1: I read yesterday four dollars a gallon. Crazy, And to me, 309 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: when I hear the word economy, I just think this 310 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:42,640 Speaker 1: is politics for Trump, it's politically unsustainable. He has long, 311 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:47,119 Speaker 1: you know, connected his success of his term to the 312 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: stock market to how the economy field, and it's not 313 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,200 Speaker 1: great at all, Like we have zero job growth. According 314 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: to Jerome Powell for yesterday, he's saying we are we 315 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 1: are on really really really shaky grounds right now, and 316 00:23:05,040 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 1: that we may not be able to withstain the sort 317 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:12,200 Speaker 1: of impact of a war on inflation and we could 318 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 1: be heading into a sort of recession. So I don't know. 319 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: I think gas prices are going to eventually make Trump cave. 320 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:26,280 Speaker 1: That's my take on it. I think they have five 321 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 1: dollars how long can you really stay in this war? 322 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:30,000 Speaker 1: And then it's the question is like, how does he 323 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: pull out? 324 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:40,200 Speaker 3: Well, so the I mean, it's such a great question. 325 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 2: It's so it's so dangerous because the lesson you're in 326 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,679 Speaker 2: ascent to the world is that in order to defeat 327 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:49,480 Speaker 2: the United States in a war, all you have to 328 00:23:49,560 --> 00:23:51,480 Speaker 2: do is get gas prices. 329 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:53,880 Speaker 3: Above above five five dollars. 330 00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 2: Right, we are not exactly those people who charged Omaha 331 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:02,399 Speaker 2: Omaha Beach, I guess, but at any level. 332 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:07,000 Speaker 3: Gas is going to get there. I'm in California right now. 333 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 3: You can. 334 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,000 Speaker 2: You can look at the Supreme Gas and see that 335 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 2: it's over five dollars a gallon already, and it's going 336 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 2: to go over five dollars all over the country because again, 337 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 2: all of this is connected. The economy globally is interconnected, 338 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 2: and gas prices, whether we're quote energy independent or not, 339 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 2: are set in a global market, not in an American market. 340 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 2: And so Donald Trump has made a enormous miscalculation. And 341 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:51,159 Speaker 2: if you even take a step back, just from the 342 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:55,360 Speaker 2: last couple of weeks, all of the video game talk, 343 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:03,360 Speaker 2: all the bluster by Pete Hegseth, all the videos, everything 344 00:25:03,560 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 2: presumes that we are some all powerful country within all 345 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 2: powerful military. Of these warriors who can never be defeated, 346 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 2: are unstoppable. 347 00:25:19,640 --> 00:25:19,920 Speaker 3: G I. 348 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: Joe's right. 349 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,760 Speaker 3: It's a myth, a myth. And when you saw. 350 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:33,159 Speaker 2: The killed soldiers from the first killing of Americans in 351 00:25:33,280 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 2: this war, they didn't exactly fit the pete Hegseeth heroic 352 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:46,119 Speaker 2: arch type of the MAGA propaganda of doing LOGPT with 353 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 2: the Navy seals. None of those folks looked like they 354 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 2: were doing a lot of LOGPT. It was someone's job 355 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:56,119 Speaker 2: to make sure they were working in a hardened facility 356 00:25:57,119 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 2: that was paying attention. 357 00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:02,440 Speaker 3: But no one was paying attention. And so they're dead. 358 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:07,000 Speaker 2: But at any rate, all of the all of the 359 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 2: all of the hype, all of the propaganda, all of 360 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:16,879 Speaker 2: it is what you're seeing now is hitting up against 361 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:23,879 Speaker 2: that stone cold reality Iran as a big country that 362 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 2: what Trump is set out to do very blithely, carelessly, 363 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:33,679 Speaker 2: he's not capable of achieving. That means, at a moment 364 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 2: of real weakness for the Iranians, they have been rehabilitated 365 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:44,159 Speaker 2: by Trump, by his overreach. He Trump who said to 366 00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:47,680 Speaker 2: the Iranian people rise up while ignoring their cries to 367 00:26:47,840 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 2: help months ago, has set back the cause of the 368 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:56,359 Speaker 2: democracy movement in Iran. He's hardened the regime and now 369 00:26:56,440 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 2: the regime will race race to get a nuclear weapon, 370 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 2: to get at least to hear Ashima Bam. And the 371 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 2: one thing that we don't know is where the nine 372 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 2: hundred pounds or so of enriched uranium is. The four 373 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:19,440 Speaker 2: hundred fifty odd kilograms of enriched uranium that used to 374 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 2: be in mountain bunkers that we quote obliterated, So where 375 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:31,240 Speaker 2: is the stuff? And again, so much in coherence, so 376 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:35,399 Speaker 2: much double speak by the administration is just impossible to 377 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 2: know what to believe and what to trust. 378 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 1: We've got people chiming in, by the way, Steve, with 379 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 1: how much it's costing them right now for gas. Well, 380 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 1: Dan Schiffmacker, my producer, says gas in Maine where he 381 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:53,359 Speaker 1: is is three eighty six for the lowest unleaded. Another 382 00:27:53,480 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 1: person on SUBSEAC is saying for eighty nine in Hawaii. 383 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: So we're pretty much there. Yep, Yeah, I mean we're 384 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: talking about gas and American lives. And then I think, 385 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:05,800 Speaker 1: how many lives is too many? And we're going to 386 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,480 Speaker 1: get to that, but first a moment from our sponsors. 387 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:12,119 Speaker 1: Millions of seniors are on the wrong Medicare plan, and 388 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:16,400 Speaker 1: Chapter makes finding the right one simple. They scan all 389 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,520 Speaker 1: of the plans in under twenty minutes and they find 390 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: the right one for you, saving seniors on average eleven 391 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:26,280 Speaker 1: hundred dollars. It's free, and you're already on the right plan. 392 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 1: They'll just tell you and it gives you peace of mind. 393 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:32,120 Speaker 1: So for free and unbiased Medicare help, dial three zero 394 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:35,560 Speaker 1: five five one five five two three seven to speak 395 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: with my trusted partner Chapter, or go to ask chapter 396 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:44,720 Speaker 1: dot org slash terra. Okay, we're back. It does feel 397 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:48,600 Speaker 1: a little cringe shit to flip between gas and American lives, 398 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: but really, like, how many lives is too many? Is 399 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: that even something you think President Trump is calculating or 400 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 1: cares about. 401 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 2: No, I don't think he cares about it at all. 402 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 2: I think he's holy different to the casualties. I think 403 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 2: what he cares about is producing a victory, and he's 404 00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:15,320 Speaker 2: limited his ability to claim a victory because what's required 405 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:19,160 Speaker 2: to claim a victory is not achievable, and it's not 406 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:23,840 Speaker 2: achievable by sleight of hand, and so the conditions are 407 00:29:24,320 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 2: going to worsen because at the end of the day, 408 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 2: either the Iranians will back down and they can't because 409 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 2: the survival of the regime is what's at stake, or 410 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,200 Speaker 2: the United States will back down. In the United States, 411 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 2: excuse me, the United States is isolated, it's isolated from 412 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 2: its European allies. There's no support for this anywhere in 413 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 2: the world. There's not support for this in the country. 414 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:57,640 Speaker 2: John McCain used to talk about this in the context 415 00:29:57,760 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 2: of the Iraq War and what we were talking about early, 416 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 2: which is that you don't a political party does not 417 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 2: go to war. MAGA doesn't go to war. The United 418 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:15,480 Speaker 2: States goes to war. Countries lose wars, not factions, not 419 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 2: political parties. Political parties will pay the price for starting 420 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 2: wars that the country loses. And that's a really important thing. 421 00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:31,600 Speaker 2: I think one of Bush's biggest mistakes during his presidency 422 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 2: was that in two thousand and two he was the 423 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:44,080 Speaker 2: unified leader of a unified nation. He was he had 424 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 2: a ninety approval level, and what he needed to say 425 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 2: about the elections was, we're a nation at war. I'm 426 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 2: the commander in chief, what I would have done is 427 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 2: a peacetime president in these midterm elections is different. What 428 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 2: I need to do is, Commander in chief, I need 429 00:31:01,320 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 2: to pay attention to the war. I'm going to let 430 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 2: the politics play out as they may. And instead what 431 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 2: the what the Republicans produced were ads that included the ads. 432 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 3: That that attacked Max Cleland, who was a. 433 00:31:16,360 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 2: Triple amputee of the Vietnam Wars, being unpatriotic because he 434 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:22,520 Speaker 2: was one of the nine people who had the wisdom 435 00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 2: to vote against the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. 436 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 3: It was bare. 437 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 2: Bones, you know, it was full on politics all the time, 438 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:36,000 Speaker 2: and and all the goodwill he had he lost with Democrats. 439 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 2: And when the war went south, the Democrats quickly went 440 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:42,360 Speaker 2: went with it. And one of the one of the 441 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 2: things about war is when it gets hard, when it 442 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 2: gets difficult, you need the country to hang in there 443 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 2: to understand the sacrifices are worth it. And nobody understands 444 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 2: at any level what it is that we're fighting for, 445 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 2: why we're fighting, so the country does not support this 446 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,080 Speaker 2: from the outset. And you got to remember is that 447 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:05,360 Speaker 2: in Iraq that you had ninety percent of the country 448 00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:09,080 Speaker 2: with supporting the war and you see what happened there. 449 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what I always think about. I'm like, you 450 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:16,480 Speaker 1: have to sell them on it in the beginning, and 451 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:17,960 Speaker 1: then in the end, they're probably not going to be 452 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:19,600 Speaker 1: happy about it, but you've never even sold them on 453 00:32:19,640 --> 00:32:20,800 Speaker 1: its people are going to be furious. 454 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:22,120 Speaker 3: You know. 455 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 1: I am talking to people in Washington every day, and 456 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: obviously what they say privately is very different from what 457 00:32:27,360 --> 00:32:28,240 Speaker 1: we hear publicly. 458 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:29,120 Speaker 3: Yea. 459 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:32,840 Speaker 1: And I keep thinking to myself, though, why aren't Democratic 460 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:37,680 Speaker 1: leaders like Schumer and Hawking Jeffries being more forceful on Iran? 461 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:38,880 Speaker 1: What's holding them back? 462 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:40,080 Speaker 3: I don't know. 463 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 2: I mean, they are very tepid, they are very cautious. 464 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:49,800 Speaker 2: I don't think Chuck Schumer will be able to hang 465 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 2: on as the Senate leader if the Democrats have a 466 00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 2: Senate majority, it would be very difficult. And I think 467 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:02,720 Speaker 2: Howking Jeffries would have very difficult speakership. Where the party is, 468 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:07,400 Speaker 2: where the voters of that party are is. They want 469 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 2: accountability for all of this, and they want to see 470 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:17,680 Speaker 2: not a caucus win, but they want to see what 471 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:22,120 Speaker 2: Trump is doing stopped. They want to see a meaningful victory, 472 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 2: and they want to see Democrats demand that the excesses, 473 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:32,240 Speaker 2: the corruption, the abuses of power, that the massed agents, 474 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:36,680 Speaker 2: all of it stop, and they want to see Democrats 475 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 2: use power effectively. And the failure to use the bully pulpit, 476 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 2: I think demonstrates a real dissonance between what it is 477 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:50,640 Speaker 2: the Democratic voters are saying that they want and what 478 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:55,600 Speaker 2: Democratic leaders are willing to give back. And I think, 479 00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:00,080 Speaker 2: particularly in the case of Schumer and Jeffries, is that 480 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:04,640 Speaker 2: there's a lot of support from Democratic donors UH for 481 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:10,319 Speaker 2: the idea of acting militarily against against Iran, and they 482 00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:15,120 Speaker 2: don't want to offend UH a huge funder base. 483 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:19,280 Speaker 3: In their party towards their towards their efforts. 484 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 2: But it's not a it's it's not a it's not 485 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:25,600 Speaker 2: a defensible position for them over the long run. 486 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 3: You're not going to be able to take a pass 487 00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:29,360 Speaker 3: on the on the. 488 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:33,719 Speaker 2: Question of war and in the countries, in this country, state, 489 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,880 Speaker 2: and that they have to take a position on this stuff, 490 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:40,560 Speaker 2: and their failure to do so I undermines their legitimacy 491 00:34:40,680 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 2: as as leaders. 492 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:42,560 Speaker 3: As time goes on. 493 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: Do you think it's because of a pack Uh? 494 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:47,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, for sure, for sure. 495 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:53,200 Speaker 2: And this is going to become an increasingly fraud issue, 496 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:58,279 Speaker 2: uh in in American politics. For a pac and In, 497 00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 2: the issue is fundamentally to me is the net and 498 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:10,120 Speaker 2: Yahu government has tied itself and in the Maga government 499 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 2: has tied itself to the net and Yahu government. They've 500 00:35:14,239 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 2: lashed themselves to each other. Net and Yaho's interfered in 501 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:18,920 Speaker 2: American politics. 502 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:22,399 Speaker 3: We have Marco Rubio saying this is why this war 503 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:23,400 Speaker 3: was started. 504 00:35:24,160 --> 00:35:29,880 Speaker 2: And APAK has become an issue inside the Democratic inside 505 00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:32,320 Speaker 2: the Democratic Party, and that fault line is going to 506 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:35,239 Speaker 2: only deepen, and you're also going to see it play 507 00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:39,120 Speaker 2: out with the rising virus of anti Semitism and everything else. 508 00:35:39,239 --> 00:35:44,279 Speaker 2: But you know, look, the Israelies will rue the day 509 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 2: when in the majority of American eyes, Israel became synonymous 510 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:56,760 Speaker 2: with the net and Yahu government, with the extremist government, 511 00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:00,759 Speaker 2: and with the policies of that of that government, which 512 00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 2: has yoked itself to the fanatics like Mike Huckabee. You know, 513 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 2: and at at some level we have a we have 514 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:13,160 Speaker 2: a Maga government that's filled with Christian religious nuts. You 515 00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:15,880 Speaker 2: have a nat In Yahoo government that's filled with Jewish 516 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:20,360 Speaker 2: religious nuts. And we have no shortage of Muslim religious 517 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,400 Speaker 2: nuts across the across the Middle East, and at some 518 00:36:23,640 --> 00:36:25,520 Speaker 2: level you can explain the. 519 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:30,000 Speaker 3: War as a as a meeting up of all of those. 520 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 2: Forces in Iran right now, and it's a it gets 521 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:36,359 Speaker 2: to a bad it gets to a bad result. If 522 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,800 Speaker 2: you if you watch the Tucker Carlson interview of Mike Huckabee, 523 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,239 Speaker 2: which I which I recommend for for a bunch of 524 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 2: different reasons. Uh One is to witness a world class 525 00:36:46,040 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 2: demagogue and someone who could be the Magan nominee in 526 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:52,640 Speaker 2: twenty twenty eight. But when you look at the Mike 527 00:36:52,719 --> 00:36:59,200 Speaker 2: Huckabee position on Israel and his confusion about what America's 528 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:03,800 Speaker 2: national is and what Israels are and the boundaries between 529 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:08,720 Speaker 2: the two, you can understand where the backlash is coming. 530 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:11,279 Speaker 2: And it's going to be a huge issue in the 531 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:14,160 Speaker 2: primaries in twenty twenty eight in both parties. 532 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:20,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, Ruben Diego has said he's a Democratic senator from Arizona. 533 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:25,160 Speaker 1: He said he will no longer take a pac money. 534 00:37:25,239 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 1: Excuse me, seapack is coming up. That it's a very 535 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:33,320 Speaker 1: different thing. But this was fascinating. Steve, thank you so 536 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:35,839 Speaker 1: much for your time, and thank you to everyone who 537 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 1: has tuned in. You know, I'm just going to end 538 00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:45,439 Speaker 1: it with this last comment from Kelly Medaglia. I'm sorry 539 00:37:45,440 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 1: if I butchered your name, but she said, regarding the 540 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:51,200 Speaker 1: asking of hard questions, why don't white House journals act 541 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:54,320 Speaker 1: more cohesively, sticking up for each other and repeating the 542 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:57,359 Speaker 1: questions that get ignored? And you know, I think it's 543 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,719 Speaker 1: a really good point, because so many of us have 544 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 1: a lot of questions and they're not necessarily in the 545 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:07,440 Speaker 1: briefing room. And you know, I've been in there before, 546 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:11,919 Speaker 1: and you're sort of at the mercy of the White 547 00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:15,800 Speaker 1: House Press corps, and this one is extremely ruthless. And 548 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:18,560 Speaker 1: while Trump does let the White House Press Corps into 549 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 1: his daily appearances, which Biden never did, if they are 550 00:38:23,600 --> 00:38:26,719 Speaker 1: unhappy with you, they will cut you out. And their 551 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:31,360 Speaker 1: bosses now all the heads of corporate media, they are 552 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:35,440 Speaker 1: not backing them anymore. These journalists, if they don't have access, 553 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:38,439 Speaker 1: it's hurting their business and they are not fighting back 554 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 1: against the White House. And so there are these quiet 555 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:43,919 Speaker 1: fights that go on every day. But the entire press 556 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:47,880 Speaker 1: court is completely limpless because corporate media is the holden 557 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:50,000 Speaker 1: to Trump, and that is where we are right now, 558 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:55,439 Speaker 1: and so that's why supporting us the warning the red 559 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:59,279 Speaker 1: letter is super important and we will always try to 560 00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:02,440 Speaker 1: keep you front of mine. That's why we're including your questions, 561 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:07,000 Speaker 1: your statements in these conversations. You know, Steve obviously has 562 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:11,840 Speaker 1: an incredible amount of history. Historical knowledge is mine, but 563 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:17,360 Speaker 1: also experience working as a political strategist, you know, in 564 00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:21,680 Speaker 1: the Bush White House for McCain as his campaign manager. 565 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:23,759 Speaker 1: And I've been in that White House briefing room, so 566 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:27,160 Speaker 1: I understand a little bit about the sheep mentality. Everyone's 567 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:30,960 Speaker 1: just kind of they pitch the reporters against each other. 568 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:33,680 Speaker 1: The White House does that to control the message. But 569 00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:36,120 Speaker 1: you know more now, so more than ever, we need 570 00:39:36,200 --> 00:39:39,719 Speaker 1: independent voices. But thank you to everyone who is tuned in. 571 00:39:39,880 --> 00:39:42,120 Speaker 1: And it looks like I lost signal for a second. 572 00:39:42,239 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: I think that's a sign. 573 00:39:44,840 --> 00:41:00,600 Speaker 2: Thank you as