1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: Hey, Verdict fans, I want to give you a sneak 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: peek of my new series with Senator Ted Cruz. It's 3 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: called The cloak Room on Verdict Plus. The only place 4 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: you're going to be able to find these episodes is 5 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: on Verdict Plus. So what are you waiting for? Go 6 00:00:11,640 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: to Verdict with Ted Cruise dot com, Slash Plus and 7 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: I have a promo code for you. If you use 8 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: promo code Cloakroom, you get one month free on an 9 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,400 Speaker 1: annual subscription. That is Verdict with Ted Cruise dot com 10 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: Slash Plus. Use my promo code Cloakroom to get one 11 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: month free on an annual subscription without further ado. Here 12 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: is The Cloakroom. Hello and welcome. I am so excited 13 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:36,479 Speaker 1: to introduce today The Cloakroom on Verdict Plus. This is 14 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: only for Verdict Plus subscribers. If you are a member, 15 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: go ahead and become a subscriber so you can see 16 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: all the cool stuff that we're going to be talking 17 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: about over here. This is a brand new series with 18 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: Senator Ted Cruiz. It's co hosted by me, Liz Wheeler. Basically, 19 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 1: what's going to happen is I'm going to pick his 20 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 1: brain like I would in a strategy session. It is 21 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: a behind the scenes peek into details of what goes 22 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:59,160 Speaker 1: on in DC, just like the cloakroom of the actual Senate. Today, 23 00:00:59,160 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about how to apply a constructed 24 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: foreign policy to a situation, a real life situation like Ukraine. 25 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: We're also going to talk about Whoopi Goldberg, and we're 26 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: going to talk about Tom Brady again. If you are 27 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,040 Speaker 1: a member of the Verdict plus community already, then become 28 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: a subscriber so that you can join us. If you're not, 29 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: then obviously go to Verdict with Ted Cruz dot com 30 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: slash plus to join us, use promo code Cloakroom for 31 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: a one month free trial on your annual subscription. Senator, 32 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: I'm pretty excited about this. Yeah, I think this is 33 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 1: going to be awesome and in fact, it may be 34 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: a good thing to start. Do you know what the 35 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: actual Senate cloakroom is? I do, but I have to 36 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: tell you I don't know a lot of details, except 37 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:41,119 Speaker 1: it has this sort of cloak and dagger connotation. It's 38 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: a back room right where you guys go to have 39 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: your off the floor, off the record conversations. So you know, 40 00:01:46,240 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: if you turn on c SPAN, you see the floor 41 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,960 Speaker 1: of the Senate, and so that's where they're a hundred desks, 42 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: and that's where we go to vote, and that's where 43 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: when we're speaking on the Senate we debate. And that's 44 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: all on CSPAN. And if you look at someone who's 45 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: speaking and you're kind of in the middle of the 46 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: floor or the Senate, behind you are a couple of doors, 47 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: and there are two cloak rooms actually, so there's a 48 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: Republican cloak room and a Democratic cloak room. And the 49 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: Republican cloak Room, to the surprise of nobody, is behind 50 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: where all the Republicans sit, and the Democrats are behind 51 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: where all the Democrats sit. So you go through those 52 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: doors and basically the cloak room is a room in 53 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 1: the back. There there are a bunch of couches, their 54 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 1: leather chairs like this. There's still a bunch of ash trays. 55 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: I don't think anyone has actually smoked in the cloak 56 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: room for decades, but there's still ashtrays from back in 57 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: the days when they did. And then you go around 58 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: the corner and there are a bunch of phone booths, 59 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: and the phone booths are where you can go and 60 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: you can get on your cell phone, call someone, you 61 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: can call your staff, you can call ever you want 62 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: if you want to have a private conversation. And so 63 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 1: people gather and talk in the cloak room, their TVs 64 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 1: up there. There's cloak room staff that is sort of 65 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: paying attention to what's happening on the floor. But it's 66 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: basically the room and the back of the Senate floor 67 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:58,720 Speaker 1: where you gather when you're not on the floor, but 68 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: you're not back in your office, which is far away. 69 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: So let me ask you this, is this like a 70 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: normal staffing room or is this where you go when 71 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: you really want to be off the record and you 72 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: want to wheel and deal if you will. Is this 73 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: is this where shady deals are made? You know, I 74 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't say shady deals, but it's just kind of like 75 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: if you're having a whole series of votes, it's where 76 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: you'll go hang out. There's usually a little bit of 77 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: food in there, like their peanuts, and that actually goes 78 00:03:23,400 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: back and forth, like in the Republican cloak room, the 79 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 1: Georgia senators would want Georgia peanuts there, there'd be North 80 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: Carolina peanuts. There'd be a little back and forth. There's 81 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: some candy in there that you kind of grab, but 82 00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: it's mostly it's also where they put things like condolence books, 83 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: Like we just had a few weeks back Johnny Isaacson, 84 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: who had been the Republican senator from Georgia, he passed away, 85 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: so we had a condolence book where we all went 86 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: in and each of us signed something to Johnny's family 87 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: and just thanks him for his service. So the cloak 88 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: room is a place you'll find something like that, but 89 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,000 Speaker 1: it's it's kind of where you sit around and hang out. 90 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: People will tell jokes, people will talk about sports. I mean, 91 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:10,040 Speaker 1: it's where you get senators hanging out in a more 92 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: relaxed context. So it's real. It's really behind the scenes, 93 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,480 Speaker 1: which means that this series on Verdict plus is very 94 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:18,880 Speaker 1: aptly named because that's exactly what it is, behind the scenes. 95 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: So one of the things that is going to be 96 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:23,479 Speaker 1: unique to this series is I want to talk about 97 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: the philosophy of the political philosophy and sometimes the moral 98 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: philosophy of some of the things that are happening in 99 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: our nation. So not just the practicalities, which are also important, 100 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: and we discuss those all the time in a public area, 101 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: but the philosophy and So what I mean by this 102 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 1: is Whoopie Goldberg on the View this week said that 103 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 1: the Holocaust was not about race, and she faced an 104 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: immediate backlash for this, as she should, and she ended 105 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: up apologizing for this, and she just said, I apologize, 106 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,120 Speaker 1: I was wrong about this. I stand corrected. I think 107 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: were her words. So my question to you is, obviously 108 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: not was she wrong? Of course she was wrong. Obviously 109 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,480 Speaker 1: the Holocaust was about raised. Obviously the Democratic Party is 110 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: a little bit too cozy to anti Semites, and so 111 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,280 Speaker 1: they tend to they tend to play footsie a little 112 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: bit with these folks. My question to you is, given 113 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 1: the cancel culture that's become pervasive in our nation, when 114 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: should we accept the apologies of people in the public 115 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: eye who make really nasty comments like this, like the 116 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: claim that the Holocaust is not about race. Oh look, 117 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: I think when it comes to public comments on left 118 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:31,479 Speaker 1: or right, we should be pretty forgiving, particularly when someone 119 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,119 Speaker 1: says I misspoke. I'll tell you one reality of living 120 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: a life where you have a TV camera pointed at 121 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 1: you all day long. What you do and I do 122 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:43,159 Speaker 1: is if you say enough millions of words, some of 123 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 1: them are going to come out wrong, and so you know, 124 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: look is the left. Are there too many anti Semites 125 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:56,800 Speaker 1: among the hard left, people like the squad who hate Israel? Yes, 126 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: I have no indications that that describes Whoopi Goldberg. I 127 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,679 Speaker 1: don't know anything. It was a dumb thing to say, 128 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: but she said it was a dumb thing to say, 129 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: So I'm gonna give credit for a sort of backing. 130 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, the Holocaust is one of the 131 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:14,480 Speaker 1: most grotesques evils in the history of humanity, and it 132 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 1: is driven by the explicitly racist ideology of Hitler and 133 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:23,880 Speaker 1: the Nazis that viewed viewed Jews and viewed to others, 134 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: but Jews in particulars as an inferior race and as subhuman. 135 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: And in fact, we've talked about on Verdict how that 136 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:38,719 Speaker 1: justification of this group of people does not qualify as people. 137 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:44,919 Speaker 1: In the history of mankind has almost always been a 138 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:48,480 Speaker 1: predicate for horrific evil, whether it is the Holocaust and 139 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: the Nazis believing that Jews did not qualify as human beings, 140 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,839 Speaker 1: whether it was the justifications of slavery and believing that 141 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: African Americans were not people but were property, or whether 142 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: it is justifications behind row that unborn children are not children. 143 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: That any time you take a human being and say 144 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: they're not a human being, that history has shown is 145 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: usually the predicate to terrible evil. And and so you know, 146 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: I'm glad that will be apologized for that. But as 147 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:25,880 Speaker 1: a general matter, I don't think we ought to be 148 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 1: silencing people for stumbling over what they say, are saying 149 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: something stupid. No, That's that's why I think this is 150 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: a good discussion actually, because I mean, like you said, 151 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: we both we both worked in the public eye. Hear 152 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: every one of us has said something that came out 153 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: wrong for whatever reason, or misspoke or made an error, 154 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: and correcting that or apologizing for that is fine. But 155 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: there's also the matter of someone betraying their true colors, 156 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: I guess, or betraying a poisonous ideology, one that is 157 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: as poisonous as you just described. And perhaps that's good 158 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: for people for people to know. But like I said, 159 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: the philosophy of cancel culture is sometimes it is sometimes 160 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: interesting to discuss, as I think it is here. I 161 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: want to move along these topics kind of quickly though, 162 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: because this one, are you ready, I mean, when I 163 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: warned you that we were going to nerd out on 164 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: this series. This is exactly what I meant. So you 165 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: gave a speech in the spring of twenty nineteen about 166 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: foreign policy. Now this wasn't about a particular real life 167 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 1: event that was happening around the world. This was a 168 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: presentation of foreign policy philosophy. And this is something that 169 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: I think is a lost art in the Senator. It 170 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: used to be that all senators had a constructed foreign policy. 171 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 1: Now most politicians, even in the highest offices in our land, 172 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: don't have a constructed foreign policy. And I think that's 173 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,200 Speaker 1: why we're seeing as when it comes to Russia and Ukraine, 174 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: why we're seeing this this differing of opinion, this spectrum 175 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,400 Speaker 1: among conservatives. Some people are very interventionists, some people are 176 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: very isolationist, and there's not there's this disagreement on how 177 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:57,960 Speaker 1: to handle what's happening in the world right now because 178 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 1: people don't have a preconstructed philosophy on foreign policy. And 179 00:09:02,559 --> 00:09:05,240 Speaker 1: you do yours is and you say it's not actually 180 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: a middle ground between isolationism and interventionism. You say, it's 181 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 1: actually like a triangle. It's a third point. So first 182 00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:14,160 Speaker 1: of all, can we talk just for a minute about 183 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: what your philosophy all world, real life events aside what 184 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 1: your philosophy on foreign policy is. Yeah, look, I'm happy 185 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: to And you know, the conventional wisdom looking at Republican 186 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:29,520 Speaker 1: foreign policy is that it's it's it's binary, that they're 187 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:33,880 Speaker 1: one of two approaches. That you're either what's typically called 188 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: an interventionist or a neo con which is your approaches. 189 00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 1: We got to go defend democracy, we got to go 190 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,400 Speaker 1: use our military, we got to invade countries, we got 191 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,360 Speaker 1: to get engage in nation building. There been a lot 192 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: of Republicans who have embraced that, that that had it's 193 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: it's assent under the presidency of George W. Bush, but 194 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:56,000 Speaker 1: there have been people from John McCain and Lindsay Graham 195 00:09:56,160 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: to Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton that are explicitly interventionists. 196 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: On the other side are the isolationists, and the most 197 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: notable proponents of that are Ron Paul and Ranpaul, both 198 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,200 Speaker 1: of whom but there are others, particularly in the House, 199 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: there are several other people who I think would fall 200 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: into the more isolationist camp. And it used to be 201 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:20,400 Speaker 1: that if you're a Republican you had to be one 202 00:10:20,400 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: of the two. I think both of those are wrong. 203 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:27,000 Speaker 1: I disagree strongly with both of those, and as you noted, 204 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:30,680 Speaker 1: I've described my views as a third point on the triangle. 205 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: I describe myself as a non interventionist hawk. Now what 206 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:42,440 Speaker 1: does that mean. It means that the central touchstone for 207 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: all US military involvement and for foreign policy should be 208 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: protecting the vital national security interests of the United States. 209 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: What does that mean as a practical matter? Means we 210 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 1: should be very, very reluctant to engage in military conflict. 211 00:10:57,559 --> 00:11:02,160 Speaker 1: But we should also focused on the purpose and the objective. 212 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: So let's make it specific, because that's very abstract. So 213 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: let's make it. Let's bring it to concrete matters. And 214 00:11:07,840 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 1: let's take a couple of foreign policy disputes in the past, 215 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:14,000 Speaker 1: and then I'll actually do one that is going on 216 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 1: right now in a discussion we had today that illustrates 217 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: this this point. Yeah, apply it to Ukraine. So let 218 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,720 Speaker 1: let me let let me let me first start start 219 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:27,520 Speaker 1: with history and then go to Ukraine. When Barack Obama 220 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 1: was president, he wanted to attack Syria. When Bashar Assad 221 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: crossed Obama's red line and used chemical weapons, Obama drew 222 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: a red line, said if you used chemical weapons, we're 223 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: going to attack you, Asad did, and Obama says, let's 224 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 1: go attack. I was in the Senate at the time, 225 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: and my view was, Okay, I'm gonna keep an open mind. 226 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 1: I want to hear how the commander in chief justifies this. 227 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: Explain to me the vital US national security interest in 228 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: attacking and I press the Obama administration both publicly and 229 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:04,439 Speaker 1: classified settings. I said, okay, at the time, there were 230 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: nine major rebel groups. But shar saw it is a monster. 231 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: He killed four hundred thousand of his own citizens. He's 232 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 1: a bad, bad guy. But I said, all right, if 233 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:17,200 Speaker 1: we attack him and you topple him, he has a 234 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 1: big chemical weapon stash and they fall into the hands 235 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,440 Speaker 1: of the rebels. There were at the time nine major 236 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: rebel groups. Seven of them were affiliated with radical Islamic terrorists. 237 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: They were people like al Qaeda, al Nustra. And I said, well, 238 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:32,560 Speaker 1: if chemical weapons fall into the hands of people like 239 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 1: al Qaeda and Isis who want to kill us, that's 240 00:12:35,679 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 1: worse for America. I don't want people who want to 241 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: kill us to have weapons to kill us. The Obama 242 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,680 Speaker 1: administration could not give a coherent answer in terms of 243 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: how they prevent that from happening. So I opposed military 244 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 1: intervention in Syria because they said, it's not protecting America, 245 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:53,880 Speaker 1: it's not protecting our lives. Rand Paul and I agreed 246 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:55,480 Speaker 1: on that. We were both on the same page on that. 247 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: Now Rand and I were for very different reasons. Ran 248 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: just from the beginning said no, no, absolutely not. I 249 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: could have imagined a military mission that I would have supported. 250 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: If Obama had said, look, there's a chemical weapons cash here. 251 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:11,680 Speaker 1: It's big, it's significant. We're going to come in and 252 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:13,800 Speaker 1: either destroy it or seize it and take it away 253 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 1: so they can't be used against us or our allies. 254 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:20,720 Speaker 1: I could have seen a mission focused on protecting America 255 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 1: that might have made sense. That was not what Obama did. 256 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: On the other hand, Iran, the Ayatola Kama need getting 257 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 1: a nuclear weapon, I think is an existential threat to 258 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: the United States. I think the risks are too high 259 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 1: that the Ayatola, who chants death to America and death 260 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: to Israel, would use a nuclear weapon. And that's why 261 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: I'm the leading opponent of the Iran nuclear deal. It's 262 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: why I've said, if need be, if Iran is on 263 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:50,280 Speaker 1: the verge of getting a nuclear weapon, we should do 264 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: whatever it takes to stop it, including military force. Now, 265 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:57,079 Speaker 1: to be clear, when I send military force, I don't 266 00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:59,640 Speaker 1: mean go in vade Iran and spend twenty years they're 267 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: trying to turn it into a liberal democracy. I mean 268 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: bob living crap out of it and level what they're 269 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: doing and leave, like the focus should be protecting America. 270 00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:14,040 Speaker 1: And another way of phrasing it, Liz, is peace through strength, 271 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: which is what Reagan's philosophy was that if you're strong enough, 272 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: you don't have to use military force. Biggest country Ronald 273 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: Reagan ever invaded was Grenada. Because he was so strong, 274 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: our enemies didn't want to mess with And by the way, 275 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:33,840 Speaker 1: Trump's foreign policy was very much with me on that 276 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: third point in the triangle where you think about it. 277 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: He wanted to withdraw from foreign conflicts. He didn't want 278 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 1: to leave our soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines 279 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: in foreign theaters getting shot at. But at the same 280 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,040 Speaker 1: time he was strong and took out, for example, General 281 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 1: General Suleimani, the leading state sponsor of terrorism in Iran. 282 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:58,280 Speaker 1: And so that's peace through strength or being a non 283 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: interventionist talk. Yeah, President Trump called it America first, you 284 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: call it national interests. It's essentially as you say, the 285 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: same thing. Yes, here's where it becomes a little more nuanced. 286 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: So here's my question here as it applies to Russia 287 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:13,720 Speaker 1: building up or amassing troops on the border of Ukraine, 288 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 1: how do you determine under your foreign policy philosophy, how 289 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: do you determine what the national interests of the United 290 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 1: States are in either aiding Ukraine or becoming militarily involved 291 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: in Ukraine. Because there certainly are arguments to be made 292 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: that the United States has an interest in helping enforce 293 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,320 Speaker 1: international law or defending a country's right to self determination. 294 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: On the other hand, there are also arguments that that's 295 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,160 Speaker 1: not a vital national security interest to the United States 296 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: to do that. So what are the elements that you 297 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: use to determine that? How do you apply to Ukraine? 298 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: So in Ukraine, I think, under no circumstances should we 299 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: send the US military to fight Russia and Ukraine. I 300 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:54,960 Speaker 1: don't think that's our job to go fight Russia. I 301 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: don't want to send the military. If Biden or anyone 302 00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: else supports it, I will oppose it. I'm not willing 303 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: to risk our sons and daughters in that military conflict. Now, 304 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 1: given that that doesn't mean, though that I'm willing to 305 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: walk away from Ukraine and abandon it. There are all 306 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: sorts of tools that America has, short of sending in 307 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:15,440 Speaker 1: the Marines. What I can't stand about the neo kons 308 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,280 Speaker 1: of their solution to everything is invade. We've talked a 309 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,080 Speaker 1: lot on Verdict about Nordstream too, and the sanctions that 310 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: I drafted that were targeted sanctions that shut down that pipeline. 311 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: Using our economic might to target the bad guys is 312 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,080 Speaker 1: a great and powerful tool. I think we also ought 313 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: to be providing lethal weaponry to the Ukrainians. Look, the 314 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: Ukrainians want to defend themselves, I'm happy to help arm them. 315 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: So if the Ukrainians want to fight the Russians, have 316 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,600 Speaker 1: at it. I'm just not willing to risk Americans in 317 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,120 Speaker 1: that fight. And you know I mentioned there's sort of 318 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:51,920 Speaker 1: a real time application of it. So today we were 319 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:54,560 Speaker 1: having Launch Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. All the Republican 320 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:56,400 Speaker 1: senators have Launch and we've spent a lot of the 321 00:16:56,400 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: time talking about Ukraine, and one of the Repubublican senators asked. 322 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:06,439 Speaker 1: Several other senators said, how would you justify in thirty 323 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: seconds or less, how it's on our interest to defend Ukraine? 324 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: And I got to say. One of my colleagues, who 325 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:16,280 Speaker 1: will remain nameless, but he is someone who is a 326 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:23,520 Speaker 1: prominent neo Khon gave this talk about, well, we have 327 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 1: these norms now that we don't allow countries to invade 328 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:31,200 Speaker 1: other countries, and if they do, we've got to protect 329 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:34,480 Speaker 1: those norms and protect the international order and prevent the 330 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:37,560 Speaker 1: ability of one country to invade the other country. And 331 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: I'm sitting there at lunch going what a load of shit? 332 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,439 Speaker 1: Like I disagreed with every word he said, and like 333 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,440 Speaker 1: I literally had to stake. I didn't argue with him 334 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: at the moment. I just sort of clenched my fists 335 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: and let him talk. But about fifteen minutes later I 336 00:17:56,920 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 1: got up and I went back to the question that 337 00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: one of my colleagues at ASS and I said, listen, 338 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: I don't agree with any of what so and so 339 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:06,320 Speaker 1: said about the justification. You want to know why we 340 00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:09,879 Speaker 1: have an interest in Ukraine because Vladimir Putin wants to 341 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: rebuild the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union was a 342 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 1: formidable and terrifying enemy of America. It is in our 343 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: interest not to have the Soviet Union rebuilt because I 344 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: don't want Putin in Russia stronger because they hate American 345 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 1: wanted to feat us. I want to keep Putin in 346 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 1: Russian weaker, and so allowing Putin to reassemble the Soviet 347 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 1: Union is really bad because it threatens the safety and 348 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 1: security of the United States. So we ought to use 349 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:38,240 Speaker 1: what tools we can to prevent Putin from getting stronger. 350 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 1: By the way, we ought to prevent the Chinese Communists 351 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:43,160 Speaker 1: from getting stronger. We ought to prevent North Korea from 352 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,440 Speaker 1: getting stronger. We ought to prevent Cuba from getting stronger. 353 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: We are to prevent a rand from getting stronger because 354 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: our enemies getting stronger threatens us. But I'm not interested 355 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:55,359 Speaker 1: in sending the Marines to any of those places to 356 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: fight the bad guys. I want to use other tools 357 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,399 Speaker 1: to weaken our enemies and strengthen our friends because that 358 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:04,120 Speaker 1: protects American lives. Well. This is one of the interesting 359 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: things I think about having a preconstructed, meaning a well 360 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: considered foreign policy philosophy, because then you can take the 361 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:13,600 Speaker 1: tenets of that philosophy and you can apply it to 362 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: real life circumstances instead of letting the emotions of whatever 363 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: conflict is happening on that day and that time sway 364 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,280 Speaker 1: whether you think that you should send in the United 365 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,359 Speaker 1: States military to crush whoever it is. And the other 366 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: thing I think worth noting here is that the same 367 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:30,679 Speaker 1: thing happened in Afghanistan. Actually where we got to this 368 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: point where the choices almost seemed like a lose lose 369 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: either in Ukraine, for example, it's a lose if we 370 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: send in our troops, and it's a lose if we 371 00:19:38,080 --> 00:19:40,159 Speaker 1: allow Putin to take over Ukraine to try to rebuild 372 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: the Soviet Union. And it is worth noting too that 373 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: it doesn't have to be that lose lose, It doesn't 374 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: have to be that binary decision. But we're at this 375 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 1: place where we're at this binary lose lose because elections 376 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:55,440 Speaker 1: have consequences. Because Biden also doesn't have a well constructed 377 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: foreign policy philosophy, and he's allowed it to get to 378 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:01,879 Speaker 1: this point. Well, it's even worse than that, because Biden's 379 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 1: foreign policy is weakness. If you look at what he's 380 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:10,119 Speaker 1: doing every enemy to America, he's showing weakness too. He 381 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 1: believes in appeasement. I mean it is the left wing 382 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 1: Democratic Party believes the enemies of America. They think everyone 383 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 1: wants to get along. They're all nice, and if you 384 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: just give in to Russia, to China and North Korea 385 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: to Iran, they're are right. It's why Biden is perfectly 386 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,200 Speaker 1: fine with Iran getting a nuclear weapon, because they're like, oh, 387 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: they'll be fine with a nuclear weapon. They don't understand evil, 388 00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:35,159 Speaker 1: and so you look at Russia. One of Biden's first 389 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:39,840 Speaker 1: acts was surrendering on Nordstream too and waiving the sanctions 390 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,720 Speaker 1: that had worked, that had stopped Putin. I wrote them, 391 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:46,440 Speaker 1: I authored them, Trump signed him in the law they worked. 392 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: Biden came in and just gave them away, just gave 393 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: Putin this gift. And I got to tell you right now, 394 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: the Biden administration is so panicked about the Ukraine invasion, 395 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:02,400 Speaker 1: which they've caused, that they are in full on appeasement mode. 396 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,160 Speaker 1: So they are in the process I fear of dismantling 397 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:09,560 Speaker 1: NATO where they're offering to Putin. You want us to 398 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:11,320 Speaker 1: pull our troops out of Europe. You want us to 399 00:21:11,359 --> 00:21:13,600 Speaker 1: abandon the Baltics, you want us to abandon Poland. You 400 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:15,639 Speaker 1: want us to abandon Romania, you want us to abandon 401 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,120 Speaker 1: Estonia and Lithuania and Latvia, We'll pull out, We'll pull 402 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: missiles out, we'll pull troops out, we'll stop exercises, we 403 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:27,160 Speaker 1: will abandon Europe if you just promised to be nice 404 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:34,560 Speaker 1: to us, mister Putin. And weakness invites conflict. It's the 405 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: left believes if you're weak, you don't have military conflict. 406 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:41,480 Speaker 1: I actually think weakness makes military conflict more likely. Why 407 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: do you think our enemies didn't attack us when Donald 408 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 1: Trump was president because they thought he was backcrap crazy 409 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,639 Speaker 1: and he'd like blow him off the face of the planet. 410 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,120 Speaker 1: And he was strong enough that enemies of America didn't 411 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: want to mess with us. Why is it that we're 412 00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: facing a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Why is it the 413 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:03,360 Speaker 1: na is preparing to invade Taiwan because they think Biden's 414 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: so weak that they run all over him. And so 415 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: I think the leftist weakness creates more military conflict. It 416 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,040 Speaker 1: does weakness and Bolden's authoritarians and dictators. We can see 417 00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,880 Speaker 1: that with what's happening, what's with the behavior of Vladimir 418 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: putinam the Chinese honestly, and the North Koreans. Okay, that's 419 00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,679 Speaker 1: our nerdy deep dive into foreign policy, and now we're 420 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:25,400 Speaker 1: going to do a hard pivot into Tom Brady quarterback. 421 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: Tom Brady announced his retirement this week. And I gotta 422 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 1: tell you, I'm not a huge football fan myself, but 423 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: my husband is a diehard, lifelong Patriots slash Tom Brady fan, 424 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:37,560 Speaker 1: to the point that I had to ask him when 425 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:39,520 Speaker 1: Tom Brady left the Patriots and went to the Bucks 426 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: whether he was going to root for the Patriots or 427 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:43,639 Speaker 1: whether he's going to root for Tom Brady at the Bucks. 428 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:45,919 Speaker 1: And you know, I have to say his answer was 429 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:49,440 Speaker 1: tom Brady here. However, the controversy here is that Tom 430 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 1: Brady when he announced his retirement, he thanked the Bucks 431 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,119 Speaker 1: organization and all the Bucks fans and his teammates, and 432 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: he didn't thank Patriot Nation. He didn't thank his old teammates, 433 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 1: he didn't thank his old coach, he didn't thank his fans. 434 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: He laid or did on Twitter, but only after backlash. Um, 435 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: what do you make of that? Was that? Was that 436 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 1: a deliberate diss You think I don't know that it 437 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,439 Speaker 1: was a disc to the fans and in fact, I 438 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:12,879 Speaker 1: doubt that it was. I mean, I mean, Tom Brady 439 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: is so beloved to New England, um that that that 440 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:19,960 Speaker 1: I can't believe he was dissing his fans up there 441 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:22,399 Speaker 1: was it a disc to his old team? Was it 442 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,160 Speaker 1: a disc to Bill Belichick? I'm sure it was that 443 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:28,439 Speaker 1: that was quite quite deliberate. And look, there was always 444 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:30,119 Speaker 1: I always like Brady. I always thought he was a 445 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:33,120 Speaker 1: heck of a quarterback. You know, there's there's a constant 446 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: debate in sports over the goat the greatest of all time. Uh. 447 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:42,159 Speaker 1: In basketball, the debate is between Michael Jordan and Lebron James. 448 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,119 Speaker 1: I am emphatically on team Jordan and that although some 449 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,760 Speaker 1: of that generation. I'm fifty one, I you know, I 450 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 1: grew up watching Jordan dominated. I'm not a big Lebron fan. 451 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,159 Speaker 1: Although he's ridiculously talented. I will concede his talent, but 452 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:56,159 Speaker 1: I think Jordan had more hard and was more of 453 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:01,919 Speaker 1: a champion. UM. In football, the goat, you could argue 454 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,760 Speaker 1: different players. Some might say Joe Montana. He was certainly 455 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:09,359 Speaker 1: someone that had a strong claim to it. Brady was 456 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:12,720 Speaker 1: unbelievably winning with the Patriots. I mean he would win 457 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,040 Speaker 1: over and over and over again. But you could give 458 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:18,160 Speaker 1: all these sorts of excuses. He had an amazing supporting 459 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 1: cast around him. Bill Belichick's a great coach, he had 460 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:22,720 Speaker 1: great receivers, he had I mean, he just had an 461 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 1: amazing team around him. So some credited Brady's success to, well, 462 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: look at everyone he's playing with. And Brady did something 463 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: that's phenomenal, which as he left the Patriots and he 464 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: went and joined Tampa Bay and he basically said, to 465 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 1: help with you guys, I'm out of here. The Patriots said, 466 00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:41,880 Speaker 1: you're too damn old, you can't win, and he went 467 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: and joined Tampa Bay and won the Super Bowl with them, 468 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: Like it was one of the biggest hoss moves I've 469 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:52,880 Speaker 1: ever seen. To leave, you got all your stars, I'm 470 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:56,920 Speaker 1: going to Tampa Bay. Watch me do it again. Gronk 471 00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: came out of retirement to play with him, which was 472 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:05,400 Speaker 1: awesome and it was spectacular. I tweeted at the time. 473 00:25:05,440 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: I just tweeted a emoji of a goat, like, like, 474 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 1: you go and win with another team and do it 475 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 1: again and not in like when Lebron James left Cleveland 476 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:18,919 Speaker 1: to go to Miami. It was a temper tantrum of 477 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,880 Speaker 1: a spoiled star. You know, he did this whole show 478 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 1: of who gets Lebron like, oh, piss off? Like you know, 479 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: you're not all that. Brady was very different. He went 480 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:33,920 Speaker 1: and just one and so I'm a huge Brady fan. 481 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:39,119 Speaker 1: I'm sure that the disc was meant to Belichick and 482 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: the Patriots themselves, but I would be astonished if Brady 483 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:48,040 Speaker 1: had anything but respect and adoration for the fans who 484 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:51,000 Speaker 1: loved him and who continue to love him. And I 485 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:54,159 Speaker 1: will say, based on the experience of my own household, 486 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:56,680 Speaker 1: at least you are correct about one things. The fans 487 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: do not take it personally. They forgive him for tweeting 488 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,800 Speaker 1: about it after and consider it just a disk to 489 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: the team and not to them. All right, Senator, we 490 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:06,120 Speaker 1: have one mail bag question from one of our Verdict 491 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: plus subscribers. This is from the Steve forty two. Steve 492 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:13,679 Speaker 1: asked what are Senator Cruis's thoughts on Conservatives and the 493 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: Republicans finding a way to unify for the twenty twenty 494 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,399 Speaker 1: two and twenty twenty four elections. Republicans have an amazing ability, 495 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 1: he says, to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory 496 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: with these golden opportunities on the horizon. How do they 497 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:26,600 Speaker 1: how do they not just fff it up? Ooka. It's 498 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: a very good question. And you know there's an old 499 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: cartoon back before you and I were born, Hoogo had 500 00:26:34,359 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 1: a line this cartoon from the fifties. We have met 501 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: the enemy and they is us. There's a lot of 502 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: truth to that. We manage to shoot each other. Listen 503 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: twenty two. I think we're gonna be fine. I think 504 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,160 Speaker 1: we're gonna win. I think Republicans are going to retake 505 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 1: the House with a big margin. I think it's going 506 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:54,480 Speaker 1: to be like a tidal wave year. And I'm getting 507 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:56,800 Speaker 1: more and more confident we're going to retake the Senate. Also, 508 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 1: the one danger that could screw it up is a 509 00:27:01,000 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 1: civil war between Trump and Senate Republicans. I don't want 510 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: to see that happen. I hope that doesn't happen, because 511 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 1: that's if we're just, and that means we need some 512 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:16,879 Speaker 1: restraint on both sides. We need There are some Senate 513 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 1: Republicans that desperately want Donald Trump to go away. He's 514 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:23,840 Speaker 1: not going away. That is delusional, and the Senate Republicans 515 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 1: who want it need to shut up and stop provoking him, 516 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 1: and then I hope that President Trump exercises some restraint 517 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:35,320 Speaker 1: and doesn't unload on the Senate Republicans he's irritated with. 518 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:39,120 Speaker 1: If we avoid going to war with each other, we'll 519 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: win in twenty two. After we win in twenty two, 520 00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 1: then we need to actually do something. If we have majorities, 521 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: we've got to actually deliver on our promises and fight. 522 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 1: Are we going to be able to pass great new legislation? No, 523 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 1: because Biden will veto it. But we need to have 524 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 1: some backbone to fight against Biden. And there will be 525 00:27:56,920 --> 00:27:59,680 Speaker 1: will there be Republicans wanting to roll over and surrender. 526 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:03,040 Speaker 1: Do I expect that I'm going to be fighting tooth 527 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:09,680 Speaker 1: and nail against them. Yes, there is a difference of philosophy. 528 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:13,440 Speaker 1: Republican leadership in Congress often believes the way you win 529 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 1: is don't rock the boat, don't make an issue, don't 530 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:22,959 Speaker 1: don't cause too much fuss. Look on the Biden Supreme 531 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:25,640 Speaker 1: Court nomination. I've had several of my Republican colleagues say 532 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 1: it'd be good if this just went through quickly and 533 00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:29,680 Speaker 1: we just let it happen and didn't didn't make a mess. 534 00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:31,640 Speaker 1: And I'm like, are you out of your mind? He's 535 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,399 Speaker 1: going to nominate a leftist who wants to destroy the Constitution, 536 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:36,439 Speaker 1: and we need to fight like hell. Now. We may 537 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,280 Speaker 1: not be able to beat it, beat the nominee. We 538 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: may not be able to beat the nomination, but just 539 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:44,880 Speaker 1: stand up and fight for what you believe in, so 540 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: that even now is a fight. Once we have majorities, 541 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: it'll be a bigger fight. But I think the way 542 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: we win in twenty four is fighting for something that 543 00:28:55,240 --> 00:29:02,200 Speaker 1: matters and that you know, if Donald Trump doesn't run 544 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: for president, we'll have a big, crowded primary in twenty four. Look, 545 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:07,600 Speaker 1: I think primaries are good and healthy. We'll have a 546 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:11,600 Speaker 1: discussion about what's the right direction to go. The advice 547 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 1: I give candidates, the advice I give both House members 548 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: and senators is real simple. Do what you said you 549 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: would do. Just just follow through and your promises, whatever 550 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: you told the voters you'd do, do it. Too often 551 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: politicians don't do that, particularly Republicans. And if we do 552 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: what we said we would do, I think that's a 553 00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:34,000 Speaker 1: path to winning. Yeah, and like you said, I agree 554 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,320 Speaker 1: one hundred percent. Force that veto show the American people, 555 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: not only what that you're doing what you would promised, 556 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,120 Speaker 1: and that Biden is vetoing it. But it also puts 557 00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: on record all of these squishy Republicans who won't vote 558 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 1: for a conservative agenda and the Democrats who are voting 559 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 1: against what people want. It's a very powerful tool. Senator Cruise, 560 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: this was a really fun inaugural discussion for this series. 561 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:56,600 Speaker 1: Thank you for sitting down. We're gonna do this again. 562 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,560 Speaker 1: This is the cloak Room on Verdict plus