1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:02,240 Speaker 1: Welcome. 2 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 2: It is Verdict with Center, Ted Kruz, Ben Ferguson with you, 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 2: and to all of you listening right now, I hope 4 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 2: you had a fabulous Thanksgiving Center. I hope you had 5 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 2: a great Thanksgiving with your family as well. 6 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 3: A wonderful Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone had a chance 7 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 3: to have some turkey and stuffing in Cranberry and be 8 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 3: with family and pause to just reflect on the many 9 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 3: things we have to give thanksful, thanks for being Americans, 10 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 3: being free, living in the greatest country in the history 11 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 3: of the world. 12 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 4: And I hope that that. 13 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 3: You're taking these few days a break from work, just 14 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 3: a hug on people you love and to remember, you know, 15 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 3: I've never met anyone at the end of life who says, 16 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 3: you know, I just wish I'd spent less time with 17 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 3: my kids. That's not what people say, and so spend time, 18 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 3: you know. This past weekend was my mother's ninetieth birthday, 19 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:58,279 Speaker 3: and Heidi and I hosted a dinner and we had 20 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 3: family and friends come in and just went around the 21 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 3: table and everyone took the chance just to talk about 22 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 3: my mom, talk about what an amazing person she is, 23 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 3: talk about how she had touched each of our lives. 24 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 3: My mom is ninety and still going strong, and I'll 25 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 3: tell you it was kind of fun, Ben, So I 26 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 3: had everyone also record a little video that we played 27 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 3: played for her at the restaurant, and as a surprise 28 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 3: to her, when I was flying with Trump on Trump 29 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 3: forcewan down to Boco, Chica for the rocket launch, I 30 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 3: asked Trump if he'd be willing to record a video 31 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 3: for my mom for her birthday. So I pulled out 32 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 3: my cell phone and he was happy to do so. 33 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:39,960 Speaker 3: He recorded a very very nice video and wished her 34 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 3: happy birthday, and in classic Trump style, he said, Eleanor, 35 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,559 Speaker 3: I hear you're an amazing woman. I understand you're turning ninety, 36 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 3: although everyone says you look forty. 37 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 2: That's a Trump fashion right there, and that's exactly what 38 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 2: you would expect from him. 39 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: Did she absolutely love the moment? 40 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 4: Yeah, she laughed out loud. She was astonished. 41 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: I got a brag. 42 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 2: I just got to brag on you for a second 43 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 2: because it was so fun election night, getting to spend 44 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 2: a little time with your mom to watch how much 45 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 2: fun she was having and how proud she was of you. 46 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 2: You would never talk about this, so I'm just gonna 47 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 2: do it. I've never enjoyed watching a parent. And I've 48 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 2: been around your dad a lot, and your dad is incredible, 49 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 2: but I think it's a little bit more normal for him. 50 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,799 Speaker 2: He's in the fight, he kind of he's he's really 51 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:32,800 Speaker 2: in there. He gets into it and that's fun. And 52 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 2: if you've ever seen Sinnaker's dad, he's such a he's 53 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 2: just a blast to spend time with, and he's so animated, 54 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 2: and he loves a campaign trail. It's different with a mom. 55 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 2: Just to see the pure I think joy it's when 56 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,679 Speaker 2: when parents, when when a kid succeeds, it's like a 57 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 2: hundred times more excitement. And to watch her on election 58 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 2: night in the war room and just the pure joy 59 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 2: on her face watching you get to do what you 60 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 2: do and watching the room react to you winning. I 61 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 2: don't know, because there was so much going on, if 62 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 2: you got to see it from the angle I did. 63 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 2: I just got to say, I have never enjoyed a 64 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 2: moment on the campaign trail, and I mean that sincerely 65 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,800 Speaker 2: more than I did that moment watching your mom watch 66 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:15,519 Speaker 2: you win reelection. I don't know if you got to 67 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:18,120 Speaker 2: see that moment, but she was so proud of you. 68 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 4: That's awesome. She's an amazing woman. 69 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 3: Maybe we'll do a podcast and have my mom on 70 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 3: because she's got quite the life story. That'd be kind 71 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 3: of fun to let her tell her story. 72 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:30,079 Speaker 2: I love that idea, no doubt about it. And it 73 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,800 Speaker 2: was Yeah, it's fun. So to everybody, we hope you 74 00:03:32,840 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 2: had a fabulous things canning be safe on the road. 75 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 2: Many of you download this listening on your way home. 76 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 2: Even during this holiday season, there are still attacks that 77 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 2: are happening each and every day against the people in Israel, 78 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 2: and that is incredibly sad. The International Fellowship of Christians 79 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 2: and Jews is wishing you a blessed Thanksgiving as you 80 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 2: gather with your families, grateful for the blessings that God 81 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 2: has given all of us. But we need to remember 82 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 2: those who are faith unbelievable hardship and a real need 83 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 2: right now of food and hope in Israel. The people 84 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 2: of Israel, they're being threatened and the attacks continue from 85 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: enemies all around them. And during these hard times, Israelis 86 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 2: are thankful for the Fellowship, for the food and the 87 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 2: basic assistance that they so desperately need. We're talking about 88 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 2: life saving aid that the rest of the world seems 89 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 2: to have turned their back on the people in Israel. 90 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 2: And that's why I'm asking you to pause and give 91 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 2: a gift of twenty five dollars right now that will 92 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,799 Speaker 2: help provide food a box of food to an elderly 93 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 2: Jew or a Jewish family who are suffering and are 94 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:41,640 Speaker 2: in desperate need. A gift of one hundred dollars will 95 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,600 Speaker 2: help provide four of these life saving food boxes this 96 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 2: Thanksgiving season. Take a moment and help the people in Israel. 97 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,480 Speaker 2: Please consider standing with Israel and the Jewish people. How 98 00:04:53,520 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 2: do you do this? Go to support IFCJ dot org. 99 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 2: That is support IFCJ dot org. To make a gift now, 100 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 2: that's support IFCJ dot org. Or you can call and 101 00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 2: give as well over the phone eight A eight four 102 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 2: eight eight I f c J. That's eight eight eight 103 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 2: four eight eight four three two five or support IFCJ 104 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:26,720 Speaker 2: dot org Centaer. This is one of those fun episodes 105 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 2: for us. You get asked, I know, to lend your 106 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,719 Speaker 2: name to certain things here and there. And there is 107 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,479 Speaker 2: a book that is coming out you're excited about. You 108 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:39,920 Speaker 2: The Ford was written by you and it deals with 109 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 2: a very very important issue. The Jewish State and the 110 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:46,919 Speaker 2: people of Israel and America and this connection. 111 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 3: Well, that's right, And we've got a special guest on 112 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 3: the podcast today, and our guest is a very dear 113 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:57,000 Speaker 3: friend of mine, doctor Victoria Coats. Now doctor Coates is 114 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 3: the vice president of the Heritage Foundation for now national 115 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 3: security and foreign policy. And Victoria is an amazing woman. 116 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,720 Speaker 3: She has a PhD in art history, which she's one 117 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 3: of the pre eminent foreign policy and national security experts 118 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 3: in the country. And those who doubt her sometimes sometimes 119 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 3: scoff at the fact that she's an art historian. She 120 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 3: actually was a professor at Penn and was teaching art 121 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 3: history at Penn. And I'll tell you an amazing story 122 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,640 Speaker 3: of how Victoria got full time into the national security 123 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:35,120 Speaker 3: and foreign policy world, which is twenty some odd years ago. 124 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 3: She was blogging anonymously on Red State and she had 125 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 3: a pseudonym, and Don Rumsfeldt was the Secretary of Defense 126 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 3: at the time, and he was reading what she was 127 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 3: writing on Red State and it was really profound and 128 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 3: insightful about foreign policy. And rumsfeld called in his staff 129 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 3: and said, hey, I want you to figure out who 130 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 3: is writing these columns because and he said, listen, this 131 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 3: is obviously a colonel buried sore in the heart of 132 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 3: the Pentagon who understands military policy, foreign policy, national security. 133 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 3: This guy is an expert. I want to hear what 134 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 3: he has to say. Well, they tracked the colonel and 135 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 3: the Pentagon down and it turned out it was a 136 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 3: professor of art history at Penn named Victoria Coats, and 137 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 3: she ended up coming and working for Don Rumsfeld when 138 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 3: he was writing his autobiography. 139 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 4: She worked with him on. 140 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 3: That, and when I was newly elected to the Senate, 141 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 3: she was my very first national security advisor, and Victoria 142 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 3: and I worked hand in hand for four years. She 143 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 3: was amazing helping advise me on the very complicated and 144 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 3: dangerous world in which we live. And when Trump became president, 145 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 3: she went into the Trump White House, and she went 146 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 3: into the Trump National Security Council, and she managed to 147 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:52,360 Speaker 3: actually survive. For National Security advisor, she was hired initially 148 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 3: by Mike Flynn. I remember Mike Flynn lasted just about 149 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 3: thirty days, and then she ended up staying through h R. 150 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 3: McMaster and then staying through John Bolton, and then staying 151 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 3: through Robert O'Brien, and she rose to be Deputy National 152 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 3: Security Advisor to President Trump. And then she finished the 153 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 3: trumpet the Trump administration at the Department of Energy, where 154 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 3: she was a senior advisor to the Secretary of Energy, 155 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 3: and she was dealing with the Middle East in particular. 156 00:08:25,920 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 3: And Victoria is an expert on many things, but one 157 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,400 Speaker 3: of the things she's an expert on is the Middle East. 158 00:08:31,080 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 4: And this book. 159 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 3: She has a brand new book that is coming out 160 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,480 Speaker 3: right now, and the book is called The Battle for 161 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 3: the Jewish State, How Israel and America Can Win. And 162 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 3: with that, Victoria, welcome to Verdict. 163 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:46,400 Speaker 5: Well, thank you for having me on. I'd just like 164 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:49,679 Speaker 5: to correct the record a couple of things. 165 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:50,199 Speaker 4: Sure. 166 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, although my first boss said never let truth stand 167 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,440 Speaker 3: in the way of a good story. 168 00:08:56,760 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 5: No, I'd just say it wasn't quite twenty years ago. 169 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: Uh, there we go. 170 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 3: I like that maybe a little bit less. Wait a second, 171 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 3: when was Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense. 172 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 5: This was more twenty five, twenty six, and we're eighteen 173 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 5: nineteen years ago. The hairs there on that one, I 174 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:24,760 Speaker 5: didn't like to be dated, but no, it's it's been 175 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 5: an extraordinary journey. And the other data I'd like to 176 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 5: mention is twenty fourteen when you and I made my 177 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 5: first journey to Israel together, I think your second, if 178 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 5: not your third, in May of that year, which was 179 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:43,439 Speaker 5: our first trip broad on, you know, as a senator, 180 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 5: And to go to Israel and have that experience together 181 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 5: with our then chief of Staff Chip Roy, who has 182 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 5: obviously become something of a name on his own right. 183 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 5: But to have that experience was really profound, and I 184 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 5: would just we went from Israel to Kiv, We went 185 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 5: to Ukraine, and so we got to see these two 186 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:13,760 Speaker 5: theaters that are so important to us right now ten 187 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 5: years ago and experience this, meet these people. But the 188 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 5: book was really very much a document of these ten 189 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:27,440 Speaker 5: years that have gone on since then. And I think 190 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:32,680 Speaker 5: for both of us watching Israel, observing it, studying it, 191 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 5: and then in your case, actually legislating on it has 192 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 5: been quite an extraordinary experience. 193 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 3: It has been an amazing journey, and it is a 194 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 3: very dangerous world. Let's start with Israel itself, and let's 195 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 3: start with maybe the simplest question, why is it Israel 196 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:56,480 Speaker 3: at warwork right now? What happened to take us from 197 00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 3: four years ago? We had peace and prosperity, We had 198 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 3: the Abraham Cool words being signed on the south lawn 199 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 3: of the White House. And now we've had October seventh, 200 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,439 Speaker 3: the worst mass murder of Jews in a single day 201 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 3: since the Holocaust. We have war throughout Gaza, we have 202 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 3: war in Lebanon. What happened to change things so dramatically, Well. 203 00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 5: Clearly it was a change of the executive branch. And 204 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 5: one of the most obvious policy contrasts between the Trump 205 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 5: administration and the Biden Harris administration was on Middle East policy. 206 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:35,079 Speaker 5: And so you had President Trump go in work on 207 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 5: a number of the things that you and I worked on, 208 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,680 Speaker 5: moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the recognition 209 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:49,440 Speaker 5: of Goal On Heights as sovereign Israeli territory, and conventional 210 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,760 Speaker 5: wisdom held by those like John Kerry among others, that 211 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:59,439 Speaker 5: this would cause upheaval in the region. Instead, it caused clarity. 212 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 5: This is where the United States is. The United States 213 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,199 Speaker 5: stands with Israel, and if you want to stand with us, 214 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:12,319 Speaker 5: great And what we found was that many of our 215 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,959 Speaker 5: Arab partners, traditional partners and allies decided that's what they 216 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 5: wanted to do. So we signed the Abraham Accords with 217 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:28,000 Speaker 5: Bahrain and UAE and Morocco and this led to peace 218 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 5: in the region. And then we had Biden Harris come 219 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 5: in and they decided that they were going to embrace 220 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 5: the Obama era policy of having distance with Israel, trying 221 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:44,200 Speaker 5: to domesticate the Iranians, and this led to disaster and 222 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 5: instead of you know, peace, we wound up with October 223 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 5: seventh of twenty twenty three, now, I guess fourteen months ago, 224 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,679 Speaker 5: and you know, the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, 225 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 5: and I felt like so many Americans kept asking me 226 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,200 Speaker 5: why is this happening? And that's why I wrote the book. 227 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:05,360 Speaker 2: So tery gont to ask you this question, with all 228 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:08,560 Speaker 2: the news that has happened with Israel, when did you 229 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 2: actually decide to write the book? 230 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:14,320 Speaker 5: And it was actually a fit of temporary insanity last 231 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 5: April where I had the idea and I thought, I 232 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 5: need to answer these questions that people keep asking me. 233 00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 5: And I got in touch with my publisher at Encounterpress, 234 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 5: and Roger Kimball said, Okay, if you can get this 235 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 5: to me in ninety days, I can get it out. Wow, 236 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 5: as I said, a bit of temporary insanity, but we 237 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 5: got it done just because the questions were so clear, 238 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 5: Oh did this happen? Why Israel? Is there an alternative 239 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 5: to Israel? And then what's next? Those are the four 240 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 5: questions that drives the book, and it just kind of 241 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 5: was a create a cur or, just needed to get 242 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 5: it out there, and I did it in ninety days 243 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:05,319 Speaker 5: and here it is. 244 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 4: So what's the answer to each of those four? 245 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:13,720 Speaker 5: So? How did this happen? Is a question, actually, Senator 246 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 5: you really answered in the forward to the book, which 247 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 5: is how did we get from October seventh to all 248 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 5: of the demonstrations in the United States that are pro hamas? 249 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 5: Most normal people responded to the terrorist attacks with horror, 250 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 5: but then suddenly all of these people were flooding our 251 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 5: children's campuses, our streets pro coma. How did that happen? 252 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 5: And I thought you wrote very movingly about the testimony 253 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 5: of the three university presidents, my president Amy McGill, the 254 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 5: president of Harvard, your alma mater, and the president of 255 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 5: MIT being unable to speak to why this was a problem. 256 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 5: And it's why this is a war not just on Israel, 257 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 5: but also on America, because we have anti Semitism here 258 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 5: on our streets, we have it on our campuses where 259 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 5: it's being taught to our children. This is a huge 260 00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:19,840 Speaker 5: problem and we have to get after it. And the 261 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 5: Biden administration clearly had no answer to that. Then many 262 00:15:24,920 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 5: Americans want to know why Israel is a great ally 263 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 5: to the United States, and that's a little bit of 264 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 5: a history lesson. And as you mentioned, I'm an art historian. 265 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 5: That just makes you able to write about history. Sometimes 266 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 5: there are pictures, but in this case, it's going back 267 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 5: to what is the connection between the Jews and the 268 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 5: Holy Land, Why was the modern state of Israel founded? 269 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 5: What is the relationship between the United States and Israel? 270 00:15:56,520 --> 00:16:00,040 Speaker 5: That means is not well understood. And I tried to 271 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:02,720 Speaker 5: approach it like a one oh one class in college, 272 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 5: so that you would have that kind of information in 273 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 5: front of you. Then there's what I call the bike 274 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 5: partisan history of failure, which is the third question is 275 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 5: is there an alternative? And the answer to that question 276 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 5: is yes. The two one is the Palestinians and the 277 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 5: other is the Iranians. And we've had lots of folks 278 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 5: on both sides of the Aisle try to domesticate both 279 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 5: of those groups. As you and I know very well, 280 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 5: that has not turned out well. And that's exactly where 281 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 5: they biden. Inherris. People were heading God forbid if they 282 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,400 Speaker 5: had gotten another four years. And then the fourth question 283 00:16:43,480 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 5: is what's next. And the amazing thing is is that 284 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 5: we can right now talk about a deal between Israel 285 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 5: and Saudi Arabia. If you told the eight years ago, 286 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:58,600 Speaker 5: when I first went into the Trump administration that I 287 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 5: could talk on a pot cast about an Israel Saudi 288 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 5: deal and not get angry phone calls from both sides, 289 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,919 Speaker 5: I would have been shocked. But now it's talked about 290 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:14,399 Speaker 5: as when, not if, And that's an extraordinary development. So 291 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,119 Speaker 5: we can build on that, we can we can go 292 00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 5: forward with that. 293 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 3: And well, and that's the direct result of clarity of 294 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 3: you know, for decades, the conventional wisdom in Washington was 295 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:34,399 Speaker 3: to deliberately embrace strategic ambiguity, that whatever you give to 296 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:36,400 Speaker 3: Israel with one hand, you take away with the other 297 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 3: a little. 298 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:38,080 Speaker 4: Bit of this, a little bit of that. 299 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 3: So Jerusalem, maybe Israel can have it, but maybe the 300 00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 3: Palestinians can have it. Maybe the West Bank needs to 301 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:46,440 Speaker 3: be go back to We need to go back to 302 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,200 Speaker 3: the nineteen sixty seven lines. And we saw with Democrats 303 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 3: and with a lot of Republicans that that there was 304 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 3: a very deliberate, strategic blurring of the lines and the 305 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:01,440 Speaker 3: most important thing that Trump did on on Middle East policy, 306 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 3: and this is something that I advocated strenuously. It's something 307 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,920 Speaker 3: that you advocated within the White House for is have 308 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 3: that clarity to say we stand with Israel, period the end, 309 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:19,639 Speaker 3: and that produced an historic flowering apiece. And Victoria, I 310 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 3: want to pause on something you said at the outset 311 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,760 Speaker 3: when you're answering the first question. Then you were talking 312 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:27,000 Speaker 3: about those who hate Israel and hate America, and it 313 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:29,439 Speaker 3: just just occurred to me as you were talking that 314 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 3: there is an almost perfect equivalence that if you look 315 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:38,440 Speaker 3: at the people on college campuses chanting we love Hamas 316 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 3: chanting against Israel, to a person, almost every single person 317 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,639 Speaker 3: who hates and despises Israel hates and despises the United 318 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:51,280 Speaker 3: States of America. And I guess the question I wanted 319 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:53,959 Speaker 3: to ask you is is why, why is that if 320 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,680 Speaker 3: you're an anti semit if you hate Israel, we know 321 00:18:57,920 --> 00:18:59,880 Speaker 3: that you are very very likely to hate America's. 322 00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:04,359 Speaker 5: Well, now, this is an interesting phenomenon and it's a 323 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 5: new phrase I learned, which is called settler colonialism, and 324 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:14,440 Speaker 5: at the Heritage Foundation, we were watching very carefully from 325 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 5: our balconies as the thousands of pro Hamas protesters marched 326 00:19:19,440 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 5: pasts Heritage to go down to Union Station when Prime 327 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,120 Speaker 5: Minister at Yahoo was here. I know you were there 328 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 5: at the Addressed Congress in July, and they marched down 329 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:37,440 Speaker 5: to Union Station and dragged down flags and burned them 330 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 5: and put up Palestinian flags, and those were American flags, 331 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:45,640 Speaker 5: those weren't Israeli flags. And then at being a Philadelphia 332 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:49,440 Speaker 5: and I was particularly offended that they defaced the cast 333 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 5: of the Liberty Bill that also is there on Columbus Circle. 334 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 5: But it's me, that's it. They hate us both, and 335 00:19:56,680 --> 00:20:00,719 Speaker 5: the reason they hate us is this full issue of 336 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,720 Speaker 5: subtler colonialism, which is both Israel and the United States 337 00:20:04,760 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 5: are the two countries that are theoretically settled by others. 338 00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 5: My particular ancestors came from Scott's Irish and Denmark. I 339 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 5: know you are both Irish and Cuban. Then I don't 340 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 5: know what your pedigree is. And I did want to 341 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 5: take a minute to wish a very happy ninetieth birthday 342 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 5: to Eleanor and sent her lots of love. But this 343 00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:36,159 Speaker 5: is the thing is these are the two countries that 344 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:41,360 Speaker 5: they consider illegitimate because most of the people who live 345 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:44,880 Speaker 5: here come from other places. And so that's why it's 346 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 5: a war on both of us. And if you look 347 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:51,239 Speaker 5: at our enemies, our enemies like Aron, they refer to 348 00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:55,200 Speaker 5: Israel as the little Satan and the United States as 349 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 5: the great Satan. But guess what, we're both Satan and 350 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 5: in that, you know that we are the same to them. 351 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:06,879 Speaker 5: And what you're seeing from all of these enemies of 352 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,399 Speaker 5: the United States and Israel's, they're buying into that that 353 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:12,959 Speaker 5: we're more or less the same. And what you and 354 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 5: I have discussed so many times, Okay, fine, let's make 355 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 5: that a strength rather than a weakness. You say we're 356 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,640 Speaker 5: the same, great, then we're in this together. 357 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,919 Speaker 2: Everybody's looking for the perfect Black Friday deal, the perfect 358 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 2: gift for the holidays. 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So 398 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,200 Speaker 2: let me give you some free AMO in your account 399 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:22,400 Speaker 2: right now. Go to amosquare dot com slash bend today 400 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,800 Speaker 2: amosquared dot com slash bend today to get free AMO 401 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 2: on your account. There's no minimum to buy, no memberships needed, 402 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,560 Speaker 2: and no exor fees. You can buy AMMO on the 403 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:37,640 Speaker 2: small budget amosquare dot com slash bend and get free 404 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,919 Speaker 2: AMO in your account today. Let me ask you a 405 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 2: question about college campuses. And we talked a moment ago. 406 00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:46,199 Speaker 2: You mentioned in the Senate, and I talked about this 407 00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:50,400 Speaker 2: a lot on the show. Those presidents that came before Congress, 408 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 2: and it was shocking that they would not stop the 409 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 2: just abuse of the Jewish students and not protect them. 410 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 2: Do you feel like the pendulum will swing back watching 411 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:05,959 Speaker 2: what happened to some of those presidents and just seeing 412 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 2: how extreme these college campuses have gotten, or do you 413 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,439 Speaker 2: think they're just so indoctrinated to hate Israel now that 414 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,880 Speaker 2: this is just the policy of almost all of these 415 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 2: IVY schools. 416 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:21,080 Speaker 5: Well, the goodness then is as a sort of broken 417 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:25,200 Speaker 5: down academic myself, I can tell you one thing, which 418 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 5: is the one thing they care more about than their 419 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:34,480 Speaker 5: parking spaces is their funding. And so if you hold 420 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:39,680 Speaker 5: their funding at risk, they will stop this behavior. And 421 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 5: so I was at penn last April to give remarks 422 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,399 Speaker 5: on why I think it's a bad idea to hate Jews, 423 00:24:46,480 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 5: and I required three layers of armed guards. I had 424 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:55,119 Speaker 5: Philadelphia City cops, I had pen cops, and Heritage was 425 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 5: not satisfied with that, and they sent an additional armed 426 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:02,840 Speaker 5: guard with me because it was such radical thing for 427 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 5: me to go on campus and make these remarks, and 428 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 5: that speech isn't free. A lot of people had to 429 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:15,840 Speaker 5: pay for that, including the taxpayers of Pennsylvania amongst others. 430 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 5: And it was a really enlightening moment that we have 431 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:24,480 Speaker 5: to hold this funding at risk. And I've heard President 432 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 5: Trump talk about this. I think very forcefully that no 433 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:34,040 Speaker 5: university should get federal funding. And I think we can 434 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:38,040 Speaker 5: also look at this from the state perspective and hold 435 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 5: that funding at risk, and that will actually change this behavior. 436 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 4: Well. 437 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 3: And I got to say, Victoria has a lot of 438 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:49,160 Speaker 3: courage going on to college campuses and facing the crazy left, 439 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 3: the angry left, the Israel hating and America hating left. 440 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:54,120 Speaker 4: And we need to see. 441 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:57,400 Speaker 3: More of that courage, more of that courage among academics, 442 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 3: more of that courage among students. You know, I think back, 443 00:26:01,960 --> 00:26:04,360 Speaker 3: you know, I mentioned Ben at the outset that Victoria 444 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:06,720 Speaker 3: was my first national security advisor, and I think it's 445 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,639 Speaker 3: worth recounting a little bit of that story when we 446 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,119 Speaker 3: first started working together. So I was elected to the 447 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 3: Senate twelve years ago. I show up in December of 448 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:21,159 Speaker 3: twenty twelve, sworn in in January of twenty thirteen. And 449 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:23,760 Speaker 3: when you're a brand new senator, when you're a baby senator, 450 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,879 Speaker 3: they put you down down on these little bitty basement 451 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,639 Speaker 3: offices and it's basically freshman hazing. I mean, there are 452 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:33,159 Speaker 3: one hundred Senate offices that are full offices, but they 453 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 3: keep the new senators down in the basement for three 454 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 3: four five months, just basically as an initiation. And then 455 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 3: so Victoria was part of our very first team that 456 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 3: came together right when I was newly elected. And she 457 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:47,199 Speaker 3: came and joined us initially for what was going to 458 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,160 Speaker 3: be two weeks and just to help us get started, 459 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 3: help us hire some staff, and then she was going 460 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 3: to move on. And when we got there. One of 461 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:57,520 Speaker 3: the very first things we had as we had a 462 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 3: vote on John Carey, who had been dominated as Secretary 463 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:04,160 Speaker 3: of State and John Kerry. At the time I was elected, 464 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 3: he was a senator, so he was a colleague of 465 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,920 Speaker 3: mine for like four minutes. And then Obama the beginning 466 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:11,200 Speaker 3: of the second term nominated Kerrie a Secretary of State. 467 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:13,920 Speaker 3: I remember John Kerry came by my basement office. Victoria 468 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,440 Speaker 3: was sitting in the office in the meeting, and and 469 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:23,720 Speaker 3: Carrie was let me, let me speak nicely, incredibly confident 470 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:27,919 Speaker 3: in himself. I'm trying to put that in a kind tone. Uh, 471 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:30,199 Speaker 3: And and he he gave me this this sort of 472 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 3: long lecture, how I really need to it needed to 473 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 3: embrace the Law of the Sea Treaty which the Law 474 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 3: of the Sea Treaty, among other things, significantly undermines US 475 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:43,159 Speaker 3: sovereignty and gives away the ability of we the people. 476 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:43,879 Speaker 4: To make our own laws. 477 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,679 Speaker 3: And I remember sitting there just kind of laughing and 478 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 3: being like, Okay, this guy has no idea who I am, like, 479 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 3: none whatsoever, And and and we we then came to 480 00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:57,919 Speaker 3: the vote on the floor of the Senate, and it 481 00:27:57,960 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 3: was one of the very first votes I ever took. 482 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,159 Speaker 3: And I went down and voted no. And there was 483 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 3: literally an audible gasp on the floor of the Senate 484 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:12,200 Speaker 3: when I voted no, because a freshman senator was certainly 485 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 3: not supposed to do that. The vote was ninety seven 486 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 3: to three, So ninety seven senators voted yes. There were 487 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 3: only three of us that voted no. I was it 488 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 3: ninety four to three? Okay, well, then I guess Carrie 489 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 3: didn't vote for himself. And I remembered the three. I 490 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:29,879 Speaker 3: remember that I don't know who skipped. Whoever skipped, they 491 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 3: did better than the ninety four. And then immediately thereafter, 492 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 3: about concurrently with it, was the confirmation of Chuck Hagel. 493 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,120 Speaker 3: Now Chuck Hagel is who Obama had nominated to be 494 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 3: Secretary of Defense, and Chuck Hagel had been a Republican senator. 495 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,160 Speaker 3: I didn't know Hegel, but as I looked at his record, 496 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:53,040 Speaker 3: his record was terrible. And so I ended up leading 497 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 3: what was the very first filibuster in American history against 498 00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 3: a defense secretary, and it was it was successful. It 499 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 3: was before Harry Reid had used the nuclear option, before 500 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,080 Speaker 3: he'd blown up the filibuster. So you can't filibuster now 501 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 3: a cabinet nominee anymore, but you could then, and we 502 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 3: successfully held forty one Republicans. We stopped his nomination, and 503 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 3: then actually Republicans being what they are, several other Republicans 504 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 3: who joined us went wobbly and decided to confirm him anyway. 505 00:29:21,840 --> 00:29:25,120 Speaker 3: But that's another story. But what I will say is 506 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 3: I think it got Victoria's attention that this was not 507 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 3: going to be just to quiet go along to get 508 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:34,120 Speaker 3: a long tenure in the Senate, that we were there 509 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 3: to fight battles and lead battles. And she ended up 510 00:29:40,240 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 3: staying in. And I'll tell you something astonishing, Penn. So 511 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,200 Speaker 3: if you rewind the clock twelve years ago, twelve years ago, 512 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:51,080 Speaker 3: I am elected to the Senate, I'm elected to the Senate. 513 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 3: I'm forty one years old, brand new elected to the Senate, 514 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 3: and as I came into the Senate, I had areas 515 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:57,880 Speaker 3: that I knew a lot about. If you were talking 516 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 3: about legal issues, if you're talking about criminal justice, if 517 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 3: you were talking about constitutional law, I had a long 518 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:07,440 Speaker 3: background in all of those issues. When it came to 519 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 3: foreign policy, I had essentially zero background. Just my professional career, 520 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:16,120 Speaker 3: I'd never worked in foreign policy. I'd never worked in 521 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 3: the State Department of the Fence Department. I'd never dealt 522 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 3: with foreign policy. My focus had always been domestic. When 523 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:24,880 Speaker 3: I was on the George W. Bush campaign twenty four 524 00:30:24,960 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 3: years ago, I was the domestic policy advisor. That was 525 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 3: my specialty, and so look economic matter, domestic matters. I 526 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:36,360 Speaker 3: had a lot of experience foreign policy I had essentially none. 527 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 3: But I did have some strong beliefs. The son of 528 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,200 Speaker 3: a Cuban immigrant who had fought in the Cuban Revolution, 529 00:30:43,960 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 3: I believed profoundly in freedom. I was inspired by Reagan. 530 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:53,200 Speaker 3: Peace through strength is a principle in philosophy that I 531 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 3: believed deeply in. But I didn't have a terribly deep 532 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 3: subject matter expertise, and so one of the things I 533 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 3: give give that background because one of the remarkable things 534 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 3: Victoria did is is basically convened a university in the 535 00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:14,800 Speaker 3: United States Senate to train me up in foreign policy. 536 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:19,960 Speaker 3: And I say so with complete humility. And what preceded 537 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 3: for four years is we would do deep dives. And 538 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,760 Speaker 3: when I'm in DC, Heidi and the girls stay back 539 00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:28,880 Speaker 3: in Houston. So when I'm in DC, I'm solo. I 540 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:31,520 Speaker 3: don't have I don't have anybody at home. And so 541 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 3: my philosophy, if I get to get to my apartment 542 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:36,600 Speaker 3: at seven or eight or nine o'clock at night, I'll 543 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 3: be mad at my team. I'll be like, wait, what 544 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:40,560 Speaker 3: am I doing sitting in an apartment staring at a wall. 545 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 3: There's work to be done. Like now, if Heidi and 546 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:44,480 Speaker 3: the girls were there, I'd want to be home with 547 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:46,480 Speaker 3: the kids, But if they're not there, I want to work. 548 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,840 Speaker 3: And so every night when I'm in DC, I do 549 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 3: a working dinner. And what Victoria began convening as we'd 550 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 3: do working dinners, and many of them were with subject 551 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 3: matter experts, where we'd bring in, say a Middle East 552 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,600 Speaker 3: policy expert or a couple. We'd bring in an Israel expert, 553 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:05,880 Speaker 3: or an Iran expert, we'd bring in a Russia expert, 554 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:08,760 Speaker 3: we'd bring in a China expert, and we'd do a 555 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:12,560 Speaker 3: deep dive onto a subject matter and sit there and 556 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 3: have a three four hour dinner really asking. You know, 557 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 3: I'm a big believer that there are no stupid questions 558 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 3: other than the question you don't ask because you're afraid 559 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:26,240 Speaker 3: to ask. And so I was perfectly happy to ask 560 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 3: question after question after question. And I will just say, now, 561 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 3: twelve years later, where I have been in the middle 562 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:37,720 Speaker 3: of virtually every foreign policy battle in the Senate for 563 00:32:37,760 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 3: a long time, now, it's worth looking back to twelve 564 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 3: years ago, the incredible job Victoria did systematically giving me 565 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:54,200 Speaker 3: a knowledge set to go along with principles that I 566 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 3: started with. But I didn't have the subject matter expertise. 567 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:02,800 Speaker 3: And there's literally no person on planet Earth more responsible 568 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:05,800 Speaker 3: for my being able to develop that subject matter expertise 569 00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:08,800 Speaker 3: than than Victoria Victor. 570 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 2: Let me ask you a question following up on what 571 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:13,520 Speaker 2: he just stated there, and that is it's it's getting 572 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 2: close to Christmas, a lot of people buying gifts. 573 00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:17,240 Speaker 1: It's Black Friday right now. 574 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:21,280 Speaker 2: As people are listening to this, when you wrote this book, 575 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,680 Speaker 2: who did you envision reading it? Is this one of 576 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 2: those books that you should absolutely get for maybe your 577 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 2: kids are in high school or in college. 578 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:32,320 Speaker 1: Is this I mean when you when you write it? 579 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:34,240 Speaker 2: When I wrote my book, I'm like, I was trying 580 00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:36,120 Speaker 2: to vision who do I want to read this book? 581 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 1: Who am I trying to give information to? 582 00:33:39,800 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 5: To give information ben to people who who are interested 583 00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:47,520 Speaker 5: in American national security And not to correct Senator Cruise, 584 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 5: but not that I ever would. But the only thing 585 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,680 Speaker 5: I would adjust to what he just said is it's 586 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:56,320 Speaker 5: not foreign policy. This is national security. This is what 587 00:33:56,600 --> 00:34:00,280 Speaker 5: touches all Americans every day. And so I I would 588 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,440 Speaker 5: hope everyone from a high school senior to somebody who's 589 00:34:03,680 --> 00:34:07,400 Speaker 5: just interested in the Middle East would be interested in 590 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 5: this book because they want to know why this is 591 00:34:11,080 --> 00:34:15,040 Speaker 5: in the United States' best interests. And I would boil 592 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:18,080 Speaker 5: this down to a single issue. And I remember so 593 00:34:18,239 --> 00:34:20,960 Speaker 5: clearly when we made the decision to do this, which 594 00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:26,239 Speaker 5: was when Senator Heller's bill to move the Israeli Embassy 595 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:31,200 Speaker 5: from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem came up right away in 596 00:34:31,320 --> 00:34:34,719 Speaker 5: January of twenty thirteen, and it did not have a 597 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:37,239 Speaker 5: co sponsor, and I said the Senator Cruise, would you 598 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,399 Speaker 5: like to be co sponsor? And he said, yes, I would. 599 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:43,960 Speaker 5: This seems like a really good idea because this gives 600 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,840 Speaker 5: that kind of clarity that we were just talking about, 601 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,280 Speaker 5: and that's when I knew we were off to the races. 602 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:52,439 Speaker 5: Same thing with the vote on John Carey, same thing 603 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:58,279 Speaker 5: with Chuck Hagel, that we are going to take a 604 00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:01,799 Speaker 5: new approach to the these issues. And it's one of 605 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:04,759 Speaker 5: the reasons it was not easy for me to leave 606 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:08,880 Speaker 5: Senator Cruz's staff to go into the Trump administration. But 607 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:12,040 Speaker 5: I had no conflict of interest because it was essentially 608 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:16,399 Speaker 5: the same policies. These are the America First policies, and 609 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:21,280 Speaker 5: one of those keystones of that is the relationship between 610 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 5: the United States and Israel. And so that's really the 611 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:28,160 Speaker 5: purpose behind the book, to explain to people why that 612 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:33,759 Speaker 5: is and then to give them ammunition to spread that 613 00:35:33,920 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 5: information around, because I think the disinformation about Israel, the 614 00:35:40,239 --> 00:35:45,520 Speaker 5: very negative information about the Jewish people as well as Israel, 615 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:48,120 Speaker 5: is so pervasive. So that's why I wrote it. 616 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:50,880 Speaker 2: I know it's going to be an important book and 617 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:52,480 Speaker 2: a lot of people are going to want to try 618 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:53,080 Speaker 2: to grab this. 619 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:55,320 Speaker 1: Where can they get it? Where do you tell people 620 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: to go? 621 00:35:57,280 --> 00:35:59,799 Speaker 5: Unfortunately, they can get it anywhere they would like. They 622 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:02,799 Speaker 5: can he edited on Amazon, Barnes and Noble. They can 623 00:36:02,840 --> 00:36:07,800 Speaker 5: go to the encounterpress website. But Amazon's probably the easiest. 624 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 5: What we all have on our phones. So really appreciate 625 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:14,040 Speaker 5: any kind of pre orders and I hope it makes 626 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:14,640 Speaker 5: a great gift. 627 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:17,640 Speaker 3: So the book is the Battle for the Jewish State, 628 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,200 Speaker 3: How Israel and America can win. It's an excellent book. 629 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:25,520 Speaker 3: Victoria is a pre eminent expert. If you find yourself 630 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,120 Speaker 3: around the Thanksgiving table, or at work or at school 631 00:36:30,200 --> 00:36:33,680 Speaker 3: with people arguing arguing about Israel, arguing, well, well, don't 632 00:36:33,719 --> 00:36:37,000 Speaker 3: the Palestinians have a point? Aren't the Israelis really terrible 633 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 3: to them? And you feel like something's wrong with that argument, 634 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:42,759 Speaker 3: but you're not sure what. This book is a really 635 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,680 Speaker 3: helpful tool to understand. Okay, wait a second, here are 636 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,239 Speaker 3: actually the facts. And I'll say something real quick that 637 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:51,319 Speaker 3: Victoria just said a minute ago. And this is something 638 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:54,919 Speaker 3: I think that is incredibly important for all of us 639 00:36:55,320 --> 00:37:00,279 Speaker 3: who are strongly pro Israel. I urge everyone in the 640 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:06,080 Speaker 3: pro Israel movement to articulate a defense of Israel very 641 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:08,719 Speaker 3: directly from the perspective of why it is good for 642 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:11,480 Speaker 3: the United States of America. I think too many in 643 00:37:11,520 --> 00:37:14,680 Speaker 3: the pro Israel movement talk about aid for Israel as 644 00:37:14,719 --> 00:37:18,000 Speaker 3: if you're giving welfare to some down on his luck 645 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:20,200 Speaker 3: neighbor who just needs help. And I think that's a 646 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:23,560 Speaker 3: profound mistake. If you look at every year the United 647 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 3: States provides roughly three billion dollars in military assistance to Israel. 648 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:32,120 Speaker 3: That is incredibly beneficial to America. If we tried to 649 00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:36,719 Speaker 3: recreate the intelligence network of the Massad, the benefits that 650 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:42,880 Speaker 3: America gets from the Masad spying on, sabotaging, engaging with 651 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:47,840 Speaker 3: the enemies of America Hamas, Hesbellah, Iran, it would cost 652 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:50,960 Speaker 3: tens of billions of dollars and we wouldn't recreate it 653 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:55,240 Speaker 3: half as good. The enemies of Israel are the enemies 654 00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:58,879 Speaker 3: of America. And when Israel defeats Hamas as they are 655 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:01,359 Speaker 3: doing now, and when israe Real defeats hesbalas they are 656 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:05,799 Speaker 3: doing now, that benefits America. And this book explains that 657 00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:08,800 Speaker 3: it's powerful and useful to know. So I'll say, with 658 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:11,279 Speaker 3: Christmas season coming up, you should go and order a 659 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:14,000 Speaker 3: copy The Battle for the Jewish State, How Israel and 660 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,640 Speaker 3: America can Win and it's by Victoria Coats. 661 00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:19,200 Speaker 1: There you go, be safe on the road. 662 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 2: For all of you that are driving home from Thanksgiving 663 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,239 Speaker 2: with your family and your friends, don't forget Center Cruise 664 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:26,520 Speaker 2: and I do the show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 665 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:28,880 Speaker 1: Hit that subscribe or auto download button. 666 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:32,520 Speaker 2: We also have on Saturday, the Week in Review what 667 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:34,319 Speaker 2: you may have missed during the week. We've got that 668 00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:36,759 Speaker 2: for you on Saturdays as well, and don't forget on 669 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 2: those in between days. Grab my podcast, the Ben Ferguson Podcasts. 670 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:41,640 Speaker 2: I'll keep you up to date on the latest breaking 671 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 2: news there and the Senate and I will see you 672 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:46,280 Speaker 2: back here Saturday for the Week in Review