WEBVTT - Rep. Seth Moulton Talks Biden DNC Address, Geopolitics

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts.

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<v Speaker 2>Radio news.

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<v Speaker 3>Congressman Seth Moulton, the Democrat from Massachusetts, has arrived in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 3>And of course, if you've been with us before, you're

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<v Speaker 3>aware of his time as a marine combat veteran serving

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<v Speaker 3>four tours in Iraq, so a unique perspective that we

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<v Speaker 3>always enjoy sharing. Congressman, it's great to see you in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for being here. This clearly made Joe Biden angry.

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<v Speaker 3>How does it make you feel?

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<v Speaker 4>Well? I mean, we all know how important bo Biden's

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<v Speaker 4>service is to Joe Biden as a father, as a

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<v Speaker 4>commander in chief, as an American, and it is really

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<v Speaker 4>remarkable that you have a major party candidate in Donald

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<v Speaker 4>Trump who just truly hates veterans. And that's not an exaggeration.

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<v Speaker 4>He has shown time and time and again he's called them.

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<v Speaker 4>He's called us losers and suckers, and there was losers

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<v Speaker 4>for signing up, suckers if you get killed. He was

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<v Speaker 4>walking around Arlington Cemetery with his own chief of stabmarine

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<v Speaker 4>veteran John Kelly, when he said, I just don't understand

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<v Speaker 4>why they did it, what was in it for them?

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<v Speaker 4>And this well, John Kelly was there in part to

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<v Speaker 4>see his own son's grave, Lieutenant Kelly, who died in Afghanistan.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, whatever you may think about his attitude toward veterans,

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<v Speaker 2>he does have a veteran running with him in Jade Vance.

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<v Speaker 2>Kama Harris also has a veteran running with her in

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<v Speaker 2>Tim Walls. And yet his service record has come under

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<v Speaker 2>immense scrutiny since his selection. It has framed it as

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<v Speaker 2>stolen valor.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, because jade Vance is following Donald Trump's playbook of

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<v Speaker 4>denigrating veterans, and we should be celebrating the fact that,

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<v Speaker 4>you know, for the first time in a long time,

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<v Speaker 4>we have two veterans on the major party candidates, the

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<v Speaker 4>first time that we've had veterans really from these most

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<v Speaker 4>recent wars, and that's something that we should be celebrating.

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<v Speaker 4>And you know, both Jade Vance and at Tim Waltz

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<v Speaker 4>have service records that should be lifted up and used

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<v Speaker 4>as an example. Instead, jd Vance is just going down

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<v Speaker 4>the same path as Donald Trump and attacking the service

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<v Speaker 4>record of Tim Wallas, who, by all accounts was a

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<v Speaker 4>great soldier in the army.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, look, we saw this with your former colleague John

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<v Speaker 3>Kerry from Massachusetts, the Swift Boats. Of course, we've got

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<v Speaker 3>some of the same people involved in the messaging in

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<v Speaker 3>this campaign, in Chris Losovita, who was part of the

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<v Speaker 3>Swift Boats campaign back in two thousand and four. I

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<v Speaker 3>was compelled by Mark Kelly's response to all of this.

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<v Speaker 3>Clearly was not happy with this stolen valor accusation, but

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<v Speaker 3>he said, both of you should be thanked for your service.

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<v Speaker 3>Jd Vance, that's right, and Tim Walls is that the

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<v Speaker 3>way we should approach.

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<v Speaker 4>Exactly, And then that's what I just said. I mean,

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<v Speaker 4>we should be lifting up the fact that both of

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<v Speaker 4>them have served the country in different and important ways.

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<v Speaker 4>And you know what veterans really hate is other veterans

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<v Speaker 4>who misrepresent their service, who make their record out to

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<v Speaker 4>be more than it is. And that fundamentally is what

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<v Speaker 4>Evans is trying to accuse Tim Wilson. But it just

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<v Speaker 4>doesn't it doesn't hold water. It doesn't hold water at all,

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<v Speaker 4>and it's not really the way that veterans respect yourself.

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<v Speaker 4>Serving in Congress, I have a lot of veterans on

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<v Speaker 4>the other side of the aisle I disagree with on

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<v Speaker 4>a lot of policy issues, and yet they're often the

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<v Speaker 4>first people I go to work with, like if I

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<v Speaker 4>have to do, you know, work on a piece of

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<v Speaker 4>bipartisan legislation, like the nine eight National Mental Health Hotline.

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<v Speaker 4>Now it's part of the Veterans Crisis Line as well.

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<v Speaker 4>I co authored that bill with an Air Force veteran

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<v Speaker 4>from Utah. There are a lot of issues we disagreed on,

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<v Speaker 4>but he was one of the first people I went

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<v Speaker 4>to work with on that legislation because I knew as

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<v Speaker 4>a result of our shared service, we had something in common.

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<v Speaker 4>We had some trust that we shared some common experience,

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<v Speaker 4>even though we did very different things as an infray

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<v Speaker 4>aser in the Marines, as a world record holding pilot

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<v Speaker 4>in the Air Force. So you know, Chris was an

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<v Speaker 4>amazing Chris Stewart was an amazing partner in many ways,

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<v Speaker 4>much more distinguished military record than than mine. I'm not

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<v Speaker 4>in the Againness Book of World Records for anything for

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<v Speaker 4>my time in the Marines. But the point is that

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<v Speaker 4>we found that common ground, and you would like to

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<v Speaker 4>see that happening on the presidential stage. But of course

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<v Speaker 4>Jade Vance is just going down in the gutter with

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<v Speaker 4>Donald Trump. He's much more interested in following Donald Trump's

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<v Speaker 4>playbook than upholding the values that he should have learned

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<v Speaker 4>in the Marines.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, Congressman, obviously, we thank you for your service and

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<v Speaker 2>all those who have served or are currently serving. And

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<v Speaker 2>in recent weeks, Joe and I have had to ask

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<v Speaker 2>some pretty tough questions about those who are currently serving

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<v Speaker 2>and whether or not they may have to become active

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<v Speaker 2>in combat in the Middle East once again, as we

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<v Speaker 2>cast an eye on Iran, which still has yet to

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<v Speaker 2>retaliate against Israel, and wait for a progress on a

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<v Speaker 2>potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. That of course, is

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<v Speaker 2>something Joe Biden wants to achieve with the remaining time

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<v Speaker 2>as president. He spoke about that on the convention floor

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<v Speaker 2>last night. Just take a listen briefly to his words.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll keep working to bring hostages home and and the

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<v Speaker 1>war on Gossam bring pieces occurred in the life. We're

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<v Speaker 1>working around the clock. My Secretary of State, rent a

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<v Speaker 1>wider war and REU and I hostages to their families,

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<v Speaker 1>and surge humanitarian health and food assistance into Gaza. Now

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<v Speaker 1>then the civilian suffering of the Palace Indian people, and finally, finally,

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<v Speaker 1>finally deliver a cease firing in this war.

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<v Speaker 2>Now Israel, of course has accepted this bridge cease file

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<v Speaker 2>proposal from the US, Hamas at this time has not.

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<v Speaker 2>Are you confident that it can be done or are

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<v Speaker 2>you still worried that potentially the US could get involved

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<v Speaker 2>in a deeper conflict in the Middle East.

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<v Speaker 4>No, Look, I'm very concerned, and let's just be clear,

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<v Speaker 4>not in our national security interests to be drawn into

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<v Speaker 4>another massive war in the Middle East. It's not in

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<v Speaker 4>our interests in terms of our big picture problems around

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<v Speaker 4>the globe, like focusing on China, where the focus should

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<v Speaker 4>be for US national security right now. Of course, there's

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<v Speaker 4>already a hot war in Ukraine that could spill over

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<v Speaker 4>into Europe. The last thing we need is to get

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<v Speaker 4>bogged down in the Middle East. That would be a

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<v Speaker 4>gift the sieging thing in China, in Vladimir Putin in Europe.

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<v Speaker 4>We also we also want to make sure by the

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<v Speaker 4>way that in the Middle East we reach a resolution

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<v Speaker 4>that enables us to truly have peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

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<v Speaker 4>And we should agree on some common points here. First

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<v Speaker 4>of all, Israel needs to not just end this war,

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<v Speaker 4>but actually win it. Actually defeat Hamas. You can't have

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<v Speaker 4>a terrorist organization running Gaza, but they need to do

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<v Speaker 4>that in a way that has a political endgame that

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<v Speaker 4>both sides can buy into, that can truly bring peace.

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<v Speaker 4>Prime Minister yet Yah who hasn't articulated that yet. So

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<v Speaker 4>this is a complicated situation in some ways because the

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<v Speaker 4>players have made it so complicated. But it shouldn't be.

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<v Speaker 4>We should be able to find a lot of common

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<v Speaker 4>ground here. Let's defeat Hamas, Let's stop killing civilians, Let's

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<v Speaker 4>have a durable peace plan that it is politically acceptable

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<v Speaker 4>to both Palestinians and Israelis, and ultimately that not only

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<v Speaker 4>brings peace to the Mid least it make sure that

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<v Speaker 4>the United States doesn't have to have troops on the ground.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, there is a fear, if not an expectation, that

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<v Speaker 3>Iran is going to retaliate militarily against Israel for the

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<v Speaker 3>killings of the leader of Hamas and the official from Hesbolah.

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<v Speaker 3>That means that once again, after what we saw in April,

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<v Speaker 3>American airmen sailors could actually be in a direct head

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<v Speaker 3>to head combat, essentially knocking down missiles out of the air,

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<v Speaker 3>shooting at drones, we're getting very close to a direct

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<v Speaker 3>engagement in that world with Iran. How nervous does that

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<v Speaker 3>make you?

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<v Speaker 4>That's right, And the Republicans have attacked President Biden for

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<v Speaker 4>trying to de escalate the situation. Let me just be clear.

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<v Speaker 4>De escalating the situation is exactly in our interests right

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<v Speaker 4>now because we do not want to be in a

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<v Speaker 4>shooting war with Iran. We do not want to be

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<v Speaker 4>putting us lives at risk here now. Does Iran need

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<v Speaker 4>to be deterred from further action, Yes, absolutely, But this

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<v Speaker 4>is a complex negotiation going on here, and we want

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<v Speaker 4>to have fundamentally peace between Israelis and Palestinians so that

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<v Speaker 4>Iran doesn't have the motive to continue these attacks. Let's

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<v Speaker 4>also not forget that Israel has a serious problem on

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<v Speaker 4>its northern border with Hesbola, and I think that's a

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<v Speaker 4>particularly complex situation. There's not an easy answer there. Israel

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<v Speaker 4>has already seen one hundred thousand of its citizens displaced.

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<v Speaker 4>They need to be able to go back to their

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<v Speaker 4>homes in peace. So you know, there's a reason why

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<v Speaker 4>the United States is having a role in the peace

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<v Speaker 4>process here and why we're trying to stay out of

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<v Speaker 4>a direct conflict that would fundamentally draw us into a war.

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<v Speaker 2>Congressman, it's great to have your expertise as a member

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<v Speaker 2>of the Armed Services Committee. Of course, given your own

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<v Speaker 2>experience in the region. Congressman Seth Milton of Massachusetts, joy

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<v Speaker 2>your time in Chicago. Sir, we appreciate having you