Latest / The Stan R. Mitchell Show / The Middle East teeters on edge; Trump meets with Zelenskyy

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The Middle East teeters on edge; Trump meets with Zelenskyy · The Stan R. Mitchell Show

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, welcome to The View from the Front.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Stan, and I'm thrilled you all have joined me.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: As a reminder, I have timestamps for every topic that we're covering in this episode.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: So if there's a piece of news you want to jump to,
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: or maybe later you want to share that with a friend,
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: you can easily find that segment in the timestamps and let your friend know.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Or even better, help me out and share it on social media.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: And with that out of the way, let's get started.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Let's begin with some feedback from a listener this past week of the last episode.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: This feedback came from a lady from Sweden, actually, who was listening on YouTube.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: I should mention that the podcast episodes are now back on YouTube,
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: so the audience there has been slowly but surely starting to grow a bit.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: But this young lady, if I'm pronouncing her name right, is named Maria Bingsom.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: I believe I said that correctly.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: I apologize, Maria, if that's not correct.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: I am from the southern part of the United States, so we don't often get our words correct.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: But Maria made a great comment that I just wanted to read.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: She writes...
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that more and more journalists and YouTube reporters will begin to
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: understand that 2020 century war tactics and military opinions on how winning or
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: losing in reality look different than one might believe.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: She goes on to say on the Eastern Front,
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: if Ukraine is slowly retreating and saving a lot of soldiers,
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: but at the same time killing 800 to 1500 Russians every single day,
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: not to mention a lot of equipment,
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: tanks,
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: artillery and Russian ammunition.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: If Russia were a democratic country,
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: domestic and international media would have been reporting on these disastrous attacks,
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: on the inhumane tactics and the treatment of their own soldiers.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: all without any serious success.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: They would have asked the leaders why they were doing it,
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: and the people would have stopped fighting a long time ago.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Why is anyone even suggesting that Russia is winning,
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: when in fact they are losing big time in every category except for a bit of heavily
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: mined and unusable land?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: We must have trust in the Ukrainian armed forces and the spirit of the Ukrainians,
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: They are protecting us all and our democracies from the evil dictator Vladimir Putin and his enablers.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Slava Ukrani from Sweden.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that was from Maria Bingsom, if I said that correctly, so hopefully I did.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for that comment, Maria.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: Do try my best to keep attention on the fighting that's happening in Ukraine,
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: especially here in the West.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Our attention often drifts, and that will forever be something that rankles and upsets me.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: So I am proud to do my small part to try to keep some attention on the situation in Ukraine.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I appreciate that Maria over in Sweden is apparently enjoying the podcast.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I do believe it was last year,
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think I reported it on the podcast episode at like the turn of the year,
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: whatever the anniversary was,
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: that one of the...
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Largest countries listening was like Denmark and it was it was a lot for a little
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: guy like myself to be like,
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: wow,
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: people are listening to me overseas,
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: which we all know podcasts are worldwide,
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: but it's easily it's easy to forget that sometimes because I often in my mind think that.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: You know,
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: maybe this is geared mostly for service members or prior service members in the
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_00: United States,
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: and I forget that in a lot of countries what happens in the United States affects them,
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: and so therefore the audience that you might have if you talk about the military or U.S.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: politics or anything happening in America is actually much wider than
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because what we do here truly does matter.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Our country's actions, our decisions of where to intervene, where to ignore, etc.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: All those things have huge dividends for the entire world.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think in America, we often forget that.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Especially when we get...
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: pulled into our very small politics,
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: we forget that in many ways we are the dominant force in the world,
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: and China's obviously quickly becoming that other big power,
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: but our actions or inactions truly do matter.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Again, thanks for your comment, Maria.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you putting those kind words out there and that you care about Ukraine as well and Sweden.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: That's one of the inspiring things is that this has been a worldwide effort from
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: countries as small as Malta to South Korea to South America.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: The entire world has been horrified about what Russia is doing in Ukraine.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: and the entire world is working together to help stop it, and it's an inspiring thing to see.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: While we are speaking on administrative notes,
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: I did want to mention that I actually did something since last week,
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: and that is I did launch another podcast.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's called The Search for God.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: and the first episode is out.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've got a bunch more planned, so I'll put a link to that in the podcast notes.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you enjoy the part toward the end where I share scripture or talk about Jesus
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: and the Bible,
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: you will probably want to check that out,
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: so I will put that link in the episode notes.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Let's move now to the biggest news that has happened since last week, which is
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: All of the news happening in the Middle East,
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: between especially Israel,
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hezbollah to the north,
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: and Iran.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: And it began with Israel bombing and killing the leader of Hezbollah up in the
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: north in Beirut,
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: Lebanon,
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: however you want to describe it.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: The leader of Hezbollah is Hassan Nasrallah.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to share several pieces of just some leaders sharing what might be
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: some of the consequences of that strike.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think they're kind of informative.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: And clearly Iran has counterattacked or attacked Israel since that attack.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll definitely get into that,
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: but you can't really get into the bigger news of Iran hitting Israel back until we
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: discuss the strike on Nasrallah and the impact of that.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Just what a big deal it was, what people are saying, and just get some context of that.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then we'll move into what the Iranians did since then.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to start by reading this statement from President Biden.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: But before I do,
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to remind you that Hezbollah was responsible for that massive barracks
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: bombing of the U.S.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: Marine Corps in Beirut, Lebanon back in 1983.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: So that's clearly been a while ago.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I think most people will remember that it's almost 40 years ago,
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: but President Reagan was in charge of the country back then.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: The Marines were barely allowed to defend themselves under all kinds of just absurd rules of engagement.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: The military learned a lot, but sadly, 241 U.S.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: military personnel died, including 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: three soldiers, and then minutes later, a second suicide bomber killed 58 French paratroopers.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Of course,
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: the French and the Marines were trying to establish some peace in the middle of a
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: very bloody and just nasty war.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Civil War.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: So Hezbollah has a lot of blood on its hands.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: So let me read what that scene kind of set up with that.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Let me read the statement from President Joe Biden on the death of Hassan Nasrallah,
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: who is again the head of Hezbollah.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led,
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: Hezbollah,
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror.
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  SPEAKER_00: His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims,
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: including thousands of Americans,
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: Israelis,
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: and Lebanese civilians.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: The strike that killed Nasrallah took place in the broader context of the conflict
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  SPEAKER_00: that began with Hamas' massacre on October 7,
• 9:04
  2023.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Nasrallah,
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: the next day,
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: made the fateful decision to join hands with Hamas and open what he called a
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Northern Front against Israel.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: The United States fully supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hezbollah,
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Hamas,
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: the Houthis,
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Just yesterday, I directed my Secretary of Defense to further enhance the defense posture of U.S.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: military forces in the Middle East region to deter aggression and reduce the risk
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: of a broader regional war.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Then it goes on to say that they're trying that the United States' goal is to
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: de-escalate the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: The president says he's pursuing a deal backed by the UN Security Council for a
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: ceasefire and the release of hostages inside Gaza.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's, of course, to the south and then up in the north in Lebanon.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: He said that the United States has been negotiating a deal that would return people
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: safely to their homes in Israel and southern Lebanon.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: He ends by saying it is time for these deals to close,
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  SPEAKER_00: for the threats to Israel to be removed,
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  SPEAKER_00: and for the broader Middle East region to gain greater stability.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that was a statement from the president, like most presidential statements.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't really say a whole lot,
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: but I did want to read it and just share that to kick off this little segment.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now let's move from that and really get into this topic just a tad.
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  SPEAKER_00: First, the Washington Post story that was basically like the obituary.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Let me just read the first three paragraphs of that.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's pretty well said.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's a good summary.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Hasan Nasrallah,
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: a Shiite cleric who oversaw the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah for decades and
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: became one of the most powerful and divisive leaders in the Middle East.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: revered by his followers as a savior, condemned by his foes as a terrorist, died September 26 in Beirut.
• 11:11
  SPEAKER_00: He was 64.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: The Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement that Mr.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: Nasrallah was eliminated alongside other Hezbollah commanders as it struck what it
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: called the group's central headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: Hezbollah confirmed the death, but didn't detail the cause.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: The massive airstrike leveled several residential buildings and sent plumes of
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: smoke over neighborhoods in the city's south.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Mr. Nasrallah, who transformed his Iranian-backed Shiite Islamist
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then they quote a gentleman who was the ambassador to the United States from Israel.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: He said this in 2006.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Mr. Nasrallah is the shrewdest leader in the Arab world and the most dangerous.
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  SPEAKER_00: So I think that sets up the comments that I want to share.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I should say,
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to share a gift link to the Washington Post about his life,
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: but what's interesting about that is it provides a ton of context about...
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Not only the tensions and the religious conflict inside Beirut,
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: where there are multiple different religions kind of crammed into that small country,
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: but it also gives a highlight on Mr.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Nasrallah's last 30 years.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: So I've got a free gift link from the Washington Post that you can read about, and it'll help...
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: refresh your memory of just all the tragedies that have happened in the northern
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: part of Lebanon,
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: all the fighting,
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: all the unrest,
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: the civil war,
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: all of that.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: Just a good summary.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's a free gift link if you want to take a look at that.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: Moving along,
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: let's get into a little bit more detail about Nasrallah and some of the potential
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: effects of his death.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Let me just read a couple of points that David Ignatius made in the Washington Post.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: He is a longtime distinguished foreign policy guru,
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: written a ton of books,
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: writes a weekly column,
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: sometimes more than weekly articles.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: about foreign policy for the Washington Post.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: Let me just read a couple of things he said.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: He said,
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: This is me.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to continue reading his words, actually.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: So David Ignatius writes,
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: He was a charmer, not a shouter.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: His legitimacy came from his clerical study in the holy city of Iraq,
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: which is Najaf,
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: and his riveting sermons,
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: which were televised quite often.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Just jumping down a bit, he said...
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: And he said,
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: Ignatius goes on to talk about how Nasrallah was an unyielding person and how he
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: ordered rocket attacks against Israel starting October 8th,
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: the day after Hamas's barbaric massacre of Israeli civilians on October 7th,
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: and that he basically sealed his fate on that day when Hezbollah sided with the
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: fighters down in the south with Hamas.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, good little bit of context there about him.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to share one other bit of feedback.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: This comes from a senior fellow at the Carnegie Institute and adjunct professor at
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_00: Georgetown and advisor at Aspen Institute.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_00: His name is Kareem Sajjapoor.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_00: He had a thread that went pretty viral.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to share that as well.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: He writes,
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: has been crucial to Iran's power expansion.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: He goes on to say that Arab Hezbollah has been Persian Iran's bridge to,
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: and this is what he calls,
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_00: the five failing Arab states.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Lebanon, obviously to the north.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Syria, which is just east of Israel.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yemen, obviously further south.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: Iraq.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: and Gaza, which is obviously south of Israel, that Iran has been dominating.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: Iran provides the resources,
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: but it was often Hezbollah,
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: under Nasrallah's leadership,
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: that set up and trained these proxies.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: So obviously Hezbollah was kind of almost like the middleman that was helping build
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: up these other armed parts of Iranian influence.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'll keep reading just a couple more things.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Kareem says, He quotes someone who said that Lennon once said, Which is just a great quote.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: But there are decades when absolutely nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_00: Which is probably how you feel if you've been keeping up with the Middle East lately.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_00: It feels like so much is happening so fast.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: He goes on to say, And then he shares this video that had gone viral.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: He goes on to say that, It's kind of a decent point he makes there.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then he goes on to talk about that Iran is in a position where,
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: and he wrote this before the Iranian attack that we'll talk about in just a moment,
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: but that the leader of Iran,
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: the 85-year-old supreme leader,
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_00: Ayatollah Khamenei,
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: is not a wartime leader.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: He's been ruling since 1989, which I think is kind of an important point for all of us to remember.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_00: We all know he's been there for a while.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: It feels like 20 years or something.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's 1989.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: That is a long time.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Kareem writes, And then he goes on to say,
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: By not responding strongly, he keeps losing face.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_00: By responding too strongly, he could lose his head.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like all dictators, Khomeini wants to be feared by his people.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_00: These humiliations will fuel talk about succession in Tehran.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, I'll put a link to that thread.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: There's a little bit more there that I didn't get to.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great thread.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Some great feedback and input in that.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely worth taking a look at.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_00: Following that attack on Nasrallah,
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_00: Iran responded.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: You guys have seen this in the news.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: They launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: The United States helped defend Israel.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: Many of those missiles,
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: of course,
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_00: if you saw it on social media,
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_00: it was terrifying while it was happening.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_00: Our news media didn't make that any better.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_00: As they always do, they're great at scaring the living daylights out of you.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_00: The videos of all those missiles flying toward Israel were terrifying.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: Israel had a very strong air defense.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: Two U.S.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: destroyers also helped shoot down some of those missiles.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_00: Probably some other assets,
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: but that was all that was mentioned in a Department of Defense press release.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_00: And in the end,
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_00: according to our Department of Defense and according to Israel,
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_00: there was minimal damage on the ground from this Iranian attack,
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: which again,
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: initially looked terrifying.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: But then as time passed and the damage assessment was done,
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it was seen as not that big a deal.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: In fact,
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: Congressman Adam Kinzinger said,
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine being Iran,
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: launching so many missiles,
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: and apparently failing to kill anyone except a single Palestinian.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Their deterrence was shown to be a paper tiger, similar to Russia.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: Let me share some additional commentary about that attack from Ian Brimmer,
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: longtime foreign policy hand,
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: writing in GZERO Daily.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: He wrote that the attack has shown the downfall of Hezbollah and also exposed
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_00: Iran's weakness and reshaped the Middle East.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let me share just a little of what he said.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Israel's assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last Friday didn't just
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_00: deal a crushing blow to the once fearsome Lebanese militia.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: It also exposed Iran's vulnerabilities and marked a pivotal shift in the region's balance of power.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_00: The death of Nasrallah caps several weeks of successful Israeli strikes against
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hezbollah's military capabilities and chain of command that have left the group
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: weaker than it has been in almost two decades.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: 20 years.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: So Ian Bremmer is saying Hezbollah is weaker than it's been in 20 years.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: And if you remember that Pager attack first and then all the bombings in the past
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: couple of weeks,
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: some of the figures are about 1,000 killed.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: They have really gone after some of the places where weapons are stored and all.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_00: And then they went after the entire leadership.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you look at the charts that Israel often puts out of Hezbollah's leaders,
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_00: more than three quarters of them are X'd out.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: So they've killed most of Hezbollah's leaders.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: They've also, Hezbollah is having trouble communicating because they don't trust anything right now.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_00: They're afraid cell phones might blow up or any other communication might already be,
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_00: have eavesdropping from Israel.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: So Hezbollah is in a very weakened state.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_00: And as he said, weakest it's been in two decades, and I think he's probably right for sure.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Let me read just a little bit more.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_00: Israel is now pressing its advantage with a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon,
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: the natural conclusion of the sabotage,
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: bombing,
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: and assassination campaign of the 10 days prior.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: The end goal of the operation remains the same, to clear the area...
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: south of the Latani River of Hezbollah fighters,
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_00: weapons depots,
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: and infrastructure,
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_00: in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to safely return 60,000
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_00: displaced Israelis to their homes in the north.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_00: The IDF has indicated the targeted offensive is expected to stay close to the
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: border and end within weeks,
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_00: as opposed to a more protracted occupation of extensive Lebanese territory.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: He then went on to write that Hezbollah would normally be expected to respond to
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: such an escalation with heavy missile and rocket strikes,
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: On Israeli military installations,
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_00: civilian infrastructure,
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_00: and densely populated urban areas,
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: that hasn't happened.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: At the very least, Hezbollah could be counted on to defend its strongholds in the past.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: However, Israel's ground offensive has met virtually no resistance thus far.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: While Hezbollah retains a significant fighting force,
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: an entrenched arsenal of precision-guided weapons,
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: and an ability to rebuild over the long term,
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_00: the group is in such disarray that it's hard to imagine it mustering the capacity
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_00: or command to mount a response that passes the cost-benefit test at this time.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then he says this, which is just mind-blowing.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's become even harder to imagine Iran, its patron...
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_00: reacting sharply to Israel's escalations and risking a regional war that could draw
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: the United States into the fight.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: He then goes on to say that he doesn't see a whole lot of options that Iran has
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: without potentially risking its nuclear weapons,
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: which,
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: of course,
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: Iran fears that Israel and or the United States might strike.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, Ian Brimmer writes that
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Middle East has been completely reshaped,
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: which is a strong statement,
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: but I think anyone watching it,
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: it does kind of feel that way.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_00: And so the death of Nasrallah,
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_00: this,
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: again,
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_00: weak strike from Iran that did very little damage,
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_00: it's done a lot to weaken the image of Iran.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then, of course, Iran is being led by a very...
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: elderly 80 plus year old leader who may not want to be a part of some major campaign,
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_00: but will also feel pressure to do so.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: So wanted to share all that,
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: but then I want to give you a little bit different perspective that I heard as well.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: As you guys know, I try to share as many perspectives as possible.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_00: I don't ever try to claim to have all the answers.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: And anyone who says they know what's going to happen in the Middle East is absolutely incorrect.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: No one knows what's going to happen.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just want to share as many options as possible because I think the more
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: information you have,
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_00: usually the more rational and calm you are about a subject.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let me set this up first with some great reporting from NBC News from inside
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: Lebanon itself,
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_00: and then I'll share just a bit more.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_03: Let's bring in NBC News international correspondent Matt Bradley live from Beirut.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_03: Matt, what's the latest?
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, as you can see, we're right on the coast here.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_02: And actually,
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_02: for the past two weeks,
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_02: we've had a front row seat to the neighborhood of Dahia and a terrifying view of
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_02: what is the continuing Israeli assault against this Shiite-majority neighborhood in
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_02: southern Beirut or just in the suburbs of it.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_02: This is a Shiite,
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_02: this is a Hezbollah stronghold,
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_02: and this is where we saw on Friday the enormous explosion or series of explosions
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_02: from those 2,000-pound bombs.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_02: bunker buster bombs that killed Hassan Nasrallah,
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_02: and according to the Israelis,
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_02: about 20 other top officials of Hezbollah.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_02: And we've been hearing of all of these bombardments that have been going on all across the country.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_02: We're back at that familiar point where it looks as though the Israelis are continuing to attack.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_02: Hezbollah continuing to fire into Israel.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_02: And now we just got a report from Hezbollah saying that they have actually engaged
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_02: Israeli troops within Lebanese territories over the blue line.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_02: This means that it looks as though there is this actual,
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_02: a real expression of that ground invasion by the Israelis.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_02: And that is something that everybody is looking at.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_02: Could this get worse?
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_02: The Israelis have said that Beirut is not on the table for a ground invasion.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_02: So it looks unlikely that we're going to see Israeli tanks rolling through the
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_02: streets of Beirut as they did during the civil war.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_02: But guys, you know, this is a situation that absorbs the rest of the Arab world and the Middle East.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_02: this small beautiful diverse country it rarely affects other countries so much as
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_02: it takes the blows of what's going on elsewhere and during last time when we saw
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_02: all of those uh iranian missiles going over into israel we caught one glimpse of
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_02: one from here but what we really saw was celebratory gunfire being fired from this
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: neighborhood of dahiya into the sky tracer fire
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_02: that showed that the people here who support Hezbollah were so cheered by what they
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_02: saw as Iran punishing Israel,
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_02: even though,
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_02: as you said,
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_02: that punishment didn't really land.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_02: Now the situation here is just one of waiting.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_02: It's kind of reached an impasse for Lebanon and for the rest of the Middle East.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_02: The ball is now in Israel's court.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_02: But whatever they decide to do, the problem for Lebanon is that there is likely to be an effect here.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_02: This is where Hezbollah is based, Iran's cat's paw in the Middle East that faces Israel.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: There is so much fear here that what they've already endured is about to get so much worse.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_03: All right.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_03: NBC's Matt Bradley reporting live from Beirut.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for that report.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: And now that we have it set up a little bit better,
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: let me share that other view that I wanted to,
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: that I mentioned earlier.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_00: The first person that speaks is Admiral Stravitas, obviously a retired four-star naval officer.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: I've quoted him before.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_00: The second one that speaks a little further in is Richard Haass,
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: American diplomat,
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: was the president of the Council of Foreign Relations for like almost 20 years.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: Both of them far wiser than me.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: So this clip's just a tad long than what I would normally share,
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_00: but they go through the range of options that might be on Israel's table and
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: possible repercussions as well.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's a really,
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: really insightful piece that I think you'll enjoy hearing,
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: and I think you'll feel way more informed after this,
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: and then we will very quickly after that move on.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_00: But let me share this.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_02: What are the consequences of a regional war between Iran and Israel?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_02: They're enormous.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_02: Let's start with the economics.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_02: If I'm in Tehran and the Israelis,
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_02: quote,
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_02: go big,
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: unquote,
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_02: one thing I'm going to consider is closing this trade of Hormuz.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_02: 30% plus of the world's oil goes through there.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_02: Secondly, Hezbollah, although battered, still has an inventory of over 100,000 people.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_02: surface-to-surface missiles that could be unleashed at Israel.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_02: And Iron Dome is quite good, but it can be overwhelmed.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_02: Thirdly,
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_02: Iran launched about 180 ballistic missiles, about twice what they did in the April strike.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_02: The Israelis, with some help from the admiral, says U.S.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_02: Navy destroyers were able to shoot those down.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_02: Iran still has 2,000 ballistic missiles.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_02: That's the strongest part of their arsenal.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_02: So I think the idea of rushing into a,
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_02: quote,
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_02: go big,
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_02: unquote,
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_02: conflict with Iran on the part of Israel,
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_02: a nation of,
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_02: let's say,
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_02: 10 million,
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_02: 7 million Jews,
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_02: Iran's population is 90 million.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_02: It's a big country with a lot of capability.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_02: So my advice would be exercise some caution here and work along that spectrum of
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: response that kind of goes from cyber,
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_02: non-kinetic,
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_02: special forces,
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_02: cruise missiles,
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_02: nautical,
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_02: go after the energy infrastructure,
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_02: but do it in a
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_02: a defined, precise way.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_02: A wider war is going to crack the global economy, for starters.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not sure that's in anybody's interest.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_02: And final thought, you know, I'll quote from the greatest book of leadership ever written, Joe.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_02: You know it.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's The Godfather by Mario Puzo.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_02: Of course.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_02: And in it, the Don says, don't make the mistake of hating your enemies.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_02: It clouds your judgment.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_02: This is a time for real judgment.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_02: So Richard Haass, that Wall Street Journal op-ed effectively says, if not now, when?
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: That Iran has opened itself up to attacks on its nuclear facilities and military
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_02: targets inside the borders of Iran.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_02: What do you suspect after the attack of yesterday from Iran sending those rockets
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: into Israel,
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_02: what comes next?
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_02: I believe Iran basically made a fateful decision.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_02: They decided that not acting would be costly.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_02: They may have tried to thread the needle like they did in April,
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: do just enough so they can say retaliate and not enough to trigger an Israeli response.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_02: But look, I take people at their word.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_02: I think the Israelis will respond.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: and a minimum i think to go after storage sites maybe production facilities at a
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_02: lot of the systems that iran is producing either for themselves or for hezbollah
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_02: and others my expectation is united states will probably push back maybe against
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: attacking oil facilities uh in part because we don't we
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_02: We're not anxious to see a larger energy-related war,
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_02: for example,
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_02: or the Admiral correctly said about the Straits.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_02: They could also, like in the past, go after the Saudi oil facilities.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think that's something that could be – well,
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_02: to me,
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_02: the real question,
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_02: really,
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_02: is whether the Israelis use this as an opportunity to go after the nuclear program Iran.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_02: Some of it's exposed.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_02: Some of it's not.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_02: That's a big issue.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_02: And if they do go after Iran – let me just make another guess –
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think regime change is something that's easily brought about.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_02: The Prime Minister of Israel is talking about it.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_02: History suggests probably not.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_02: But one interesting question is if Israel attacks Iran,
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_02: as I think they will,
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_02: will that persuade the Iranians that now is the time they really do need a nuclear
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_02: weapons program in order to prevent such things in the future?
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_02: So I actually think we're at what could be seen in retrospect as a massive turning
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_02: point for the Middle East.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: So Richard, you mentioned...
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_02: You mentioned the April attack,
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_02: which was perceived as sort of showy,
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_02: playing,
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_02: Iran playing a domestic audience,
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_02: but relatively easily defeated.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_02: There were some echoes of that yesterday.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_02: After April,
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_02: President Biden told Prime Minister Netanyahu,
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_02: take the win,
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_02: take the win,
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_02: that,
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_02: you know,
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_02: U.S.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_02: helped you defeat this attack, you know, don't overdo it.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_02: And Israel launched an important but strategic attack response, but relatively limited response.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_02: We know right now that they're debating what to do next.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_02: But if the president,
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_02: Biden,
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_02: tries to urge them again,
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_02: take the win,
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_02: be modest,
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_02: be cautious,
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: do we have any sense that Prime Minister Netanyahu will listen?
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_02: Short answer, it's unlikely.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_02: And indeed, Jake Sullivan wasn't saying take the win.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_02: I actually thought
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_02: What was interesting about the administration,
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_02: which has sent a lot of mixed messages about seeking ceasefires in Lebanon and all that,
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_02: the Israelis are not looking for a ceasefire in the north.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_02: They're going to continue to go after the inventory of Hamas.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_02: They've already probably reduced it significantly, but they've got a long ways to go.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I don't think they're prepared to take the win.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_02: They don't see it as win.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_02: Iran has now attacked Israel twice.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_02: Neither time with great effect,
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_02: but that is probably a precedent the Israelis have decided they can't live with.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I think the real influence of the administration is shaping potentially the
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_02: attack and agreeing on what the scale and the target set.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_02: But I don't think this time it's likely the Israelis essentially swallow what the Iranians did.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, hopefully you enjoyed that.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: You feel more informed.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: I don't really think I can throw more news from the Middle East to you after all of that.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: I typically try to stay out of the smaller Israeli stuff.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: As you know, I haven't really covered after the October attacks against Israel down in
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: Gaza,
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't really gotten into it week to week because it's just something that a lot
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: of times just kind of grinds on.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: The news this week has been so big.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: It has affected American troops.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: There is the threat of it growing larger and our own American troops.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: Western media has blown all of this out of proportion so badly that I felt like I
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: needed to really go in depth on some of this stuff.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I really hope you enjoyed that.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: I also hope that if you didn't care about any of that,
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_00: which is hard for me to imagine,
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: but if you didn't,
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: that you just used the timestamps and that you jumped forward.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_00: We'll take a quick break.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: When we get back, we're going to cover Ukraine and a couple other things I think you'll find interesting.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, guys, if you're enjoying the show, there are several ways you can support it.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Help me grow it into something bigger with more frequency and just get you guys
• 36:51
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• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: You can subscribe through Substack.
• 36:55
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• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: If you'd like to support, you can do for five dollars per month.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great way.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've got a link to that in the episode notes.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: Also, Patreon, if you're on there, that's another way to support.
• 37:08
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• 37:09
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• 37:12
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• 37:15
  SPEAKER_00: Only do this if you've enjoyed it for a while.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are,
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_00: as we like to say in the church,
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: giving cheerfully,
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_00: if it's something you want to do,
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: that's great.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: If not,
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: hey,
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: just share a link,
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: drop a review wherever you're listening,
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: especially if it's Apple or Spotify.
• 37:29
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• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: We've now been doing this for more than two years,
• 37:34
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• 37:35
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• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: So a short little review.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_00: Throw five stars on there if you're enjoying the show.
• 37:41
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• 37:48
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• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk Ukraine news.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_00: And to set up this segment,
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to share a great video that I saw the other day,
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: 60 seconds about why you should care for Ukraine.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_00: And this is just a quick little thing that I try to rally those who listen to have
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: little tidbits that they can share with people who have genuine questions about.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: about why are we helping Ukraine,
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_00: I like to provide you with some,
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_00: hey,
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_00: here's some things you can share to explain to them.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_00: And this is a great little explainer video.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's only 60 seconds long that I think helps highlight why this fight there is so critical.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to start, I want to set things up for this section by just sharing this.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's from a guy named Ryan McBeth.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_02: The war in Ukraine isn't just about Ukraine.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_02: There's this post on Twitter from War Monitor where War Monitor asked,
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_02: why are some Americans so divided in their support for Ukraine?
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_02: And the reason is that most Americans don't understand that the war in Ukraine isn't just about Ukraine.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_02: It's also about China.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_02: The fact is that if the U.S.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_02: or NATO won't support a nation that's in Europe that is connected by rail and air networks,
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_02: they're not going to support a nation that is 6,300 miles or 10,000 or so
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_02: kilometers from anybody else.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_02: but china the people's republic of china intends to take taiwan by force either in
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_02: 2027 or maybe in 2030.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_02: americans have always stood up for democracy and we have a choice between an
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_02: authoritarian future where the authoritarian nations like china and russia are in
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_02: charge or a future where western nations who believe in democracy are in charge
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_02: what kind of future do you want to see for your children
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_02: Because China is watching how we respond.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_02: And if we don't give Ukraine the tools to finish the fight, our children will be fighting China.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_00: I thought that was a great summary and a great reminder of what's at stake here.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so I've got some potentially good news since last week.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_00: If you recall, last week we talked about some of the comments former President Trump was saying.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_00: Two different sets of comments, not very good.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_00: And besides that, he was saying he would not meet with Zelensky.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_00: Zelensky wanted to meet with him and with Kamala Harris, and he would not do it.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_00: And he was making comments that you may recall that sounded like this.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_02: We will, we will, he's been saying that for three years.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: And then he also said this.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_02: Ukraine is...
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_02: gone.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's not Ukraine anymore.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_02: You can never replace those cities and towns and you can never replace the dead people,
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_02: so many dead people.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now,
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_00: if by chance this is your first time ever listening to the show,
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: I played two different longer clips from him last week and I provided some counter
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: commentary that I really think you should go listen.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_00: Just I play his clips in full.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_00: You can hear his side of the argument.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then I also shared some counterpoints.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_00: As I said, there are timestamps.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_00: Please, just go take a listen to last week's episode.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's really good,
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_00: it's really timely,
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: and it's still important,
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_00: because depending on who wins will obviously affect Ukraine's future.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: Now, since the last episode, clearly something has happened.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: Trump, all week long, said he would not meet with Zelensky.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: He doesn't like the guy.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's no secret.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: He obviously mocked him last week.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_00: They have a history.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: They have the perfect phone call.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_00: There's an impeachment.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of history.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: If you have no idea what I'm talking about, listen to last week's episode.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: I beg of you.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Now, by Friday, something had changed.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_00: What changed?
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if I had to guess.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_00: I believe Trump saw numbers from his polling folks who said,
• 41:54
  SPEAKER_00: hey,
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_00: you're getting hammered on Ukraine because we all know at least five or 10 percent
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_00: of the Republican Party,
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: perhaps a larger amount of their GOP voters support Ukraine.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_00: And thank the Lord for that.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_00: But I think he saw terrible numbers coming in.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: and his advisor said, Mr. President, you need to meet with Zelensky.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so Trump somehow decided to change his mind, and he did meet with Zelensky.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: They met last week.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very glad that they did.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_00: I give a tremendous amount of credit to Zelensky for even wanting to meet with Trump.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'll be honest, after what happened the first time,
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_00: I would, if it were me, I would not want to meet with Trump.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_00: I would be afraid that he would be setting something up as far as maybe trying to
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_00: record something or make me look stupid.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just speaking for myself.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_00: I would not want that meeting.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're a better person than me.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_00: But we know that from phone calls to Georgia,
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_00: from phone calls to Ukraine,
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_00: we know that President Trump,
• 43:01
  SPEAKER_00: even if we're former President Trump,
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_00: I want to make sure I'm very clear on that because some people hear that and they
• 43:06
  SPEAKER_00: immediately think that I'm saying he's the current president.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry, I'm not that crazy.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_00: But we all know that Donald Trump.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_00: If you like him, hate him, whatever.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_00: He pushes hard in meetings.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_00: I would not want to go into a meeting with him,
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_00: with all of his advisors,
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: without plenty of witnesses and cameras myself.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_00: But apparently Zelensky went into this meeting alone with Trump again.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_00: So I give a lot of credit to Zelensky for even doing that.
• 43:40
  SPEAKER_00: They came out.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_00: They kind of gave a joint statement.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_00: It mostly went well.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_00: I am glad that Zelensky met with Trump.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_00: I would love for Trump to be more supportive of Ukraine.
• 43:53
  SPEAKER_00: I don't really have much more to say to that.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just thankful that political realities are enough on the ground still that
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_00: Trump does feel pressure to help Ukraine defend itself from this third invasion of Russia.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now I want to share just a little bit that's come out since then that I didn't share last week.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_00: Again,
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_00: if you haven't heard any of this setup,
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: give me and what I did last week the benefit of the doubt by just jumping to last
• 44:23
  SPEAKER_00: week's episode,
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: jump to that timestamp,
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_00: listen to the 5 or 10 minutes or whatever that amount was,
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_00: get the background,
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: and then come back right here,
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_00: the 44 minute mark in like 31 seconds.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I think I'm just going to share two additional things since last week because I
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_00: care passionately about Ukraine.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: This is a pivotal national security topic that affects more than just Ukraine.
• 44:45
  SPEAKER_00: It also affects China.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: It affects the entire future of this country.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_00: And in many ways, it affects the future of the world because whether the U.S.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: continues to intervene to prevent countries such as Russia or China from
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_00: aggressively bullying and invading their neighbors...
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: is going to affect tens of millions of people,
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_00: and literally the American people have a choice to make in a month on which
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: direction they go.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_00: Am I telling you how to vote?
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_00: Am I telling you how I'm going to vote?
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: What I'm trying to say here is that we need enough people who are informed and
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_00: passionate about this,
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_00: that regardless of who is elected,
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_00: that there is enough pressure to help Ukraine be armed and defended.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_00: to have enough pressure so that China sees,
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_00: hey,
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_00: the American people on both sides of the aisle,
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_00: in enough numbers,
• 45:44
  SPEAKER_00: 60 plus percent or whatever that number is,
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_00: support defending Taiwan,
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_00: are not happy about how we treated Hong Kong,
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_00: have seen the things that we're doing as a country and we need to be concerned.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_00: They perhaps support terrorists or other things.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_00: We need China to be concerned.
• 46:02
  SPEAKER_00: So that is my overall goal and what I'm trying to do here.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_00: So with that out of the way,
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_00: let me share,
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_00: I thought,
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_00: a very interesting clip that came out in the past week.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_00: The person you're about to hear speak is the former ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul.
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_00: To be transparent and upfront,
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_00: he is not a fan of former President Trump,
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_00: but he is an expert on Russia and was stationed there for many years.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_01: I want to show you again all of this in Trump's own words, Ambassador McFaul.
• 46:36
  SPEAKER_01: Here's Trump refusing to say on a debate stage that Ukraine must prevail against
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_01: our shared enemy,
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_01: Vladimir Putin.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_02: I want to ask you a very simple question tonight.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_02: Do you want Ukraine to win this war?
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_02: I want the war to stop.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_02: I'll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_02: If I'm president-elect, I'll get it done before even becoming president.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_01: So,
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_01: Ambassador,
• 47:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean,
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_01: the news made around the world there is that he can't say that he wants Ukraine to
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_01: win because he doesn't.
• 47:10
  SPEAKER_01: Just talk about how tectonic is the only word I can grab to describe what a shift that is in U.S.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_01: foreign policy,
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_01: that we now have someone not hiding the fact that he's rooting for Russia in a war
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_01: against our ally,
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_01: Ukraine.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_02: Tectonic is a good word.
• 47:27
  SPEAKER_02: We've never had a president like this,
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_02: a president that openly endorses appeasement,
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_02: as you were just talking about,
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_02: has learned the lessons of the 1930s and 40s.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_02: By the way, the horrible times for America.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_02: But secondly, you know, he seems to forget that he was president for four years.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_02: There was a war in Donbass the entire time.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_02: Putin was occupying Crimea the entire time, and he did nothing to stop that war.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_02: Nothing.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_02: And so why should anybody believe that when he becomes president-elect,
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_02: Vladimir Putin's going to pick up the phone and do whatever he thinks he wants him
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_02: to do?
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_02: It's just not going to happen.
• 48:08
  SPEAKER_02: But the main thing that he's been consistent on is he supports Putin.
• 48:12
  SPEAKER_02: He supports the autocrat.
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_02: He supports the imperial invader of Ukraine.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_02: And Kamala Harris, Vice President Harris, supports democratic Ukraine.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I think,
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_02: therefore,
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_02: American voters have a really clear choice about what president they think will
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_02: defend American interests and values.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_00: As you heard there,
• 48:31
  SPEAKER_00: Ambassador McFaul makes the great point that there wasn't a peace plan put forward
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_00: when Trump was president before,
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_00: and it is going to be exceedingly difficult.
• 48:43
  SPEAKER_00: The reality is, as much as I'm a cheerleader of Ukraine, the war is very difficult right now.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_00: Russia continues to gain ground.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: Putin inside Russia isn't feeling a lot of pressure from what we can tell from the
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_00: outside to stop the war.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_00: They're talking about an additional call-up.
• 49:04
  SPEAKER_00: This is a very difficult time for Ukraine.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_00: And Russia has very little incentive to stop the war.
• 49:14
  SPEAKER_00: They are slowly but surely gaining ground.
• 49:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, they will have a hard time replacing armor and some of their equipment.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I can make the case for why Ukraine will hold out and maybe even win.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm telling you, it's a very challenging thing for Ukraine.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_00: And every time we show American weakness,
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_00: when we don't send additional ammunition and arms like we did for six months back
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_00: earlier this year,
• 49:40
  SPEAKER_00: that leads to literally people in Ukraine dying immediately.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now,
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: you often hear the argument from some who don't support helping Ukraine be armed to
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_00: defend itself that we're extending the war or that we're killing or murdering Ukrainians,
• 49:58
  SPEAKER_00: and that's insane.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_00: And the Ukrainian people want to defend themselves.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_00: They have valiantly been fighting the Russians for the past two years and really
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_00: going all the way back to 2014 before that for 10 years.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_00: Just like our own American Revolution to get our own freedom,
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_00: they have been trying to break away from Russian influence for 10 plus years and
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: three different invasions as I've described numerous times on here.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Ukrainian people want freedom.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_00: They want those who are in occupied territories to be free.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_00: They want their kids back that have been abducted.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_00: They are the ones who want to fight.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_00: And all they're asking for is, hey, we will deal with the Russians.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_00: We will fight this country that's vastly larger than us if you will help arm us.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_00: Please, that's all we're asking.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_00: And as I've said so many times,
• 50:46
  SPEAKER_00: we're only sending older weapons that were mostly decommissioned or about to be
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_00: decommissioned there.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_00: And then we are using most of that money to buy new weaponry that we will need
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_00: against China if China continues down the path it's going down.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's a win-win.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_00: So it's...
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_00: It's frustrating when you see online arguments that I don't think are very honest,
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_00: so I'll try my best to address those each week.
• 51:13
  SPEAKER_00: I want to share one more clip while we're on this topic that I think you will find interesting.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: This is from retired General McChrystal, and it talks about the challenges of...
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: any type of peace agreement happening because again the russians do not want peace
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_00: right now vladimir putin has almost no incentive to have some kind of peace deal he
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_00: will only have that incentive when he comes and hits a brick wall knows he cannot
• 51:38
  SPEAKER_00: take more ground knows he is for sure not winning and that the cost exceed the
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_00: benefit again here are his comments on that subject
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_02: You can make an argument that Ukraine is not a strategic national interest for the United States.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_02: I cannot accept an argument that Europe is not.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_02: And yet if Ukraine falls to Russian aggression,
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_02: even a significant part of it,
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_02: the Baltic states and our NATO alliance is going to be increasingly threatened and
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_02: I would argue weakened.
• 52:07
  SPEAKER_02: And I think long term, that's much against our interest.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_02: Is it credible that as Trump says that he could cut a deal to end the war in Ukraine?
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_02: I would doubt that.
• 52:19
  SPEAKER_02: But if he has a deal, I don't know.
• 52:22
  SPEAKER_02: He doesn't talk about details,
• 52:23
  SPEAKER_02: as we just discussed with Senator Cotton,
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_02: but he's claiming he can cut a deal.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_02: Would Vice President Harris, you think, be able to end the war between Russia and Ukraine?
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's going to be difficult to end this war.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_02: I personally think we need to support Ukraine as strong as we can so that their
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_02: sovereignty is protected as we come out.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, hopefully you enjoyed that clip as well and it helped form your own opinions of it.
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_00: I don't claim to know everything and so I'm just trying to do my small part to help
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_00: a country that has endured so much just horror the past two years and really going
• 53:03
  SPEAKER_00: way back before that.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_00: I will say I had other things I wanted to share this week in news,
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_00: and unfortunately I am well past midnight,
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_00: and as my long-time listeners know,
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_00: I do work a day job,
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_00: and so I am doing this,
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_00: hopefully,
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_00: I hope anyway,
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_00: for the right reasons and partly for the glory of God,
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_00: because I do like to share scripture at the end.
• 53:27
  SPEAKER_00: I also want to reach out to the veteran community, talk about PTSD at the end, always do that.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_00: But I also want to inform Americans because I do believe that what I'm doing here is important.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_00: I do believe foreign policy is something that,
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_00: whether you're on the left or the right,
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_00: we can come together and talk sensibly about without yelling and screaming at each other.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_00: These are topics that matter.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so often, just an ounce of prevention can save a pound of cure, as the saying goes.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: Just saying the right things as a country, showing the right kind of backbone, can prevent so many wars.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you study your history,
• 54:05
  SPEAKER_00: the Korean conflict,
• 54:07
  SPEAKER_00: one politician in an important position made one comment and didn't include...
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_00: an important part of our defense strategy that involved Korea and that allowed
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_00: North Korea to think they had a green light.
• 54:23
  SPEAKER_00: So many times, little things like that, they lead to big consequences.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I like to try to inform the American people as best I can on some things that,
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_00: in my opinion,
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_00: the media does a terrible job of doing.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_00: The media ignores foreign policy until it's almost about to happen and then it's
• 54:40
  SPEAKER_00: just flashing graphics and how many casualties and how bad will this be and
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_00: what's our exit strategy before we even go in or even consider doing anything.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm trying to do my small part to change things.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_00: And so anyway, I've given it all I've got and I'm rambling now.
• 54:58
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get to the next section.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, let's get to the best part of the show.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_00: As you know, life is hard and sometimes you just need to hear something that will lift you up.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_00: So,
• 55:09
  SPEAKER_00: every episode I like to share just a few verses from the Bible or some quotes that
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_00: touch on the Bible or Jesus.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_00: Just because,
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_00: as you guys know,
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_00: my Christian faith has become such a source of strength and wisdom lately.
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_00: calm for me during the past couple of years since losing my mom and then now worry
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_00: an awful lot about my dad and his pretty serious memory problems,
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_00: so I'm betting that You might have something going on That's kind of challenging in
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_00: your life or that you're worried about or if you don't I know you're wise enough to
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_00: know that it's coming unfortunately in life we are going to go through some
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_00: challenging things and
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_00: And so I hope by sharing these,
• 55:48
  SPEAKER_00: it might encourage you a bit to get into your Bible,
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_00: because I think it'll change your life if you let it.
• 55:55
  SPEAKER_00: Here is the first one.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_00: It is just a quote.
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_00: The quote is, So again, the secret of joy is hidden in the word itself.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_00: The first letter is J, then O, then Y.
• 56:12
  SPEAKER_00: J stands for Jesus first, O is others next, Y is yourself last.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_00: Again, joy, Jesus first, is the J, O is others next, Y is yourself last.
• 56:28
  SPEAKER_00: I thought that was a pretty good quote.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to read a verse from Philippians 4, verse 6.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_00: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition,
• 56:41
  SPEAKER_00: With thanksgiving, present your request to God.
• 56:44
  SPEAKER_00: Again,
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_00: do not be anxious about anything,
• 56:47
  SPEAKER_00: but in every situation,
• 56:49
  SPEAKER_00: by prayer and petition,
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_00: with thanksgiving,
• 56:52
  SPEAKER_00: present your request to God.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then I thought I'd share one more post.
• 57:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this one's from the channel Living Christian, and the quote is this.
• 57:06
  SPEAKER_00: The eleven other disciples didn't stop believing in Jesus because of the actions of Judas.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, Judas is the one who betrayed Jesus and sold his location.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_00: So it continues,
• 57:21
  SPEAKER_00: If the actions of others wreck our faith,
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_00: then we have to ask ourselves,
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_00: Was my faith in Jesus or just other people?
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_00: Man, that's good.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that quote was, If the actions of others wreck our faith,
• 57:37
  SPEAKER_00: Was, we have to ask ourselves, was my faith in Jesus or was it in other people?
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_00: So good.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_00: And as someone who was a part of church hurt myself,
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_00: in fact,
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_00: I talk about that in the first episode of the new podcast I launched.
• 57:53
  SPEAKER_00: We have to remember that people are not perfect.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_00: God is.
• 57:56
  SPEAKER_00: And people will fail you, but...
• 58:00
  SPEAKER_00: God will not.
• 58:01
  SPEAKER_00: So let me share one more thing and then we'll wrap this part up.
• 58:06
  SPEAKER_00: Just as kind of a final scripture reminder, just do not grow weary in doing good.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_00: And I think often, even if we're just helping one hungry kid, donating one school backpack,
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_00: It might not solve world hunger.
• 58:21
  SPEAKER_00: It might not fix everything in our country or in our neighborhood.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_00: But you have to remember you are doing good.
• 58:27
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be overwhelmed by the size of the world's problems.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_00: Do what you can.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_00: Do that small thing.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_00: One other thing that I want to do tonight is something I do in every show.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_00: I want to talk to you just for a moment about depression, PTSD, and even suicide.
• 58:47
  SPEAKER_00: Just for a moment.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: I do this because,
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 58:50
  SPEAKER_00: most people aren't aware of this,
• 58:51
  SPEAKER_00: but veterans are at a 57% higher risk of suicide than
• 58:56
  SPEAKER_00: than their peers of the same age group of folks who haven't served.
• 59:01
  SPEAKER_00: But this section isn't just for veterans.
• 59:03
  SPEAKER_00: I know we can all get in really low spots in our lives.
• 59:06
  SPEAKER_00: So I just want to remind people that it's a season.
• 59:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's a valley.
• 59:10
  SPEAKER_00: So when you're in that thick, deep valley,
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_00: tough situation that just seems like you can't see over it.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_00: Just remember, it's just a season.
• 59:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a valley.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, if you are having serious issues, you can call 988 and select one.
• 59:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can talk to a crisis line responder anytime, day or night.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_00: And you can do this whether you're a civilian or a veteran.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_00: But I do know that this is hard to do.
• 59:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I know most of you who are struggling probably won't.
• 59:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I have to be a little mean here because the fact is,
• 59:42
  SPEAKER_00: is when we've had a drill instructor or a tough coach in the past who pushed you,
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_00: you've experienced that you can go further than when it's just yourself just
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_00: talking to yourself.
• 59:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm going to be mean for a moment.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I got to remind you guys that you cannot give up.
• 59:58
  SPEAKER_00: Can't give in to those really terrible thoughts you're having.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want you to lose this fight.
• 1:00:04
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want you to, you know, don't make your parents or your family have to plan your funeral.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want them to feel guilty that they didn't check on you enough or that they couldn't reach you.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to know that you can hold on for another day.
• 1:00:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I think if you do, I think the next day is going to be a little easier.
• 1:00:21
  SPEAKER_00: now again if you're in a fight that you worry you may lose please call someone call
• 1:00:26
  SPEAKER_00: a friend or a family member this is really easy to do and it's something i beg of
• 1:00:30
  SPEAKER_00: you to do we've all lost friends that we wish had reached out to us so again reach
• 1:00:36
  SPEAKER_00: out to one of them just be honest say hey i'm struggling right now man can't can't
• 1:00:40
  SPEAKER_00: catch a break but you can also call 988 select one as i said but whatever you do
• 1:00:45
  SPEAKER_00: please do not quit
• 1:00:47
  SPEAKER_00: You're just in a valley, and this world does need you.
• 1:00:51
  SPEAKER_00: Probably,
• 1:00:51
  SPEAKER_00: if we're honest,
• 1:00:52
  SPEAKER_00: your parents need you as well,
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_00: because seriously,
• 1:00:55
  SPEAKER_00: who's going to take care of your parents in 30 years,
• 1:00:58
  SPEAKER_00: or in 10 years,
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_00: or whatever age you are?
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm serious about this.
• 1:01:01
  SPEAKER_00: I just helped take care of my mom before she passed.
• 1:01:05
  SPEAKER_00: I'm helping take care of my dad.
• 1:01:07
  SPEAKER_00: And so, I just want to ask you, who's going to do it?
• 1:01:11
  SPEAKER_00: Are you just going to let the system take care of them?
• 1:01:13
  SPEAKER_00: How horrible is that?
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_00: So...
• 1:01:16
  SPEAKER_00: The broader point is you cannot quit.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_00: And you need to think about beyond this season that there's something you're meant to do.
• 1:01:23
  SPEAKER_00: You just can't see it because, like I said earlier, you're in this immediate fog and pain.
• 1:01:28
  SPEAKER_00: You can't see the end result.
• 1:01:30
  SPEAKER_00: But I believe that there's a mission for you to do.
• 1:01:33
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that God has a mission for you to do.
• 1:01:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's to coach Little League.
• 1:01:37
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's to help others with PTSD.
• 1:01:39
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're supposed to run for office,
• 1:01:42
  SPEAKER_00: but I believe there's some calling for you and you just haven't found it.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to encourage you to get involved.
• 1:01:48
  SPEAKER_00: Stop isolating yourself.
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_00: Visit a veterans group such as the VFW, something like that.
• 1:01:54
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe visit a church near you.
• 1:01:56
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe visit some family you've lost touch with.
• 1:01:59
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe call or text that friend you've grown apart with from,
• 1:02:03
  SPEAKER_00: you know,
• 1:02:03
  SPEAKER_00: the one from high school or the one from the military.
• 1:02:06
  SPEAKER_00: They're probably dying to talk to you.
• 1:02:08
  SPEAKER_00: But again, if you're struggling, I beg of you, call 988, select one.
• 1:02:13
  SPEAKER_00: Or, of course, you can start moving closer to God, which is something I'd certainly recommend.
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_00: Read the Bible if you never have.
• 1:02:19
  SPEAKER_00: I really do think that will help.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_00: You can read some of Psalms or Proverbs, or you can start with the New Testament in John.
• 1:02:26
  SPEAKER_00: I think you'll find the Bible will start drawing you in, and I think it'll start changing your life.
• 1:02:31
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you don't have a Bible, you can download a Bible app on your phone, or you can look it up online.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_00: There are dozens of sites with it.
• 1:02:38
  SPEAKER_00: But again, the broader point is, I just want to encourage you not to give up.
• 1:02:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a plan for you.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you'll reach out to God or maybe check out the Bible, as I've mentioned so many times.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_00: If that's not your thing or if you're not ready for that step,
• 1:02:53
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you try to surround yourself with some more community or some more friends.
• 1:02:59
  SPEAKER_00: I know...
• 1:03:00
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of the websites say don't guilt someone who's thinking about suicide, that that's cruel.
• 1:03:05
  SPEAKER_00: But I sadly think suicide's the easy way out.
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's a short-term solution to what you think is a complicated problem that you can't solve.
• 1:03:17
  SPEAKER_00: And hey, I'm not stupid.
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_00: I know life is hard.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_00: I know going on, whether it's life or a marathon or a really long rucksack run...
• 1:03:28
  SPEAKER_00: or forced march in the military, to keep going is often more painful.
• 1:03:33
  SPEAKER_00: There's no doubt about that, but it's also the right answer.
• 1:03:37
  SPEAKER_00: Not only will you get tougher and stronger and have more endurance,
• 1:03:43
  SPEAKER_00: but if you fall out of that race,
• 1:03:46
  SPEAKER_00: someone's got to carry your gear.
• 1:03:48
  SPEAKER_00: Someone's got to care for you.
• 1:03:50
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe you arrive at the mission objective with fewer people, which is going to lead to more strain
• 1:03:56
  SPEAKER_00: in danger, and probably casualties to those around you.
• 1:03:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so that same thing happens if you decide to pull the plug and check out.
• 1:04:06
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody's going to have to carry your load.
• 1:04:09
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody's going to have to care for your family, for your parents.
• 1:04:13
  SPEAKER_00: Someone's going to have to plan your funeral.
• 1:04:15
  SPEAKER_00: Someone is going to have to deal with all the things that you left hanging out there.
• 1:04:20
  SPEAKER_00: So am I trying to guilt you?
• 1:04:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really not trying to, but I just want you to think about these things.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_00: When you are in that lowest point in your life, that really dark place, please think of others.
• 1:04:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're a good person, and I just think you're stronger than what you think you are right now.
• 1:04:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I just encourage you, please keep fighting.
• 1:04:42
  SPEAKER_00: Please keep taking that next step.
• 1:04:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to get better.
• 1:04:47
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us.
• 1:04:48
  SPEAKER_00: I hope as you go through this week that you act a little nicer on social media and in the world as well.
• 1:04:54
  SPEAKER_00: Smile at folks in the grocery store.
• 1:04:56
  SPEAKER_00: Do small acts of kindness.
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_00: And remember that most Americans are good,
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_00: and they will help you in an emergency,
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_00: even if you don't agree politically.
• 1:05:05
  SPEAKER_00: As you go through this week, I want you to aim to be more motivated and more disciplined.
• 1:05:11
  SPEAKER_00: Try to improve yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually.
• 1:05:15
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to set impossible goals on these matters.
• 1:05:18
  SPEAKER_00: Just be a little more motivated and disciplined than you were the week prior.
• 1:05:23
  SPEAKER_00: As I said earlier, I really hope that you spend some time in your Bible this week.
• 1:05:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you have no idea where to read on your own, just start with Psalms or Proverbs.
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_00: Read some of those and then start with the New Testament by reading the book of John.
• 1:05:38
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:05:39
  SPEAKER_00: Moving to a final note on the political front,
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_00: I'm confident after this episode,
• 1:05:45
  SPEAKER_00: you're going to hear some bad news this week,
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_00: where you're going to hear something ugly,
• 1:05:49
  SPEAKER_00: and it's going to remind you of how divided we are.
• 1:05:52
  SPEAKER_00: This is as certain as the law of gravity.
• 1:05:55
  SPEAKER_00: But I'm begging you, please do not give up on this country.
• 1:05:59
  SPEAKER_00: I know it's pretty ugly right now.
• 1:06:01
  SPEAKER_00: and I know we're living in dark times,
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_00: but we've made it through nearly 250 years together,
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_00: and we're far stronger together than we'll ever be apart.
• 1:06:09
  SPEAKER_00: Don't ever believe anyone who tells you differently about that.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_00: Let me wrap up the show by talking about my books and a couple of other newsletters that I do.
• 1:06:19
  SPEAKER_00: First, a bit about myself and my books.
• 1:06:21
  SPEAKER_00: I am a military vet.
• 1:06:23
  SPEAKER_00: I spent four years in the Marine Corps, all of that time in the infantry.
• 1:06:27
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, that does matter.
• 1:06:28
  SPEAKER_00: After my enlistment, I went to college at the University of Tennessee.
• 1:06:31
  SPEAKER_00: I became a journalist.
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_00: I spent more than 10 years in the news business.
• 1:06:35
  SPEAKER_00: Besides all of that, I've also written 12 books.
• 1:06:38
  SPEAKER_00: Those books include a series about a Marine Corps sniper,
• 1:06:41
  SPEAKER_00: several novels about a police detective and a private investigator,
• 1:06:44
  SPEAKER_00: and a few books about war,
• 1:06:46
  SPEAKER_00: such as World War II and Afghanistan.
• 1:06:49
  SPEAKER_00: Basically, these are all fast-moving books with lots of action and plot twists,
• 1:06:54
  SPEAKER_00: because those are the kind of books I've always enjoyed reading.
• 1:06:56
  SPEAKER_00: You can find all of those books in the link in the episode notes,
• 1:07:01
  SPEAKER_00: or you can look on Amazon by just searching my name,
• 1:07:04
  SPEAKER_00: Stan R.
• 1:07:04
  SPEAKER_00: Mitchell.
• 1:07:05
  SPEAKER_00: Buying a book,
• 1:07:07
  SPEAKER_00: telling a friend about a book,
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_00: or buying one as a gift for someone,
• 1:07:10
  SPEAKER_00: friend or loved one,
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_00: is a great way to help support the show.
• 1:07:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I always like to end each show by reminding people that you can comment anytime.
• 1:07:18
  SPEAKER_00: I try to monitor those.
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_00: You can also reach out privately by email to me at AuthorStanRMitchell at Yahoo.com.
• 1:07:26
  SPEAKER_00: And that's in the episode notes, by the way.
• 1:07:28
  SPEAKER_00: But again, it's AuthorStanRMitchell at Yahoo.com.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, here's one other thing.
• 1:07:34
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast is about defense news, but I also do a political blog.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if you love my moderate, optimistic views, you might enjoy that.
• 1:07:43
  SPEAKER_00: It's called Thoughts from a Southern Gentleman.
• 1:07:45
  SPEAKER_00: You can find a link to the episode notes to that, or you can just search that on Google.
• 1:07:50
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks for hanging with me this week.
• 1:07:52
  SPEAKER_00: It's truly an honor to talk with each of you and to know that there's a few of you
• 1:07:56
  SPEAKER_00: out there who are listening and who care about our country and our military and all
• 1:08:01
  SPEAKER_00: the issues that we face.
• 1:08:03
  SPEAKER_00: I know there are a lot of scary issues out there,
• 1:08:05
  SPEAKER_00: but we're going to get through them together,
• 1:08:08
  SPEAKER_00: the same way America's gotten through everything before this.
• 1:08:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you can at all this week,
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_00: reach out to a friend or anyone who you know is struggling,
• 1:08:16
  SPEAKER_00: whether they are young or old.
• 1:08:18
  SPEAKER_00: Life is truly hard.
• 1:08:19
  SPEAKER_00: We know this.
• 1:08:20
  SPEAKER_00: But the true strength of this country is its people,
• 1:08:23
  SPEAKER_00: and that includes you folks listening to me right now.
• 1:08:25
  SPEAKER_00: So be a leader, be a doer, be a servant to someone.
• 1:08:30
  SPEAKER_00: With all of that being said, I'll catch you all next week.
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_00: You have been listening to The View from the Front.
• 1:08:37
  Thank you.