On September 30, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a "State of the Force" address to members of the US military.

Scott and I watched it, and we have opinions.

Hegseth's framing of merit demonstrates that he judges merit on identity rather than...actual merit. Some cannot be effective because he thinks they are "beardos, weirdos, trannies."

He suggested that unity matters more than diversity, implying that a diverse group cannot unite to complete a mission. This is a Christian Nationalist view that suggests he only believes white Christian males from "central casting" can truly have merit.

Scott and I break down the speech from our combat soldier and intelligence officer perspective, starting with the context: who is Pete Hegseth?

Hegseth also proposed six Department reform proposals, three of which seem intended to create a more homogenous force, free of anyone who does not follow his understanding of Western culture.

Give us a look, and don't forget to subscribe.

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Trump spoke at the UN General Assembly on the Iran war and US foreign policy with a clear message to the Iranian government: Make a deal or "I'll annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly." A not so subtle threat to use nuclear weapons.

Trump also bragged about stealing Venezuelan oil reserves.

Domestic and international reactions were immediate: this is a breakdown of the international rules-based order the US constructed after World War I. French President Macron: it's a return to the "law of the jungle."

Scott and I briefly discuss the history of the international order, how this threatens it, and the implications of a threat to nuke Iran, including the further hit to America's reputation as a trusted partner, how this actually makes Iran more defiant and likely to seek nuclear weapons, and how this pushes long-time allies even further away.

Tune in for a lively conversation between two crusty old combat soldiers with academic credentials in international relations and decades of military experience.

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We've seen a lot of developments in the Iran War over the last few weeks.

Iran fired a ballistic missile at the USS George Washington, a Ford class aircraft carrier. Didn't hit it, but did the effort help Iran build the technology needed? Did Russian and/or China help?

Iran also claimed to have captured a US drone submarine...quite the technology find...and attacked ten vessels attempting to move through the strait.

The US destroyed five Iranian tankers in response.

Houthis attacked the civilian airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the US declined a request for help because of low munitions inventories.

Most recently, Iran offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if the US eases military pressure and ends it's blockade of Iran's ports.

Meanwhile at home, oil prices topped $100 a barrel, gas averages $4.50 a gallon, and diesel fuel is almost $7 a gallon, which hits farmers and shippers where it hurts.

And as the GAO reports the war's high costs and the Pentagon tries to hide casualties while avoiding intense warfare to save precious munitions.

What does all this mean about who is winning? This week we revisit the Iran war and discuss victory conditions and what each side needs to do if they want to claim a win.

Spoiler: Iran doesn't have to win. They just have to keep bleeding us.

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Even while the entire US is pretty much on fire we still see the occasional good governance...and this is a good sign.

This week we try to find examples of government actually...governing. Passing legislation. Completing reports. Doing its job.

Starting with the SCOTUS ruling that blocked Trump's effort to use the Postal Service to disrupt the midterm elections, we discuss some of the boring things government still does but we don't see in the media - and why our media ignores them.

Check it out, and don't forget to subscribe to the channel and check out our Patreon page.

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This week we take a look at the Trump clown show presidency and how this farce could turn tragic pretty quickly.

All the silliness we see from the Trump Administration, from AI generated memes on Truth Social to mocking the rule of law to claiming Trump is the only person in the world who can resolve any problems.

Too bad he seems to have no interest in doing so. We even have an academic article on the subject, Aidan Tynan's "Clown Politics: History, Populism, and Tragic Farce," published by ORCA/Cardiff University.

You can download the PDF here: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/161384/3/Clown%20Politics%20final%20%281%29.pdf

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Today we’re digging into a question that’s been building for years: Is Donald Trump’s governing strategy — the “fait accompli” strategy — finally approaching a tipping point?

Trump acts first. Everyone else reacts later. He creates a new reality, then forces Congress, courts, states, agencies, and opponents to scramble. And he uses delay, appeals, bureaucratic inertia, and political intimidation to keep that reality in place.

This is not just a political strategy. It tracks with Trump's behavioral style. He lives to intimidate, and he loves to punch down.

That makes it look like bullying, scaled up to the level of constitutional governance.

So today we’re asking: What does this strategy look like, and how does it work? What happens when Trump's strategy stops working, and how will we know we've reached this tipping point?

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Sixteen years ago, anger and frustration with the Republican response to the election of Barack Obama, the government response to the financial crisis of 2007, and passage of the Affordable Care Act gave birth to the Tea Party Patriots, a conservative insurgency against the GOP from the right.

This year, anger and frustration with the establishment Democratic response to the second election of Trump, MAGA fascism, the rise of the billionaire class, and the obvious failure of capitalism for workers gave birth to a socialist insurgency against the Democratic Party from the left.

In this episode, Scott and I compare the Democratic Socialists of American and the Tea Party to find parallels...and differences.

Then we discuss electoral implications, including how framing this movement as "socialist" could backfire with older voters even as it engages with younger Americans who have become more and more disillusioned with capitalism.

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For his entire life, Donald Trump has put his name on everything he could.

Buildings. Steaks. Casinos. Wine. A fake university.

Now he wants to add it to government buildings, money, and passports. Kennedy Center. Airports. Hundred dollar bills and one dollar coins.

Then he starts posting ridiculous AI images of himself with Patton, McArthur, Washington, and others. He cosplays as Jesus, complete with the laying on of hands to what appears to be an ailing Jeffrey Epstein.

Is it narcissism? Part of his demagoguery? Or is it an effort to conflate himself with the State and set the conditions for a Trump Dynasty?

Scott and I take a look and try to figure out what's up with this...silliness.

Should we be laughing? Or worried?

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