A Festering Sore

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "A Festering Sore" – Detailed Summary

Episode Overview In the "A Festering Sore" episode of the Armstrong & Getty On Demand podcast, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve deep into the escalating tensions between the United States and Iran following recent military actions. The discussion spans geopolitical strategies, internal U.S. reactions, media portrayals, and even touches on local events and sports. Military analyst Mike Lyons joins the conversation to provide expert insights into the implications of the U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

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1. U.S. Military Action Against Iran

The episode opens with a critical discussion on whether the United States is formally at war with Iran. The consensus among political figures like Vice President Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Lindsey Graham, and Senator Tom Cotton is clear:

Marco Rubio [00:42]: "I don't like the regime, but we're not into the regime change business here. We're into the safety and security of the United States business."

Jack Armstrong echoes this sentiment, highlighting the focus on Iran's nuclear program rather than a full-scale war:

Jack Armstrong [00:16]: "No, Kristen, we're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program."

The discussion transitions to former President Donald Trump's controversial tweet advocating for a regime change, insinuating:

Donald Trump (Referenced) [01:45]: "If the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again... why wouldn't there be a regime change?"

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2. Iran's Motivations and Potential Threats

Jack Armstrong and Mike Lyons explore the ideological underpinnings of Iran's leadership, suggesting a deep-rooted religious fervor that might drive apocalyptic visions:

Jack Armstrong [02:18]: "If you have a messianic religious fervor, as the ayatollah does, allegedly, and a lot of the people around him, you want to bring on the apocalypse."

Mike Lyons adds skepticism about the actual belief system driving these actions:

Mike Lyons [03:59]: "It's hard to know how much they actually believe it. You just never know."

The conversation further delves into recent missile strikes by Iran on Israel, emphasizing the volatile situation in the Middle East:

Mike Lyons [04:13]: "They're getting missile striked pretty good by Iran and I can't imagine that Israel is going to allow that to happen for very long if they can stop it."

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3. Internal U.S. Reactions and Media Portrayals

A notable segment highlights the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's conflicting statements regarding bombings in Iran:

LA County Sheriff's Department [09:51]: "Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran."

Jack Armstrong criticizes the department's remarks, questioning their relevance and effectiveness in addressing international conflicts.

The hosts also discuss the politicization of domestic issues, touching upon Marjorie Taylor Greene's exchange with Fox News' Mark Levin:

Mike Lyons [16:14]: "Man, that's the Tucker Carlson argument right there."

This segment underscores the growing divide within the political landscape, particularly among conservative factions.

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4. Military Analysis with Mike Lyons

Military analyst Mike Lyons provides an in-depth breakdown of the recent U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. He references his article, "The War that Was Always Coming," emphasizing the longstanding hostility between the two nations:

Mike Lyons [24:00]: "They've been at war with us for the last 47 years. Greatest foreign policy failure in our country since post World War II."

Lyons argues that the strike was a calculated move to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities without triggering an extensive ground conflict, differentiating it from the Iraq War:

Marco Rubio [27:06]: "We didn't topple this regime necessarily. This was a surgical military strike to advance our foreign policy."

He also highlights the potential for further escalation, noting Iran's strategic vulnerabilities and the absence of robust defense mechanisms following the strike.

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5. Local Events and Sports Commentary

The podcast temporarily shifts focus to local news, discussing an injury in an Indiana vs. Oklahoma basketball game and the emotional impact on the players and fans:

Mike Lyons [14:19]: "That was the play of the game. And it happened in the first quarter. The star player for Indiana... he goes down and he immediately knew it was over."

Additionally, Armstrong and Getty explore the intersection of sports and politics, recounting the Los Angeles Dodgers' controversial donation to an ICE fund and the subsequent reactions from the Hispanic community:

Mike Lyons [35:46]: "The crowd on the hip hop radio station... they were hardcore horrified and against any of the ICE raids."

The hosts critique the Dodgers' decision, suggesting it was a strategic move to appease specific activist groups rather than a genuine philanthropic effort.

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6. Future Implications and Closing Thoughts

As the episode concludes, the hosts and Mike Lyons reflect on the potential long-term outcomes of the U.S. strike on Iran. They discuss the precarious balance of power in the Middle East and the uncertain path toward reshaping regional dynamics:

Marco Rubio [25:23]: "This was always going to happen. Israel was going to take out their nuclear capability. Whether or not they had October 7th happened or not..."

Lyons emphasizes the enduring risks of nuclear proliferation and the unpredictable nature of post-strike Iran, contemplating scenarios where Iran might develop and announce nuclear capabilities or its leadership might seek refuge abroad, leading to further instability.

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Notable Quotes

• Jack Armstrong [00:16]: "No, Kristen, we're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program."

• Marco Rubio [00:42]: "I don't like the regime, but we're not into the regime change business here. We're into the safety and security of the United States business."

• Mike Lyons [24:00]: "They've been at war with us for the last 47 years. Greatest foreign policy failure in our country since post World War II."

• Jim Lee [08:12]: "Iran can create weapons grade fissile material within a couple of weeks."

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Conclusion "A Festering Sore" provides listeners with a comprehensive analysis of the escalating U.S.-Iran tensions, enriched by expert military insights and lively discussions on related political and social issues. Armstrong and Getty ensure that even those unfamiliar with the intricacies of international relations gain a clear understanding of the current geopolitical landscape and its potential ramifications.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

This is an iHeart podcast broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center.

[Joe Getty]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Mike Lyons]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Mr. Vice President, is the United States now at war with Iran? No, Kristen, we're not at war with Iran. We're at war with Iran's nuclear program. The president's been very clear, Kristen. We have no interest in a protracted conflict. We have no interest in boots on the ground.

[Marco Rubio]

I don't like the regime, but we're not into the regime change business here. We're into the safety and security of the United States business.

[Mike Lyons]

We are not pursuing regime change. We are not trying to put any troops on the ground into Iran. We are trying to eliminate their nuclear weapons program.

[Marco Rubio]

No, I don't think I see boots on the ground in our future, but I do see Israel not stopping.

[Mike Lyons]

So that was J.D. vance, Vice President Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State Lindsey Graham and Tom Cotton, both very Trumpy hawks in the Republican Party, saying, no, we're not. This isn't about regime change. And then Trump, like an hour after they all went on the TV shows defending his actions against a hostile press that of course wanted us to do nothing, I guess Donald Trump tweeted out, it's not politically correct to use the term regime change, but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again in all caps, why wouldn't there be a regime change? Mega, as in miga, as in make America Iran great again.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I wonder if Iranian expats who despise the current regime will start wearing mega hats with the old Iran flag on it. The. The lion on there, which has become a potent symbol of get the mullahs.

[Mike Lyons]

Out later this, in about a half an hour, actually, we're going to talk to Mike Lyons, another one of our military analysts that we really like about how it went and what could come next. I just, I don't personally get how. Why Iran would do a lot of the things people are scared of have happening. It just seems like it would be a suicide mission.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, yeah, the only for the country argument. Well, right. But if you have a messianic religious fervor, as the ayatollah does, allegedly, and a lot of the people around him, you want to bring on the apocalypse. That's part of their religious beliefs. It hasn't happened yet. But that's the main argument for doing what was done, is that these are religious lunatics. These are not calculating dictators of a Kim Jong Unish style. And that's a big enough pain in the ass that he has nukes. But they are religious lunatics.

[Mike Lyons]

If they believe that and they strike for instance one of our bases and kill a whole bunch of US soldiers, it will be apocalyptic for one area of the world, Tehran. The rest of the world is going.

[Jack Armstrong]

To continue on, at which point the Muslim world unites and fights back against the great Satan and brings on the great religious war. I guess the concept of the 13th Mahdi, which I remember reading about a number of years ago, I can't remember why, to do with the post 9 11.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, probably after 911 we all memorized this.

[Jack Armstrong]

It refers to a messianic figure in Islamic belief often associated with the end times, who is expected to bring justice and peace to the world. While Shia Muslim Islam in particular anticipates the return of the 12th Mahdi. Concept of the 13th Mahdi is not a standard part of the doctrine, but it's believed that some of the wackadoodles in charge of Iran are really into this. Bringing on the apocalypse and Allah's justice, being visited on the unbelievable believers, blah, blah.

[Mike Lyons]

It's hard to know how much they actually believe it. You just, you just never know. It might be a good way to hold sway over a bunch of religious nut jobs. I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Out in the hinterlands. Yeah, the citizens.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, I was just watching. I was looking up at ABC News right now and they have Ian Panel in Tel Aviv and I thought he was in Kiev or some other bombed out town in Ukraine because that's what it looked like in that little area with the apartment complexes just rubble. That's what's happening in some parts of sparkling, glittery, very modern Tel Aviv. They're getting missile striked pretty good by Iran and I can't imagine that Israel is going to allow that to happen for very long if they can stop it. So it isn't just what do we do next? Israel gets a say. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

And from what I understand, Iran's held back some of the more heavy armaments and those might be on the way. So what role do we take an even more active role in intercepting ordinance as it flies toward Israel? Don't know. But it's far from over. And while the success of the initial mission was unmistakable. Yeah, it's definitely a time of uncertainty and any sort of triumphalism. Well, nobody, I don't think anybody's engaging any in any triumphalism. J.D. vance, Marco Rubio, very serious and business like on the unwatchable talk shows over the weekend.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, so I keep mentioning this, the 400 kg of 60% enriched uranium is still out there somewhere, as far as we know. Where is that? Because that, that's the important part of the whole nuclear program, that's why you had those reactor sites, was to make that stuff and where is it and do we know? That's a big question.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nobody knows, I don't think. Well, somebody knows, but we got to get it out of them. A couple of different perspectives to share with you. Although Jack, you've, you've let us rather neatly into one from one of our listeners who is, if not an expert, damn close to it in the very, you know, world you're talking about the enrichment of uranium. And he says, and I'll keep him anonymous for now, the basis for criticism of the attack will most likely be the accusation that Iran was not close to being able to make a nuke. In fact, Jeff McCausland of CBS advocated that position when he is on the show earlier today. But consider this little bit of math. If Iran has a stockpile of uranium refined to a level of 3% enrichment, as Iran and both the IAEA both claims that they do, then Iran has already refined the uranium more than 99.99% of the total refined refinement needed to achieve weapons grade enrichment. Or put another way, they have refined something that exists at less than 3 parts per 10 million, distilled it down to 3 parts per 100. All they need to make weapons grade uranium is to further refine it by around 30 fold using the exact same technology that got them to the level they're at. One reason that Iran has been, quote, within a couple of weeks of getting a nuke for months or years is that, quote, a couple weeks is the time it would take to convert the 3% stuff to the 90% stuff. However, the likely holdup is that Iran also needs to work out all the details and engineering of the actual bomb, igniters, reflectors, etc. Etc. And the ability to put it on a missile for delivery to its target. Those are much harder.

[Mike Lyons]

You don't have to put it on a missile for a target though has been pointed out many people all they got to do is drive a truck into Tel Aviv somehow. Like, you know, like Israel has apparently been able to do into Iran with drones and Ukraine was able to do into Russia with drones. Drive a truck into Israel or next to a US base, you don't need to put it on a rocket.

[Jack Armstrong]

Can you imagine a nuclear Armed suicide bomber with a truck. Final bit that he says. Those things are much harder to track and inspect. But the important thing is that once they do work out those details, Iran can create weapons grade fissile material within a couple of weeks.

[Mike Lyons]

Iran has been a. I was about to use a really gross graphic medical example, but I don't need to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thank goodness for your restraint.

[Mike Lyons]

God, I'm really wanting to. Yeah. Now I won't.

[Jack Armstrong]

What do you got for us? Tumor Festering sore. Yeah. Open.

[Mike Lyons]

Festering sore with some more. Yeah. So sort of graphic language that direction. But it has been that for so many years and it's just the world just puts up with it and maybe it's time the world doesn't put up with that. I mean, it's going nowhere good. You're just, I guess that the world has been hoping all this time that the ancient Ayatollah will die or there'll be an overthrow or something like that. And you know, why? Why go to war and risk everything that is war if perhaps it'll die out on its own? But man, we've been waiting a long time.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or the belief that they don't really mean that stuff, that death to America, death to Israel, they don't. They don't actually mean that. The interesting part of this, and again, there are question marks around this, I do not bring 100% certainty to all of this, but the idea that we have now started a war with Iran, we are now at war. We have been attacked dozens and dozens and dozens of times. The United States, never mind Israel, our close ally, our people have been attacked in deadly fashion many, many times by Iran through the years they've been at war. We just haven't.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, we're aware of. We're aware of plots. We have captured some of the Iranian operatives to try to kill our President. That's not a terrible reason to bomb them right there. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Then you have this perspective from the LA County Sheriff's Department. Our hearts go out. This is from their official Twitter account. Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran. While this tragic event occurred overseas, the LA County Sheriff's Department is closely monitoring the situation alongside our local, state and federal partners.

[Mike Lyons]

Why? Anyway, why is my local sheriff monitoring what's going on in Iran?

[Jack Armstrong]

Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings.

[Mike Lyons]

Can you monitor my local Walgreens and CVS to make sure it doesn't get robbed blind so it can stay open? How about you let somebody else Worry about Iran.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, not shockingly, not long after that, the LA County Sheriff's Department put out the following statement. We are issuing the statement to formally apologize for an offensive and inappropriate social media post recently posted on our department social media platforms. Blah, blah, blah. This post was unacceptable, made in error, does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G. Luna nor the department.

[Mike Lyons]

Okay, who put it out?

[Jack Armstrong]

And we don't comment on that. This has nothing to do with our mission. Virtually everything you've said, who put it out?

[Mike Lyons]

Somebody that works for you. You. Are they still working there?

[Jack Armstrong]

They don't go to that. We're committed to learning from this failure and to prevent such incidents from occurring again.

[Mike Lyons]

Somebody who works there in the Sheriff's Department put that out thinking that that was the. The the what everybody thought and would be okay. That person and everyone who was aware of that statement needs to go.

[Jack Armstrong]

I disagree. I suspect it was a WOKE activist employee who had access to the social media.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, they still haven't mentioned did they get fired or they still work there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Steps are being taken to strengthen our social media oversight protocols and to ensure that any future communications align with our department standards of professionalism, respect and accountability. We're rooting out the evildoer and we'll fire their ass and probably give them a little nightstick on the way out. That's how I interpret that.

[Mike Lyons]

To end up with somebody with that point of view.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Well, all right, it's a minor point. Moving along.

[Mike Lyons]

Wouldn't somebody in that job supposedly have the best interest of the sheriff's department? That's what their job is.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, that's my point. That's not their job. They just had access to it. Okay, there's some underling maybe knows how to blah blah.

[Mike Lyons]

Maybe tighten up your access like you and I don't have lots of people with really crazy ideas who have access to our statements.

[Jack Armstrong]

No. Indeed. Coming up, how and when Trump made the decision to go. It's pretty interesting. He was aboard Marine One according to inside sources.

[Mike Lyons]

And this is the big headline. Millions on alert for life threatening heat across much of the country. What is causing this heat? Joe Getty has a theory.

[Jack Armstrong]

Summer, that's my best theory. I'm still conducting experiments and consulting the calendar.

[Mike Lyons]

That's a decent theory. More on the way. Stay here.

[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Good contestant Dort Halliburton falls down. He looks hurt. Here comes SGA the other way inside. And Williams throws it. Halliburton's hurt right away when he fell.

[Mike Lyons]

That was the play of the game. And it happened in the first quarter. The star player for Indiana, who was on fire nine points in seven minutes and just dominating, was playing injured and he goes down and he immediately knew it was over. He's pounding the court, he's crying. Everybody on both teams knew too. Oh, man, the best player on one team just went out. I mean, that's, that's not what you're wanting, a game seven. It was just, it was a horrible. He did. They didn't. There was no attempt. I mean, he knew it was over. They just got him up and took him to the locker room as dang, it could have been a really great game. Anyway.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, Indiana, very plucky effort against mighty Oklahoma. That's got a bunch of. I was just reading a bunch of super high draft choices.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Over the next couple of years. I mean, they're just getting started.

[Mike Lyons]

I've heard that before though, in my life watching.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh no. It's a dynasty. Clearly a dynasty.

[Mike Lyons]

And things change. But I'm interested in the fact, because this happened a couple of times in the playoffs. Athletes, the whole, they just know their body and injuries and stuff like that in a way that like the rest of us don't, apparently. Like, they know when they get an injury. Oh, this is, this is huge. This is bad. I'm out for a year or whatever. Whereas I, for instance, as just a regular human being regularly like twist a certain way and think, oh my God, I'm never gonna walk again. And then five minutes later, I'm fine. So apparently I'm all right. You know, you bend over, pick something up. Oh, my God, this is it. I'll be in a chair.

[Marco Rubio]

Ah.

[Mike Lyons]

I'm gonna be driving a chair with my chin. Oh, I'm fine.

[Jack Armstrong]

So, speaking of pain, Fox News, Mark Levin nuked Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. I am unfortunately going to be quoting Media ite, which is the shameless left wing rag, but they're getting the quotes right. On Sunday, Green tweeted mgt. Okay, mtg.

[Mike Lyons]

I never hear it called Green, so that is confusing to me for a second.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Margie said, I don't know anyone in America who has been the victim of a crime or killed by Iran. But I know many people have been victims of crime committed by criminal illegal aliens or murdered by cartel and Chinese fentanyl and drugs. However, America's not. Dropped bunker busters on the cartel, sophisticated drug tunnels, launched tomahawks on massive cartel poisoning drug networks, et cetera, et cetera. Neon war neocon warmongers beat their drums of war and act like Billy Badasses going to war in countries most Americans have never seen. Can't find on a map, but never find the courage to go to war against the actual terrorists who actually do kill Americans. Invader land. Make billions doing it every day, year after year.

[Mike Lyons]

Man, that's the. That's the Tucker Carlson argument right there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. By the way, it's probably worth noting there was an Iranian drone attack that actually killed three service members from Georgia in Jordan just last year, but.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, in addition to thousands of American soldiers they've killed over the years.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, And Levin fired back Marjorie Taylor Greene, shameless nitwit, and everyone knows it. How incredibly dumb is this Marjorie Taylor Greene? She doesn't know anyone in America who's been a victim of crime or killed by Iran. You mean the thousands of Americans, especially military personnel, killed and maimed by the Iranian terrorist regime? He went on on that level. So, yeah, there's obviously a bit of a divide on the right.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, was she? Well, according to polling, she's in a pretty small minority. Although that is a loud minority that will donate a lot to your campaign if you represent them well.

[Jack Armstrong]

And the whole tossing out a false choice thing.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, no. What happened here doesn't prevent us going after the cartels. It's not an either or never was. And how the hell do you imagine it is? But that sort of thing seems to be very popular.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, it does, Mike. Lyons. We love talking to him about all things military. We'll get his take on what happened and what could happen, among other things. So stay tuned.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Gettysburg this July 4th celebrate freedom from spills, stains and overpriced furniture with Annabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $699, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Annabay's pet friendly, Stain resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric that's built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your Life. Now through July 4th get up to 60% off site [e-mail] Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees. Every penny back. Declare independence from dirty outdated furniture. Shop [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply as the.

[Jack Armstrong]

Strike package approached Fordeau and Natanz the US Protection package employed high speed suppression weapons to ensure safe passage of the strike package with fighter assets employing preemptive suppressing fires against any potential Iranian surface to air threats. We are currently unaware of any shots fired at the US Strike package on the way in.

[Mike Lyons]

Wow. So we were able to fly over Iran, drop all those bombs, do whatever we wanted, then leave without a shot being fired at us.

[Jack Armstrong]

To discuss the success of the mission, what's likely to come after, and much more, please welcome Mike Lyons, military analyst to the show again. Mike recently penned a terrific article for Real Clear Defense entitled the War that Was Always Coming. Mike, welcome. How are you?

[Marco Rubio]

Hey guys. Great to be back.

[Mike Lyons]

Could that have gone any better?

[Marco Rubio]

Not really. I don't see how. You know, again, all of warfare is deception. I think everybody was looking at the head fake of B2s getting stationed in Guam for a couple days and taking their pictures there. I didn't think it was going to happen Saturday night. I thought it might have happened 48 hours after that, but it couldn't have. And it just again shows American ingenuity planning with a lot of help of Israel, let's face it. I mean they take out the entire air defense systems. That target was the most important thing inside of Iran and they were just completely incapable of defending it. So it just shows you the status of where they are and what the situation is there. Don't know if it's been destroyed totally. I thought the Chairman gave very guarded remarks about what the situation is. We've got our President calling bullseye. I mean he's, you know, his one on one pretty different and it's not the end, but it surely sets back their program. And it was frankly inevitable at some point US or Israel was going to do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

And Iran is not technically defenseless, but they're as close as a significant power has been in my memory.

[Marco Rubio]

Right. They had SA 3 hundreds, SA 4 hundreds. They had strategic level air defense systems that are all gone. Their capability to create ballistic missiles is gone. That went out about six months ago. Attrited. All, all of the capability out. They've obviously taken away and stripped away Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, all of those proxy brigade, all those people that were fighting their war are all gone. So they are very well exposed right now. And I don't think Israel's stopping. In fact, they're going for the Supreme Leader. Decapitation strategy Is in their DNA. It's been in their DNA since 1948. They're not going to stop. And also this is not going to be just because they do this. You know, they're going to be responsible for rebuilding it. They're not going to care. They're just to see what happens. But they're not going to put up with the targets they're going after right now, specifically the Army. I think that's really important because that's where the power center will be. Once the Supreme Leader is gone, someone in this military, in their military will rise up, will have access to that equipment and try to take over by force. And I think that's smart going after the army leaders as well right now.

[Mike Lyons]

Yeah, you know, the history of these sorts of things is some popular military leader who has a lot of people who are willing to follow him takes over. But if you kill all the popular military leaders, it makes it a lot less likely.

[Marco Rubio]

Yeah. And the scenario of potentially someone coming from outside. I know the Shah's son has been on social media trying to politic for the job, perhaps. Let's hope there's a Henry Kissinger out there somewhere that it's getting these Middle Eastern countries together because I think this is a generational moment. Like I said in that article, I think we have a chance to reshape the Middle east through the end of this century in a way that's never been shaped before, and bring in addition, a country that truly will be part of the international community that won't be looking to destroy Israel, that won't, you know, create this hegemonic power there that the other Middle Eastern countries were frankly afraid of. But we have to see this is also a Shia Sunni divide. That is the underlying current to that as well. Which is, which is again why we have to just be very careful as to once this regime does fall, who takes over.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right. And, and honestly, it could be argued that if you want to prevent chaos, and I think most people in countries do, the fact that a lot of the major military leaders are gone is not necessarily a good thing, as they were an obvious next step. But who knows? I mean, it could go in any direction. Go ahead.

[Marco Rubio]

No, no, go ahead, go ahead.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was just going to reference the title of your article, the War that Was Always Coming. I'd said earlier in the show that a number of press outlets and politicians are saying America's now war with Iran when we'd been attacked dozens and dozens and dozens of times through the years, fought back against Iran's proxies and sometimes Iran directly. The idea that this is the beginning of a state of hostility is almost funny.

[Marco Rubio]

Right. I mean, they've been at war with us for the last 47 years. They've killed or maimed thousands of American service members. Just people don't know. The Iranian propaganda machine has kept that quiet. And for whatever reason, every president, to include Republican presidents, have been always so focused on de escalation and not ramping up the escalation ladder. But this is the first president comes in and says, nope, enough's enough. And I'm just glad it's happened again. It was always going to happen. Israel was going to take out their nuclear capability. Whether or not they had October 7th happened or not, let's say Hezbollah and Houthis and Iran was still at its height of its defenses, Israel would have sacrificed itself in order to take out their capability. So that was always going to happen. But they've been at war with us for the last 47 years as we've talked about it. Greatest foreign policy failure in our country since post World War II. And that's let's hopefully we're on the path to change now.

[Mike Lyons]

So not surprisingly, the supreme leader of Iran has threatened all kinds of things. Oh, you've done it this time. Now all hell is coming toward Israel and the United States. You will, you will wish you had never done this, blah, blah, blah. What can Iran do? What do you think they actually will do?

[Marco Rubio]

Well, I think, you know, again, classic Iranian playbook. They sow fear within our country saying we're going to release sleeper cells. You know, they must watch the same movies that made here in Hollywood because I just think that's completely overblown. They will likely try to maybe target some American forces that are in the area, that are close, that are all, that are all buttoned up right now. Every one of those missiles they try to fire at them has a return address. And I guarantee it, as soon as one of them leaves the tube on that side, there'll be something in return going in the other direction. This president is not going to sit back and take it. So I wouldn't be surprised if we continue to escalate. The thing is, we don't even speak to Iran. We don't even talk to them directly. Like Marco Rubio brought that point up over the weekend. And we haven't, we've always talked to them through proxies, which is why I just, there's no negotiation that's going to take place. They're not interested in talking. They're interested in just surviving and delaying. But they are in such a bad point strategically right now. I just think they're going to do it. I wouldn't be surprised if they got on planes and left. I think that's the only survival if the Switzerland or get some other place, that's the only thing ensure their survival at this point.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's the old dictator's golden parachute. Get out of Dodge and we won't kill you. Yeah, Mike. Folks who are opposed to this strike frequently cite the example of Iraq and mission creep and the rest of it. How do the two situation. I mean, I realize this could be a book length answer, but how did the two situations differ? Most primarily to you or most importantly?

[Marco Rubio]

Yeah, not even close. We don't have 100,000 troops there on the ground. We didn't topple this regime necessarily. This again was as a surgical military strike to advance our foreign policy. Right. War is an extension of foreign policy. This strike was doing that. The president is not declaring war against Iran. Also, Iran is not awash in weapons that would fuel an insurgency that took place in Iraq. And we made this tremendous mistake of, of dismantling the Iraqi military and basically putting 400,000 young men on the street who went and then picked up weapons and fought against us in an insurgent manner. That's not the same situation here. So it is not. It is completely different and it's not the same comparison. It's not an endless war that's going on. It's a one time strike. We're still supporting Israel with intelligence and material and equipment and that's still going on. But the bottom line is we used this weapon system which was designed to take out that specific reactor 15 years ago. We knew that they were doing this message to North Korea. If we wanted to do it to you, that's going to happen next. So because it's the same kind of deep kind of assist reactor that they built in North Korea that they have here as well. So you bring that all together. This was the only weapon that could be used against that target. And I'm glad we did it.

[Jack Armstrong]

You have better sources than we do. What have you heard about the effectiveness of the mop?

[Marco Rubio]

So what I'm hearing is that they like the fact that it got well underground and if it wasn't destroyed, it's been buried in on itself. So right now the signals, the intel, they're listening to the Iraqis talk about it and they're noticing that there's not. Normally you would send an army unit or somebody to go towards it and check it out itself. Israel bombed a lot of those roads that go there, but there's no signs of life, there's no nothing there. Which means to tell me that Israel will eventually send commandos to go check it out itself. But the fact of the matter is, without any signs of life coming out of there, they think that not only did it get further down, but it likely imploded on itself, just based on how they think that the attack went.

[Jack Armstrong]

Military analyst Mike Lyons. Mike, thanks so much for the time. This is far from the last chapter in this saga, so let's stay in touch.

[Marco Rubio]

Great, guys, thanks for having me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thanks.

[Mike Lyons]

Ian Bremmer was tweeting out yesterday and a lot of people have made this point that it shows Iran and a number of other countries the importance of having a nuclear weapon. Nobody does this to a country that has nuclear weapons already. And a big unknown in this whole thing is where the enriched uranium is currently and you know, what other facilities Iran might have that the world was not aware of. And do they have the ability to get that uranium to a lab somewhere and turn it into a nuclear weapon and announce the world we have a nuclear weapon now, now and change the calculation on this completely?

[Jack Armstrong]

And if the mullahs made that announcement, would they be believed? I mean, they have every incentive to lie about it at this point they're hanging on by a threat.

[Mike Lyons]

You'd. Well, the reason there's the way this is usually handled is you detonate one. That's what. So we did. That's what Russia did. That's what country. That's what countries usually do. North Korea did to show the world, you see we got one, we ain't kidding. So they'd probably have to have some sort of detonation to prove it. But so hopefully that doesn't happen because that does change everything. But the idea of the ayatollahs hopping on a plane and going to Switzerland and living out their lives in some penthouse suite with protection, well then in Iran is completely leaderless. All the military leaders and a lot of the political leaders are dead. So, man, it would be a free for all then I can't imagine what would happen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and if I'm one of those guys in my swanky pad there in the uae, I'd keep my eye on the bus boys because Israel has a way of finding you and reaching out and touching you. So anyway, quick note from our friends at Simply Safe. My buddy Dan texted the other day and he said, hey, my insurance company tells me I have to have a home security system. You know, maybe that's your situation. Maybe you just want to protect your loved ones, protect your stuff. You got scumbags and junkies uching around your neighborhood no matter what your situation is. Don't ask me, ask CNET, ask Newsweek, ask USA Today. They all say the same thing. SimpliSafe, the ones to go with AI.

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[Mike Lyons]

Trump is headed to a NATO meeting that was planned before this attack on Iran. But I'm sure that'll be one of the top topics along with, you know, the whole Ukraine, Russia thing is still going and Putin's gotta be loving the fact that nobody's paying any attention to the fact that he's bombing the hell out of all kinds of civilian targets around Ukraine daily and not getting a lot of attention.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ugly, ugly times. Final note for me this segment, apparently Trump was flying along on Marine One, the helicopter, and he got a call from Pete Hegseth who said, look, it's time to make a final decision. We either move forward with the strikes on Iran or abort the mission. Because all of those chess pieces had been moved, as Mike Lyons was describing the faint out to Guam or wherever they sent those B2s and the it's got up to two weeks, as Trump said. So obviously things were moving in the background. But evidently Steve Witkoff, his special envoy to the Middle east east essentially said to Trump, they're not serious about the negotiating. They're not.

[Mike Lyons]

Well, they're clearly not right.

[Jack Armstrong]

And so Trump said go.

[Mike Lyons]

And go they did. Interesting. Be interested in your takes on any of this, what you feel about it. Text line is 415295KFTC. There's obviously other news in the world and things to talk about. I hope you can stick around Armstrong.

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[Mike Lyons]

And the National Guard is still here. A lot of security here in la and I think the National Guard is I think the LA lifestyle is going to their head. I notice now before they put a rate on Home Depot they call TMZ first. So here's an interesting thing. My son and I are driving to Dodger Stadium on Friday to go to a Dodgers game. And we're listening to the Hip hop station. I think it was power. Anyway, all the hosts on there are not all the hosts, but a lot of the hosts have a Hispanic accent and they were really into the story that, that, so I'll back up a second. Last week brought you the story that there was pressure being put on the Dodgers by a number of left leaning news organizations with the theory that 40% of their fan base is Hispanic. And hey, we might launch a boycott against Dodgers games if you don't get on the side.

[Jack Armstrong]

Our side, you know, the Black Lives Matter strategy of bullying Nike say, and given $100 million.

[Mike Lyons]

Right. And we were kind of talking about how that era seemed like it was over where your big companies take a political stance to appease, you know, being taken hostage by activist groups or whatever. But on my drive to Dodger Stadium, the Dodgers did announce a million dollars going to a fund to help help victims of ice, whatever that would mean. I mean, it just seems like a gesture to me. I mean I can't imagine how, where the rubber meets the road on those individual dollars or whatever. But anyway, it was a gesture to hold off the very thing we were talking about. And the crowd on, on the hip hop radio station which based on all their, their, their news hits and commentary between songs, they were hardcore horrified and, and, and against any of the ICE raids or doing anything about kicking illegals out of the country. They were overjoyed with the Dodgers decision. And you know, the Dodgers are back on the right side of things and all that. Wow. Which I found very interesting. I don't, I would have been completely unaware of it if I hadn't been listening to that radio station. But the Dodgers did it for people who listened to that radio station or follow that kind of news. In fact, they probably prefer if nobody else heard about it, the fact that they donated a million dollars to this cause. And I was surprised. So then my son and I would go to the game and it's fantastic. Cool being at Dodger Stadium and lots of, lots of fun and got to watch Shohei Otani bat and all that sort of stuff. But had a dodger dog, $11. Maybe the worst dog I've ever had. Had. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Wow, the other food, great chicken strips, fantastic. I had a cheeseburger. It was as good a cheeseburger as I've ever had anybody. I thought the Dodger dog sucked out loud. Anyway, I got my picture taken outside Dodger Stadium when the game was over because with the Dodgers in the background and tweeted it out and I'll bet about half the replies were I can't believe you went to a game after they donated money. Blah blah blah. People who are taking the strong, you know, going the other direction boycott, I guess.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, well, I, I get the dynamics of why they'd be tempted to do that and think it was a good idea, but holy cow, how about you announce, you know, our stance is beat the Dodge or beat the Giants and beat the Padres and try to win our division. We're a baseball team, folks. We're a baseball team.

[Mike Lyons]

It seems like such a say that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nike, Dodgers, all you people.

[Mike Lyons]

It just seems like such an easy out to me to say our primary purpose is to have the best baseball team. We, we can. Which they have that which they've paid for. Every single player is a star. That's one thing you notice watching that everybody they put up there is like a three time all star or all time this or blah blah blah. Every single player. It's something best team money can buy.

[Jack Armstrong]

But leftists want politics in everything all the time.

[Mike Lyons]

But I think it's such an easy out and I think it would work. You just have to have a little courage. Our goal is to win another World Series, period. Plus, you know, and if you're a different sort of company, you can say we're obligated by our shareholders to concentrate on baking the best running shoe that exists. So we are going to stay out of politics. I think you're fine. Let people try their boycotts. They're not going to amount to anything. But the Dodgers must have been scared.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, clearly. Or got whipped up in the whole grossly overestimating the numbers and power of the activist class. But I'll tell them the radio station.

[Mike Lyons]

I was listening to, they mentioned every single break like it was a big deal to them. Them.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. This is an iHeart podcast.