Bulwark Takes

Episode: Sen. Tom Cotton Defends the Indefensible
Date: December 5, 2025
Host(s): Tim Miller & Jonathan V. Last (JVL)
Main Guests: Rep. Jim Himes, Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. Roger Wicker

Episode Overview

This episode of Bulwark Takes is a rapid-fire analysis of the contentious Congressional briefing over the so-called “double tap” U.S. military strike in the Caribbean. The Bulwark team, led by Tim Miller and Jonathan V. Last (JVL), examines sharply conflicting reactions from Democratic Congressman Jim Himes and Republican Senator Tom Cotton, with a cameo from Senator Roger Wicker. The hosts scrutinize claims, parse political postures, and question the legal and moral framework behind the strike that resulted in the deaths of alleged drug smugglers at sea.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Double Tap Strike & Congressional Reaction

• Background: Congress was briefed on classified video footage of a U.S. military boat strike (the “double tap”) in the Caribbean, targeting alleged narco-traffickers.
• Central Controversy: Whether the strike was lawful, just, and how members of Congress are parsing what they saw.

2. Congressman Jim Himes – Grave Concerns & Legal Ambiguity

[02:45–04:16]

• Himes describes the footage as one of “the most troubling things” in his public service, expressing moral and legal discomfort.
• Himes Quote:

  “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion...killed by the United States...the specific example given of an impermissible action is attacking a shipwreck.” (03:14)

• Himes underscores: the men killed had “no means of locomotion” and “were shipwrecked,” but acknowledges the complexities and context offered by military leadership.
• He insists there was not an explicit “kill them all order,” subtly refuting press reports of such.

[Analysis (Tim & JVL): 04:35-06:14]

• JVL and Tim note the internal contradictions in Himes’s language—praising military leaders but describing the event as an atrocity.
• Suggest Himes is striving to be diplomatic, not wanting to “impugn...one admiral in the military who has served the country.” (Tim, 05:34)

3. Senator Tom Cotton – Aggressive Defense & Moral Certitude

[07:13–09:46]

• Cotton’s Stance: Strongly defends the military’s decision, calling the strikes “righteous” and “needful,” painting the targets as grave threats (“narco terrorists trafficking drugs...to kill thousands of Arkansans and millions of Americans”).
• Cotton Quote:

  “These are narco terrorists who are trafficking drugs that are destined for the United States to kill thousands of Arkansans and millions of Americans. The first strike, the second strike, and the third and the fourth strike on September 2nd were entirely lawful and needful.” (07:13)

• He claims the video showed the survivors “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs...back over so they could stay in the fight” (07:54).
• Dismisses the need for further inquiry, insists he “didn’t see anything disturbing about it” and would “absolutely” take the same shot again (09:42).
• Host Tim Miller skewers Cotton’s absolutism and machismo, noting:

  “Righteous, righteous, righteous. We must kill them. Kill them all.” (09:49)

4. Parsing Contradictions and Raising Questions

[10:26–13:15]

• The hosts highlight the wildly divergent “eyewitness” accounts of the same footage (helpless survivors vs. active combatants).
• JVL lampoons Cotton’s justification:

  “Is it a little raft? Is it like a kitty raft?” (10:26)
  Raising logistical questions about the plausibility of the smugglers salvaging their cargo and remaining a threat.

• The hosts ridicule the hyperbolic rhetoric about drugs as “weapons of mass destruction,” questioning underlying assumptions.

[13:15–16:55]

• Point out the leap from naval strike to an act of undeclared war, with no congressional vote or authorization.
• The threat inflation is dissected:

  “The whole basis of this act of war...is that it’s so dangerous...from those drugs that are floating in the Caribbean that we had to bomb...” (Tim, 13:25)

5. Logic of the Threat and Slippery Slope Arguments

[14:24–16:13]

• JVL wryly observes the bad “business model” of selling a product (cocaine) that purportedly kills “millions” of Americans (14:14).
• Tim mocks Cotton’s depiction of the threat to Arkansas citizens, satirically imagining scenarios of involuntary cocaine use, highlighting logical absurdities.

6. The Wicker Moment – Silence Speaks Louder

[17:20–17:36]

• Senator Roger Wicker, when questioned, refuses to comment beyond acknowledging the briefing.
• Hosts interpret his “no comment” as notable restraint, possibly indicating unease with what he witnessed.

7. Final Reflection – The Righteousness Narrative

[18:22–19:33]

• The team discusses the danger of an attitude that presumes American military actions are unquestionably “righteous.”

“As long as the bombs got a bald eagle and a US flag on it, don’t matter what happens. Because it’s righteous by definition.” (Tim, 19:14)

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• Rep. Jim Himes:
  “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress...were killed by the United States under the DoD manual...” (03:14)
• Sen. Tom Cotton:
  “These are narco terrorists who are trafficking drugs that are destined for the United States to kill thousands of Arkansans and millions of Americans. The first strike, the second strike, and the third and the fourth strike...were entirely lawful and needful.” (07:13)
  “I saw two survivors trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs...so they could stay in the fight.” (07:54)
  “I didn’t see anything disturbing about it. What’s disturbing to me is that millions of Americans have died from drugs being run to America by these cartels.” (08:37)
• Tim Miller:
  “Righteous, righteous, righteous. We must kill them. Kill them all.” (09:49)
  “How are all these Americans? Is there forcible cocaine use happening in Arkansas?” (16:13)
• Jonathan V. Last:
  “Is it a little raft? Is it like a kitty raft?” (10:26)
  “It’s a very bad business model for the cartels to sell a product which kills the people who will purchase their product.” (14:14)

Memorable Moments & Tone

• Sharp, sardonic tone by Tim and JVL, mercilessly interrogating political spin and military justifications.
• Use of humor and incredulity to spotlight tottering logic, e.g., the “involuntary hairdresser cocaine attack” scenario (16:13).
• JVL’s dry asides draw attention to the inconsistencies and evasions among congressional statements.
• The team’s skepticism about government transparency and the wisdom of military escalation is palpable throughout.

Key Timestamps

• 01:31 – Tim & JVL introduce the “double tap” briefing and set up the debate.
• 02:45–04:16 – Rep. Jim Himes’s statement.
• 07:13–09:46 – Sen. Tom Cotton’s presser: full-throated defense.
• 10:26–13:15 – Hosts dissect contradictions, exaggeration of threat.
• 14:24–16:13 – Satirical analysis of logical holes in the “millions at risk” narrative.
• 17:20–17:36 – Sen. Roger Wicker’s notable non-statement.
• 19:14–19:33 – Summary critique of the “righteousness” posture.

Summary & Takeaway

This episode spotlights profoundly conflicting Congressional accounts of a controversial American military strike, raising troubling questions about the laws of armed conflict, the expansion of executive power, and the intoxicating narrative of American righteousness. Bulwark’s hosts marshal biting wit and forensic skepticism to peel back the rhetoric and demand clear-eyed accountability—a quintessential Bulwark Takes clinic in media and political analysis.