Kibbe on Liberty Ep 376 | "The War in Iran Is Going Badly"
Guest: Kelley Vlahos, Editor in Chief at Responsible Statecraft
Release Date: March 11, 2026
Host: Matt Kibbe

Episode Overview

This episode features a timely and in-depth conversation between Matt Kibbe and Kelley Vlahos about the rapidly escalating and disastrous U.S. war in Iran. Drawing on Vlahos' experience as a journalist and her role at Responsible Statecraft and the Quincy Institute, the discussion interrogates the political, cultural, and media dynamics driving American interventionism, the failure to learn from past wars, the influence of Israel and domestic political actors on U.S. foreign policy, and the current state of conservative politics regarding war and peace. The episode also explores the toll of endless war on both American soldiers and the Middle East, and discusses the collapse of dissenting narratives in mainstream media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Media, Propaganda, and Manufactured War Consent

• Fox News & Mainstream Media: The hosts note the recurring use of patriotism to shut down anti-war sentiment. Matt points out how familiar talking points are recycled, echoing 2003:

  "Laura Ingraham said… if it's quite simple, you're not anti war or pro war. You either love America or you're siding with our worst enemies. How many times have I heard that before?" (01:22)

• Vlahos calls out the fading effectiveness of this narrative:

  "Their audience is shrinking by the day and getting older by the day... most Americans don't buy it anymore." (01:48)

• Both criticize the echo chamber dynamic at Fox and describe the limited space for debate, even among conservatives.
  (03:30–06:41)

2. The Conservative Anti-War Tradition & Its Marginalization

• Discuss anti-war conservatives, especially referencing the late John Utley and the struggle to make critiques of war "acceptable" in conservative circles.

  "He led a conservative anti war movement and... they were very tiny, but they were vocal." (06:57)

3. Repeating the Cycles of War: From Gulf to Iran

• Vlahos details how U.S. government repeatedly neglects the costs to soldiers and civilians, referencing Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, burn pits, and PTSD.

  "It was only 20 years since Vietnam when we went through the Agent Orange and them having to fight for recognition for PTSD. And so when 2003 happened and we started ramping up for war there... Are you prepared for the incoming? And of course they gave me the standard line. And I talked to Vietnam veterans and Persian Gulf advocates and they said they're not ready." (09:18)

• Host and guest argue that true patriotism means opposing "forever wars." (11:59)

4. The War in Iran: Current Dynamics and Escalation

• Vlahos offers a dire assessment:

  "Things are on fire in the Middle East. I can't even wrap my head around how badly it's gone." (16:29)

• She critiques the Trump administration’s strategy as dangerously overconfident and economically destabilizing:

  "Trump keeps talking about decimation, about the regime being destroyed and everybody can see that that's not true." (16:29)
  "Price of oil... it's over $120 a barrel... this is going to have a serious impact on the economy." (16:29–17:20)

• Discussion of the administration’s chaotic and impulsive approach, including the real risk of escalation ("tactical nukes" not off the table). (16:29–18:54)

5. Influence of Israel and Loss of Independent U.S. Policy

• Matt on Netanyahu's leverage and the open role of donors like Miriam Adelson:

  "Have you ever seen a country with so much influence on American policy?" (21:55)

• Vlahos:

  "Absolutely not. And it's never. If we're just looking at US History, no, this has not happened before... we became unconditionally cleaved to Israel... with no pushback by Washington whatsoever." (22:36)

• Host and guest highlight the bipartisan nature of the U.S. commitment to Israeli policy and trace the transformation from past conditional support to today’s unconditional alignment. (22:36–28:00)

6. Trump, the "Anti-War" President, and His Betrayal

• Matt reflects on Trump’s impact making it "safe" for conservatives to question forever wars, now reversed:

  "He created the monster... that said, you know what? Forever wars are not conservative and they're not good for America. They're not patriotic. And now he's, he's trying to tamp that down." (28:00)

• Vlahos suggests Israel's influence explains Trump's reversal and his antagonism toward antiwar conservatives:

  "I blame Israel... And if you notice, the Republicans that he really goes after and he really hates are the Republicans who have countered him on his foreign policy. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie and now Tucker Carlson." (28:59)

• They detail the purging of dissent and the marginalization (or literal elimination) of voices like Charlie Kirk in the administration.
  (32:40–36:49)

7. Congressional Resistance & The Role of Outliers

• Thomas Massie is discussed as the “last man standing” against war within the GOP:

  "As attractive as it would be to go back to my farm and live the beautiful life that I created for my family, not now. I'm not going to stop this fight, because this... has very, very big consequences for the future of the conservative movement, the future of the Republican Party and the future of the country." (36:49)

• Massie’s courageous stance against AIPAC and ongoing pressure:

  "He was one of the first members of Congress... who went out there and said, I'm not going to get bullied by AIPAC. And he didn't." (37:33)

8. Elite Interests, Hypocrisy, and the "Wag the Dog" Dynamic

• The episode draws parallels between Hollywood, political scandals, and the use of war as distraction (“Wag the Dog”):

  "A president is in political trouble for a sex scandal involving an underage girl. And his team contrives a war to start to change the narrative." (43:14)

• Vlahos and Kibbe assert that both cultural (Hollywood) and political (the White House) spheres have become complicit in propaganda and war narratives; even anti-war films fall flat or support propaganda. (45:02–47:50)

9. What Now? Prospects for Ending the War

• Kibbe asks about the "best possible outcome":

  "What's the best thing that can happen now that we've broken it?" (48:07)

• Vlahos:

  "Somehow Trump is convinced… that he needs to declare victory and go home. Like, whatever he's got to do to save face, he needs to do it." (48:30)

  • She warns, however, that Iran’s new leadership is more radical, less inclined to compromise, and that U.S. actions are only entrenching resistance and radicalization. (50:11)
• The panel doubts Trump’s willingness or ability to say "No" to Netanyahu and Israel, with Vlahos shocked at how openly U.S. foreign policy now defers to another country:

  “He actually said… that we will decide together when this ends. I’ve never… thought that we would let another country decide our foreign policy, particularly in matters of when to end a war.” (53:02)

10. Future Political Fallout

• The hosts discuss scenarios for the midterms and beyond, predicting Democratic gains, impeachment efforts, and the possibility of Rubio positioning himself to inherit the GOP nomination, noting the risks of more hawkish, neoconservative leadership emerging. (56:28–60:18)
• They reflect on the cooptation of Tea Party candidates by the foreign policy establishment ("The Blob"). (60:21–63:46)

11. The Quincy Institute, Bipartisanship, and Antiwar Coalition

• Kelley Vlahos describes the Quincy Institute’s mission to foster bipartisan antiwar advocacy and the resilience required to bridge left/right divides on foreign policy:

  “We're not appealing to one side or the other. We're not carrying water for either side... It's about the issue, it's about the principle and not about the party and the politics.” (68:21)

• The value of independent resources and expertise amidst the propaganda fog:

  "I can't tell you how proud I am to work at a place with the caliber of experts I have. ...you have the benefit of their expertise... that point of view is how do we fix what's wrong with the status quo?" (74:24)

Notable Quotes

• Matt Kibbe, on media war-mongering:

  “It strikes me that if you are a patriotic American, if you love this country, you would oppose forever wars, both on principle, but just the practicality. Kind of the George Washington approach: Entangling alliances cost a lot of money, and we can't afford it. We'll bankrupt our country. That's how empires die.” (11:59)

• Kelley Vlahos, on public opinion shift:

  “I do think that some of that hesitation is falling away now when you look at the polls… 72% of Americans were in support of the 2003 invasion of Iraq… it was definitely below 50 on the day after the Iranian strike... Americans have spent the last decade really grappling with whatever happened in the 2000s... I don't think they're ready to send them over there as blindly as they did before.” (12:48)

• Kelley Vlahos, on Israel’s influence:

  “It's never... If we're just looking at US History, no, this has not happened before… when October 7th happened, I knew it was going to change everything. And it did. The way that they have responded in Gaza—they are on full-on ethnic cleansing there and they're annexing the West Bank as we speak. That's not just my opinion; that's happening." (22:36)

• Kelley Vlahos, on Trump’s about-face:

  "I blame Israel. Can I just do that? ...He had conservatives eating out of the palm of his hand, and not just conservatives, but also the libertarian right, because they really did believe that he had a different vision for our foreign policy... and now he's just taken his finger off the pulse, lost the thread." (28:59)

• Matt Kibbe, on Massie’s importance:

  “This Massie's election has very, very big consequences for the future of the conservative movement, the future of the Republican Party and the future of the country. And that sounds like hyperbole, but he's kind of the last man standing.” (36:49)

• Kelley Vlahos, on Quincy Institute's bipartisan mission:

  “It's a beautiful thing to try to run an organization where you say, hey, we're not appealing to one side or the other. We're not carrying water for either side. ...It's about the issue, it's about the principle and not about the party and the politics.” (68:21)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Media & Fox News critiques: 01:22–04:20
• Conservative antiwar tradition: 06:41–08:00
• Cycle of war trauma & neglect: 09:18–11:59
• Public opinion and patriotism: 12:33–15:19
• War in Iran assessment: 16:29–18:54
• Echo chambers in White House: 18:54–21:55
• Israeli influence on US policy: 21:55–28:00
• Trump and antiwar reversal: 28:00–32:40
• Purging of dissent in GOP: 32:40–36:49
• Thomas Massie resistance: 36:49–39:05
• Hollywood & ‘Wag the Dog’: 43:14–47:17
• Good outcome hopes: 48:07–53:02
• Bipartisan antiwar strategy: 68:21–73:12
• Resources at Quincy Institute: 74:24–79:01

Tone and Overall Takeaways

The tone is critical, urgent, and deeply skeptical of the political and media forces propelling America’s ongoing war in Iran. Both host and guest combine deeply personal experience, professional expertise, and sharp historical analysis to challenge the official narrative and ask, bluntly, what it will take to break the cycle of endless war. The episode is rich in both boots-on-the-ground history and contemporary critique of both major parties.

While there is frustration and even gloom about the current state of affairs, the conversation ends on a note of cautious hope that bipartisan antiwar networks, informed citizens, and independent expert organizations like the Quincy Institute can provide real alternatives and build the foundation for a future beyond endless militarism.

Resources Mentioned

• Responsible Statecraft
• Quincy Institute
• Free the People

For a comprehensive, antiwar, nonpartisan analysis of U.S. foreign policy, listeners are encouraged to visit Responsible Statecraft and Quincy Institute’s websites.

Summary compiled for listeners of "Kibbe on Liberty" episode 376 on the war in Iran. All quotes are verbatim and timestamped for clarity and further reference.