Ep. #696: Stanley McChrystal, Scott Jennings, Peter Hamby

Summary

Real Time with Bill Maher - Episode #696 Summary

Release Date: May 17, 2025
Guests: Stanley McChrystal, Scott Jennings, Peter Hamby
Host: Bill Maher
Platform: HBO Podcasts

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1. Opening Monologue: Satirical Insights [00:00 - ~02:00]

Bill Maher kicks off the episode with his signature humor, touching on the latest addition to McDonald's menu—the McCrispy strips. He humorously speculates on President Trump's recent diplomatic trip to the Middle East, highlighting the quirky nature of his "bromance diplomacy" with Saudi Arabia.

Notable Quotes:

• “Dip it in all the sauces. Dip it in that hot sauce in your bag. Dip it in your McFlurry.” [00:00]
• “Happy Meal toy is a little bone saw.” [05:00]

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2. Introduction of Guests [Approx. 18:43]

Bill introduces his panelists:

• General Stanley McChrystal: A retired four-star Army general and bestselling author known for his work on leadership and character.
• Peter Hamby: Hosts "Good Luck America" on Snapchat and is a founding partner at Puck News.
• Scott Jennings: Senior political contributor on CNN and author of A Revolution of Common Sense.

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3. Pentagon’s Internal Challenges and DEI Initiatives [09:34 - 16:49]

The panel delves into the state of the Pentagon, focusing on perceived meltdowns and the impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Key Discussions:

• Pentagon Efficiency: Peter Hamby criticizes the Pentagon's approach, highlighting incidents like Peter Hegseth's use of unsecured communication apps.
• Military Meritocracy vs. DEI: General McChrystal defends the military’s meritocratic nature, emphasizing that effectiveness transcends personal identities.

Notable Quotes:

• "If someone is transgender, someone, no one cares. They want to get the job done right?" [09:53]
• "When I commanded the counterterrorist forces, it was the ultimate meritocracy." [10:04]

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4. Supreme Court Ruling on Deportations of Venezuelan Nationals [20:08 - 26:37]

Scott Jennings analyzes the Supreme Court's decision to deny the Trump administration's request to resume deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, underscoring its implications for due process and executive power.

Key Discussions:

• Due Process Upholding: The Supreme Court’s decision is framed as a win for legal safeguards against executive overreach.
• Political Repercussions: The ruling intensifies the ongoing tension between Trump's administration and the judiciary.

Notable Quotes:

• “Donald Trump doesn't like it. It's not over. They're just sending this back to a lower court to make a decision.” [20:08]
• “Most people believe that the Supreme Court is the final word.” [21:07]

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5. Trump’s Middle East Diplomacy and the “Trump Doctrine” [26:37 - 33:43]

The conversation shifts to Donald Trump's recent diplomatic activities in the Middle East, leading to the emergence of what Scott Jennings refers to as the "Trump Doctrine."

Key Discussions:

• Transactional Diplomacy: Trump’s approach is characterized as deal-making without ideological constraints, focusing on pragmatism over morality.
• Doctrine Shift: Moving away from traditional foreign policy doctrines like Monroe’s and Bush’s, Trump's methods are depicted as uniquely transactional.

Notable Quotes:

• “We don't give a shit about what your morality is.” [30:18]
• “Donald Trump has changed it to peace and war. He talks about peace more than he talks about war.” [33:43]

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6. Domestic Issues: Graduation Season and Youth Challenges [35:00 - 44:16]

The panel addresses societal concerns, particularly focusing on the struggles faced by young boys in America, the influence of pornography, and economic hardships.

Key Discussions:

• Youth in Crisis: High suicide rates, academic struggles, and lack of mentorship are highlighted as pressing issues.
• Legislation on Pornography: Introduction of the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act aims to restrict young boys' access to pornography.
• Economic Pressures: Economic downturns are pushing youth towards platforms like OnlyFans as alternative income sources.

Notable Quotes:

• “This is an issue that comes up a lot. People write books about it.” [38:56]
• “The economy sucks. They don't want to.” [43:30]

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7. Republican Party Dynamics and Legislative Challenges [44:16 - 48:30]

The discussion turns to internal conflicts within the Republican Party, especially the friction between Trump’s agenda and traditional fiscal conservatism.

Key Discussions:

• Reconciliation Bill Struggles: Attempts to pass tax cuts and deregulation face hurdles due to concerns over national debt.
• Party Split: Tensions between Trump-aligned Republicans and traditional GOP members regarding fiscal policies and party direction.

Notable Quotes:

• “Donald Trump has the ability to move these Republicans to pressure these congressmen.” [47:25]
• “You're just knocking the fucking building down.” [25:43]

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8. Closing Monologue and “New Rules” Segment [35:39 - End]

Bill Maher wraps up the episode with a satirical "New Rules" segment, poking fun at societal inconsistencies, political hypocrisy, and cultural shifts.

Key Themes:

• Cynicism Toward Political Statements: Mocking the flip-flopping on issues like public health initiatives and economic policies.
• Cultural Critique: Highlighting the superficiality and contradictions in political actions and societal norms.

Notable Quotes:

• “We're teaching young women that if you can have sex with 500 or 1000 in a short period of time, you be a cultural icon.” [43:12]
• “Pick up the phone, and I mean pick up the phone, don't text.” [48:23]

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Key Takeaways:

• Defense and Military Integrity: General McChrystal emphasizes the importance of meritocracy and efficiency in the military, critiquing DEI initiatives that may hinder operational effectiveness.
• Judicial Oversight: The Supreme Court’s decision reinforces the importance of due process, acting as a check against potential executive overreach.
• Foreign Policy Realism: Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy, especially in the Middle East, represents a significant shift from traditional doctrines, prioritizing pragmatic deals over ideological stances.
• Societal Challenges: The struggles of young boys in America, exacerbated by economic pressures and easy access to pornography, highlight deep-rooted societal issues that require comprehensive solutions.
• Political Friction: Internal conflicts within the Republican Party between traditional conservatives and Trump’s agenda indicate a transformative period for the party, balancing fiscal responsibility with populist policies.
• Cultural Satire: Bill Maher’s closing remarks underscore the pervasive hypocrisy and superficiality in current political and social landscapes, urging listeners to reflect on genuine convictions versus performative stances.

Conclusion:

Episode #696 of "Real Time with Bill Maher" offers a multifaceted exploration of contemporary political, military, and societal issues. Through insightful discussions with distinguished guests like General Stanley McChrystal, Scott Jennings, and Peter Hamby, the episode navigates complex topics ranging from military efficiency and judicial rulings to foreign policy and youth challenges. Bill Maher’s blend of humor and critical analysis provides listeners with both entertainment and substantive commentary, making the episode a valuable resource for understanding the current state of American affairs.

Transcript

[Bill Maher]

McCrispy strips are now at McDonald's. I hope you're ready for the most dippable chicken in McDonald's history. Dip it in all the sauces. Dip it in that hot sauce in your bag. Dip it in your McFlurry. Your dip is your business. McCrispy strips at McDonald's.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

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[Bill Maher]

Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO late night series Real Time with Bill.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Ma.

[Bill Maher]

Start the cl.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

How you doing? Thank you. Thank you very much down there. Thank you, people. How you doing? I appreciate it. Thank you very much. Well, thank you. Thank you so much. So much news, people. All right, calm down, calm down. Oh, please. Right back at you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, please. But there is so much news to get to. Big Supreme Court ruling just happened. We're going to talk about on the panel, breaking news. Always very exciting when that happens on a Friday. And of course, the president's big trip. You know, he was in the Middle east this week. A lot of stuff happened. He's in Saudi Arabia. Boy, they have a bromance going on over there. Well, they do. I mean, bromance diplomacy, I call it. But, you know, Trump has a unique bond with the Saudis. They both reshaped the Manhattan skyline. Yeah. And that was the first joke of the night. I mean, can you imagine where this shit's going? Okay, but no, but I'm telling you, Trump loves these, these rich Arab guys. He, he said, he said to crown, Crown prince MBS over there. And he said, I like you too much. He did. And now Putin isn't returning his texts. But no, they, they, they love him over there. They camels, they had Potere Teslas. They had horses, they had dancing girls. They, they had a purple carpet. I guess it's like a platinum gold card, you know, it's like purple, not even red. And they also listen to this. They set mobile McDonald's there. A little different up there than McDonald's. The Happy Meal toy is a little bone saw. Well, and then I love this. As Trump is leaving Saudi Arabia Shakes hands with mbs, and then they play YMCA in a country where you could get the death penalty for being gay. I know they say that's not a gay anthem, but people think it is. Okay, so to put that. Play that while he's in Saudi Arabia, but, you know, that's Trump. And then it was on to Rome to meet the new Pope to the tune of Wet ass Pussy. So now I'm kidding. He didn't go to Rome. Then it was on to the country of Qatar. Oh, yeah. Where he got an eye. You know, when you travel, you like to leave with a souvenir, right? So he got a $400 million plane that they gave him. Gave him a $400 million plane, which he accepted. Now, this has to be the ultimate. If Obama did it, I think, you know, because if Obama did it, Fox News would be endlessly calling it a la Force One. So I think I will call it that a la for. But it's moot anyway because it's not going to be ready to be that if it was going to be Air Force One. So it would have to be private, which then it would be illegal. But, you know, it doesn't matter. Trump says he will not be using it when he leaves office. And people don't believe that. Not the using it part, the leaving office part. But. Okay, so Trump now has four planes. He's got the two Air Force ones that the government provides. Then he's got his own plane. Now he's got this one, four planes. Yet everybody else still only $3 and 10 pencils. I mean, but I thought. I thought this was an interesting sign of the times today. I saw in the paper, there's a man named Glenn Rogers in Florida. They put him to death. He's a serial killer, like all serial killers. He's a white man from Ohio. But listen to this. His last words before the shit went in the arm were, president Trump, keep making America great. And you know Trump, he said, what, am I supposed to not take the compliment? But of course, what everybody is really talking and gossiping about is I'm sure you know the rapper and mogul Sean Combs. The trial is going on in New York, and, oh, my God, his ex, Cassie testified this week. And according to her testimony, this shit is even sicker than we thought. I mean, he really puts the P in P. Diddy. Well, again, according to her testimony, she says he brought in other men to have rough sex with her, including urinating on her. I mean, say what you want about R. Kelly, he did his own urinating and I don't know, but I just don't get these freaky people. I mean, I'm so glad I'm not freaky. Like, I mean, because, I mean, I don't get this, being so jaded because Puffy, he wasn't even participating. He wouldn't participate. He would just sit there and tell his girlfriend and hired prostitutes what to do. But then again, he was always a better producer than performer. But it may not be so bad for him after all. Puff Daddy, because said this week it's going to be okay because Trump is probably going to pardon him. Well, I don't know, maybe. You know, Diddy's a terrible guy, but he does have a lot of oil. All right, we got a great show. We have Peter Anthony and Scott Jennings. But first up, oh my gosh, he is a retired four star army general. How about that for a transition. And bestselling author on choices that define a life. Stanley McChrystal. General, sir, how are you? It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure. Thank you for your service. I mean that sincerely. Well, thank you for being here. I'm sorry you had to see that monologue. You're such a serious guy. I mean, you ran our war in Afghanistan. I mean, you were head of the Joint Special Operations Command, which is our elite commandos when there's something terrorist going on. What do you think of the Puff Diddy trial? No, I'm. No, I want to know because all we've been hearing about lately is this Pentagon is kind of in a meltdown. Pete Hegseth from Fox News took over and twice now he's been caught talking on a signal which is app, which is not safe according to the book. And people in the Pentagon have read are upset about this. I've even read the word meltdown. You must know people still in the building. What's going on inside the Pentagon?

[Peter Hamby]

Well, thanks for asking. I, I think people are bothered by a lack of seriousness. And I'll say on a couple levels, if you look at signal gate, we'll call it. That was a bit amateurish. That was a mistake. And I can, I think people can say that's sort of people figuring out how to do their job.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Twice it happened twice.

[Peter Hamby]

But then after the fact, they went in front of media and testimony and they said that the information wasn't classified and it was.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

How could it not be? It was about attacking another country.

[Peter Hamby]

That's right. But the real problem is they knew it was and they want us to believe Them. And that. That's a real issue there. If you think of the Pentagon in general, we've got to defend the nation, and that's very, very serious business. It's expensive, it's across the world, and it requires every capability America can marshal. And now we are locked in this argument about dei. And in reality, when I commanded the counterterrorist forces, it was the ultimate meritocracy. I mean, you see the movies, and you see the bearded commander with big shoulders, knobby knuckles, and I was part of that. And now people can tell they're not all like that. I would like to say I was bigger then, but the reality is it's a team. And that team that does it is communicators and logisticians, intelligence professionals. And it's people of every age, of every sex, of every gender. If someone is transgender, someone, no one cares. They want to get the job done right? And so we sometimes make it two dimensional in the idea that you've got to be a certain profile to be a warrior. And I just have a different view of the military than Secretary Hagsett does in that regard. I think we really are about what best defends us. And I think what best defends us is everybody.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

But I must say, this is exactly why these guys wanted to take over, because they think. I mean, first of all, I do find it hard to believe that nobody in the military has a problem with trans people in the military. Is that what you're saying?

[Peter Hamby]

No. I certainly would never speak for everybody in the military. I'm sure some do. But the reality is, I mean, it's.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

The same thing as what goes on in women's locker rooms. There are some places people just don't want a penis. I mean, there are. I. I don't trust a penis, no matter who has it. Okay. It's just. It's just not a trustworthy organ. But. But this is what. Why they want. They say that Pete Hegseth says we have to restore the warrior ethos, and that somehow this is in conflict with wokeness. So you don't see that as a problem at all. When you were there, there was nothing that you would describe as too woke.

[Peter Hamby]

Well, there are always superficial things that even at the time, caused me to roll my eyes a bit. But the reality is there was a great service member on TV the other day who said, we're too strong to participate in sports, and yet we are not strong enough to be in the military. And that's the basic contradiction here. I think anyone who has the desire to serve their nation, to put their life on the line, to bring their talents, I've just never seen. I never heard a discussion about transgender when I was in. In fact, there was a big argument about women in combat, and there was a certain percentage of the force that was against it. And the thing that became kind of funny about it is they were still arguing about it 10 years after women were already in combat and doing very well. And so that had changed. The reality had changed. And most of the people who are actually doing the military's business are very practical people. And I think that's still the case.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

And do you think. I mean, your book is about character. And the phrase that struck out to me is embrace the suck that you talk about, which is, I guess you didn't coin that, but that's what they say in the military, which means things get rough out there and you got to embrace it. Does the military you feel still have that character?

[Peter Hamby]

I think they do. But the suck may be different. If we think of every soldier carrying a huge rucksack and walking 30 or 40 miles with it. That was never the reality. That was always a subset of the force. There were always people that did this other range of jobs, and some of them work 18 hours a day, some of them work seven days a week. I mean, they're tremendous things. I remember mechanics in the cold when I was a mechanized unit. It would be really cold, and they'd take their gloves off and they would grab a wrench and they would be trying to tighten or loosen a bolt and it would slip off and they would bark their knuckles. And you just. You cringed when you watched that, but they didn't complain. And so everybody had a different way of contributing and kind of. It all sucks at times, but the reality is it's willing to say that sucking is part of it. Whatever my particular participation is isn't going to be something I like every minute of every day.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

And the future of warfare isn't any of that anyway, is it? I mean, now we have guys who sit in an air conditioned building in Las Vegas and operate a drone that drops missiles half a world away. We're not going to have fighter pilots in the future. Even Elon Musk said that although they did not go through with their plan to cut the Pentagon budget, they should have. Should they not have? Yeah.

[Peter Hamby]

The Pentagon budget is an interesting one. And I'll just say that. That it's not a litmus test for patriotism. A bigger budget doesn't mean you're more Patriotic. We should spend as much on defense as we need to. It's always going to be expensive for America because we try to. To be prepared to fight around the world. Many of our allies or even our opponents have a fairly narrow geographical area and mission set, so they focus on that, and they. They can be more economical on that. We try to be able to do a wide range of things, and that's part of America's role in the world. So it's going to be expensive. Could we cut the defense budget? I think we could spend the money better. I think defense acquisition is almost remarkably out of date the way we do it. And I think most of the people who participate in that system understand that. But it was going to take major reform. If you want a secretary of defense to do something that I would be truly excited about, instead of focusing on dei, they would come in and they say, we're going to reform defense acquisition in a brutally efficient way and try to produce something different.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

So one of the big military stories recently was that not one, but two airplanes fell off an aircraft carrier. I mean, sometimes the kids talk about falling off. It means you're not doing as well as you used to do. But these planes really fell off?

[Peter Hamby]

Yeah.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Why?

[Peter Hamby]

Well, I don't know. I wasn't there. But let me paint a picture of a nuclear aircraft carrier for Everybody. It's about 5,000 young Americans, average age, like 18 years old, you wouldn't lend your car to.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

But we've given them.

[Peter Hamby]

A nuclear aircraft carrier, and they do a splendid job. They wear different colors, sweatshirts, they launch and recover aircraft, and they just do the nation's bidding day after day after day. Do people make mistakes?

[General Stanley McChrystal]

They do. It's probably amazing that it doesn't happen more often.

[Peter Hamby]

Exactly.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

And landing a plane on the aircraft carrier. I've seen enough movies to know what a bitch that is.

[Peter Hamby]

It's insanity.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

It's insanity, right? At night or something, you have this little matchbook cover that you're trying to hit from coming down at crazy speeds, and then you have to stop on a dime. It's. It's kind of amazing that they pull off what they do on a regular.

[Peter Hamby]

Basis, and they do it day after day after day, year after year.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

And so that's as you did, and we thank you. People say thank you for your service like it's a thing. When I say it, I mean it. I think most people do. Thank you, General. I appreciate you being here. General McChrystal. All right. Good luck with Good Book. All right, let's lead our panel. Hey, guys. How you doing?

[Bill Maher]

All right.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

He hosts Good Luck America on Snapchat and is a founding partner at Puck News. Peter Hamby back with us. Peter. And he's on the other network. I'm also on CNN as a senior political contributor whose forthcoming book A Revolution of Common Sense is available for pre order on Amazon. I used to call him Lonely Scott Jennings, but he has some help now. Scott Jennings, how are you? Okay. Well, I'm always excited when there's breaking news right before we come on the end. And this is Friday at about 4 o' clock here in Los Angeles. And the Supreme Court today just said they are denying seven to two the Trump administration's request to swiftly resume deportations of Venezuelan nationals. If you've been following this story, Trump used something from 1798 called the aliens Enemies Act. It depended on you believing that we were actually under invasion, that this was a war because there are gangs, there are gangs from Central American, South American countries, countries here in this country. Whether this was an invasion by any reasonable reading of that word, a lot of people question this. And interesting, we could talk about the Supreme Court not always backing him up, as people thought. But let's just get to this right away. What do you think about this ruling by the Supreme Court? Will this be important?

[Scott Jennings]

Yeah, I mean, I think the court here is standing up for due process. Donald Trump doesn't like it. It's not over. They're just sending this back to a lower court to make a decision as to whether these Venezuelans in Texas can be deported and sent to this megaprison in El Salvador. Most the interesting thing about Donald Trump saying, I think he posted on Truth Social, you know, the courts are trying to stop us from fighting this invasion of illegal alien criminals or whatever language he used to 88% of Americans, I think, according to Pew, think that Donald Trump should abide by whatever the Supreme Court says. The court is not popular generally, but as the president is, you know, pushing back against the courts, expanding executive power and the courts are pushing back on him, I mean, 78, I think 80% of Republicans in the same poll agree that the Supreme Court is the final word. But again, like, we'll see what happens. This is a procedural decision.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

Yeah, Well, I mean, it's a good thing that most people believe that because Donald Trump also believes that. He's repeatedly said that they'll abide by what the Supreme Court decisions are. But that's not going to stop them from pulling all the most creative levers they can think of to repel what I think they rightfully believe has been an invasion. It's not just these gangs. It's illegal immigration in general. And the last administration allowed it to happen. They got elected largely on a mandate to correct it. So they're trying creative things. Maybe they're stretching the boundaries of what a 1798 law was intended for. But most Americans know it was a crisis. Most Americans know the previous administration caused it. And most people voted for Donald Trump largely because they thought he would do what was necessary to fix it. Now, if the court doesn't agree with him, I'm sure they'll go back to the drawing board on it. But I think he's got a lot of political leash to pull as many levers as he can.

[Scott Jennings]

The curious dynamic that's going on, I think, is that they're trying to have it both ways, claiming there's an invasion, pushing the courts. What the Trump White House is doing, using all of the levers of the federal government is working. I mean, Joe Biden's policies at the border were a disaster. Democrats need to admit that at the February 2023, I think there were 200 and a quarter million apprehensions at the border. In March of this year, there were 7,000. So, like, fentanyl deaths are down in this country. Crime, violent crime is coming down. So, like, it's working. They're arresting and deporting 65,000 people so far. So, like, the invasion is being stopped. But Trump is still saying we need the courts to push back the invasion.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

But it's the people who already are here. Take the Abrego Garcia character that we sent back to El Salvador. He has been in the country or was in the country for 14 years. He came in in 2011 and it's 2025, and there's plenty of evidence that he was a pretty bad dude. And most people are looking at this saying, how did he come in and stay here for this long? Why shouldn't we be trying to pull levers to get people like that out of the country?

[General Stanley McChrystal]

So your view is that bad dudes could be sent to a foreign prison.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

That can't be in the country where they are a resident or a citizen?

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Sure, okay, but that's not himself. But that's not what the Constitution says. I mean, our friend Byron Donalds, who has been on the show before this week, said due process is reserved for American citizens. But that is not what the Constitution says. I mean, maybe it should, but that's not what we're talking about we're saying, what does it say? I mean, if you were the Founding Fathers and you were writing the Fifth Amendment or the 14th Amendment, because both of them used the word person, they knew the difference between the word person, citizen, and the word citizen that says, no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process. That's the Fifth Amendment. The 14th says, no state shall deprive any person of life, liberty, property, without due process. So isn't it clear? I mean, you talk about creative means, but creative can just kind of morph right into, we're just going to do whatever I want. And I don't think, as you said, those Polish numbers, even among Republicans, I don't think they want to live in a country where a guy just goes, you know, you're a bad dude. You go to torture jambo.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

Well, that's not the country they live in. They live in a country where this guy had been to immigration court repeatedly.

[Scott Jennings]

He had a Venezuelans they're talking about. In this case, the Supreme Court is focused on today. Trump wants to send them to El Salvador. They're not from El Salvador.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

I mean, Trump was asked, do you have a duty to uphold the Constitution? And his answer was, I don't know. I'm not a lawyer. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm just asking.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

But in the same breath, he said, on this case, we have the best lawyers, and we're going to abide by what the Supreme Court said. I mean, that was what his full statement was. Look, these people, these gang members are not coming here to be productive Americans. They are coming here to rape, pillage, murder, steal, and wreak havoc on communities. The president was elected to fix it. I believe in when he says he's going to abide by Supreme Court decisions, but I don't think most people begrudge him creative ideas when it comes to getting them out. When they've been allowed to stay here for so long.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

They don't begrudge him a lot of ideas. I don't even begrudge him a lot of ideas like that. I don't want gangs in this country either. Or, you know, was there bloat in the government or USA Aid? Maybe there was some corruption. It's the way he does it. It's this. It's the wrecking ball nature, you know?

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

So when I hear. It's like when I hear people say, it's the way he does it, what I hear is, well, I don't like the way he does it, and I would prefer he not do anything at all. Let's just kick the can down the road. That's what everybody else does. He didn't get elected to kick the can.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Really. There's no middle ground between doing nothing and doing it the right way. Please.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

What's the right way?

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Well, I don't know. Like, if you were going to take. If you were going to demolish a building, wouldn't you go in there and take out the valuable stuff first as opposed to just knocking the fucking building down?

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

How many of them? I don't know. How many of the gang members would you consider to be valuable? I mean.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

No, I'm talking. I'm talking about Doge.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

Oh, Doge.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

You know. Yeah. That kind of thing.

[Scott Jennings]

The problem is that, again, speaking of polls, most Americans agree violent criminals who are here illegally, undocumented should be gone. It's all the other people who get caught up in the dragnet who might not be criminals or, I mean, Bill, you've talked on the show a lot about the protesters at Columbia. Like, there might be a ton of bozos who were in those protests, but the people who were arrested at Tufts and at Columbia and sent to an immigration holding facility in Louisiana, they haven't been charged with a crime. They were just, like, speaking, exercising their free speech rights.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

All right, let's move before we run out of time. I want to get to the trip to the Middle east because Trump, if anything, he is a disruptor. You got to give him that, because he has mixed up the right and the left this week, as I haven't seen in a long time. I see lots of people on the right criticizing him for taking the plane and for being cozy with Qatar. I see lots of people, Democrats, centrists, people who you don't usually see saying nice things about Trump. Let me Fareed Zakaria. Trump reminded us that sometimes his willingness to take risks and think outside the box can shake up old, tired ways. He could bring a new level of peace and stability to the Middle East. This is Jean Shaheen. She's the Democratic senator of New Hampshire. She's down with it. Sarah Jacobs. She's a congressman out here in California. Here's Rob Malley. He's in the Biden administration. I wish I could work for an administration that could have moved that quickly. It's hard not to be simultaneously terrified, he says, by the things Trump does. Also awed by his willingness to brazenly shatter so many harmful taboos. Ben Rhodes, that's Pod Saves America doesn't get more left than that. It's so clearly the right decision. He's talking about recognizing Syria. So it's so funny, you know, they want to separate somehow. Trump's transactional, which is preposterous. Some of this transactional bribery stuff that goes on with his diplomacy, you can't. That's who he is. That's how he sees the world. You knew it the first time they reelected him. It's never going to change. It's a bromance diplomacy. The way he talks about these. He's a handsome guy. I mean, I don't know what's going on. The question is, is the transactional part, Is it possible that in the future we will say, oh, well, it was worth it because we got peace in the Middle East? I don't know.

[Scott Jennings]

This is the big question of this week. And you mentioned Ben Rhodes. Him and Tommy Vitor on Pod Save the world did say they liked some of the things that he did. He sidelined Netanyahu from these conversations. He got rid of sanctions against Syria. And both of them said, on Pod, save the world. I wish Biden had done that. And he did. And like, there's a thing that Scott and I both know from D.C. it's called the blob, the foreign policy blob. The State Department lifers, the think tank, people who think and still think that the Post war, post World War II order is still a thing and you still need to do this and that Biden came out of that world. If we have a, if we remove a Russian and Iranian proxy in Syria, you know, that's backed now, theoretically by a US Ally, we can always put sanctions back up. Like that's a good thing. If we're getting hostages out of Gaza, that's a good thing. I don't think Trump cares that much about the Palestinians, but there are lots of possible, very good outcomes here. And I was amazed by reading some of these quotes from Biden, State Department people who are like, man, I wish we could have done this stuff.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I mean, yeah, they're saying that because they wish their own president had been awake long enough to do anything like this. I mean, that's the.

[Scott Jennings]

I mean, this is the problem.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

People respond to leadership. People respond to leadership. The president is functional and capable of going to another country and saying, I represent the United States. Let's wheel and deal here. And on Qatar, I would just point out all the people who are upset about this. This plane. We're already dealing with these people. We get the big military base there, we sell them a lot of military equipment. We have already crossed the threshold of deciding. We have to deal with Qatar, even though they have clearly done things that we don't like. And so the idea that we're going to be mad about having a relationship with him now, I think that, well.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

That is the new. Well, there is a Trump Doctrine now, you know, and if people haven't followed in the past our history, we have doctrines. The Monroe Doctrine back in the 19th century was saying, anything that happens in the Western hemisphere or in the Caribbean, that's our business and we will fuck with you. Then there was the Bush Doctrine. The Bush Doctrine was like, if you harbor terrorists, we will treat you like a terrorist yourself. Now we have the Trump Doctrine, which is, I think, as much of a departure as any doctrine a president has ever promulgated. Because what he is saying is, and I'll give you some of the quotes is, in the end, the so called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built. This is his speech in Riyadh. Interventionists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand. Now I got to say, this is something people on the left said about Vietnam societies we did not even understand. We said it about Iraq. What are we doing here? But Trump is basically saying, we don't give a shit about what your morality is. And again, it's a hard one for left people on the left to argue with because they're the ones who say America's so evil. So his doctrine is basically you, do you. We all love money. We all love money. And we're not going to lecture you or heck, do you anymore about your morals. The lecture thing is you want to cut off somebody's head, a reporter's head with a bone saw. You know, we all have our peccadilloes. That's his doctrine.

[Scott Jennings]

I talked to someone in the Trump administration yesterday about all of this and they said, literally what you just said, they said, quote, this person, Trump isn't going over there to lecture, he's going over there to do deals. This person described it fully as realism. He's transactional. That's who he is, that's who we are. And again, maybe the American people will decide this. The international community will decide this. The Blob might think about this, like, do we care about abandoning the traditional morality of the United States, exporting our values overseas in service of good outcomes? It's a very interesting question.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

He was, that's a very reasonable question. Because the other way didn't really work. I mean, planting democracy in the Middle east was really, I Mean, they gave a lot of reasons why we went into Iraq, but that was really what. They couldn't say it all the time, but Thomas Friedman would say it for them. We need to plant a democracy in the heart of the Arab world. And it didn't work because you know what? You got to get rid of the religion. And that's not going to happen in our lifetimes before you can get to democracy. They don't care about the same things. Biden would not talk to MBS after he cut off the guy's head. And then six months later, when we needed Saudi Arabia, he went over there and fist bumped him.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

Something about the Republican doctrine that is fascinating to me. I've been in the party for 25 years, working in it. We've always been war and peace. I think Trump has changed it to peace and war. He talks about peace more than he talks about war. He's still hawkish enough to bomb that need to be bombed like the Houthi rebels. But I get the feeling he's responding to all these new inflows of constituents to the Republican Party. Maybe they were Democrats before, maybe they weren't even political before, but they would much rather hear an American president talk about peace. And the banner in the Middle east at his rally this week said peace through strength, which is probably one of the most enduring slogans from the Reagan era. He doesn't agree with them on everything, but on that I think he's right. But putting peace ahead of war, pretty popular with the American people, right?

[Scott Jennings]

I was on the show with you last year talking about the tour I had done of college campuses for my Snapchat show, interviewing students about the election, just asking them open ended questions. I was shocked the amount of times I heard from young men on campuses, not like Yale or Stanford, like commuter colleges, Cleveland State, Clemson, Penn State, whatever. And they liked that Trump was promising to end wars, however unrealistic that was. He became the anti war candidate and stole that from the Democratic Party over the years.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

He does not like war. I knew that from what people had told me and when I may have met him in the past recently.

[Scott Jennings]

How'd that go?

[General Stanley McChrystal]

That went great, actually. And that's one thing that comes across really plain, which is so ironic because it's sort of like a hippie view, like, I don't care what you have to do, we're just not going to war. In his case, surrendering. He surrenders to people. When I worked at, like to Putin, just surrender. Because I hate war that much. And you know what if this stalemate in Ukraine was ever going to not come out the way it is? It makes sense, but we'll see, because he does just surrender. That's how much he hates war.

[Scott Jennings]

He had that brand even before he ran for president. When I worked at cnn, Scott's Current Network, back in the day, before he ran for president, when he was doing the whole birther thing, he would call into like Wolf Blitzer's show and you know, talk shit about George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Yes, opposed it and like that was part of his brand even before running for president.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

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[General Stanley McChrystal]

Okay, so listen, it is graduation season. I have to tell you, parents out there, some of them are very proud now. And what happens during graduation season, as we know, is the kids go out there. And it became a tradition to put the message that you want to greet the new world with on the top of your cap. And now they're even having decorating parties where kids come out. There it is, they put the messages on the caps. And you've seen these messages, they're all the same. They're kind of like thanks mom and dad and hire me and onto the next adventure. So every year it's a tradition here that we show you some of the caps that We've seen. Would you like to see? Okay. For example, I used. I used AI to write this hat. I did it. Mom and Elon will hate America for food. Oh, well, I see that on a hat. Luigi, I'll wait for you. Pronouns, they, them, job prospects, zero, zillow, moving my tent from the quad to the sidewalk, maga the whole time and no one found out. Wow, thanks, Bill Belichick. And this speaker sucks. Where's Zendaya? Okay. All right. Speaking of college kids, you. You both have been thinking a lot about young boys. No, it came out. Well, that came out. I think.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I think you may have me mixed up with a Lincoln friend.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

No, no, no. I'm sorry.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I'm sorry.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

What I'm trying to say is that this is an issue that comes up a lot. People write books about it. The stats show us that young boys are in crisis in this country much more than girls. If you look at the numbers in the workplace, in college, how they do reading levels, all this stuff, boys are falling behind, suicide levels, higher, all that kind of stuff. So Mike Lee, who is the senator from Utah, thinks he has the answer to this, which is to ban porn. He has a bill. It's not funny to me. Okay, maybe it's funny to you, but I'm taking this very seriously. It's called the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act. Now, look, porn is different than when I was a kid. Are you kidding? I mean, Playboy was super tame. It was some girl standing next to a bale of hay. You know, it was nothing. And now it is nasty. It really is. I don't look at that type, but I know it exists. But, you know, okay, so a couple of questions, but, you know, drugs are also more dangerous than they ever were. Pot is stronger than. It doesn't mean that you should outlaw it for the people who want to use this stuff responsibly. The other question I want to ask is, what is the connection here? I mean, why does he think, and is he right, that this is such an important part of the problem that boys are having is that they're hooked on pornography?

[Scott Jennings]

I mean, I think this Donald Trump has papered over the fact that the Republican Party still has a weirdo problem where they want to meddle in your bedroom. That's real. Like Mike Johnson. No, Mike Johnson has said he uses an app called Covenant Eyes to monitor his son's porn usage. Like, this is like a public statement.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House? Yes, yes. He and his son, they monitor each other. It's Like Alcoholics Anonymous with your dick. No, really, it is just the way an Alcoholic's Anonymous. If you're tempted, you call the sponsor. This way, you call your dad. Or he calls you and says, talk me down from pornhub. I mean, it's great.

[Scott Jennings]

Okay, well, so say Republicans. This gets through the Senate and the House. I don't think it will. Donald Trump would never sign this. What's interesting to me, though, is the Supreme Court heard arguments in January from Texas and people challenging this law. ACLU. There's 18 states in the country, Republican states mostly, that have implemented age gating rules. So if you live in Texas and you're under 18, you have to provide proof that you're of age to look at those websites. And the court seemed open to upholding these laws. Now, that gets into data collection. It gets into other, like, constitutional issues. But, like, that seems like it might actually happen. And there is a reasonable debate to be had about the accessibility of porn for young men. If you are our age. Like, at my summer camp, some guy in the cabin had the magazines, but there was some friction. You had to, like, go there, ask him for it, get the magazine. Like, now, just pull it up on your phone.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

We put all kinds of. I mean, we put the devil in your pocket every day. Porn, sports, gambling. I mean, these young men, I think, are somewhat in crisis because we put things in their hands that they had to previously work to get, and now they don't. And so it's easier to do that than don't have a relationship.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

So you guys are saying nasty porn's okay if you work for it? Is that what I'm getting?

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I'm just saying, I think back in.

[Scott Jennings]

The day, you had to earn it.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

But I will. I think. I think the. You know, I'm like you. I tend to. When you're an adult, I'm sort of not sure I'd be in league with banning things for adults. It's a hard thing to do. However, there is something wrong with our culture on this front. I mean, look what we're teaching young women right now. We're teaching a whole generation of young women that the best and fastest way to get rich is to have sex with people in front of strangers for money.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

We're teaching you talking about only fans.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I'm talking about onlyfans. We're teaching young women that if you can have sex with 500 or 1000 in a short period of time, you be a cultural icon. And that is corrosive for the culture. And so to Your point? It's different than it used to be. And we're. I mean, what are we teaching these girls? It's not just the boys. What are we teaching them about their own personal humanity and values?

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Okay, well, I don't think we're teaching them. I think they're doing it because the economy sucks. They don't want to. Thank you.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

So you're saying, you're saying this is the only job they can get.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

You're saying all these people are on OnlyFans? I know, not all of them, but, yes, desperation leads people to do things just like that. I don't think most of them would want to do it, but, I mean, we know in this state there's no way a person can live in this state on a normal salary. They're just. And that's one reason why.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

So you can either start OnlyFans or get a new governor or a new government. Maybe you should try that. I mean, I don't. I'm not, I'm not. I mean, you could change your politics, you know.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

No, no, trust me, I don't feel undertaxed here in California. I've complained about the same thing. Okay, so speaking of that, the GOP has a bill now before the Today. I see, or maybe it was yesterday, a lot of the Republicans voted against because it adds $2.5 trillion to the debt. I mean, they seem to want to have it always. They want to give all these new tax breaks, no taxes on tips, stuff like that. But they also want to give the tax breaks to the rich that they did in the past. And apparently the Democrats and a number of Republicans voted with the Democrats to shoot this down. What do you make of that?

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

Well, we have a split in the party. This is Donald Trump's big, beautiful bill, and he wants. Yes, and this is the second half of his agenda. His executive actions and tariffs and everything he's done so far is what he can do. But he is dependent upon the Republicans in Congress to do the next thing, which is make the tax cuts permanent, cut additional taxes, deregulate energy, and so on and so forth. For the Republicans, in my opinion, failure is not an option. But the party still retains some of the old DNA, the cost cutting DNA. You know, we spend too much. We do have almost a $40 trillion debt. So they're not wrong. And so this is going to come to a head this summer. My prediction is they will ultimately do something because Trump is the most powerful person in the party and he has that much influence. But the new Trump DNA and the old Republican sort of Tea Party DNA. This is, this is where the friction meets. And you're seeing some of this debate play out in the reconciliation process.

[Scott Jennings]

I agree that Trump is going to be the one ultimately whipping votes. Like that's what he does. Like Speaker Johnson defers to him. But I think you're right that this needs to get done very quickly. Republicans admit this. Like Mike Johnson thinks they're going to send a nice bill to the Senate and the Senate's going to say, yes, sir, we'll sign off on this. It's the Senate. They're not going to do that. Like the salt deduction. There's no Republicans in the Senate who care about the salt deduction. There's the bird rule.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

What's the salt deduction?

[Scott Jennings]

The state and local tax tax deduction. Your property taxes here in California.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Fuck your profile deduction.

[Scott Jennings]

Remember, remember the Inflation Reduction act, that when Biden and Manchin and Cinema were doing that whole dance that was introduced, I think, in the early summer of 2021, it wasn't signed until the fall of 2022. So, like, that bill is smaller than this bill and there's not going to be any Democratic votes jumping on board. There were some Republican votes on that one.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I just don't think Republican individual members of are going to want to go home and say, I know you sent me there to support the president, but I was the one person who stood between him and passing his full agenda. I think the political pressure on them from back home, they respond to him, not these individual members. And so ultimately, Trump has the ability to move these Republicans to pressure these congressmen. They need to find a way for the party and for Trump, they cannot fail here because his whole economic vision doesn't. One doesn't work without the other. He has to have the tax cuts. He's also have the regulation.

[Scott Jennings]

He's a lame duck. He has to do it now.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I don't think any Republican in Congress, they don't believe he was a lame duck. They jump whenever he says jump.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Sure.

[Scott Jennings]

But I'm saying he's got three more years to be president and then the midterms happen. We can assume Democrats take back the House.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

I did. In working on this book that I'm writing, I did talk to some good plug. Yeah, I know.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Smooth. Yeah.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

Kirk, order it right now. But I talked to someone, one of his political advisers, who said the reason he's doing so much at the same time right now is because he knows time is of the essence. He has A finite amount of time to do the things he wants to do. And it goes by quickly. And so he's got a lot of balls in the air. But this reconciliation bill is a major part of it.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Okay, final question. One minute. I have the American. Do you know what that is? It's the idea of Kristi Noem to have a new reality show where immigrants compete against each other to win American citizenship. She said it's not like the Hunger Games, even though it sounds exactly like the Hunger Games. What do we think of this idea?

[Scott Jennings]

Is this on YouTube?

[General Stanley McChrystal]

Where is this? No, this is real. This is real. Suggested by the Trump administration.

[Scott Jennings]

She is the thirstiest debt member of all of them. She will do anything to please Mr. Trump. Run TV ads, do a game show. She is so thirsty, man.

[Unnamed Political Commentator]

Well, I mean. I mean, college campuses are running contests right now to see which students can hate America the most. Maybe we can have a contest to see who loves America.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

All right, thank you, guys. It's time for new rules. Well, I'm with you on that one. Okay, new rules. Someone she has to tell. Nikki Wake, who claimed she had a three way with another woman and her dead husband's ghost. No, what you had was lesbian sex. Which is fine. Just don't drag your dead husband into it. I mean, if you really cared about him, you'd have had this party when he was alive. New rule. The townspeople of Kimballton, Iowa, who are furious about their tap water having turned pink, must look on the bright side. The rats in your sewer system are having a girl neural. Now that this Wisconsin mother of two who went missing from her home in 1962 and was just found alive at the age of 82. Everyone must stop pressing her to explain herself. Can't a woman run a few errands? Nurul, the Greek woman who's divorcing her husband because she asked Chacha to read the grounds in his coffee cup, and it said he was fantasizing about cheating. Needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Look, he's a man who just had coffee, which means he's awake, which means he's fantasizing about cheating. Let me put it this way. You know how baseball seems slow? That's on purpose. So we can use the time when nothing is happening to fantasize about cheating. If you can't figure that out without AI, we really are doomed. New rule. If you're a gay cardinal of the Catholic Church, hey, it could happen. And during your time time in the Conclave, you met a cute guy and now you're wondering how long should I wait before I call him so I don't seem desperate? Stop overthinking this. Pick up the phone. And I mean pick up the phone, don't text. If you're going to be in the shadows, undercover and in the closet, at least be upfront about it. And finally, new rule. Americans must get over the fantasy they have that they are a people of core convictions and deeply held beliefs. They're not. They only care which side is saying something. Let me give you 10 million examples. This car used to be fire. Now it's on fire. Back when Elon Musk was presumed liberal, liberals loved electric cars and conservatives hated them. Then Elon went MAGA. And while the car market grew by 10% last month, sales of electric vehicles were down 5%. And not just Teslas, all EVs. Conversely, MAGA Nation used to hate EVs. Two years ago, 71% of Republicans said they would not consider buying an electric car. Trump said they were for, quote, radical left, fascist Marxists and communists. Now he's selling them on the White House lawn.

[Peter Hamby]

Everything's computer.

[General Stanley McChrystal]

That's right, Tarzan. Everything's computer. Computer good now. And Elon's cybertruck. That's now the official automobile of the manosphere. And the right wing fuck you, mobile of the year. Sorry, Dodge Charger. Okay? This is a crazy, shallow way to make decisions that we all do too much. A new book by David Zweig called An Abundance of Caution about the repercussions from keeping the the schools closed so long during the pandemic has garnered a lot of attention. And here's the author's takeaway line. The American Academy of Pediatrics were very strongly in favor of getting kids into schools. But as soon as Trump came out in favor of reopening, they completely reversed their position. Hey, if you find yourself suddenly hating something you loved five minutes ago, or vice versa, ask your doctor if Ivermectin is right for you. Remember that debate during the pandemic on the left? They were saying Trump and Joe Rogan took it. It must be for animals. Okay, it won the Nobel Prize in 2015 for what it did for humans. But whatever. The point is it's a drug. It's not a politician. Drugs don't have political parties. Although I do suspect Xanax is a Democrat. Do people really want to put politics ahead of their very health? Let me answer that. Yes, I know they do. Because when Michelle Obama adopted as her first lady Project to Get America Healthy Again, Republicans Apeshit Real Housewives throw drinks in your face. Crazy against it. Because it was Michelle Obama who said it, and her program was called let's Move. So Republicans bravely took a stand against movement. Sarah Palin made an ostentatious show of bringing sugar cookies to a school because if these fat little boys can see their dicks, liberty dies. Rush Limbaugh wanted to know, are we supposed to eat roots, berries, and tree bark now? Okay, but now that Robert Robert Kennedy, leader of the Make America Healthy Again movement, is in the Trump administration. Treebark Good. Fuck yeah. Make America healthy. Finally, somebody said it. And when I say somebody, I mean not a black liberal lady. Now it's coming from. Now it's coming from a guy with a worm in his brain who believes in chemtrails. Look, I could do this with almost every issue. Republicans used to hate Russia. It was the red menace, the evil empire. Now it's every Republican's dream country. Tucker Carlson only shops there and at Gilson. Or take the economy, please. When Jimmy Carter was president and told us we should live more within our means, turned down the thermostat, put on a sweater. Republicans said he was the worst world leader since Dr. Doom. But now that Trump is out there saying, you think $30? You think you need $30 and 100 pencils? Go fuck yourself, crickets. And he's not even wrong. We do buy too much shit. He's just so un fucking believably the wrong guy to say it. Okay, let me give you one more example, because this is exhausting, but Marjorie Taylor Greene. Now, it would be easy just to make fun of Marjorie Taylor Greene. And since this is week 16 of our season, I'm already tired. I think I will, yes. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Jewish space lasers. Marjorie Taylor Greene. She once said Biden had gazpacho police. She once demanded answers from Biden about something by June 31, which is a date that does not exist. Although to her credit, this is something she later acknowledged on July 44th. Okay, so. So not a genius. However. However, when the Pope died this month, and she said Catholic bishops are controlled by Satan again, Ha ha ha. But she was talking about the child abuse that's gone on for 1,000 years, which is basically the same thing that Sinead O' Connor said in 1992 when she went on SNL and tore up a picture of the Pope. And nothing compared to how great lots of us thought that moment. So don't be a hypocrite. And that's the challenge, to not automatically rush to the opposite viewpoint based solely on who said it. But until we get to where we can do that, I just hope the Democrats come out strongly next week for a dictatorship, coal mining and making pot illegal. Alright, that's our show. We're off next week. But back on May 30th, I want to thank Peter Hanley, Scott Jennings and General Stanley McChrystal Club random drops every Sunday on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast. Now go watch Overtime on YouTube. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Oh, thank you. Catch all new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher every Friday night at 10 or watch him anytime on HBO on Demand.

[Bill Maher]

For more information, log on to hbo.com.