Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In this episode, James Webb and I discuss the lessons America failed to carry forward from past wars, and why institutional memory seems to fade so quickly.
We get into the current geopolitical landscape, including Israel, Iran, and the risks of escalation—and what’s often left out of mainstream narratives.
Jim breaks down how war is actually decided at the highest levels, and why the gap between leadership and the average citizen continues to widen.
We also explore the role of moral language in war—how concepts like “good” and “evil” are used, and sometimes misused, in shaping public support.
From there, the conversation turns deeper: the spiritual and psychological cost of war, what it does to the people who fight it, and whether modern society has any real framework for dealing with that kind of weight.
Finally, we ask the question at the center of it all:
If a nation loses its relationship to truth—what is left to die for?
ABOUT THE GUEST:
James (Jim) Webb is a third-generation Marine who, following his service, has worked in policy, politics, and journalism. In 2005, he dropped out of college to enlist in the Marine Corps Infantry and fought in the Battle of Ramadi from 2006–2007.
After completing his degree, Jim worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Rand Paul, where he served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He later worked at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and as a Senior Policy Advisor for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Jim has also worked as a journalist for multiple outlets, including embedding with U.S. troops across Afghanistan.
For the official CounterFlow T-shirt, send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address, or order online: counterflowpodcast.com/store
Please consider supporting me on Patreon: patreon.com/counterflow
Please consider supporting me on Patreon: patreon.com/counterflow
Visit my website: counterflowpodcast.com
Audio Production by Podsworth Media: podsworth.com
Leave us a review and rating on iTunes! Thanks!
The Counterflow Podcast is a weekly show featuring discussions and interviews with people who are outside of and critical toward mainstream liberal and conservative politics. Counterflow challenges the conventional right/left binary and is concerned with the more important distinction of free vs unfree. The show will feature thinkers from all backgrounds, who do not fit into the narrow framework of fashionable opinion. The show will address cultural and lifestyle issues as well as philosophy and politics. Host Buck Johnson (formerly of The Death To Tyrants Podcast) is a musician and firefighter and has always had an interest and drive to go one way while everyone else runs the other direction.
In this episode, James Webb and I discuss the lessons America failed to carry forward from past wars, and why institutional memory seems to fade so quickly.
We get into the current geopolitical landscape, including Israel, Iran, and the risks of escalation—and what’s often left out of mainstream narratives.
Jim breaks down how war is actually decided at the highest levels, and why the gap between leadership and the average citizen continues to widen.
We also explore the role of moral language in war—how concepts like “good” and “evil” are used, and sometimes misused, in shaping public support.
From there, the conversation turns deeper: the spiritual and psychological cost of war, what it does to the people who fight it, and whether modern society has any real framework for dealing with that kind of weight.
Finally, we ask the question at the center of it all:
If a nation loses its relationship to truth—what is left to die for?
ABOUT THE GUEST:
James (Jim) Webb is a third-generation Marine who, following his service, has worked in policy, politics, and journalism. In 2005, he dropped out of college to enlist in the Marine Corps Infantry and fought in the Battle of Ramadi from 2006–2007.
After completing his degree, Jim worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Rand Paul, where he served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He later worked at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and as a Senior Policy Advisor for presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Jim has also worked as a journalist for multiple outlets, including embedding with U.S. troops across Afghanistan.
For the official CounterFlow T-shirt, send $30 via PayPal to buck@counterflowpodcast.com with your size and shipping address, or order online: counterflowpodcast.com/store
Please consider supporting me on Patreon: patreon.com/counterflow
Please consider supporting me on Patreon: patreon.com/counterflow
Visit my website: counterflowpodcast.com
Audio Production by Podsworth Media: podsworth.com
Leave us a review and rating on iTunes! Thanks!
The Counterflow Podcast is a weekly show featuring discussions and interviews with people who are outside of and critical toward mainstream liberal and conservative politics. Counterflow challenges the conventional right/left binary and is concerned with the more important distinction of free vs unfree. The show will feature thinkers from all backgrounds, who do not fit into the narrow framework of fashionable opinion. The show will address cultural and lifestyle issues as well as philosophy and politics. Host Buck Johnson (formerly of The Death To Tyrants Podcast) is a musician and firefighter and has always had an interest and drive to go one way while everyone else runs the other direction.
