Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Ken Harbaugh and David Bellavia look at where the Iran war has landed — and neither likes what they see.
The US dominated every aspect of the battle space. Iran's military was devastated. And then the administration sat down at the table and started giving it back — sanctions relief, oil trading during a ceasefire, and a 14-point MOU that even Israel isn't buying. 92% of Israelis believe Iran won.
David doesn't hold back on the administration — he calls it rudderless, compares it to Obama's Syria, and says oil prices ended up dictating foreign policy over military logic.
Ken points out the administration set objectives that were never achievable without steps they refused to take.
They also cover:
- Why the mission was never articulated to the American people
- How oil prices and midterm politics ended up driving foreign policy
- Lebanon and the Houthis getting thrown into negotiations that diluted US leverage
- Whether the US got outmatched at the Iranian negotiating table
- The gutting of USAID and a missed soft power moment in Venezuela
They didn't agree on going in. They agree on how it's going.
👇 Where does this go from here? Tell us in the comments.
Ken Harbaugh and David Bellavia look at where the Iran war has landed — and neither likes what they see.
The US dominated every aspect of the battle space. Iran's military was devastated. And then the administration sat down at the table and started giving it back — sanctions relief, oil trading during a ceasefire, and a 14-point MOU that even Israel isn't buying. 92% of Israelis believe Iran won.
David doesn't hold back on the administration — he calls it rudderless, compares it to Obama's Syria, and says oil prices ended up dictating foreign policy over military logic.
Ken points out the administration set objectives that were never achievable without steps they refused to take.
They also cover:
- Why the mission was never articulated to the American people
- How oil prices and midterm politics ended up driving foreign policy
- Lebanon and the Houthis getting thrown into negotiations that diluted US leverage
- Whether the US got outmatched at the Iranian negotiating table
- The gutting of USAID and a missed soft power moment in Venezuela
They didn't agree on going in. They agree on how it's going.
👇 Where does this go from here? Tell us in the comments.
