Conservative Conversation + Podcasts

Vince Guerra

Vince Guerra is a member of Ricochet.

| November 3, 2019

6 COMMENTS

It’s going from bad to worse for the Kurds. I’m no military expert, but from my perspective Trump has made all the right decisions in fighting jihadists so far. This seems like a mistake we’ll pay for in the years ahead. What is the proper moral, and strategic response? More

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POTUS POD

President Trump Confirms US Special Forces Raid & Death of ISIS Leader Baghdadi

October 27, 2019

President Donald Trump announced today that the United States conducted a raid on a compound in Idlib Province, Syria, that resulted in the death of Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State. Baghdadi, Trump said, died trapped in a tunnel with U.S. special forces operators, including canines, closing in on him. Trump, who watched the entire operation from the Situation Room in the White House, said that Baghdadi was “screaming, crying, and whimpering.”

By Clifford A. Brown

Clifford A. Brown

Retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a Colonel after 30 years of active and reserve assignments. M.A. Political Science, M.S. Strategic Studies, Army War College, JD. Served in 1st Armored Division in West Germany when the Berlin Wall came down, in 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea during the regime of Kim Il Sung, and commanded a logistics battalion in Iraq 2003-2004. Wide-ranging public policy interests. Occasional home brewer and infuser of alcohol spirits.

| October 13, 2019

54 COMMENTS

Since the three press conferences addressing Turkey, Kurds in Syria, and U.S. forces, there has been a near-miss of US soldiers. The hostile take is from Newsweek. The Department of Defense statement, on the record, gives us the facts we know from the US side.

The facts of this situation, even taken from the Newsweek post, contradict the “abandoned” narrative. That is, US forces were in an observation post within visual distance of the Turkish border, and close to some Kurdish positions, from which there may have been mortar, light artillery fire, across the border into Turkey. It is a long border, with lots of points of contact, compared to the small, shallow border section the past days’ actions and chatter concerned.

By Clifford A. Brown

Clifford A. Brown

| October 12, 2019

20 COMMENTS

If you watch and listen to three sets of statements and answers by our current administration, you will get an interesting picture of our actual current policy. The first is by President Trump, answering a reporter’s off-topic question when he signed two executive orders on transparency in federal guidance and enforcement (a serious push back on the growth of an unaccountable fourth branch of government in the administrative state). The second is a Pentagon briefing on the deployment of Patriot Air Defense/Anti Missile units and two Air Force fighter squadrons to Saudi Arabia, in which both this action and comments on Syria are interesting. The third is a White House press corps briefing by Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin.

President Trump has laid out three possible courses of action in the longstanding conflict between Turkey and those Kurds living in eastern Turkey and across the border in Syria. As has been explained repeatedly elsewhere, these are not the same Kurds abandoned by George H.W. Bush and now supported in northern Iraq by President Trump. These are different groups with different politics.

By Front Seat Cat

Front Seat Cat

Cat lover

| October 9, 2019

43 COMMENTS

President Donald Trump announced his desire to withdraw from Syria as one of his goals as president. I thought about this and it sounded like a good idea. The country of Syria has been a “thorn in the side” of many countries and people for a very long time. Syrian refugees are scattered across the world, like the Jews – desperate to return home, to family, history, their land – the land of their ancestors. Their president has been a “thorn in the side” of many countries and an enigma – what do we do with him? Bashar al-Assad never wanted the throne. Who knew?

Turkey wants its borders back. Iran wants a rumble. Israel just wants its security and safety, as the Jews begin another Yom Kippur. How long has this country and region been in turmoil? Is this a region that we can bring democracy to, or stability at minimum, as past administrations have tried? Is Donald Trump asking those questions, as our young soldiers hold the line?

By Clifford A. Brown

Clifford A. Brown

| September 23, 2019

6 COMMENTS

This weekend, Candice Owens uploaded her latest podcast, an interview with Vice President Mike Pence. As he brought the interview to a close, he made a comment that prompted reflection. Vice President Pence grounded his optimism about our nation’s future in the fact of 5.5 million young people have signed up for military service, since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Indeed, the latest cohort of recruits was born after that date, and for at least the past four years, recruits have had no living, personal, memory of that day.

We really do believe that your generation, this rising generation, the generation that has come of age after 9/11, that responded—5.5 million Americans volunteered to serve in our military since 9/11, thousands paying the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom—this is a generation we believe in.

Prime Time Trump, Slowing the Shift in Syria, Corey Calls It Quits

January 8, 2019

Hosted by Greg Corombos, Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see President Trump making a detailed case for border wall funding in tonight’s televised address, a more effective strategy than tweets and sound bites. They also like National Security Adviser John Bolton’s clarification that the Trump administration does want to get our troops out of Syria but we also have no intention of letting ISIS grow again or letting Turkey slaughter the Kurds. They slam the door behind failed Virginia GOP Senate and gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart, who says he will not run for re-election to his local office and is getting out of politics. And Jim is in rare form as he and Greg discuss the fact that every year is an election year in Virginia.

By Neil Hansen (Klaatu)

Inactive

Neil Hansen (Klaatu)

Husband, father, grandfather, old broken soldier.

| January 7, 2019

62 COMMENTS

The Washington Post reports John Bolton has outlined conditions on our withdrawal from Syria, including protection of the Kurds, that could delay any withdrawal indefinitely. I think this is a wonderful development, I opposed the withdrawal, but have a few questions for my fellow Ricocheti? More

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Member Post

By MattSchoenfeldt

Coolidge

MattSchoenfeldt

I am a career military officer that enjoys political debate and discussion. Recently founded two podcasts SatiristPod and TOCradio. SatiristPod is a political based show with an old friend that really does not follow politics and hence for me where the interest comes in from. TOCradio is a military themed show where we host conversations with members of the military. Both are available on iTunes searched under their respective names or http://satiristpod.libsyn.com/ and http://tocradio.l… [more]

| December 22, 2018

I invested nearly two decades of experience in the region into this show and we look at what forces are there, how we got involved, regional context, possible paths, consequences, ISIS, Congress and POTUS rolls, and much more. Curious on your takes? Please take the time to really listen to this episode, the media coverage […]

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Member Post

By Front Seat Cat

Front Seat Cat

Cat lover

| December 21, 2018

14 COMMENTS

The announcement of Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ departure, followed by President Trump’s announcement that he wants to exit Syria, was a seismic jolt felt around the world. I remember where I was on 9/11, another seismic jolt felt around the world. The second so devastating, causing President George W. Bush to take action by […]

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Kicking Allies

By Mona Charen

Mona Charen

Mona Charen is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Her new book, Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense, is available now.

| December 20, 2018

37 COMMENTS

President Trump’s behavior is unprecedented, but his decision to withdraw our troops from Syria, while unprecedentedly abrupt, is actually part of a tradition of unforced errors in American foreign policy.

Out of spite, or sometimes as a smokescreen to evade responsibility, Congress and past presidents have managed to lose wars that could have gone the other way. Seeking to make partisan points, we have cost ourselves dearly.

Shifting Syria Logic, GOP Wilts on the Wall, Flake’s Final Insult

December 20, 2018

Hosted by Greg Corombos, Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America fume as President Trump says ISIS is defeated in Syria on Wednesday and Thursday he claims that Russia, Iran, and Syria can handle the fight. They’re also disgusted as Trump’s insistence on $5 billion for a border wall seems to be shifting and congressional Republicans appear to have no interest in this fight despite promising one just before the midterm elections. And they hold the door open for Sen. Jeff Flake to leave and never come back as the retiring Arizona lawmaker proposes a new carbon tax just days before leaving office.

By Zafar

Zafar

I was born and grew up in India, went to the US for college and grad school, lived there for 10 happy years, then moved to Australia and have lived here since.

| December 20, 2018

33 COMMENTS

From the ABC: “Against the advice of many in his own administration, President Donald Trump is pulling U.S. troops out of Syria. Could a withdrawal from Afghanistan be far behind? More

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Big Step for First Step, Trump Sudden Syria Exit, Flynn Courtroom Circus

December 19, 2018

Hosted by Greg Corombos, Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the Senate for approving the criminal justice reform bill known as the First Step Act. While still a bit uneasy about some details, they generally like the emphasis on teaching inmates how to live an honest life when they get out of prison and become an asset to their communities. They also wonder why President Trump is suddenly ordering the U.S. to withdraw from Syria when ISIS is badly degraded but not yet eradicated. And they shake their heads as Michael Flynn’s legal strategy backfires and the federal judge in the case embarrasses himself with false accusations and flippantly suggests Flynn is a traitor.

Dodging A Shutdown, Russia Warns U.S. in Syria, NYT on the Hot Seat

September 7, 2018

Hosted by Greg Corombos, Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome another good jobs report and President Trump’s desire to avoid a government shutdown right before the midterm elections. They also wonder why very few people are discussing Russia threatening to use force near U.S. troops in Syria and accusing us of protecting militias hostile to the Assad regime. And as dozens of top Trump administration officials deny writing the anonymous op-ed in the New York Times, they discuss the immense damage the Times will do to its own reputation if the author turns our to be a figure few people have heard of.

Confirmation Hearing Hysterics, Kerry Comes Clean, Inherited Senate Seats

September 4, 2018

Hosted by Greg Corombos, Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America sigh as Democrats repeatedly interrupt the start of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in a futile attempt to delay him from joining the court. They also give John Kerry credit for explaining how President Obama’s failure to enforce the red line over chemical weapons in Syria led to major diplomatic headaches. And they respond to calls for Meghan McCain to replace her father in the U.S. Senate by saying such seats are not family heirlooms and any family members who wants to serve should have to get elected.

By Ben Weingarten

Ben Weingarten

Ben Weingarten is a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research. He writes on national security and foreign policy, economics, and politics for publications including The Federalist, where he is a senior contributor, as well as City Journal, Conservative Review and PJ Media. Ben is the founder and CEO of ChangeUp Media, a media consulting and production company dedicated to advancing conservative principles. He is also a 2015 Publius Fellow of the Claremont Institute. You can find his… [more]

| August 9, 2018

For this week’s Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten podcast, I had historian, Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, former Special Advisor to the Secretary of State and consultant to the National Security Council during the Reagan administration, author of 38 books and most pertinent to today, Iran expert, Michael Ledeen on the podcast to discuss among other things:

The impending collapse of the Khomeinist regime and what the U.S. can do to accelerate it
The false narrative about alternatives for Iran being either appeasement or war
The history of U.S. intelligence failures in Iran
How secular and liberal Iran’s dissidents actually are
Whether there is a wedge that can be exploited between Iran and Russia
What will become of Hezbollah if the Iranian regime collapses
The allegedly political witch hunt against Iran hawk and Israel supporter Larry Franklin as an illustration of historic anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the foreign policy and national security establishment
Ledeen’s theory that Gen. Michael Flynn — with whom Ledeen co-authored the book, The Field of Fight — falsely pled guilty, and the real reason why Gen. Flynn was targeted in the first place

You can find the episode on iTunes, everywhere else podcasts are found, download the episode directly here or read the transcript here.

By Ben Weingarten

Ben Weingarten

| June 6, 2018

14 COMMENTS

Today I’m launching a new podcast, Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten, and I’d like to ask for some help from the Ricochet community in making it as successful as possible. Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten features compelling long-form conversations with exceptional thinkers and doers — primarily though not exclusively of a conservative/libertarian bent — on the most critical ideas […]

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Area 45

Iran Nuclear Deal – The Aftermath of Withdrawing

May 10, 2018