The U.S. and Israel started dropping bombs on Iran because the regime, amid mass street protests, appeared to be in a weakened state. But the regime has now ended up with a much stronger hand: It's proven its leverage over the global economy with the Strait of Hormuz, and under Trump's offer, Iran will get a huge infusion of cash to rebuild its ballistic missiles program and fund its proxy terror groups. At the same time, Trump has made the United States look like a rogue state—while spending billions for a deal he could have got without a war. Plus, Israelis are likely not happy, the Gulf states realize America can't protect them from Iran's drones, Cuba is readying to be next, Dems should make clear they are the anti-war party now, Trump is fighting his demons from his first term, and JD has a radical and un-American world view.

Ben Rhodes joins Tim Miller for the holiday weekend pod.

show notes

• Ben's podcast, "Pod Save the World"
• Ben's forthcoming book, "All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches"
• Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and LA in May: TheBulwark.com/Events
• Tim's playlist
• For 30% off your order, head to BloodFlow7.com/THEBULWARK and use code THEBULWARK.
• Post jobs for free at ziprecruiter.com/BULWARK