Scott Horton08 June 2026

#403 - “Pentagon Is On Red Alert” Mossad Just Declared as #1 Threat

0Frameworks

12Insights

Episode overview

Danny Jones interviews Antiwar.com editorial director Scott Horton about the institutional and lobbying forces behind US foreign policy. Horton traces neoconservative planning from the Wolfowitz doctrine and A Clean Break through the Iraq War, then argues that US and Israeli policy toward Iran has increased nuclear and regional escalation risks. They also discuss 9/11 blowback, the Israel lobby, revisionist accounts of the world wars and Pearl Harbor, and recent political investigations.

Key ideas

Special interests and lobbying shape US foreign policy more than a single hidden command structure.
The Wolfowitz doctrine and A Clean Break helped frame later US interventions in Iraq and the wider Middle East.
Removing Saddam Hussein empowered Iran-aligned parties in Iraq, contrary to neoconservative predictions.
Iran's 60-percent enriched uranium is presented as leverage after the JCPOA's collapse, not proof of an active bomb program.
A war with Iran threatens US escalation dominance because Iranian missiles can reach regional bases and allies.
US support for Israel is discussed as a source of anti-American blowback and domestic political pressure.
Horton argues US intervention in World War I shaped the conditions for World War II, while Pearl Harbor was deliberately provoked.

Transcript available · source text is retained privately and is not published

People & resources mentioned

Attributed to the moment in the episode. Timestamps are approximate.

People · 57

Scott HortonMentionsI just had Scott Horton in here telling me the whole story
“I started my interview show in 2003 and I've done 6,000 interviews since then.”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Danny JonesMentionswe'll do this after the podcast. All right, that's all. Goodnight folks.
“I'm just a skateboarder from Florida. I don't know much about this stuff.”
▶ Watch at ~0:30approx.
Eric GarrisMentionsHorton's Antiwar.com colleague; ASR says Garrison.
“I worked for Eric Garrison just to remind you there”
▶ Watch at ~1:30approx.
George H. W. BushMentionsFormer US president discussed in connection with the first Iraq War.
“I remember when George Bush Sr. said he didn't need a congressional resolution”
▶ Watch at ~6:00approx.
Bill ClintonMentionsFormer US president discussed in connection with Bosnia, Iraq, and Iran.
“And Bill Clinton would talk that way, too.”
▶ Watch at ~7:30approx.
Larry MackeyMentionsFederal prosecutor in the Oklahoma City bombing case.
“Larry Mackey is the name of the federal prosecutor who admitted that to them.”
▶ Watch at ~12:30approx.
Dick CheneyMentionsFormer US vice president discussed in connection with Iraq and Iran.
“the W. Bush Dick Cheney government, their entire thing was that they're the rulers of the universe.”
▶ Watch at ~14:00approx.
George W. BushMentionsFormer US president discussed extensively in connection with Iraq and Iran.
“the W. Bush Dick Cheney government, their entire thing was that they're the rulers of the universe.”
▶ Watch at ~14:00approx.
Joe BidenMentionsFormer US president portrayed as emblematic of the foreign-policy establishment.
“Joe Biden won in '88, he's been president this whole time.”
▶ Watch at ~16:00approx.
Ross PerotMentions1992 candidate credited with the phrase special interests.
“what Ross Perot called back in 1992, the special interests.”
▶ Watch at ~17:30approx.
James BamfordMentionsJournalist cited for reporting about NSA software.
“as James Bamford reported, that they provided the software to run the NSA's computers”
▶ Watch at ~20:30approx.
Edward SnowdenMentionsNSA whistleblower referenced in connection with surveillance leaks.
“Snowden leaked and Greenwald reported they didn't put this in the Post of the Times”
▶ Watch at ~21:00approx.
Glenn GreenwaldMentionsJournalist credited with reporting from Snowden's leaks.
“Snowden leaked and Greenwald reported they didn't put this in the Post of the Times”
▶ Watch at ~21:00approx.
Darryl CooperMentionsHorton's co-host on Provoked.
“Daryl Cooper, my co-host on our show Provoked”
▶ Watch at ~24:00approx.
Mohammed bin ZayedMentionsUAE leader discussed as a driver of the Yemen intervention.
“Mohammed bin Zayed of UAE and Mohammed bin Salman of um Saudi Arabia”
▶ Watch at ~25:00approx.
Mohammed bin SalmanMentionsSaudi leader discussed as a driver of the Yemen intervention.
“Mohammed bin Zayed of UAE and Mohammed bin Salman of um Saudi Arabia”
▶ Watch at ~25:00approx.
Zalmay KhalilzadMentionsOfficial named as working beneath Wolfowitz.
“And then beneath him were Zalmay Khalilzad and Scooter Libby.”
▶ Watch at ~41:30approx.
Scooter LibbyMentionsOfficial named as working beneath Wolfowitz.
“And then beneath him were Zalmay Khalilzad and Scooter Libby.”
▶ Watch at ~41:30approx.
Paul WolfowitzMentionsPentagon official whose Defense Planning Guidance is discussed.
“Paul Wolfowitz was the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy under Dick Cheney.”
▶ Watch at ~41:30approx.
Wesley ClarkMentionsRetired general cited for accounts of Pentagon war plans.
“Wolfowitz had told Wesley Clark”
▶ Watch at ~44:30approx.
Richard PerleMentionsClean Break contributor and neoconservative official.
“There's Richard Perle and David Wurmser was the principal author of the thing.”
▶ Watch at ~45:30approx.
David WurmserMentionsPrincipal author of A Clean Break.
“There's Richard Perle and David Wurmser was the principal author of the thing.”
▶ Watch at ~45:30approx.
Saddam HusseinMentionsFormer Iraqi president central to discussion of both Iraq wars.
“they thought quite stupidly that it would be smart to get rid of Saddam Hussein in Iraq”
▶ Watch at ~46:00approx.
Benjamin NetanyahuMentionsIsraeli prime minister central to the discussion.
“this was a plan that they wrote for Netanyahu in 1996.”
▶ Watch at ~46:00approx.
Donald RumsfeldMentionsUS defense secretary named in the Iraq-policy network.
“the office of the Secretary of Defense, which is staffed by Donald Rumsfeld”
▶ Watch at ~48:00approx.
Douglas FeithMentionsPentagon official and Clean Break signatory.
“And then under him is Douglas Feith”
▶ Watch at ~48:00approx.
Ahmed ChalabiMentionsIraqi exile portrayed as influencing post-Saddam plans.
“So Chalabi was first and foremost, he's the guy that convinced David Wurmser of all this”
▶ Watch at ~50:00approx.
Robert DreyfussMentionsJournalist cited for an article about Chalabi.
“There's a great article by Bob Dreyfuss called Tinker, Banker, Neocon, Spy.”
▶ Watch at ~50:00approx.
Nouri al-MalikiMentionsFormer Iraqi prime minister identified as Iran-aligned.
“it was Ibrahim Jafari and Nouri al-Maliki for the rest of the time of W. Bush.”
▶ Watch at ~1:00:00approx.
John DizardMentionsFinancial Times journalist credited with an article about Chalabi.
“this is by John Dizard and John Dizard is a serious journalist from the Financial Times.”
▶ Watch at ~1:02:30approx.
Mark ZellMentionsLawyer described as Douglas Feith's former law partner.
“Mark Zell was a law partner with Douglas Feith, representing settlers on the West Bank.”
▶ Watch at ~1:03:00approx.
Osama bin LadenMentionsAl-Qaeda leader discussed in relation to 9/11 motives.
“Didn't um Bin Laden make articulate this in his manifesto or whatever to the American people”
▶ Watch at ~1:18:00approx.
Barack ObamaMentionsFormer president discussed in connection with the JCPOA.
“under the Obama deal and then we skipped ahead to the war.”
▶ Watch at ~1:55:00approx.
Donald TrumpMentionsUS president discussed in relation to Iran and Israel.
“what happened was Trump came in and tore up the Obama deal in 2018.”
▶ Watch at ~1:55:00approx.
John KerryMentionsFormer secretary of state credited with negotiating the Iran deal.
“So John Kerry convinced them to join this deal where they roll back their program”
▶ Watch at ~1:56:30approx.
Marco RubioMentionsUS official criticized for claims about enriched uranium.
“Marco Rubio is the the most quotable on this”
▶ Watch at ~1:58:30approx.
Mohsen FakhrizadehMentionsIranian scientist discussed as assassinated; ASR gives an approximate surname.
“Iran's nuclear program, a Dr. Fakhrizadeh, something like that.”
▶ Watch at ~2:00:00approx.
Vladimir PutinMentionsRussian president credited with helping Iran negotiate.
“Putin has been very helpful in getting the Ayatollah to the table to do the JCPOA”
▶ Watch at ~2:02:30approx.
Zbigniew BrzezinskiMentionsFormer national security adviser discussed as favoring normalization with Iran.
“Zbigniew Brzezinski had been Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor”
▶ Watch at ~2:06:00approx.
Thomas FingarMentionsNational Intelligence Council head credited with the 2007 Iran estimate.
“It was written by uh Thomas Fingar was the head of the National Intelligence Council at the time.”
▶ Watch at ~2:10:00approx.
Tulsi GabbardMentionsDNI cited for a 2025 threat assessment.
“the threat assessment from January or sorry, February of 2025 by Tulsi Gabbard”
▶ Watch at ~2:11:30approx.
Dan CaineMentionsJoint Chiefs chairman discussed as warning of interceptor shortages; ASR says Cain.
“Dan Cain, right? Who basically was against this whole thing in the beginning.”
▶ Watch at ~2:14:00approx.
Qasem SoleimaniMentionsIranian commander whose killing is discussed.
“remember how the Ayatollah, old dead Ayatollah now, acted when Trump killed Soleimani?”
▶ Watch at ~2:17:00approx.
Miriam AdelsonMentionsPolitical donor discussed as exerting influence.
“I think one it's the money from Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.”
▶ Watch at ~2:22:00approx.
Sheldon AdelsonMentionsPolitical donor identified as a source of influence.
“I think one it's the money from Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.”
▶ Watch at ~2:22:00approx.
Thomas MassieMentionsRepresentative discussed as a target of political spending.
“his vicious attacks on people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie”
▶ Watch at ~2:27:00approx.
Stephen WaltMentionsScholar cited with John Mearsheimer on the Israel lobby.
“as in detailed in in Walt and Mearsheimer's book, The Lobby.”
▶ Watch at ~2:27:30approx.
John MearsheimerMentionsScholar cited with Stephen Walt on the Israel lobby.
“as in detailed in in Walt and Mearsheimer's book, The Lobby.”
▶ Watch at ~2:27:30approx.
Winston ChurchillMentionsBritish prime minister discussed critically.
“Churchill was a very bad guy during this whole thing.”
▶ Watch at ~2:52:30approx.
Woodrow WilsonMentionsFormer president central to Horton's World War I account.
“my basic version of World War II is that it's all Woodrow Wilson's fault.”
▶ Watch at ~2:54:00approx.
James PowellMentionsAuthor of Wilson's War.
“There's a great book by James Powell called Wilson's War”
▶ Watch at ~2:57:00approx.
Nicholson BakerMentionsAuthor of Human Smoke; ASR says Nicholas Baker.
“It's called Human Smoke by Nicholas Baker.”
▶ Watch at ~3:00:30approx.
Pat BuchananMentionsAuthor cited for a book on Churchill and Hitler.
“this is in Pat Buchanan's book is called Churchill, Hitler and the unnecessary war.”
▶ Watch at ~3:02:30approx.
Robert StinnettMentionsAuthor cited for research on Pearl Harbor.
“I interviewed Robert Stinnett is the guy that, you know, proved this case.”
▶ Watch at ~3:07:30approx.
Franklin D. RooseveltMentionsUS president discussed in connection with Pearl Harbor.
“the only way that FDR could get America into the Second World War was by lying us into war”
▶ Watch at ~3:07:30approx.
Matt TaibbiMentionsJournalist credited with reporting on FBI files.
“Matt Taibbi wrote a thing at Racket News”
▶ Watch at ~3:18:30approx.
Ken SilvaMentionsInvestigative reporter and author.
“I just published a book by Ken Silva.”
▶ Watch at ~3:21:00approx.

Resources · 49

Antiwar.comUseswebsite
“I was assistant editor and then editor of antiwar.com for many years.”
▶ Watch at ~1:00approx.
Waco siegeMentionsevent
“the era of the Waco massacre”
▶ Watch at ~9:00approx.
Oklahoma City bombingMentionsevent
“the massive cover-up of the Oklahoma bombing”
▶ Watch at ~9:00approx.
Oklahoma CityRecommendsbook · Andrew Gumbel and Roger G. Charles
“It's in the book Oklahoma City by Gumbel and Charles.”
▶ Watch at ~12:00approx.
Dupe.comUseswebsite
“which is why I started using dupe.com's research for me tool.”
▶ Watch at ~16:30approx.
IsraelMentionsplace
“the Israelis are no slouches in that.”
▶ Watch at ~18:30approx.
The GuardianMentionswebsite
“they reported in the Guardian that the NSA gives America's entire haul over to Israel every day.”
▶ Watch at ~21:00approx.
ProvokedCoinedpodcast · Scott Horton and Darryl Cooper
“Daryl Cooper, my co-host on our show Provoked”
▶ Watch at ~24:00approx.
ShopifyUsessoftware
“that's what we use for our merch store.”
▶ Watch at ~30:00approx.
Daylight ComputerMentionsproduct
“Like Daylight Computer, which is gorgeous.”
▶ Watch at ~31:00approx.
Defense Planning Guidance for Fiscal Year 1994Mentionspaper · Paul Wolfowitz, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Scooter Libby
“a memorandum that was called the Defense Planning Guidance for 1994 for fiscal year 1994.”
▶ Watch at ~42:00approx.
The New York TimesMentionswebsite
“They put it in the New York Times and became a little scandal”
▶ Watch at ~42:00approx.
A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the RealmMentionspaper · Study Group on a New Israeli Strategy Toward 2000
“the clean break, which is a strategy document that was written by a couple of other neocons”
▶ Watch at ~45:30approx.
Office of Special PlansMentionsother
“what became called the Office of Special Plans.”
▶ Watch at ~49:00approx.
Iraq WarMentionsevent
“these were the guys who lied us into war with Iraq.”
▶ Watch at ~49:00approx.
Tinker, Banker, Neocon, SpyRecommendsother · Robert Dreyfuss
“There's a great article by Bob Dreyfuss called Tinker, Banker, Neocon, Spy.”
▶ Watch at ~50:00approx.
Coping with Crumbling StatesMentionspaper · David Wurmser
“A Clean Break has a companion piece called Coping with Crumbling States”
▶ Watch at ~51:30approx.
Tyranny's AllyMentionsbook · David Wurmser
“a forward by Pearl called Tyranny's Ally, America's Failure to Remove Saddam Hussein”
▶ Watch at ~52:00approx.
How Ahmed Chalabi Conned the NeoconsRecommendsother · John Dizard
“the article is called how Ahmed Chalabi conned the neocons.”
▶ Watch at ~1:02:00approx.
Salon.comMentionswebsite
“go to salon.com and it the article is called how Ahmed Chalabi conned the neocons.”
▶ Watch at ~1:02:00approx.
Financial TimesMentionswebsite
“John Dizard is a serious journalist from the Financial Times.”
▶ Watch at ~1:02:30approx.
HexCladUsesproduct
“That's why I love the ease of my HexClad cookware.”
▶ Watch at ~1:08:30approx.
Tucker Carlson's 9/11 documentaryMentionsdocumentary · Tucker Carlson
“Yeah, Tucker's 9/11 documentary was wild.”
▶ Watch at ~1:10:00approx.
The AtlanticMentionswebsite
“he wrote this article for the Atlantic.”
▶ Watch at ~1:16:00approx.
International Atomic Energy AgencyMentionsother
“a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.”
▶ Watch at ~1:55:00approx.
Joint Comprehensive Plan of ActionMentionspaper
“So the JCPOA.”
▶ Watch at ~1:55:00approx.
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear WeaponsMentionspaper
“Iran is already a member of the non-proliferation treaty”
▶ Watch at ~1:55:00approx.
Natanz Nuclear FacilityMentionsplace
“the Israelis did a big sabotage attack at the Natanz enrichment facility”
▶ Watch at ~2:00:30approx.
StuxnetMentionssoftware
“Stuxnet thing?”
▶ Watch at ~2:00:30approx.
IranMentionsplace
“We could just normalize relations with Iran.”
▶ Watch at ~2:05:00approx.
Operation Eagle ClawMentionsevent
“The hostage crisis and the failure of Operation Eagle Claw”
▶ Watch at ~2:06:00approx.
HalliburtonMentionscompany
“The CEO of Halliburton, Dick Cheney.”
▶ Watch at ~2:07:00approx.
Annual Threat Assessment, February 2025Mentionspaper · Office of the Director of National Intelligence
“the threat assessment from January or sorry, February of 2025 by Tulsi Gabbard”
▶ Watch at ~2:11:30approx.
Who's Behind the Coming War with Iran?Coinedother · Scott Horton
“search for who's behind the coming war with Iran. And that's me from August of '05”
▶ Watch at ~2:12:00approx.
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign PolicyMentionsbook · John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt
“as in detailed in in Walt and Mearsheimer's book, The Lobby.”
▶ Watch at ~2:27:30approx.
MartyrMadeRecommendspodcast · Darryl Cooper
“Marty Made, yeah. Who's I haven't I haven't listened to all his stuff, but I heard it's really good.”
▶ Watch at ~2:52:30approx.
Wilson's WarRecommendsbook · James Powell
“There's a great book by James Powell called Wilson's War”
▶ Watch at ~2:57:00approx.
Human SmokeRecommendsbook · Nicholson Baker
“You read that book, man, Human Smoke and it is about how they just had off-ramp after off-ramp”
▶ Watch at ~3:01:00approx.
Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary WarMentionsbook · Pat Buchanan
“this is in Pat Buchanan's book is called Churchill, Hitler and the unnecessary war.”
▶ Watch at ~3:02:30approx.
Pearl Harbor attackMentionsevent
“the only way that FDR could get America into the Second World War was by lying us into war”
▶ Watch at ~3:07:30approx.
Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl HarborMentionsbook · Robert Stinnett
“He wrote the book Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor.”
▶ Watch at ~3:07:30approx.
McCollum memoMentionspaper · Arthur H. McCollum
“he also found the McCollum memo, which is the eight-point plan to provoke Japan into attacking us first.”
▶ Watch at ~3:08:00approx.
Racket NewsMentionsnewsletter · Matt Taibbi and Walter Kirn
“Matt Taibbi wrote a thing at Racket News”
▶ Watch at ~3:18:30approx.
The Trump Assassination PlotsCoinedbook · Ken Silva
“It's called The Trump Assassination Plots.”
▶ Watch at ~3:21:30approx.
Libertarian InstituteMentionscompany
“It's our 20th book at the Libertarian Institute.”
▶ Watch at ~3:21:30approx.
Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in UkraineCoinedbook · Scott Horton
“Provoked, this is the most recent one?”
▶ Watch at ~3:28:00approx.
Enough Already: Time to End the War on TerrorismCoinedbook · Scott Horton
“And enough already, uh, time to end the war on terrorism.”
▶ Watch at ~3:28:00approx.
Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and FreedomCoinedcourse · Scott Horton
“I have a new project which is the Scott Horton Academy of Foreign Policy and Freedom”
▶ Watch at ~3:28:30approx.
The Scott Horton ShowCoinedpodcast · Scott Horton
“check out my two shows, the Scott Horton Show and Provoked with Derek Cooper as well.”
▶ Watch at ~3:29:00approx.

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Insights & moments

The myth-busts, hot takes, explainers, and tools worth keeping.

Myth Buster· 1

Myth Buster1:58:00

Why Iran's 60% Enriched Uranium Isn't Proof of a Bomb Program

Horton debunks the Rubio/Trump talking point that Iran's 60%-enriched uranium stockpile proves an active weapons program, explaining that weapons-grade requires over 90% enrichment and that the 60% figure was a deliberate bargaining chip raised only after Israeli sabotage and an assassination.

No nuclear weapons state actually stockpiles uranium at 60% — most weapons use plutonium anyway
Iran only began enriching to 20% after Israel assassinated nuclear scientist Fakhrizadeh in Dec 2020
Enrichment jumped to 60% after Israel's 2021 sabotage attack on the Natanz power station
Iran was under IAEA inspection the whole time and had not diverted uranium to military use

“No nuclear weapons state is enriching to 60%. They're only enriching to 60% on their way to some higher grade.”
Scott Horton · 1:58:30

#iran#nuclear#jcpoa#fact-check

Hot Take· 1

Hot Take2:45:00

Israeli Officer's Admission: 'We Keep a Sub-Army of Palestinian Slaves'

Horton cites a Haaretz report in which an anonymous IDF officer describes forcing captured Palestinian civilians — including the elderly — to enter buildings ahead of troops to check for booby traps, calling this practice a 'sub army of Palestinian slaves' used to speed up operations at the cost of using human shields.

Quote sourced to Haaretz from an unnamed IDF officer
Standard procedure (robot, drone, or dog first) was reportedly skipped for speed
Horton frames this alongside AI targeting systems ('Lavender', 'Daddy's Home') reported by +972 Magazine
Presented as part of a broader argument about deliberate targeting of civilians in Gaza

“We keep a sub army of Palestinian slaves.”
IDF officer (quoted via Haaretz) · 2:45:00

#gaza#idf#human-shields#haaretz

Explainer· 6

Explainer17:30

Who Actually Controls US Foreign Policy? Horton's 'Special Interests'

Horton argues there's no secret cabal running American foreign policy — just mundane special-interest lobbying: bankers, arms manufacturers, oil men, agribusiness, and the Israel lobby, each with tens or hundreds of billions of dollars at stake and no organized counterweight to check them.

Traces the framing back to Ross Perot's 1992 use of the term 'special interests'
The Israeli lobby functions like any other domestic special interest (Monsanto, Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland), just for a foreign government
No American group with comparable money exists to counter AIPAC-style lobbying
Neocons are described as 'the vanguard of the Israeli lobby' tied to the military-industrial complex

“The special interests are the bankers, the arms manufacturers, the oil men, agribusiness, and Israel.”
Scott Horton · 17:30

#foreign-policy#lobbying#israel-lobby#special-interests

Explainer41:00

The Wolfowitz Doctrine and the Clean Break Plan That Shaped US Mideast Wars

Horton walks through the 1992 Defense Planning Guidance ('Wolfowitz Doctrine') and the 1996 'A Clean Break' memo written for incoming Israeli PM Netanyahu by Richard Perle, David Wurmser, and Douglas Feith, arguing this small neoconservative network's thinking became the blueprint for the Iraq War and the wider regional interventions that followed.

Wolfowitz Doctrine (1992) proposed permanent US dominance so no rival power or coalition would even attempt to challenge it
'A Clean Break' (1996) argued Israel should abandon land-for-peace and pursue dominance via regime change, starting with Saddam Hussein
Wesley Clark's account of a Pentagon memo listing 'seven countries in five years': Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Iran
The same network (Feith, Wurmser, Perle, Cambone, Shulsky) staffed the Office of Special Plans that produced the Iraq War intelligence

“This is the Likud's hit list.”
Danny Jones · 47:30

“We have a cross between the Likud and Lockheed taking us to war.”
Scott Horton · 49:30

#neocons#iraq-war#clean-break#wolfowitz-doctrine

Explainer2:15:30

Why the June 2025 Iran War Broke America's 'Escalation Dominance'

Horton explains the Pentagon concept of escalation dominance — never fighting unless you control every stage of a conflict — and argues the June 2025 US-Israel strikes on Iran, and Iran's missile/drone retaliation against Gulf bases, proved for the first time that the US can no longer guarantee that control.

Escalation dominance: the Pentagon avoids fights it can't fully control the outcome of
Iran hit US bases across Iraqi Kurdistan, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi, UAE, and Oman
Al Udeid air base in Qatar (US Central Command HQ) was taken offline after Qatar barred US sorties from it to spare the base
Justin Logan (Cato Institute) quoted: 'What good is a military base that you can't wage a war from?'

“What good is a military base that you can't wage a war from?”
Scott Horton · 1:41:00

#iran#military-strategy#escalation-dominance#2025-war

Explainer2:27:30

How AIPAC Actually Disciplines Congress

Horton lays out the mechanics of how the Israel lobby keeps Congress in line: offering campaign cash to new candidates, doubling down against anyone who refuses to sign a pledge, and funding primary challengers — with Thomas Massie's 2025 primary defeat cited as the deterrent example.

New candidates are approached early and offered funding in exchange for a pledge
Refusal means the lobby funds the primary opponent instead, doubling the offer if needed
The lobby tracks all 435 congressmen and does not 'drop the ball' over election cycles
Reference: Walt and Mearsheimer's book 'The Lobby' as the underlying source

“They know who dared to cross them and who must be made to pay a lesson and to serve as an example for the rest.”
Scott Horton · 2:29:00

#aipac#congress#lobbying#thomas-massie

Explainer3:07:30

The McCollum Memo: FDR's Alleged Eight-Point Plan to Provoke Pearl Harbor

Horton summarizes researcher Robert Stinnett's case that FDR's administration broke Japan's military codes, withheld the warnings from commanders at Pearl Harbor, and had an eight-point plan (the McCollum memo) designed to provoke a Japanese first strike that would justify US entry into WWII.

Stinnett's book: 'Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor'
McCollum memo listed steps A-through-H, including keeping the fleet at Pearl instead of San Diego and an oil/steel embargo
War Secretary Stimson's diary reportedly stated Japan 'must be maneuvered into firing the first shot'
Admirals Kimmel and Short were blamed and scapegoated despite not receiving the intercepted intelligence

“By all means, the Japanese must be maneuvered into firing the first shot.”
Henry Stimson (quoted) · 3:09:00

#pearl-harbor#fdr#world-war-2#declassified

Explainer2:54:00

Horton's Case That Woodrow Wilson's WWI Decisions Caused World War II

Horton lays out a revisionist chain of causation — Wilson bribing Kerensky to keep Russia in WWI, dumping US troops into a stalemate, and the resulting harsh Versailles terms — as the root cause of both the Soviet Union's rise and Nazi Germany's rise, citing James Perloff-adjacent historian James Powell's 'Wilson's War.'

Wilson allegedly paid Kerensky's provisional government to stay in WWI, weakening it against Lenin and Trotsky
US intervention tilted the balance enough to force harsh, unsustainable terms on Germany at Versailles
Book cited: James Powell, 'Wilson's War: How Woodrow Wilson's Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Stalin, and World War II'
Also credits Churchill's own stated logic (via Pat Buchanan's 'Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War') that Britain opposed Germany simply for being the strongest continental power, not because of Nazism itself

“It's not Woodrow Wilson's fault for getting us into a war, it's Henry Cabot Lodge's fault for refusing to ratify the treaty which would have…”
Scott Horton · 2:58:00

#world-war-2#woodrow-wilson#revisionist-history#versailles

Story· 4

Story50:00

How Ahmed Chalabi Conned the Neocons Into the Iraq War

Horton recounts the career of Ahmed Chalabi — a convicted embezzler and failed CIA coup-plotter — who fed neoconservative officials false assurances that toppling Saddam would smoothly install a friendly Iraq, and who intelligence agencies later suspected of secretly working for Iran the whole time.

Chalabi was convicted in absentia of embezzling millions from a Jordanian bank
Worked with the CIA in the 1990s on failed coup attempts against Saddam, earning a 'burn notice'
Told neocons a Hashemite king installed in Baghdad could command Shiite loyalty via bloodline — false
CIA/DIA later suspected he was sent by Iran to manipulate the US into removing Iran's enemy Saddam

“He told me not to worry. He just needed the Jews in order to get what he wanted from Washington and that he would turn…”
Scott Horton · 1:04:00

#iraq-war#chalabi#intelligence#neocons

Story09:30

The Oklahoma City Bombing Cover-Up That Made Horton a 'Conspiracy Nut'

Horton describes the McVeigh case as his formative political awakening: evidence of white-supremacist accomplices who helped bomb the Murrah building, an FBI that let them go, and prosecutors who admitted burying it to protect the death-penalty case against McVeigh alone.

McVeigh had been present at the Waco siege protesting before the bombing
There were reportedly two Ryder trucks; the FBI followed the wrong one
Federal prosecutor Larry Mackey admitted letting 'guilty people go free' to protect McVeigh's death sentence
20 children died in the building's daycare center

“It's in the book Oklahoma City by Gumbel and Charles.”
Scott Horton · 12:00

#oklahoma-city#fbi#cover-up#mcveigh

Story1:14:00

Netanyahu's Leaked 'It's Very Good' Line on the Night of 9/11

Horton cites a September 12, 2001 New York Times interview where Netanyahu, asked what the attacks meant for US-Israel relations, said 'it's very good' — and a line cut from that piece but restored a decade later in The Atlantic, where he muses 'I wonder if the American people will blame us for this.'

Reporter James Bennett interviewed Netanyahu the night of September 11, 2001 for the New York Times
A decade later, Bennett's Atlantic piece included a line the Times had cut: Netanyahu wondering aloud if Americans would blame Israel
Horton ties this to the 'blowback' thesis — that US support for Israel in Lebanon/Palestine, not 'freedom,' drove al-Qaeda's recruitment
11 of the 19 9/11 hijackers had reportedly fought on the US-backed side in Bosnia/Chechnya in the 1990s

“It's very good... it will generate immediate sympathy.”
Benjamin Netanyahu (quoted) · 1:15:00

“Hmm, I wonder if the American people will blame us for this.”
Benjamin Netanyahu (quoted) · 1:16:30

#9/11#netanyahu#blowback#al-qaeda

Story2:23:30

The Leaked White House Video Where Trump Admits Flattery Works On Him

Horton and Jones discuss a since-deleted White House YouTube clip in which Trump, apparently unaware or unconcerned he was being filmed, admits he'll do favors — even for bad people — if they flatter him, which Horton reads as a direct nod to how Netanyahu manages him.

Video was posted to the official White House YouTube channel during the Iran war, then removed
Trump says he'll 'do bad things for very bad men' if they say nice things to him
Horton compares the dynamic to how Bill Kristol reportedly flattered John McCain
Framed as evidence of the informal leverage behind US-Israel policy alignment

“When somebody's nice to me, I love that person. Even if they're bad people, I couldn't care less.”
Donald Trump (quoted) · 2:25:30

#trump#netanyahu#flattery#leaked-video