Following in LBJ's Footsteps?

On 31 March 2026, I was on “Judging Freedom” talking with the Judge about where we are headed in Iran. I thought it was one of the best discussions he and I have had on this categorically depressing subject.

Among the many topics we discussed is the possibility that President Trump will invade Iranian territory with the combat units he is now inserting in the Middle East. I emphasized that such a possibility — many are saying it will happen for certain — reminds me of how LBJ got trapped in a losing war in Vietnam and thought he could escalate his way out. He was wrong, which should be a warning to the president and his advisors.

We also discussed how US foreign policy is now conducted in ways that almost completely disregard international law and basic moral decency. Liberal values, which have long influenced American thinking about foreign policy, if not always our actions, have been thrown overboard. What is most remarkable to me is that the liberal elites in academia and the media, who have long been obsessed with human rights and international law, have remained silent while the US: launches blatant wars of aggression without even trying to make the case that there has been a provocation: engages in assassinations; and is complicit in the Gaza genocide as well as the many pogroms the Israelis are conducting on the West Bank. As I told the Judge, this is largely a result of the Israel lobby’s profound influence on not just US policymakers, but the liberal elites more generally.