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The legacy media, the so-called anti-MAGA Right, and the Democrat grandees in Congress have two things in common:

They never wanted the U.S.-Iran war to go in America’s favor.

Many of the critiques of Operation Epic Fury were not historically empirical, meaning they didn’t compare the ongoing conflict with Iran to past U.S. wars, such as the bombing campaign in Serbia or even the war in Afghanistan.

But the evidence—in five weeks alone, the United States, with the Israeli Air Force, wiped out most of the top echelon of the four ruling cliques in the Iranian nation—was there, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words”:

“We’ve never taken on a country of 93 million people that had the most fearsome, terrible reputation of being dangerous and unpredictable, and running the Middle East with a ring-of-fire proxies in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, Lebanon—indomitable. They had terrified seven presidents. And yet, in five weeks, we destroyed its ability to make war.”(00:00) Media and Right-Wing Doom

(01:09) Demanding Data, Not Spin

(02:18) Iran Leadership in Chaos

(05:52) Three-Phase War Strategy

(07:29) Hormuz Gambit Backfires

(10:27) Endgame and Final Warning 

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Operation Epic Fury was never the pretext for a larger, endless war, and the so-called anti-MAGA right—Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, or Marjorie Taylor Greene—should know better than to label it as such, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.”

The whole subtext of the Iran campaign is this: While regime change is not the primary agenda, America’s weakening of the regime may spur people to rise up and overthrow the government.

(00:00) Anti MAGA Critics

(01:34) Iran Strikes Backlash

(02:34) Not a Forever War

(04:10) Trump Rhetoric and Restraint

(06:15) Betrayal or Bigger Agenda

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We don't know what the ultimate prognosis of this war is, but if we take the long view, it's far more favorable to our interests than it is to our enemies.

The media’s 24-hour ragebait cycle can’t explain what’s actually unfolding in Iran. While critics swing wildly between calling Trump a “warmonger” and “weak,” the reality points to a regime that’s been militarily and strategically crippled.

Meanwhile, adversaries like Russia and China are feeling the ripple effects, and NATO’s cracks are on full display. The long view tells a very different story—and it’s one the headlines won’t admit, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.”

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👉Want more VDH? Watch Victor’s weekly, hour-long podcast, “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” now! Subscribe to his YouTube channel, and enable notifications:  https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273?sub_confirmation=1👉More exclusive content is available on Victor’s website: https://victorhanson.com
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Eric Swalwell’s forced exit from the California governor’s race, and later U.S. House of Representatives, exposes the Democrat machine’s rank hypocrisy:

It discards him not out of genuine concern for victims, but for political self-preservation, while ignoring similar character flaws in other candidates and the far greater trail of victims left by decades of one-party rule that has made life miserable for ordinary Californians.

(00:00) Swalwell Suspended

(02:00) Party Machine Purge

(03:24) Other Democrats Baggage

(05:41) California Policy Victims

(09:18) Accountability And Closing

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The Democrat Party, which brags that it doesn’t let democracy die in darkness, has a bad habit of culling candidates it feels are politically antithetical to its agenda.

Take Eric Swalwell, for example.

Swalwell joined an already crowded field for California governor in November 2025. 

He threatened to break up the Democrat field, as there are more viable Democrat candidates than Republicans.

Make no mistake: Had Swalwell been enjoying a healthy lead in the polls going into last Friday, he’d still be running for governor, and these allegations would’ve never seen the light of day.

Like Joe Biden’s failed reelection bid in 2024, the Democrat establishment made the strategic decision to no longer cloak Swalwell’s sex harassment allegations and instead threw its weight behind a more viable candidate.

“But my point is, if Eric Swalwell had been way ahead in the gubernatorial race, I don’t think that any of this would’ve surfaced. It would’ve been analogous to Joe Biden. He would’ve been a useful vessel, and he would’ve won the governorship, and the Republicans wouldn’t have had a chance.”

(00:00) California Jungle Primary

(00:47) Who Is Eric Swalwell

(03:00) Swalwell Scandal Allegations

(04:31) Why It Surfaced Now

(07:32) Democrats and Backroom Politics  

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👉Want more VDH? Watch Victor’s weekly, hour-long podcast, “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” now! Subscribe to his YouTube channel, and enable notifications:  https://www.youtube.com/@victordavishanson7273?sub_confirmation=1👉More exclusive content is available on Victor’s website: https://victorhanson.com
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