'They’re Going To Want To Make Iran Feel The Pain’
Plus: Debate reactions!
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BILL KRISTOL & ANDREW EGGER: Veni, Vidi, Vance-i?
JVL: JD Vance 4.0 Is Here 🔐
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ANDREW EGGER & AMB. ERIC EDELMAN: ‘They’re Going To Want To Make Iran Feel The Pain’
Iran’s decision to launch a barrage of missiles at Israel Tuesday, has raised the specter of a larger outbreak in regional violence. And it’s raised the question of just what Israel, and the United States, should do next.
To answer those questions, The Bulwark spoke to Amb. Eric Edelman, former under secretary of defense for policy. Edelman is co-host of The Bulwark’s Shield of the Republic podcast. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
🎥 PODCASTS AND VIDEOS 🎧
Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller: Jim Messina and Michael Weiss: Midwestern Nice [YouTube]
The Next Level: So Much Rage [YouTube]
Bulwark Live: The Teacher vs The Prosecutor: Who Won the VP Debate? Immediate Post-Debate Reaction!
George Conway Explains it All (to Sarah Longwell): Trump's Crumbling Empire of Lies [YouTube]
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DEBATE REACTIONS
LINDA CHAVEZ: Why JD Vance Couldn’t Stop Lying About Immigration
JD VANCE’S PERFORMANCE at Tuesday’s vice presidential debate may have been kinder and gentler than his “childless cat ladies” and “they’re eating the cats and dogs” persona, but he’s still spewing pernicious falsehoods about immigration. Let’s start with his premise that “we’ve got 20, 25 million illegal aliens who are here in the country,” including “about a million of those people [who] have committed some form of crime in addition to crossing the border illegally.” These figures are no mere exaggerations or outside estimates—they are meant to inflame listeners.
The best estimates of undocumented immigrants living in the United States is about 11 million as of 2022. That number doesn’t include about one million asylum seekers who have come since 2022 and are awaiting adjudication of their status. But it would be wrong to conclude based on those numbers alone that there are now 12 million or more undocumented immigrants—some of the 11 million have died (one million are over age 55) or left the country.
WILL SALETAN: The One Question That Mattered in the VP Debate
IN TUESDAY NIGHT’S VICE-PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, JD Vance and Tim Walz covered lots of issues: inflation, housing, guns, abortion, immigration, health care, and much more.
But there was only one question on which the vice presidency—the job for which these two men are competing—really matters. That question was whether they would certify the results of the next presidential election. And on that subject, Vance gave a non-answer that instantly disqualifies him: He refused to acknowledge that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.
JONATHAN V. LAST: JD Vance Was So Good, It May Drive Trump Crazy
Tim Walz was . . . fine. His performance rated somewhere between lovable lunkhead and compelling nice guy. Your mileage may vary. He had one or two very bad moments (Eye-Ran; his China trip), a few very good moments (on energy, on abortion, on the 2020 election, and while quoting Matthew 25:40), and a whole lot of nice-sounding, forgettable debate talk
CATHY YOUNG: 7 Layups Tim Walz Missed in the Debate
IN TUESDAY’S FACEOFF between the vice presidential candidates, Tim Walz scored important points on some issues—but he repeatedly missed what should have been easy opportunities to persuade people on issues and points that he had to know would come up. Here are some of the things that viewers of the debate deserved to hear.
🚨OVERTIME🚨
Happy Wednesday! And L'Shana Tovah to those who observe.
🚨Bulwark Live in the Blue Wall!🚨
Come see us live in Philadelphia on October 17, Pittsburgh on October 18, and greater Detroit on October 19. Tickets going on sale soon—be on the lookout, and see you there!
Cincinnati Will Always Be My ‘Home Sweet Airport’… Lunken Field faces an uncertain future, but it will forever be a special place to Martha Lunken. (Flying)
Key takeaways… from special counsel Jack Smith's major filing in Trump's 2020 election case (CBS) And do check out these highlights from Kyle Cheney.
Haley Joel Osment… is a great JD Vance. Bravo. Between this and Gaffigan postponing his tour to Ohio to play Tim Walz on SNL, we’re in for a lot of needed comedy this election season.
Congrats to the “Gritty Tigs”… but sorry that Cleveland has to end your cinderella season. Tough end for the Orioles, which were a fun watch this season. A number of you entered the Overtime WS prediction contest, and here’s who folks think is going to win it all: The Dodgers. Well, we’ll see about that!
Here’s what you guys helped fund… The memorial fund at my mom’s school library brought Newberry and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Jerry Craft to my alma mater. Thank you.
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