Hugh Hewitt: Defeatist Democrats

The United States and Israel are winning this battle with the Islamic Republic of Iran — decisively. Our Gulf allies are standing strong. The cost has already been high. With at least U.S. and IDF forces paying the ultimate price. But of course, some hard-left partisans hate the prospect of either President Donald Trump or the United States as a whole, winning an important, indeed crucial battle.  The left in America refuses to come to grips with how evil the Iranian regime is and for how long it has been so. The collapse of moral clarity among American elites on the left is complete. Democrats are defeated, appeasers, antisemitic in some cases or simply deranged by their hatred of President Trump: You keep speaking up too. We want to hear you say all these crazy things. History will record your positions. The Republican Party should boldly proclaim that, even after 250 years, our country still knows what’s right from wrong and will defend the right.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has an opportunity to go for the jugular in his war with the Iranian terror regime—and the IRGC has provided a perfect pretext for it now. During the first phase of the war, both sides kept the oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. As Iran’s other deterrents have failed, they have decided to attack shipping in the Persian Gulf to pressure Trump into retreat. A sharp rise in oil prices have panicked the media and some of our allies. Trump has instead signaled that any further interference will result in either seizure or full-scale demolition of Kharg Island. Iran exports 96% of its oil through this facility, mainly to China and India. It is their only connection to hard currency, and it continues to operate. Trump reportedly is considering an occupation of Kharg Island, now that the US has decimated its defenses. This would checkmate the regime while preserving the facilities for a successor government in Tehran. It’s time to go for the jugular.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Americans recently learned that Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, “liked” some vile Instagram posts. Seventy of them.  One described the New York Times’ reporting on the sexual violence during the October 7 attacks as a “mass rape” hoax the newspaper supposedly “fabricated.” Another accused Israel of a “vile land grab.” Yet another charged Israel with genocide.  Rather than denying his wife liked the posts, the mayor simply claimed she is a “private person.” But that’s not true. Rama Duwaji lives in Gracie Mansion at taxpayer expense and accompanies the mayor to ceremonial events. She recently sat for a cover story in “The Cut” – New York Magazine’s fashion and lifestyle site. When someone in her position applauds the barbarism of October 7, she helps normalize Jew hatred in a way that should repel us all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump is realigning the global order—and the consequences are massive. I’m referring most immediately, of course, to the ongoing military action in Iran. The U.S. and Israel are involve. But the Gulf States are now involved as well—and their increasingly aligned directly with the United States. Iran is an ally of both Russia and China—part of the BRICS Coalition, started out with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, now been expanded to 10 members. It’s basically an alternative to NATO. The New York Times ran an article very revealing here’s the headline, “As Trump Out-Putins Putin, Russia’s Global Influence Erodes.” In the words of the article “Mr. Putin is also grappling with the arrival of a new world of unbridled American power under President Trump, which is checking Russia’s global influence….” Notice – China’s watching, too. Trump is realigning the global order and It’s going to be very, very interesting.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

School children used to be taught about the dangers of yellow journalism, a practice where the media would falsify stories to inspire support for war, as in “you furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war.” Today, the practice is back, stronger than ever—but now it’s on the side against us. When Ayatollah Khamenei was confirmed dead, the New York Times labeled him “avuncular and magnanimous,” complemented with a story picturing mourning Iranians.  This would be news to the overwhelming majority of Iranians who celebrated the end of their tyrant’s life—a mass murderer of innocents across the globe.  CNN aired a story on Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, not once mentioning the precipitating cause: Hezbollah showering rockets into Israel. Elite outlets also deliberately obfuscated just who threw IEDS into a crowd in New York City this weekend—making it look the real “bad guys” were anti-Islamist protestors when it was, in fact, American Islamists. If you get your own news from mainstream media, the simple truth is this: you’ll be misinformed and uninformed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world marked International Women’s Day, an international incident reminded us what real repression looks like — and how silent many so-called “feminists” have become. As their bus left Australia for a flight back to Iran, members of Iran’s women’s soccer team flashed “SOS” hand signals pleading for help. Iranian state media had branded them traitors for refusing to sing the regime’s national anthem before a match. It’s easy to see why they were afraid to go home. Under Iran’s Islamist theocracy, women possess few rights and defiance carries brutal consequences. As the Australian government dithered, President Trump urged officials to act and offered asylum in America. For years, American feminist groups have called the president sexist. Yet when real women risked everything for freedom, he moved quickly to protect them — while the so-called feminists did nothing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year marks 25 years since September 11, 2001. Since then, America has grown older, and soberer. We’ve learned the hard way that even the world’s greatest military cannot remake the Middle East. After Iraq and Afghanistan, few Americans want another long conflict in a distant land. But let’s be clear: Iran isn’t some random target. For nearly fifty years, its regime has waged war against us — directly and through terrorist proxies —working constantly to destabilize the region and beyond. It has taken Americans hostage, pursued nuclear weapons, funded terror groups, aided our enemies, and even plotted to assassinate our president. Reports indicate it was preparing attacks on U.S. interests in the Middle East. Iran’s evil leaders abused America for decades with impunity. Good riddance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s difficult to escape the conclusion that many Americans hate President Trump so much they’d rather see the butcher Khamenei alive, the Iranian people under his boot and mullahs with a nuclear weapon than see Trump triumph. This level of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” well, it’s toxic. Had Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio beaten Clinton and done these same things, Reagan and Bush-era politicos would have cheered. Today’s most adamant Trump haters would have been leading the ovation. When Obama ordered the mission to kill bin Laden, I don’t recall his critics refusing to credit him. They loved America more than they disliked “44.” And old guard Republicans who battled FDR throughout the ’30s quickly rallied to his side when Pearl Harbor happened. Country comes or should come before politics. Perhaps someone will break free of the anti-Trump cult and show the way out. We are waiting for that first turning from the “TDS” crowd. We may wait a long time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As we watch the fall of Iran’s hardline Islamist regime, nothing has been more moving than the palpable, heartfelt joy of the country’s women. They’re dancing in public. Singing. Throwing off the hijabs that have been forced on them for decades by a theocratic dictatorship. America acted to protect our own citizens and interests. But it’s also glorious to witness the unfolding liberation of a people who’ve endured such systematic humiliation and repression. Self-described American feminists should look deep into their own souls. For years, they’ve invoked “The Handmaids Tale.” Yet when confronted with real women living under genuine, brutal subjugation, they’re silent, or even—like Kamala Harris—opposed to the action that is freeing them.  That’s not solidarity. It’s selective outrage. May the women of Iran women secure the freedom so long denied them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world order can be reshaped in just a matter of hours—or even just minutes. Just as Iranians were starting their new work week on Saturday, leaders in Israel and the United States launched an attack. By the end of the day, the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei was dead. For more than four decades Iran has been the main source of state-sponsored terror. It also sought to attain nuclear weapons. President Trump ordered direct bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites just last year, but the regime resisted any agreement that would prevent the development of weapons grade materials. By Saturday the gig was up. Israel was not going to stand by as Iran gained nuclear capacity, and neither was the United States. President Trump has called to the people of Iran to seize political control, but the future is by no means clear. Pray that the right leadership emerges to point the Iranian people through the right door. As President Trump said on Saturday to the Iranian people: “This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.