but when you ve got something going on like this from the highest levels of policy making, decision-making in the land, the president, the oval office, it s reprehensible. the military will see it that way. you know, i ve wanted to talk to you for a while now as the conversation about iran has intensified. a kind of war of words, selective leaking of intelligence that purports to show increased iranian threats. you were in an administration where there was talk about the possibility of regime change in iran with john bolton, who was in that administration. what do you make of where we are right now with respect to iran? chris, one of two things is happening. the first possibility is that trump is using bolton as his front man, as his call him a rocket man, put pressure on rouhani, put maximum tension on tehran. trump s objective here strategically is to get talks and to get a better deal. that s what he s after.
happening. the first possibility is that trump is using bolton as his front man, as his call him a rocket man, put pressure on rouhani, put maximum tension on tehran. trump s objective here strategically is to get talks and to get a better deal. that s what he s after. that would take some cunning, some cleverness and even some strategic forethought, so not for a moment do i really believe that s what trump is doing. instead what i think is happening is underneath trump s basic inattention, it is john bolton and others like john bolton who are leading this administration with regard to its policy toward iran. i know what john bolton wants. he wants regime change. if that takes, and he s alied about muhammed bin salman, his buddy there, if that takes bombs dropping on tehran as a sort of start, that s what john bolton will get. trump s inattention to it will bring that about. i m hoping, i m hoping that