John Bolton Iran regime change
Lucas points out the split-screen appearance where John Bolton argues that peace with Iran demands removing the Tehran regime, a stance he claims to have held for decades. While acknowledging that U.S.-Israeli strikes inflicted significant harm on the leadership and admitting Washington made errors during those operations, Bolton insists the goal remains achievable with proper planning. The observation cuts deep because during his time as national security adviser under Donald Trump, he publicly stated the official policy was not regime change. It presents him more favorably than his official briefing materials ever did.
Transcript (en)
No, look, I think you usually begin a war with some clear objective in mind, which we didn't do six months ago. I think and have thought for decades that the only way you're ever going to get true, lasting peace and security in the Middle East is to get rid of the regime in Tehran. I think the U.S.-Israeli strikes did considerable damage to the regime. I think we made a lot of mistakes, that's for sure. But the objective is still realizable if we were willing to think through how to do it.
