Real Time with Bill Maher - Overtime - Episode #636: James Kirchick, Matt Duss

Episode Date: October 14, 2023

Bill Maher and his guests answer viewer questions after the show. (Originally aired 10/13/23) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO late-night series, Real Time with Bill Maugh. The Center for International Policy Matt does in the column of the textbook magazine, Jamie Kirchuk. Here are the things people want to know. What explains Israel's intelligence failure? Yes, we never got to that. Why? I mean, wow. I mean, Netanyahu was always the security guy.

I mean, people, oh, he's an asshole, but he's our asshole and he's going to keep us safe. And Israel was always great at this kind of stuff. Yes, and always great at this kind of stuff. and they have to be, they live in the roughest neighborhood in the world. How did this happen? Great question. Well, I think there was the operational level where they took out some sensors, right? And somehow the Israelis didn't see that.

But I think there was a larger strategic picture where they really did not think that Hamas would attempt something like this. They thought that Hamas was something that Amas, they could sort of deal with them in some way, but that they were letting in guest workers. They were letting in guest workers that Hamas would not be so irrational or suicidal, whatever word you want to use. actually perpetrate something. Yeah, I mean, I would make two points here. One is just to understand the scope of the intelligence failure here. We're talking about, I think it's some 1500 Hamas fighters who were killed inside Israel. You had probably another 500 more who took the hostages back into Gaza's. We're talking at least 2,000 people. Right. That's a lot of people talking. To keep the secret. That's a lot. Yes, exactly right. The idea that Israeli intelligence

could not figure this out or know that something was going on. But also the second point, You know, I made reference to the settlements to Ben Gavir, and Israeli security officials and others have suggested that one of the problems is that you had a lot of Israeli security redeployed to the West Bank to protect settler groups for the purposes of promoting settlements, attacking Palestinians, and that left the fence line relatively undefended, which also suggests that Hamas themselves

may have been shocked at how easy it was to cross through. Also, I may say, too many Jewish holidays. A lot of... I'm gonna let that one slide. As a Christian... As a Christian who got Jewish holidays, I disagree. A lot of the soldiers were like on leave.

And, you know... Well, it was 50 years after... To the day of the Young Kapoor War. You'd think they would see that coming. Yeah. It's like Lou Gehrig and Lou Gehrig's disease, right? What are the odds? What are the odds? Okay.

Well, Ohio representative Jim Jordan... This is hysterical what's going on. If it wasn't our Congress, I'd laugh harder. But win enough votes to become speaker. How does having a Speaker of the House impact military aid? I'm actually more concerned. Can someone get this guy a gift certificate to Brooks Brothers?

Yeah, right. Seriously. I mean, politicians have always done the shirt sleeve rolled up, but not always. Just when you're trying to make a point like, I'm a man of the people, but sometimes you have a jacket on. Yeah. Okay, but now, again, I may have this recap wrong,

but he was the choice at the beginning of the week. Endowed by Trump. Because Trump endorsed him. Last week, I heard it was going to be Trump himself. Because this is crazy in America. You don't have to be a member of Congress to be the Speaker of the House. Shouldn't you? Is that not a law we should have?

And then Trump realized. that you have to do stuff. Right. It does involve actual work. Oh, a lot of work, yes. But, okay, so then they went to Steve Scalise. Steve Scalice, the guy, you know, hard right-winger from Louisiana.

David Duke without the baggage, as he described. That's in his own words. He said that. David Duke without the baggage. I guess that. The word baggage is doing a lot in that phrase. Baggage is a little, that's a little, that's when you can't even get it closed. Yeah.

You know, you're just trying to get the suit. Yes. And now they're back, as of... By the time this goes on the air, it'll probably be stale. But now with it back to Jim Jordan. They're former gym teacher. I call him... Like Dennis Hastert, the former wrestling coach.

Well, he was an assistant wrestling coach, right? Yeah, he was. Jim Jordan. I call him Jim Jordan. Yeah. And, you know, obviously some very troubling allegations in his past. What? Obviously some very troubling allegations in his past about...

You know what they said? You know what they said? Those who can't teach, teach Jim. And those who can't teach Jim become Speaker of the House. It's so good. But that's true. The other Jim teacher who was a Speaker of the House, Dennis Haster. Yeah.

He was a child molester, right? Yeah. Convicted. Okay. This guy is not a child. molester, but he did let it go on. That is the allegation, yes. That's the allegation.

We're just allegedly that he knew about it but didn't do anything to stop it. Kind of like, you know, he was Joe Paterna to Jerry Sandusky. Yep. That's exactly it. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Sorry. Did that depress you?

Now that Bob Menendez, another butte. Oh, boy. The guy with the gold bars in his jacket. This, this, he was just, this Farrah charge, this foreign agent registry charge. Will he be, yeah? I mean, which is an addition to the bribery, which is pretty amazing. Because, I mean, working Washington and James probably knows, it's like to run a foul of Farah, the Foreign Agent's Registration Act,

you have to want to get caught. These are so loosely enforced. And I just, as with this, as with the bribery charge, when you read what he actually did, it's like Menendez was like, challenge accepted. You know? I am going to be so blatant and sloppy. Okay.

Will the U.S. right to freeze access to the $6 billion in funds it transferred to Iran as part of the prisoner deal? We negotiated, or was the U.S. right to freeze that? Yes. We negotiated last month. Okay, so if people don't know, we wanted to get how many people back? Five. We got them back. And we got them back, and we paid $6 billion.

We didn't pay it. It was money that was owed to Ukraine. Okay. No, it's Iran's money from oil that had been sanctioned. Right. Okay. But we made that. the deal. We got the people back

and now we're not giving them the money. I mean, I'm not taking Iran side in this, but you know, we did have a deal. I mean, we have a history of breaking deals with Iran, unfortunately, but with everybody. The charge was made that, you know, I think Tim Scott and others

made this completely demagogic, you know, false claim that, you know, this money helped to fund the attacks we saw last weekend, which is absurd. for a number of reasons, not least of which none of this money had been dispersed yet. They haven't seen a Senate. But there's a larger point that we should have maintained

the pressure campaign on Iran that the Trump administration started, and that that was rolled and dialed back by the Biden administration, and it has allowed... That's really not true. They've kept in almost every element. They've not maintained the same. No, they absolutely have done

is kept the deal of Obama made. Right. That's exactly what we should have done. No way. No way. No way. That's absolutely what we should. This Iranian regime, how can you make a deal with this Iranian regime?

Well, if you have a deal that keeps them away for a nuclear weapon, make that fucking deal. And they did. And they, Obama made that deal. That's right. I mean, it was like this is... With the sunset clause of 12 years. Okay, so we were just postponed by 12 years the date that they got a nuclear weapon. Okay. Well, nothing, no deal is perfect.

Isn't that what we're saying about the Palestine and the West Bank? They could have had their own country many times. Not many times, but a few times. Certainly, and again, there are deals that either had... They could have taken and didn't. Right. They could have had 97% of the West Bank, but it was not perfect as no deal is, because Israel was not about to give it to them, just say, oh, you know what, do your thing. They were like, yes, we have to keep an eye on you for very good reason.

But over time, if they had taken that deal, where would the world be today in 2023? If Arafat had taken that deal, and in 2000 there was a day, yes, then you show Israel, we're not out to that. Somehow we got back to Israel, Palestine from Iran. Okay. But I'll just get back to the Iran deal for a minute. I think important to understand about this $6 billion is that it was going to be, it's handled and held by Qatar

and was going to be spent by Qatar on specific humanitarian items. So it's not like we're giving Iran under strict monitors. But money is fungible. Yes. And money that can go to paying for humanitarian goods can be also used on nefarious purposes.

No, but it's not as if, I mean, listen, as they say, the military eats first, right? So Iran has not been, even though they've under some of the heaviest sanction in the world, they still have not been, you know, they still have money to spend on their military and all their, you know, their nefarious activities. This is just giving money to actually help their people. Again, not defending this regime. No one should.

But I think let's understand the nature of this $6 billion and what is going to be used to. I got one last question. I've been hearing a lot this week that Nikki Haley is really kicking ass. That she's rising up in the Republican Party. and there she is. And I see George Will's column as Tim Scott should bow out of the race, throw a support to Nikki Haley,

encourage everybody else in the race to do the same thing, that this is the viable alternative to Donald Trump. And if we just had a race, if we just had a Republican race with just two people, and Nikki Haley was the alternative,

it's possible that she would take it from Trump. There's a chance. There's a chance. And I thought she did great in the first debate, not as good in the second debate. But look, he has over 50% Trump does. Now? Now, and yeah. If it was just two people.

Perhaps she would have a fighting chance. And yes, I would absolutely, that all the other Republicans running now need to do their patriotic duty and do what they didn't do the last time. And they need to rally behind one anti-Trump alternative. And she's, I don't know, if you remember, you know, Trump has

not really taken her on yet. He's waiting. If you're a member from, you know, Lord of the Rings, you know, the eye of Sauron, once the eye of Trump turns to Nikki Haley with all this withering power. I don't know. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. Thank you.

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