David French

They can pursue review by a JAG officer.

They can ask their commander to clarify an order.

There's all different kinds of ways you can try to avoid complying with an unlawful order.

But when it's the commander in chief, who do you go to?

Well, you go to Congress, that collection of invertebrates, where do you go?

And so, you know, it's the irresistible force would then meet the immovable object and we would be in an absolute crisis.

And this order was also given or potentially given

It was also given in the aftermath of a purge of many of the leading generals, a purge offered without explanation, where the clear, crystal clear message being sent to the military is, any hint that you are not absolutely with us, this administration, and we're going to eliminate you.

And so what that starts to do is it starts to create a culture in the military over time

Doesn't happen right away.

The military has a lot of cultural and moral strength to it.

But you create precedence where you're telling the military that your path to success is loyalty to the administration, not excellence in the profession of arms.

It's loyalty to the administration.

And you're putting all of these together into one toxic stew of

in the middle of a war, fought and declared on Trump's initiative only and without the American constitutional process.

We were literally staring at the break.

Just think about this, Tim.

We've gone through a period where he launches a war without going through Congress.

The reporting from my colleagues, incredible reporting from my colleagues in the newsroom indicates that basically everyone in the room was telling him Netanyahu is feeding you false hope that our strikes will not in fact result in immediate regime change in Iran.

They will not immediately topple the regime.