David Frum

Actually, it was interesting.

It was illustrated with an image of Donald Trump with a bald head, like he'd accepted it.

But good President Trump would say, and by the way, if you do lay down your arms, that we and our allies are going to be there with the money you need to have proper waterworks, to have the electricity, to improve your roads, to send people back to school, to make universities more broadly accessible.

Our goal for you

is that those 40 years of development or 45 years of development or 50 years of development you missed since 1979, we're gonna put you back on that track.

And the vision is 40 years from now, you will look like Portugal.

This is the part that they really seem unconstitutionally capable of dealing with, which is to say to whomever emerges, and if you have a plan for a transition to democracy, and if you stop repressing, you will live,

We won't ask too many questions about your bank accounts.

There's a role for you.

We are not actually planning on killing you all.

We offer amnesty and exit as part of a plan to make a transition to a better future for Iran, which is going to be defined by the Iranians, but shaped by the values of all the people who are going to, and this is the key point, help you pay for it.

Well, let's finish here, but with this thought, which is we all wish a safe return home for the Americans in harm's way.

We all wish a better future for the people of Iran.

We all wish this situation would be resolved quickly and with minimal harm to innocent people.

And as much as our mental skepticism is engaged, our hearts are in sympathy with all of those who face danger in this war that didn't have to happen, but has begun.

I mean, look, God's probably doing his part as best he can, but Trump doesn't listen to him either.

All right.

Thanks so much to Tom Nichols for joining me today.

As I mentioned at the top of the show, there will be no book talk this week, but I do want to thank you for viewing and listening to the show and remind you that if you want to support the work of Tom and me, the best way to do that is by subscribing to The Atlantic.

I hope you will like and share this dialogue on whatever platform you use.