Rudyard Griffiths

I mean, it is in a sense, to me this week, was just such a powerful proof point at the extent to which this war has given Iran –

a freedom of maneuver, at least for now, that would be incomprehensible mere months ago, that it could attack UAE with ballistic missiles and drones, and the United States with large amounts of weapons, troops, materials, and ships would do nothing about it, and they could do that twice in the period of 72 hours.

Yeah.

I just say any future pipeline to the Red Sea could also be the subject of a drone or missile attack.

So the vulnerabilities are there.

Let's just, before we wrap up this extra show, conjecture a little bit about where the Trump presidency finds itself.

Because the president has been all over the map this week.

And I think we've just never seen this before, this kind of diplomacy conjecture.

if you call it that, undertaken in the public, hour to hour, reversals, bellicose rhetoric, followed by optimistic musings about an imminent peace deal.

It seems almost schizophrenic, Janice.

I guess just one wonders what's going on here.

I mean, I'm looking forward to the Bob Woodward book on Trump's Iran war and what it must be like in this White House.

And I just, as someone, as a seasoned observer of White Houses and presidents, what do you make of this?

And what do you make of the seeming complete lack of control on not only his part, but on his staff and the people around him?

to craft any set of coherent messages, and to do what all past examples would suggest would be in their interest if they seemingly politically, for domestic reasons, desperately want a deal, which is not to litigate and re-litigate with Iran in public 24 hours, seven days a week.

As you say, Janice, though, I wonder if there's a side of him, obviously he's desperate to end this war.

He can see plunging poll numbers.

He can see possibly control of the Senate and the House slipping away from him, which could open up the possibility of another round of impeachments.

All of that said, though, Janice, the attention, the singular focus, if there's one line of continuity through the last 12 months, it's Trump's desire to be in all of our heads all of the time.

And I think one—if I was to analyze this, and here's some dime-store psychology—