Two Crusty Old Combat Soldiers with a Microphone

I chose the name Foggy Bottom Line years ago while working on a doctorate at George Washington University. I studied international relations and security there and it’s in Foggy Bottom in DC, so it made sense at the time. The Foggy Bottom Line brand focuses on the idea that the bottom line answer to most questions is rarely completely clear. A bit of fog always clouds the truth, and I don’t deal in absolutes. Background may or may not give credibility, and we have no desire to argue from authority or experience (which is always, after all, anecdotal). We're either right or wrong and will always endeavor to provide evidence – or at least logical reasoning – that supports our views and policy recommendations. But for the record Scott and I are both retired combat soldiers (tanks and intelligence) with broad military, academic, economic, political, and management training and experience. I have worked defense contracting and Scott served as a local election official for decades is several states. We bring a unique blend of conservative and liberal thought to the national debate and believe our analysis and commentary has an audience. But as always, we could be wrong.

Two Crusty Old Combat Soldiers with a Microphone is a government podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 41 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Two Crusty Old Combat Soldiers with a Microphone, a government show with 41 episodes published.

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  Episode #23

  Two Crusty Old Combat Soldiers: Iran War Situation Report - Are We There Yet, Daddy Trump?

  Aug 13, 202650 minS2

  Five months into the war against Iran, the US has achieved nothing but a stalemate. After spending close to $40T in taxpayer money and launching something like have the US inventory of munitions - making the US more vulnerable to attacks from China - Iran and the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps have not been brought to heel. In fact, they've all but closed the Strait of Hormuz and could block it completely at will. Their proxies can close the Red Sea and other transportation routes. And they've announced that they'll simply wait until Trump is out of office, like they did to Carter in 1980, to negotiate. They have not lost the war and are in a strategic position to simply embrace the status quo for two years. The Iranian government is now younger and more radicalized, and the population that was close to revolution last year has now rallied around the flag. Iran has disrupted the global economy, caused higher prices on almost every consumer good, and caused a geopolitical shift away from the US toward new alliances that could impact our national security for decades. Scott and I predicted much of this after the war began, and now that most of the primaries are complete we thought it made sense to send a situation report on where we are. Trump never really shared his goals and vision for this war, but if if was regime change and stopping Iranian efforts to build a nuclear weapon, we have to ask: Are we there yet, Daddy Trump? Follow us on Socials: https://linktr.ee/FoggyBottomLine Politics VLog #Politics #Economics #Iran #Israel #Strait of Hormuz #USMilitary

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  Episode #22

  Two Crusty Old Combat Soldiers talk Data Centers, ft Amanda Doughty

  Aug 2, 202639 minS2

  As billionaires and corporations push artificial intelligence (AI), developers push construction of larger and larger data centers - enormous facilities full of computer chips that require as much energy and water as a small city, destroy neighborhoods with noise and local pollution, but provide few permanent jobs or economic activity. Virginia already has more data centers than any other state but remains ground zero for new construction because of its proximity to internet trunk lines. As developers go from County to County asking local planning commissions and governments for permission to destroy green spaces, raise electricity rates, and suck water out of aquifers needed to irrigate crops and provide drinking water, local activists have energized to stop them. Scott and I sit down with Amanda Doughty (AKA CaptainAmandica on Insta and TikTok), an activist from Newport News, to discuss this issue in depth, including their pros and cons, local impacts, and why some Virginia officials support further construction despite the negative impacts. Amanda shares her expertise on environmental impacts, how these monster facilities affect neighborhoods and communities, whether we actually need them and if so where the State should allow them to go. Amanda and other activists have a simple ask: let's hit pause on data centers with a statewide moratorium in Virginia while officials and communities figure out the best way to proceed. Link to Change.org petition asking for a data center moratorium in Virginia: https://www.change.org/p/demand-a-data-center-moratorium-in-virginia Business Insider Data Center Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-8TDOFqkQA Virginia Department of Environmental Quality officials downplay data center health impacts: https://www.eenews.net/articles/emails-show-how-virginia-regulators-downplayed-data-center-health-concerns/?fbclid=IwY2xjawTTifZwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5U5DeSAaFa45Bsu4w7xrkDV8vWVOpFvSf33gwPvVNIscPhZD9Rlv8ebnlmiw_aem_g99xffUM9P0hK4rnnf7L4w Follow us on Socials: https://linktr.ee/FoggyBottomLine Politics VLog #Politics #Economics #Virginia #datacenter #AI #DEQ #Dominionenergy #dominion Follow us on Socials: https://linktr.ee/FoggyBottomLine Politics VLog #Politics #Economics

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  Episode #21

  Trump Fires Election Commission Members, Looks to Sow Midterm Election Chaos

  Aug 2, 202640 minS2

  Trump has fired the three sitting members of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) and will give a speech on Thursday July 16 to release newly declassified documents related to the 2020 Presidential Election. Congress created the EAC as part of the Help America Vote Act in 2002 to help States and local governments streamline and standardize election processes to avoid the kind of problems that forced the SCOTUS to decide the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. This Commission plays a key role in testing and certifying the voting machines used by local communities to tabulate and count votes. Some observers, including Scott, think Trump plans to announce decertification of Dominion voting machines used in Georgia, Arizona, and other battleground states. With no members on the Commission, it cannot act to fix this. In this episode, Scott and I discuss the implications of firing these Commissioners and attempting to decertify voting machines. Trump has no legal authority to do this, but millions of Americans don't know this and saying he has will create confusion and chaos that will undermine trust in the Midterms. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment. We want to know what you think. Follow us on Socials: https://linktr.ee/FoggyBottomLine Politics VLog #Politics #Economics #midterms2026 #Elections #Trump #EAC #DominionVotingMachine #Voting #congress

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  Episode #20

  Right Wing Nativists Freak Out Over Birthright Citizenship Ruling: Racism, Religion, or Just Power?

  Jul 9, 202646 minS2

  Last week, the most conservative Supreme Court we've seen in my lifetime finally got one right and ruled that the 14th Amendment protects birthright citizenship and Donald Trump cannot rob children born in the US of that citizenship because of the parents' status... ...and now the nativists on the right wing are freaking out about it. Scott and I discuss whether this is simply their racism and religious bigotry rearing its ugly head or just a desire to protect power. I argue that they want to keep as many immigrants and their children from citizenship because they worry about being replaced by brown people, Hindus, and Muslims. Scott suggests that while the people in power USE race and religion to keep their coalition together and motivated, their real concern is that expanding the right to vote to newer citizens makes it more difficult to hold on to power. Whatever your view on this, our discussion will help you better understand what's going on and why the right is so wound up over this ruling. Link to the SCOTUS opinion: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-365_4hdj.pdf Follow us on Socials: https://linktr.ee/FoggyBottomLine Politics VLog #Politics #Economics #birthrightcitizenship #Nativism #rightwingpolitics

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  Episode #19

  Two Crusty Old Combat Soldiers Talk SCOTUS Mail Ballot Ruling and What Trump Plans to Do About It

  Jul 4, 202647 minS2

  This week the US Supreme Court ruled that States may count mailed ballots that were postmarked on time but did not arrive until after the formal Election Day. Meanwhile, Donald Trump issued an executive order telling the US Postal Service not to deliver mailed ballots in States that have not handed over their voter lists, and the right is up in arms over bar codes. Scott once again shares his election process expertise as we discuss the importance of the SCOTUS ruling, why Trump wants voter lists from blue states (spoiler: he wants approve the people on it before they receive ballots), the significance of the bar codes, and whether we can trust the election process itself. We ask and answer four questions: 1. Can States decide when your mail-in ballot counts? 2. Can the President change the way election mail is handled? 3. Why are people arguing over bar codes? 4. Is America’s election system still trustworthy? If you want to know more about the US election system and how Trump and his minions are trying to game it - especially if you think it's rigged - tune in to this episode. And then look through the FBL archive for more on US elections! Follow us on Socials: https://linktr.ee/FoggyBottomLine Politics VLog #Politics #Economics #Elections #Midterms #Virginia #SCOTUS #Trump #USPS #VotingByMail

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