The Warning with Steve Schmidt Weekend Iran War Update with Malcolm Nance & Ken Harbaugh
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Mar 8, 2026 
Malcolm Nance, retired Navy senior chief and intelligence expert, analyzes Iran conflict strategy and risks. Ken Harbaugh, former Navy pilot and podcaster, offers frontline perspective on military planning and human costs. They discuss Trump's conduct at a dignified transfer, the limits of air power, risks of boots on the ground, nuclear/dirty-bomb threats, leadership failures, and how the war might unfold.
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Decades Of Policy Choices Shaped Today's Constraints
- Longstanding U.S. regional interventions (e.g., Iraq) strengthened Iran's regional influence, complicating options now.
- Malcolm Nance recounts 47 years of preparation and how earlier choices enlarged Iran's proxies and Basij forces.
Push Back On Lawful But Reckless Orders
- Military and civilian leaders must push back on reckless or poorly planned orders before they reach deployed troops.
- Ken Harbaugh and Malcolm Nance urge commanders to filter "lawful but stupid" orders to protect service members.
War As Spectacle Undercuts Serious Strategy
- The administration treated Iran operations as spectacle, using propagandistic videos and rhetoric that dehumanized targets.
- Malcolm Nance criticizes White House videos splicing videogame and movie footage with strike footage as disgusting.