>> Tucker: GOOD EVENING.
WELCOME TO "TUCKER CARLSON
TONIGHT."
JUST 24 HOURS AGO, THIS
COUNTRY STOOD ON THE BRINK OF
CATACLYSM.
WITHOUT A SINGLE VOTE OF THE
CONGRESS WE CAME WITHIN
MINUTES OF WAR WITH IRAN.
AFTER DESTRUCTION OF UNMANNED
DRONE, THEY NEARLY LAUNCHED
AIRSTRIKE ON TARGETS.
SOME REPORTS SAY OUR PLANES
WERE LITERALLY IN THE AIR.
BUT IN THE END, IT DIDN'T
HAPPEN AND THE PRESIDENT
PULLED BACK.
THIS MORNING HE EXPLAINED WHY.
>> President Trump: THEY
SAID SIR, WE ARE READY TO GO.
I'D LIKE A DECISION.
I SAID I WANT TO KNOW
SOMETHING.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE
KILLED?
IN THIS CASE IRANIANS.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO
BE KILLED?
SIR, I'D LIKE TO GET BACK TO
YOU ON THAT.
GREAT PEOPLE, THESE GENERALS.
THEY CAME BACK AND SAID, "SIR,
PLE
APE
APPROXIMATELY 150."
I THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
THEY SHOT DOWN AN UNMANNED
DRONE, PLANE, WHATEVER YOU
WANT TO CALL IT.
HERE WE ARE SITTING WITH 150
DEAD PEOPLE THAT WOULD HAVE
TAKEN PLACE IN A HALF AN HOUR
AFTER I SAID GO AHEAD.
I DIDN'T LIKE IT.
I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS
PROPORTIONATE.
>> Tucker: HOW MANY PEOPLE
WILL BE KILLED?
THE MOST BASIC OF ALL
QUESTIONS.
BUT A QUESTION TOO RARELY
ASKED BY LEADERS CONTEMPLATING
WAR.
150 PEOPLE WIPED OFF THE
PLANET IN RETALIATION FOR A
BROKEN DRONE.
EVERY ONE OF THEM, THE
PRESIDENT REMINDED HIS STAFF
LAST NIGHT, SOMEONE WITH A
FAMILY.
THE WHOLE THING IN THE END
OFFENDED HIS SENSE OF DECENCY
AND HE SAID IT SEEMED
DISPROPORTIONATE AND IT WAS.
MOREOVER, AIRSTRIKES WOULD
HAVE LED TO A WIDER CONFLICT
WITH IRAN.
THAT WAS THE POINT OF IT.
POLICY MAKERS IN WASHINGTON
CRAVE A WAR WITH IRAN.
LAST NIGHT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
THE FIRST DOMINO.
AT THE LAST MINUTE, THE
PRESIDENT THWARTED THEIR
PLANS.
FOR THAT HE IS VILIFIED.
WATCH CNN 36-YEAR-OLD NATIONAL
SECURITY ANALYST ATTACK THE
PRESIDENT FOR NOT KILLING
ENOUGH PEOPLE YESTERDAY.
>> THIS IS A WORST CASE
SCENARIO.
THE PRESIDENT SHOWING HE
ESSENTIALLY MADE A DECISION,
HAD A NATIONAL SECURITY
COUNCIL MEETING AND WASN'T
WILLING TO FOLLOW THROUGH.
ALL IN ALL IT SHOWS A GROSS
DISORGANIZATION AND A
PRESIDENT WHO CAN'T MAKE UP
HIS MIND EVEN ON SOMETHING AS
IMPORTANT AS MILITARY STRIKE
ON IRAN.
>> Tucker: ONLY IN FOREIGN
POLICY CIRCLES DO PEOPLE SAY
THINGS THAT STUPID.
IN FACT, LAST NIGHT WAS A HIGH
POINT IN THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY.
BOMBING IRAN WOULD HAVE ENDED
HIS POLITICAL CAR IN A
MINUTE -- POLITICAL CAREER IN
A MINUTE THERE.
WOULD BE NO CHANCE OF
RE-ELECTION.
IT'S LIKE DOING COCAINE.
THE INITIAL RUSH RISES YOUR
POLL NUMBERS BUT THE CRASH IS
INEVITABLE.
AT THIS POINT IT'D BE
HORRIBLE.
THE HANGOVER FROM AN IRAQ WAR
WOULD LAST -- HANGOVER FROM AN
IRAN WAR WOULD LAST DECADES.
THEY HAVE A COHESIVE
POPULATION.
THIS IS NOT LIKE THE CAPITAL
OF ARAB WORLD LIKE RIYADH OR
DUBAI.
WE COULD BEAT IRAN BUT IT
WOULDN'T EASY.
I WOULD COST TRILLIONS OF
DOLLARS, MANY THOUSANDS OF
AMERICANS WOULD LIKELY DIE.
CHINA WOULD LOVE IT.
THEY WOULD BE THE ONLY WINNERS
IN THE CONFLICT.
AND TRUMP WAS ELECTED TO KEEP
OUTS OF DISASTERS LIKE WAR
WITH IRAN.
HOW DID WE GET SO CLOSE TO
STARTING ONE?
SIMPLE.
THE NEOKHANS STILL DEAL WITH
THE ENORMOUS POWER.
THEY DESPISE DONALD TRUMP.
NOW, ONE OF THE KEY ALLIES IS
THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
OF THE UNITED STATES.
JOHN BOLTON IS AN OLD FRIEND
OF BILL CRYSTAL'S AND THEY
HELPED PLAN THE IRAQ WAR.
WHEN BOLTON MADE IT TO THE
WHITE HOUSE, NEOCONS CHEERED.
THEY TOOK A BREAK FROM
ATTACKING TRUMP TO CELEBRATING
THE HIRING AND STEPHENS
ASSURED THE MSNBC VIEWERS HE
WAS A GREAT CHOICE BECAUSE HE
WOULD PUSH THE PRESIDENT TO
WAR.
>> HE IS NOT THE CARICATURISH
HAWK HE HAS BEEN MADE OUT TO
BE.
HE WILL RESTRAIN THE ISOLATION
ISOLATIONIST IMPULSE AT THE
HEART OF TRUMP'S POLICY
THINKING.
>> Tucker: GOT THAT?
JOHN BOLTON IS GOING TO
RESTRAIN TRUMP FROM AVOIDING
WAR.
OF COURSE, THAT IS EXACTLY
WHAT HE HAS TRIED TO DO FROM
THE FIRST DAY.
SHORTLY BEFORE BOLTON TOOK THE
NEW JOB WE INCITED HIM ON THIS
SHOW TO ASK ABOUT THE MANY,
MANY, PREVIOUS FOREIGN POLICY
POSITIONS.
WASH AS BOLTON DENIES EVER
BEING WRONG EVER ABOUT
ANYTHING.
NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT.
>> Tucker: SO YOU CALLED FOR
REGIME CHANGE IN IRAQ, LIBYA
AND SYRIA.
IN THE FIRST TWO COUNTRIES WE
HAD REGIME CHANGE.
IT'S A DISASTER.
I THINK WE AGREE.
>> I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT.
>> Tucker: YOU DON'T THINK
IT'S BEEN A DISASTER?
>> NO.
I THINK YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND
THAT LIFE IS COMPLICATED IN
THE MIDDLE EAST.
WHEN YOU SAY WELL, THE
OVERTHROW OF SADDAM HUSSEIN
WAS A MISTAKE, IT'S
SIMPLISTIC.
>> Tucker: I WOULD ARGUE I'M
THE ONE THAT UNDERSTANDS HOW
COMPLICATED IT IS.
THAT'S MY VIEW.
>> IT'S YOUR LONG EXPERIENCE
IN FOREIGN POLICY.
>> Tucker: I HAVE A BETTER
RECORD THAN YOURS, I WOULD
SAY.
GOT THAT?
HILLARY CLINTONS TOPPLING OF
THE LIBYAN GOVERNMENT WAS NOT
A DISASTER SAYS JOHN BOLTON.
KEEP IN MIND THERE ARE
LITERALLY SLAVE MARKETS
OPERATING IN THE STREET OF
TRIPOLI NOW.
BUT NO PROBLEM.
BOLTON IS FINE WITH THAT.
HE IS FINE WITH THE OUTCOME IN
IRAQ, TOO.
IT'S NOT A DISASTER EITHER.
ACCORDING TO JOHN BOLTON IT'S
A RAGING SUCCESS.
WE KILLED HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, LOST
THOUSANDS OF OUR OWN TROOPS.
SPENT $1 TRILLION TO ELIMINATE
A W.M.D. THREAT THAT DESPITE
JOHN BOLTON'S ASSURANCES NEVER
EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
BOLTON IS GLAD WE DID ALL
THAT.
REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT.
THAT IS DEMENTED.
NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T TALK ABOUT
THAT.
THERE IS NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT
JOHN BOLTON.
CHECK OUT THIS TAPE UN
UNRECOVERED RECENTLY WHERE HE
PROMISES WE'LL OVERTHROW THE
GOVERNMENT OF IRAN.
THIS WAS FILMED BEFORE THE
IRANIANS SHOT DOWN A SINGLE
DRONE.
>> I HAD SAID FOR OVER TEN
YEARS SINCE COMING TO THESE
EVENTS THAT THE DECLARED
POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA SHOULD BE THE
OVERTHROW OF THE REGIME IN
TEHRAN.
THAT IS WHY BEFORE 2019, WE
HERE WILL CELEBRATE IN TEHRAN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
[APPLAUSE]
>> Tucker: IN OTHER WORDS,
LAST NIGHT HAS BEEN IN THE
WORKS FOR YEARS.
JOHN BOLTON IS A BUREAUCRATIC
TAPEWORM.
YOU CAN'T EXPEL HIM.
HE SEEMS TO LIVE FOREVER IN
THE BOWELS OF THE FEDERAL
AGENCYSY REEMERGING TO CAUSE
PAIN AND SUFFERING.
BUT CRITICALLY, SOMEHOW NEVER
SUFFERING HIMSELF.
HIS LIFE REALLY IS WASHINGTON
IN A NUTSHELL.
BLUNDER IN TO THE OBVIOUS
CATASTROPHES AGAIN AND AGAIN,
REFUSE TO ADMIT BLAME, THEN
DEMAND MORE OF THE SAME.
THAT IS THE JOHN BOLTON LIFE
CYCLE.
IN BETWEEN ADMINISTRATION JOBS
THERE ARE ALWAYS CUSHY
SPEAKING POSTS, CABLE NEWS
CONTRACTS.