Brett Cooper — Operation Epic Furry Is Heading to Lebanon? | Episode 146

Well, my friends, we are officially one week into Operation Epic Fury up front. Sorry, I mean Epic Fury. Can't get distracted by the memes too much. And Senator Lindsey Graham, I mean, he is certainly like a kid in a candy store right now. Listen, just as a general rule of thumb, if you guys want to know something about me, if Lindsey Graham is gleeful about something, if he is just unable to contain his joy, then I think that is usually cause for concern.

Because after months of And these are his words, not mine. Pushing Trump to go to war in Iran, he finally got his wish. Now, Politico wrote, "Privately, Graham was appealing to Trump's attraction to swaggering action and risk-taking over quieter moves, not to mention the term-limited president's growing concern with his legacy." We're going to talk about that at the end. Quote, "There was a real fight not to do it," Graham said.

"Let Israel do it by itself or just not do much." So, we talked a lot about this. Mr. President, you want to have your fingerprints on this. You want them to know America will fight. And now, while the internet at large is obviously debating this military action, whether it was warranted or not, and Congress is arguing over whether they want to restrict Trump in Iran, Lindsey Graham has already moved on to his next target.

And that tells us a lot about the warmongers in DC and the growing divide between my generation, and the boomers in control. We're going to talk about all of that and more. And now, before we dive in, make sure that you are subscribed to our channel if you've not already. Ring that notification bell if you want to stay up to date on every single thing that we upload. And if you enjoyed this episode, if you learned something by the end of it, make sure to leave a like cuz that helps us out so much in the algorithm.

And if you want behind-the-scenes content, if you want updates on upcoming live shows, I'm doing a couple more at Zanies here in Nashville in the near future, head on over to brettcooper.com. Everything you need is at that link, and it will even redirect you over to Cooper Confidential if that is what you are looking for. All right, so, Congress has had at least two classified briefings on the war that is currently going on in Iran.

And while most Americans, and I would argue most of the Trump base, disapproves of war in Iran, Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham is a visionary. He is a visionary because guys, it's not just about Iran anymore. In fact, I think it's safe to say he has very obviously moved on to his next target. Here he is on Fox on Sunday. Like mere hours after things got started in Iran and Lindsey Graham was already moving the needle.

Just watch. Mr. President, unleash the American military with Israel on Hezbollah tonight. Finish these bastards off. They have American blood on their hands and it shows you how desperate Iran is to have to rely upon Hezbollah. We have a chance here not only to take the mothership of terrorism down, Iran, we also have a chance to eliminate one of the most lethal proxies in the Mideast, Hezbollah. Mr. President, do it and do it now.

>> I mean, so he's talking to Trump privately. He's going on Fox News and talking to Trump. And he's like, "Trump, I know that you're concerned with your legacy. I know that you, you know, want to negotiate peace through strength. I know that your entire voter base does not want more. But Mr. President, you must do it. You must do it." No, Lindsey. No. Now, the one thing I do want to say here as well is that like that entire clip that we just watched, it feels like it is straight out of The Hunger Games capital.

No comment. Anyway, back to the point. The picture I am painting for you all, Lindsey Graham did it again a few days later on Tuesday. One thing to President Trump picture watching. In 1983 Ronald Reagan sent Marines and sailors to try to police and deal with the Lebanese Civil War. They were at the end of the runway. Hezbollah attacked the Marine barracks, killed 220 Marines, 18 sailors, and wounded 100 others. Ronald Reagan, who I admire and love, withdrew and never did anything about it.

So, I'm calling on President Trump today. Join Israel to attack Hezbollah. Avenge the Marines. America never forgets. Those 220 Marines and 18 sailors family, we want to go after the infrastructure that killed your loved ones. Maybe Lindsey, I don't know, it could be a crazy idea. Maybe we should focus on the here and now, and what we are actually dealing with, and what modern-day Republicans and conservatives and libertarians, normal people are wanting America to prioritize.

And I'm sorry, but I think most of us are not wanting to prioritize your personal desires for vengeance. Now, Being Libertarian commented under that video and said, "You know when you're at the store and your kid begs and begs and begs for a new toy, and instead of being grateful, they beg and beg and beg for McDonald's on the way home. Dot dot dot." Yeah. That is Lindsey Graham in a nutshell. It's not good enough, we must keep going.

Mr. President, think of what happened 30 years ago. Keep going. It's too perfect, and we have to laugh because it is depressing. Now, this comment is even more relevant. This guy said, "Gay, childless men should not be responsible for making these decisions." Now, no offense to childless gay men, but I do believe that this is an incredibly fair point. Because 70-year-old Lindsey Graham is unmarried, he is childless, and throughout his entire career, this man, of his entire career, he has only worked in the private sector for 4 years.

He has been a representative for more than 35 years, and he was in the military as a lawyer prior to that. Four years. What that tells me is that this man is completely out of touch with his constituents, with his fellow Americans, and he leaves no legacy but his work. And he seems to be completely beholden to the military-industrial complex, which honestly, we know because of who his major donors are. And so, my thought is, because this man has no children, no wonder he doesn't care about starting new wars.

Now, back in June of 2025, when we first struck Iran, Shoe on Head posted this. And of course, Lindsey Graham was gleefully talking about all of it. And so, she posted and she said, "Childless warmonger with no stake in the future, Lindsey Graham is currently on Fox cheering on regime change and freedom in Iran. Unplug the TVs in your parents' and grandparents' houses right now. Destroy their satellite dishes. Log them off of Facebook."

Now, on a more serious note, this response on X to Lindsey's plea to President Trump was just perfect. This man said, "I grieve for the families of the soldiers who lost their lives in 1983, and I deeply respect the bravery and sacrifice of those soldiers for our country. I respected so much, in fact, that using it as an emotional manipulation tactic 43 years later to put even more soldiers in harm's way to settle the score is utterly sadistic."

I mean, the man took the words out of my mouth. We should not call upon our brave men and women in the military to risk their lives for your vengeance campaign, and it should be our goal to avoid ever putting them in harm's way unless absolutely necessary. But, I wouldn't expect someone who has no children to pass this world on to, and whose only approach to diplomacy is to call for war to understand that, though. Beyond the bloodlust and vengeful ambitions, campaigns like this are really spooky from a strategic standpoint.

How much of our munitions and interceptor stockpile are we really going to burn through in the pursuit of whatever Middle East war campaign Lindsey Graham sets his sight on? What happens when an actual threat senses that we are in a weakened state? I sincerely hope that never happens, and I don't like to think about it, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I actually felt like our politicians did think about those things.

I don't particularly get the sense that they spend much time thinking about that part, though. Yes, I find it ironic that the same guy calling for war would probably sustain bone fractures just by attempting to put on a 25-lb rucksack even when he was in the Air Force as a military lawyer. True. Now, I think the most important part of that entire tweet was talking about the emotional manipulation. That is exactly what Lindsey Graham is doing.

He is employing that with Americans at large, but he is also employing that with Donald Trump. That is how he's trying to reach Donald Trump. Anyway, that clip there has gone massively viral after Tuesday's briefing, and conservatives and just normal people who do not want war are livid, rightfully so. But, I think that Tim Burchett, who is just a gem I love that we have him here in Tennessee, he had the greatest response.

Listen here. I'll get you next, ma'am. Go ahead, brother. >> Uh Senator Lindsey Graham is now calling for the US to start bombing Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah IDF action. >> has seen a a a a fist fight he hasn't wanted to turn into a a bombing, right? So, I just take Take with a grain of salt, dude. I mean, it's so perfect. Like, even the people who spend all day with this man are just like, I mean, please, move on.

He wants everything to escalate, but that should tell us a lot about who has Trump's ear, about who is pushing for this, and that generation of leaders in America. Ben Sasse and Burchett was not exaggerating about any of that. In fact, if you go on next and you scroll through the timeline during any conflicts with foreign nations over the last few years, there is always always a video of Lindsey calling for something else to be blown up.

Just watch. If you want to war with us, bring it on. We'll blow you off the freaking map. If you ever get [music] near another US jet flying in international waters, your airplane will be shot down. The last thing on my on my mind right now is the [music] peace process. Iran, if you escalate this war, we're coming for you. Yeah, like all of those generalizations about men loving swords, loving guns, and blowing things up.

Yeah, Lindsey Graham takes that to a whole other level. Because when one war, you know, starts to dwindle and we're almost out of it, oh, he moves on to the next. I mean, take a look at this tweet from a year ago. With the Iran conflict at its twilight, Lindsey Graham is looking towards a new horizon and is calling for direct military action against Iran. He wants the United States to go to war in the Middle East. There isn't a single war Graham hasn't loved.

He is a complete menace. Touché. Somebody else said, "Just stop already. It is quicker to list the countries Graham doesn't want to invade at this point." And then this was just too perfect. They posted the Mad Men meme and said, "It's not a forever war. It's a series of small wars that we fight in perpetuity." And then again, of Graham in the background. He's so excited. Like, guys, all we need is a little bit of spice.

We're we're rebranding. We're now back in our war era. Like, guys, when we voted to bring back traditional America, when we voted for Trump to do that, we did not mean war in the Middle East and terrorist attacks here at home. I know that that has kind of become the norm for America, but that's not what we meant by traditional. I'm sorry if you were confused. What we meant was strong, happy, and healthy families, lower gas prices, a good economy, two-way freedoms.

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Silencershop.com/cooper because shooting suppressed just makes you better. Now, you want to know what else makes you better? Spring cleaning, and I love spring cleaning, and I know exactly where you guys should start. So, you need to go drag your old dated wireless contract out of the closet and beat it up with a broom. Then, you can freshen things up by switching to PureTalk, which is my wireless company. PureTalk gives you unlimited talk, text, and plenty of data for just $25 a month with no contract, no cancellation fees, and no overseas customer service if you ever need help because their team is right here at home, and they speak English.

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If he finds a husband, gets a small little yappy dog, and lives out the rest of his days on a big front porch in Charleston sipping sweet tea and staying out of our business. Because it is one thing to acknowledge the threats from our adversaries. It is one thing to have nuanced conversations about when action should be taken. You obviously there is a time and a place, but beating the drums of war for years and years on end regardless of the time and the place just seemingly for the sake of war.

That is not a serious person. And so it is no wonder that every time Lindsey Graham opens his mouth our coalition becomes a little weaker. Now broadening this out beyond Lindsey Graham even though I do really enjoy making fun of him. What really makes matters worse and we talked about this a little bit on Tuesday is the lack of consistency and seemingly lack of honesty when it comes to messaging out of the Trump administration because obviously we have seen Rubio and Mike Johnson say that Israel had plans to attack.

They've been wanting to for like 40 years and so we needed to get on board and support them and jump in or else Iran would strike us back. But then interestingly Trump sent out a true social post saying actually I was the one pushing Israel into this. I wanted this to happen. Now also last spring we were told that we took out their nuclear program, that the mission was a success, it was a one and done, but now they're saying that we had to get back involved because of the growing nuclear threat.

We voted to stop being the world's police. We did not want regime change wars anywhere in the world anymore and we were told that this wasn't for regime change, but now Trump is saying that we should help usher in regime change and that we should be excited about this regime change. There is also the theory that actually all of that aside this is really about China and the growing threat from China, but the admin maybe doesn't want to say that outright.

And in case you are not up to date on that theory Glenn Beck did break it down on his show yesterday. Just watch. There used to be the Axis and Allies powers and the Axis powers were Germany and Japan and Italy and all those that fought for, you know, the Axis powers of of Hitler, okay? That Axis is now called CRINK and it CRINK C China, R Russia, I Iran and NK North Korea. CRINK. By taking out Iran China loses all of that oil that they must have.

They're also sending they're sending tech to Iran which will help Iran even slave more people but also they are sending supersonic missile technology and they're working with Iran on that. Okay? You've got to stop that. So you've hurt Iran with its financial, with its energy with its oil. Russia they they need the Russian oil for money. They sell their oil. They also work with Iran to get all of that oil to China. But more importantly with Russia, they build all of Russia's drones.

So when you look at the Russian drones knowing that they're all coming from Iran this takes that out which helps then the war in Ukraine. So his argument is that this is not about Israel, it is not about vengeance, it's not really about the Middle East. It is about these bigger adversaries, Russia and China and that would make sense in some ways especially tying in, you know, oil and Venezuela. But people online have also had major problems with that theory and basically everyone is arguing with each other.

They're saying it's Israel. No, it's China. You don't know anything. I mean they're going at it like crazy. But regardless, back to the Trump administration, the least you could do to help American people in the situation is to get your messaging straight before you strike, before you go out to talk to us about what you're doing. I mean with the entire snafu of the Epstein files from the binders and they're sitting on my desk to they don't exist to rolling out millions and millions of files to Cash Patel and his private planes and the terrible optics of that to this.

Like I honestly think one of the major pitfalls of Trump 2.0 is their com strategy. I think that is one of the reasons why a lot of Americans are losing trust in this administration. And a lot of that probably goes back to them just being out of touch with what Americans actually value and care about. And newsflash, and maybe you learned that this week, but Americans really care about not going back to war in the Middle East.

One person tweeted and said, "The administration's PR strategy to the blowback it's receiving from its younger, more independent base was to send Netanyahu, Lindsey Graham, and John Fetterman on Fox News with Sean Hannity to explain how awesome Trump and his new war are." Brilliant stuff. Like, somebody help them. This is not good. Like, I don't say this out of malice at all. I say this out of wanting Trump to succeed.

Because if Trump succeeds, then we all succeed. If he fulfills his promises and makes his base happy, that is a good thing, especially leading up to the midterms. They need to know that not wanting any new wars, not wanting to fight in the Middle East, those were not just vibes. They need to know that wanting the Epstein files unsealed, wanting transparency, it was not a joke. That was not just an idea. That was actually a very real thing that your base has cared about.

Like, we are not the Republicans from 2002. We are not Bush Republicans. Opinions and times have changed, and there's a fundamental difference in how my generation and the boomers are approaching these major issues. For example, like, just look Look at this insane tweet. So, on Gutfeld, Kat Timpf said, "Based on our involvement in this region in the past, I am concerned. It is not because I don't support the military or love my country.

It is because I love the military so much and I love my country so much." And this woman, Diane Evans, not my mother, not that Diane, she commented and says, "You youngsters need a 9/11 to bring you back to reality. Iran has been a thorn in our side since the '70s. It is about time somebody had the courage to stand up to these American hater thugs." Kat replied and said, "We need what, Diane? You We need a 9/11 to bring us back to reality.

We need another 9/11 to help us strip away our freedoms, to go back to war for years and years in Middle East? I don't think so, Diane. Times have changed." I mean, the entire thing is just so truly insane. And while obviously, like I said, I enjoy making fun of the likes of Lindsey Graham, and it's important to make fun of them. The reality is that what is happening right now in Iran is not a joke for service members or their families or Americans at large because six Army Reserve servicemen who are not in combat roles have already died.

This is not some vengeful war fantasy for soldiers. It is real life and yes, obviously they signed up knowing that this was a risk, but we should not be minimizing their concerns or mocking them when they bring up casualties and they say, I don't want to die for this war which is exactly what my friend Ted Cruz did this past weekend and yes, hello Ted. The angry woman is back and she wants to have a word. So, what happened with Ted Cruz this weekend is that it all started when a Democrat candidate running for Senate in Maine called out his incumbent opponent for supporting this war in the Middle East and he posted this.

He said, I can assure you your prayers didn't save my friends from dying in the last war they supported. This man is veteran. Now, to understand what Ted responds with what he says next, you need to know the backstory with this particular candidate Graham Planter. So, Graham Planter, again, running for Senate as a Democrat in Maine, he has been accused of getting a Nazi tattoo and then getting it covered up and then also accidentally retweeting a post from an anti-Semitic account.

With the tattoo story, which is most relevant right here, is apparently a tattoo that he got while he was serving in the Marines in Croatia in 2007. He said that he picked the design off of the wall, didn't know what it meant, never raised any flags with the military while he was serving, but once people pointed it out linked to Hitler and the Nazis, he got it covered up. And in a recent interview just a couple months ago with Pod Save America, he laid out this entire story.

Just watch. >> We went ashore in Split, Croatia, myself and a few of the other machine gun squad leaders, uh and we got very inebriated and we just we did what Marines on liberty do and we decided to go get a tattoo. Um and we went to a tattoo parlor in Split, Croatia and we chose a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall because we were Marines and you know, skulls and crossbones are pretty standard military uh military thing.

And we got those tattoos. And then we all moved on with our lives. And I actually joined the army after that, where I got, you know, I had to go to MEPS, I got screened. Uh later on I got a security clearance and a full screen uh when I went to work for the State Department as a contractor doing security for the ambassador to Afghanistan in 2018. Um and I've also just lived my entire life like a regular person. So, what he's saying here is that he got this tattoo, allegedly did not know what it meant for years.

He even got cleared by the army for a security detail, which is ironic, I do have to say, because you know who did not get cleared when he was going through the same EXACT PROCESS? PETE HEGSETH for his tattoo. So, anyway, that maybe is a story in and of itself, but regardless, that is the story with Graham Ledger, and he got the tattoo covered up once he learned that it was linked to Nazi Germany. Now, knowing that story, let's look at how Ted Cruz responded to his post.

So, again, he said, "I can assure you your prayers didn't save my friends from dying in the last war that you supported." And Ted said, "Were your friends Germans wearing Nazi tattoos like you?" Ted, you are talking about US Marines who died in the Middle East. I mean, to me it seems like you care more about cheap shots on social media these days, but have a little respect for our servicemen. Now, the last time that I talked about you when we had our little tit-for-tat was back in the fall when you called me an angry woman, and I was calling you hypocritical for calling Nick Fuentes a Nazi while you were simultaneously claiming that calling people Nazis was inciting violence.

And your argument in response to me was that because edgelord Nick Fuentes has made jokes about Nazis and Hitler, because of that it was appropriate for you to call him a Nazi. Okay, so let's then take your logic. Let's just accept that for a moment. What is your reasoning for throwing around the Nazi label when talking about fallen US Marines? Not because they allegedly got the wrong tattoo, but simply because a friend of theirs is opposed to a conflict that you have been foaming at the mouth over.

Is a thoughtful response to somebody expressing concern over a highly contentious and confusing geopolitical conflict not worthy of a discussion for you. Like you would rather bring up a tattoo that he got in his 20s that he has been open and upfront about. You would rather bring up that than actually have a conversation. And you would rather throw around the Nazi label than actually talk to him. Again, we are not serious people.

Hypocrites everywhere. And now to really round this all out with everything that I've been saying on social media, I'm seeing a lot of people ask why more Americans, why more of Trump's base, are not excited about Trump's, you know, expert military operations, the f around and find out approach, freeing Iran, etc. I think that my friend Matt Walsh put it well and he summed up a lot of what I think Trump's base is feeling.

Just watch. Whether or not we achieve our objectives in Iran, objectives that to this day still have not been fully articulated. As it stands, this is the status quo you're expected to accept. And we can terminate the supreme leader of Iran despite all of his security and paranoia and power, but we can't deport Somali fraudsters in Minneapolis. We can't denaturalize scammers and grifters who openly declare for the world to see that they despise the United States and seek to destroy it.

The war in Iran is also impractical, expensive, politically unpopular, and risky. Even if it all works out, even if in the end it was the right move, it still is all of those things. That in and of itself doesn't mean it's wrong. And I acknowledge that it's your call to make in the end. You're the commander-in-chief after all, but if we're going to do something drastic and explosive and unpopular thousands of miles from home, why not do it here, too?

And in my opinion, that is an incredibly relevant point. I think I would also add to that that again, a lot of the frustration for Americans is this mixed messaging. Now, as I've said before, essentially when talking about every single geopolitical conflict, I made a reel talking about this couple of days ago, but this is a nuanced issue. It is probably a good thing to not have a black and white take on it. And so for example, you can and should feel hope and joy for the Iranian people and also wish as an American that Trump did not make this gamble.

Maybe, like Matt and me, you are frustrated about this seemingly being prioritized over domestic issues even if you do think that Iran poses a threat. But, what I think we all can agree on across the board is disliking the hypocrisy and the disrespect coming out of the admin. Because Americans being concerned and maybe even angry when they voted for peace, that's not betrayal. Americans feeling like you're being flippant when talking about how long this could go on for and how many casualties we will have to endure, that isn't disloyalty.

Just like Americans posing questions and bringing up concerns about foreign influence in our government is not bigoted. It is also not anti-American. Americans being confused about what the hell is happening is actually incredibly understandable. And so, when we are faced with warmongering voices online, whether that be Lindsey Graham or Ted Cruz, who cannot control their glee as they propose greater and greater involvement in the Middle East, don't call people Nazis or tell them that they are overreacting.

It's really the bare minimum. Now, I want to say that Trump has had a great track record abroad. Like, comparatively, he has stopped more wars than people on both sides of the aisle, and I do believe that he has been a good commander-in-chief. That is one of the reasons why I voted for him. Because I wanted to feel safe living in my own country. I wanted to feel good knowing that I was voting for somebody who is not going to be sending some of my friends overseas to possibly die.

Now, I also want to say that right now, none of us can change what's happened. This is the reality. We have to operate from this place, acknowledge what is in front of us. And so, all we can do right now is just root for our own team. And as the iconic Tim Pool says, we need to stay vigilant. I'm just going to ask, what do you say to American voters who are concerned right now about another forever war, about Americans who are dying overseas, and who are being told to expect more casualties?

I would say stay concerned. I mean, be concerned, be vigilant. Hold our feet to the fire. Keep us honest on that issue. >> Even when it comes to Trump's decisions on this? Absolutely, man. I don't Nobody's above your reproach. Just don't tell the president I said that. >> I I if only everyone in government was seemingly as candid as Tim Burchett. Now, I do want to say that rooting for your own team does not mean going rah-rah, SENDING ALL THE TROOPS, boots on the ground, but it means hoping for the best outcome for Americans.

Hoping for as few casualties as possible, praying for our troops. That is what it means. Now, the good thing is that I want to leave you guys with today, and I think this is an important thing to cares a lot about his legacy. That's actually one of the first things that Lindsey Graham said in that Politico article that we read at the top of this episode. He possibly cares more about his legacy than anything else. And so, if this goes south, if we have boots on the ground for years to come, that might be what Donald Trump is remembered for.

That would be the most incredible stain on his legacy. And I don't know if he can live with that. So, maybe that is a piece of hope. >> [music] [music]