Monday on the RealClearPolitics radio show, Tom Bevan, Carl Cannon, and Andrew Walworth discussed the historic deal between Israel, Hamas, and the Arab states, Vice President Vance’s clash this weekend with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, and the latest twists in Virginia’s gubernatorial race. They also cover House Republicans’ attempt to bring back Columbus Day by withholding funds to jurisdictions celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. Later, RealClearDefense editor David Craig joins the guys to discuss the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy and the role of naval power in future conflicts. You can listen to the show weeknights at 6:00 p.m. on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel 124 and then on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and here on our website. *** The show opened with the historic peace deal signed today, with a massive gathering of world leaders celebrating the end of the war in Gaza and the release of remaining Israeli hostages. During President Trump’s speech to the Israeli Knesset, the president even thanked the media for being so “respectful.” “You should go and watch the videos of these families being reunited with their families,” Tom Bevan said. “In Egypt, Trump said it took 3,000 years to get here, but this is going to last. I hope they’re not doing a victory lap prematurely; there’s a lot of work still to be done.” “This is a 20-point plan, I think we’re on number two,” Cannon added. “This is the first inning of a double-header. Maybe Trump is just trying to encourage people, speaking today like this is all done. He was raised on the power of positive thinking — literally. I just think we should be careful to do all the follow-through work.” “I think of Northern Ireland at times like this, where you have a division that you thought could never be bridged,” Andrew Walworth said. “You look at the devastation there and think, could you really rebuild this, make it a free trade zone, make it look like Tel Aviv?” “That might actually keep him interested in this project,” said Bevan. “He sees all that rubble right now, and he can see the big, beautiful buildings rising up.” *** After that, starting at minute 12, the group discussed how ABC’s George Stephanopoulos grilled Vice President Vance this weekend about reports that the FBI caught ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan on tape accepting what he thought was a $ 50,000 cash bribe. “For JD Vance to assert, as a matter of fact, that Homan committed no crime because President Trump’s Justice Department hasn’t charged him-that’s sleight of hand,” Cannon said. “It’s a legitimate question, and I don’t think Vance had any reason to get so nasty with Stephanopoulos. I don’t blame George for losing his cool a little bit.” “Vance answered the question-it may not have been the answer Stephanopoulos wanted-and he followed up, and then he followed up again, and then he kept badgering him,” Bevan suggested. Walworth added: “He didn’t say until the end-three minutes in-that he didn’t know whether it was true or not. That’s all he had to say. I think it’s a really important question.” *** And then, around minute 18, is Republican Winsome Earle-Sears right to put the issue of transgender students at the center of the Virginia governor’s race, and has Democrat Abigail Spanberger offered a good enough answer? “Spanberger has had trouble with this throughout the campaign. It’s coming to a head now as we’ve gotten into the debates, and it’s becoming more clear to people that she simply is trying to have it all ways-not even both ways-all ways-when it’s really a yes-or-no question,” Bevan commented. “It’s not just a yes-or-no answer. There are two separate issues here, really. A boy who identifies as a girl and wants to play sports has an advantage, but should they never be allowed to play sports?” Virginia resident Carl Cannon said. “But a leader should say, ‘The federal law is a hodgepodge on this, but in Virginia, when I’m governor, men won’t be able to go expose themselves to little girls in public swimming pools.’ It’d be a much better talking point.” *** And then, at minute 26, America is celebrating rival holidays today, as Republicans propose withholding funding from jurisdictions that celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day. “It was kind of stupid to try to set up one day to celebrate both Columbus and Indigenous peoples as a compromise, because what it did was basically set you up to decide whether Columbus was a hero or the worst thing that ever happened to the Americas. It built the conflict right into the day. Why not separate them into two?” Walworth commented. “Why not just stick with Columbus Day? Look, this was part of the excesses after George Floyd, and Joe Biden got bullied into this by his left-wing base,” Bevan said. “I’m with Tony Soprano on this.” “I think we should celebrate both cultures, but let’s keep Christopher Columbus,” Cannon said. *** Finally, at minute 34, RealClearDefense editor David Craig joins the guys to discuss the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy and the role of naval power in the future. “There are 330,000 active-duty personnel, 289 deployable ships, 71 submarines, and 2,500 operational aircraft,” Craig explained. “They have a plan to build more ships, but the question is-do we need these big ships at this point?” “Without having expeditionary air bases around the world, there’s no replacing the aircraft carrier.” “If we’re going to have an economy that relies on other countries and interests overseas, we’re always going to need a powerful Navy,” he said. *** Don’t miss a single episode of the RealClearPolitics weeknight radio show – subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
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