Hey, everyone, it's read. Before we get started, think about this. As you're listening to this,

we are 53 weeks away from the 2024 general election. I can't believe it, and you probably can

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And now on with the show.

Welcome back to the Lincoln Project. I'm your host, Reed Yale. Today, I'm once again joined by Dan Barkoff, a former Navy SEAL and founder of veterans for responsible leadership,

a veteran-run Super PAC that supports local, state, and federal candidates committed to principled

leadership. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and Harvard Medical School

and is now an associate professor and emergency medicine doctor at the University of Vermont,

so I already don't feel very good about myself. Dan, welcome

back. Reid, so happy to be here, man. We have some fun today. You know, we got a lot of places

we can start. So as we see the things that have unfolded in the last three plus weeks or so in

Israel and in Gaza, explain what it means to have the president and the National Command

Authority send not one aircraft carrier battle group or strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean,

but two. What does that mean when an opponent sees that much metal coming across the ocean

at them? What does that mean to an opponent? Yeah, it's a good

point. I mean, the deterrence value is pretty critical in a situation like this. I mean,

you've got a whole bunch of regional actors that, you know, would threaten to get involved

...