This is John Batchel, a conversation with colleague Cliff May, the founder and president of the

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, about the reluctance by political actors in the United

States to confront the Islamic Republic of Iran and its axis, Moscow, Beijing, and Pyongyang.

Cliff explains you don't beat them if you don't fight them. You don't beat

them if you don't acknowledge they're attacking us. They're at war with us. Here's Cliff to explain.

More of this tonight. Well, I've got to tell you, John, it's a predicate for victory over the

infidels, apostates, heretics, and unbelievers if they won't fight back.

And there are plenty of people on the right and the left who say, we shouldn't fight back.

If they get nuclear weapons, what's that to us?

We have other fish to fry here at home.

Let it happen.

They also don't understand there's a reason why this regime has formed, I would say, an axis with Moscow, Beijing and Pyongyang.

It's very important to understand.

We have enemies.

You don't beat them if you don't fight them.

And you don't fight them if you don't understand they're at war with you.

And there are too many people who don't.

Happily, at this moment, I think the president seems to understand what's going on pretty well.