On March 12, 2026, Meidas Defense host and USMC combat veteran Joe Plenzler sat down with Evan Osnos, an award-winning journalist for The New Yorker, and Jon Finer, former deputy national security advisor and co-host of The Long Game Podcast. They discussed their shared experiences in the 2003 Iraq War and offered insights into Trump’s current conflict with Iran. Key elements of the conversation are recapped below:
The Echoes of 2003: A Crucible of Experience
The conversation opens with a reunion of three Americans whose lives were irrevocably shaped by the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Having gathered together within the First Marine Division’s embed program, the trio reflects on the experience of war and war reporting—the transition from the innocence of being young reporters and Marines to the grim reality of ground combat. They recount the Iraq invasion, specifically highlighting the transparent, albeit dangerous, embed program that allowed for hundreds of reporters to see the war first hand and keep the American and global publics informed. This historical context serves as a jarring contrast to the current 2026 conflict with Iran, which the participants describe as being shrouded in secrecy, lies, and hubris.
Selling War: From WMD Falsehoods to Shifting Rationale
A central theme of the discussion is the comparison between how the Bush and Trump administrations “sold” their respective wars to the American people. Finer, Osnos and Plenzler note that while the Bush administration famously marketed the Iraq War on dubious claims of Saddam Hussein’s WMD program, there was at least a structured attempt to build international support by providing allies and people back home a rationale for the war.
In contrast, the current war with Iran is characterized by what Finer describes as a lack of a clear “why.” The rationale for the conflict shifts daily, vacillating between:
Punishing Iran for domestic crackdowns.
Degrading military capabilities.
Pursuing regime change.
This inconsistency has left both Americans and global allies confused, as the Trump administration communicates through midnight videos, immature social media posts equating war to video games, and briefings by an insecure, combative and overwhelmed Secretary of Defense.
Operation Midnight Hammer and the Iran Dilemma
The summary highlights a critical strategic blunder: Trump’s claim last summer that Iran’s WMD program was “completely obliterated” during Operation Midnight Hammer. Despite this supposed victory, the administration continues to escalate the current conflict, leading to a dilemma of its own making: Trump can’t leave without loss of face, and he can’t “win” without dramatically increasing the commitment of U.S. ground troops. All the while, oil prices soar and critical gas and oil infrastructure in the region is attacked, damaged, and destroyed.
The guests argue that by “martyring” the 86-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei and other senior leaders of the regime, Trump has inadvertently cleared the way for a more hardline, more nuclear-ambitious successor. The administration appears enamored with the tool of force following the perceived successes of Midnight Hammer and the abduction of Venezuela’s Maduro, yet they lack a coherent “long game” for regional fallout.
The Erosion of Trust and Transparency
Finally, the conversation laments the backsliding of government-press relations. Since 2003, the “aperture” of what the public sees has narrowed significantly. With the Pentagon’s cleaning house of veteran news organizations and banning photography in briefing rooms, the current administration has done its best to throttle what news about the war emerges - always striving to cast it in claims of dominance and victory. Despite their efforts to propagandize, America’s defense reporters continue to cover the war and break news.
