Tulsi Gabbard and the Masters of War

By John Kass

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Come you masters of war
You that build the big guns
You that build the death planes
You that build all the bombs
You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
I can see through your masks

From Masters of War, Bob Dylan

To understand what is going on with the bi-partisan Senate opposition to Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, think of an echo chamber. I know it’s difficult with all the unfocused political noise. But try concentrating on the silence of that echo chamber.

Because the Senators, both establishment Democrat and establishment Republican want that echo chamber placed around President Donald Trump, so all he’ll hear are the war hawks singing for war with Iran.

Gabbard won’t be their puppet and sing for war with Iran. That’s one reason why they hate her. They want Trump in their echo chamber, to control what he knows and how he knows it. After what I saw of the Senate hearing, if President Trump truly wants her, he’ll have to fight for her and make it clear that Republicans who vote against her will face political primary opponents.

If he does not fight for her, he’ll be captured. And America can’t afford that. That’s what the Masters of War are counting on.

Control of the echo chamber is what this is all about. The  histrionics from Senators questioning Gabbard’s patriotism are all about capturing the president’s ears. They are the Masters of War as in that Dylan song. They want war with Iran. And in Ukraine. And Syria. And on and on and on. They never risk their bodies. Or the lives of their sons and daughters. They make fortunes pushing other young lives into the wood chipper.

In Iraq, thousands of Americans died there and were wounded. President George W. Bush was captured by the neo-cons and Vice President Dick Cheney, the father of anti-Trumper Liz Cheney. Bush went to war in Iraq on lies pushed by the neo-cons. And so, Europe was swarmed by Muslim refugees and will never recover. And Cheney made his millions upon millions with defense contractor Halliburton.

You should also know at the outset that my brother Nicholas S. Kass signed the letter in support of Gabbard.  For more than three decades, Nick served the United States honorably at the Department of State, National Security Council, National Intelligence Council and as a Senior Central Intelligence Agency officer among other duties. I’m thinking about asking him to join us on the next Chicago Way podcast. He is among dozens of former American intelligence officers who signed that letter of support for Gabbard, asking that she be confirmed in that letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee:

“We, the undersigned former intelligence and national security officials, urge members of the United States Senate to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to serve as President Trump’s Director of National Intelligence. Her service as DNI will begin undoing the gross politicization that has come to characterize intelligence bureaucracies, which has been to the great detriment of the freedom and security of the United States and its citizens.

“Lt. Col. Gabbard’s experience more than qualifies her for this important position. A military officer with more than 20 years of honorable service, she undertook multiple combat deployments and risked her life in defense of the United States. In Congress, she served on numerous national security committees and was an outspoken champion for America’s warriors and for our cherished constitutional freedoms.

“In both these roles, she experienced first-hand how intelligence, when used as intended, provides critical support to America’s military and political leaders.
“When intelligence was abused, Lt. Col. Gabbard spoke up and insisted on safeguards. In contrast to the many former senior intelligence officials who politicized their profession and disgraced themselves by running misinformation operations to undermine the President of the United States—such as by signing the infamous Biden laptop “Russian disinformation” letter or appearing on partisan programs to knowingly mislead the public with false claims of inside knowledge and access to classified information—Lt. Col. Gabbard stood up for truth, integrity ,and following the facts. These are precisely the values necessary for the leader of the intelligence community.

“As former collectors, analysts, consumers, and enablers of intelligence, we support Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard to lead the IC.  She has the integrity, and moral courage, to restore objectivity and professionalism to the nation’s intelligence agencies.”

Please note that the letter points out the “Shameless 51”–the Intelligence Officials who disgraced themselves in signing a Joe Biden propaganda piece that the Hunter Biden laptop was an issue of Russian “disinformation” when it was no such thing.

The Senators opposed to Tulsi Gabbard all but called her a traitor. It was embarrassing to see. She’s worn the uniform of the United States military for 20 years, first as a U.S. Hawaii Army National Guard officer in 2003 in Iraq. She is currently a Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Army reserve. She is a former member of Congress and has gone through numerous background checks. To watch her being called a traitor with weasel words of the Senate was pathetic and grotesque.

The Senators reminded me of Rhesus monkeys in a cage in a science experiment, the primates given some simple task, some button to push, in order to get a food pellet. They pick it out of the box, then shove it past their teeth.

Some were buffoons, including Sen. Michael Bennett, the Democrat of Colorado who frothed at the mouth like a Deep State dog. But I’ve saved some appreciation for Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly, who is intelligent enough to understand his idiocy. But he plodded onward, stupidly, knife in hand, saying she was a creature of Iran and Russia. Kelly was polite, smiling a weasel’s smile, looking for a soft spot between her ribs.

That’s when she threw down the gauntlet. She deservedly hit him in the mouth. Gabbard dropped Obama’s support of al Qaeda on Kelly and the rest of them, Democrats and Republicans. Parts of Operation Timber Sycamore in Syria is now declassified, but her use of it shows she won’t cower or play the fool for them. That strength is exactly the quality needed in the Director of National Intelligence after so many endless wars. She shriveled them up as if they crossed an icy river up north without waders.

TULSI GABBARD: As someone who enlisted in the military specifically because of al-Qaeda’s terrorist attack on 9/11 and committed myself and my life to doing what I could to defeat these terrorists, it was shocking and a betrayal to me and every person who was killed on 9/11, their families, and my brothers and sisters in uniform.

When, as a member of Congress, I learned about President Obama’s dual programs that he had begun really to overthrow the regime of Syria and, being willing through the CIA’s “Timber Sycamore” program — now made public — was working with, arming, and equipping al-Qaeda in an effort to overthrow that regime, starting yet another regime change war in the Middle East.

The Department of Defense’s Train and Equip program, also under President Obama, has been widely known, looked at, and studied, and cresulted in over half a billion dollars being used to train what they called “moderate rebels” — but in reality, they were fighters working with and aligned with al-Qaeda’s affiliate on the ground in Syria.

All to move forward with their regime change, ignoring the obvious and now proven reality: much like in Iraq, the toppling of Qaddafi in Libya, and Mubarak in Egypt, a regime change war in Syria would likely result in the rise of Islamist extremists like al-Qaeda taking power.

I shed no tears for the fall of the Assad regime, but today we have an Islamist extremist in charge of Syria — someone who danced in the streets to celebrate the 9/11 attack, who ruled over Idlib with an Islamist extremist governance, and who has already begun to persecute, kill, and arrest religious minorities, including Christians in Syria.

Why that should be acceptable to anyone is beyond me.”

For Sen. Kelly and his friends in the bureaucracy, Gabbard invoking  Obama’s support of “Timber Sycamore” was a stinging rebuke. It wasn’t nice, like food pellets for the Rhesus monkey.  Or a slice of cheese for an obedient puppy. It was devastating, but rest assured they’ll fight back, by using the skills of the politician: omission. They won’t want her nomination to come out of committee.

Her opening was simply magnificent.

“Before I close, I want to warn the American people who are watching at home: You may hear lies and smears in this hearing that will challenge my loyalty to and my love for our country,” Gabbard said.

“Those who oppose my nomination imply that I am loyal to something or someone other than God, my own conscience and the Constitution of the United States,” she continued. “Accusing me of being Trump’s puppet, Putin’s puppet, Assad’s puppet, a guru’s puppet, Modi’s puppet, not recognizing the absurdity of simultaneously being the puppet of five different puppet masters.”

“The same tactic was used against President Trump and failed,” she said of the accusations against her.

Their defensive responses were grotesque. Almost as grotesque as watching Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Hillary Clinton, slurring her words after mortal combat with the boxed wine in her kitchen calling Gabbard a Putin stooge.  They have no shame.

“The American people elected President Trump with a decisive victory and mandate for change,” Gabbard said. “The fact is what truly unsettles my political opponents is I refuse to be their puppet. I have no love for Assad or Gadhafi or any dictator. I just hate al-Qaeda. I hate that we have leaders who cozy up to Islamist extremists, minimizing them to so-called rebels.”

How quickly they’ve forgotten the needless invasion of Iraq, more than 31,000 wounded and thousands more killed. And that doesn’t count all the Iraqis killed. To my shame, I was all in favor of it then, comparing Saddam Hussein to a rat in your children’s bedroom. But I was wrong. Many of us supported that war and we were wrong. Think of the Americans who died in Iraq killed because we were pushed into war by faulty neo-con intelligence.

After the hearing, I called my brother Nicholas for his reaction.

“I think she was strong and composed in the face of questioning that, in my opinion, too often demonstrated the effects of the bureaucratic capture process on so many of our elected civilians, particularly on national security issues,” said Nick.

“That is to say, she is being confronted by a cadre of elected officials whose perception and understanding of events is thoroughly shaped by bureaucratic narratives aimed not at truth, but at preserving bureaucratic power over and autonomy from elected civilians.  That this persists despite the disastrous record of the bureaucratic establishment — the unaccountable Deep State — and the severe and repeated strategic disasters that have so severely damaged the US’ strategic interests for decades is strong evidence of why we need people like Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel.  We need them to ride herd on an apparatus that hides its politicization and self-interest behind a feigned aversion to grubby politics. “

We need to ride herd, yes. And they’re the Masters of War. Dylan knew all about them.

You fasten all the triggersFor the others to fireThen you sit back and watchWhen the death count gets higherYou hide in your mansionWhile the young people’s bloodFlows out of their bodiesAnd is buried in the mud

 

(Copyright 2025 John Kass)

–30-

About the author: John Kass spent decades as a political writer and news columnist in Chicago working at a major metropolitan newspaper. He is co-host of The Chicago Way podcast. And he just loves his “No Chumbolone” hat, because johnkassnews.com is a “No Chumbolone” Zone where you can always get a cup of common sense.

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Comments 52

    2. Well said, John! I’m sick and tired of seeing those who never wore a uniform send other people’s kids off to fight endless wars in places that most of them would have trouble finding on a globe. The situation is even worse these days because numerous National Guard troops are being activated and deployed overseas, even though we don’t technically appear to be “at war” with any given nation at the present time. If this nonsense persists, maybe we need to revive the military draft, without deferment, so that all those who want to remain “hawks” will have some skin in the game!

  2. Nice reference to Dylan, I like War Pigs by Black Sabbath

    Politicians hide themselves away
    They only started the war
    Why should they go out to fight?
    They leave that all to the poor, yeah

    Time will tell on their power minds
    Making war just for fun
    Treating people just like pawns in chess
    Wait till their judgment day comes, yeah

    1. It reminded me of Pink Floyd’s Dogs of War:

      Dogs of war and men of hate
      With no cause, we don’t discriminate
      Discovery is to be disowned
      Our currency is flesh and bone
      Hell opened up and put on sale
      Gather ’round and haggle
      For hard cash, we will lie and deceive
      Even our masters don’t know
      The webs we weave

      One world, it’s a battleground
      One world, and we will smash it down
      One world … One world

  3. War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothin’
    Good God, Y’all.
    War. It ain’t nothin’ but a heart breaker.
    Got one friend, that’s the undertaker.

    1. John:
      Unlike you, I was never in favor of the invasions of Afghanistan or Iraq. I knew that there could never be a good outcome for us. I remembered the Russian disaster in Afghanistan. The cultures there are simply too entrenched in tribal hatred and Islamist fascism. Nation building is impossible.
      The disgraceful push by our so-called leaders to sacrifice, to send to their deaths, our best and brightest is a disgrace.
      It brings to mind these antiwar lyrics by Leon Russell during Vietnam in his piece ‘Down on the Base’ (1971):

      “He’ll give a dollar for your fingers
      Two dollars for your eyes
      You pay the price of freedom, boy so realize
      Well, I guess I’ll help in B.F. Nam
      Teach ‘em how to vote and how to bomb
      My life’s a small enough price to pay
      To teach those commies the American way”

    2. Good, colorful metaphor Mr. Banakis. Some of those maggots have matured into adult flies. All they can do is regurgitate s***t and bother people. They (Dems and RINOS) now hold senate seats

    4. I love your analogy. It fits perfectly for the countries biggest DEI hire. His administration as well as Mumbling Joes have shown how much damage can come from so called “Political Correctness”. There’s 12 years between them that we will never get back and it will take many years for us to recover from the damage created by these 2 fools. Jim

  6. “Ms. Gabbard is Edward Snowden a traitor?” On and on it went to get a gotcha answer and it was disgusting. I would have not been as tempered as Tulsi and blasted these D and R ‘War Pigs’
    “Because former DNI James Clapper lied under oath in a congressional hearing that led to Mr. Snowden to reveal that yes the citizens of this country are being spied upon and this is an injustice of our fundamental protections in the 4th amendment of our Constitution that YOU Senator took a oath to uphold. Edward Snowden is not a traitor but a Patriot that should be pardoned.”
    If Tulsi doesn’t get the votes it will be a dark day for our freedoms.

  9. John thank you and brother Nick for your insight as an outside observer we can’t know all the ins and outs of the misdirections of the political minds of the folks in Washington. Most Americans are straight shooting folks that believe others are the same and want America to do the best and be the best whether Republicans or Democrats! But hidden agendas are so hard for us to conceive of much less defend against ! Thanks for your column and your work
    P.S. this is not only true of Washington establishment but also of the State and local governments also

  10. The entire intelligence community [all 18 or 19 different bureaus? Why???] is packed with people who speak nothing but english, never lived outside of the US or a safe embassy, and never did anything but CYA. Boot them all!

  12. Smart as a whip, field experienced, cool under pressure.

    Plus, if you ever saw her on “Gutfeld”, a damned good sense of humor.

    I’d rather have her in that seat than another Defense Industry Pentagon stooge.

    I have nightmares of Kamala winning and putting Liz Cheney in that seat.

  13. Those of us from Vietnam, Fortunate Son rings true.
    Just remember folks, we haven’t won a War since 1945! And people can’t understand why 22 Veteran’s a day are dying from Suicide!
    Warriors Walk.

    1. Let’s not forget Country Joe and The Fish
      “Well come all you big strong men,
      Uncle Sam needs you help again.
      He got himself in a terrible jam, way down
      yonder in Vietnam
      Put down you books and pick up a gun,
      we’re gonna have a whole lot of fun.”

      I was a senior at U of I – Chicago and number 10 in the ping pong ball draft.

  14. Far too many old timers in the Senate and House consider themselves to be superior to the President, especially Donald Trump. They do not want someone who does not follow along nodding their heads in agreement with whatever they want. War, since it is very profitable to them, is their goal because they risk nothing and gain substantially. They would never allow their sons or daughters, or even their nieces or nephews to go into battle. They consider themselves above all that, so they let the sons and daughters of the fools who vote them into office get killed or maimed in War. Tulsi Gabbard has a conscience and that is something that they simply cannot comprehend because they do not understand the meaning of the word. Nor do they understand integrity where one can acknowledge their past mistakes and accept responsibility.

    A wonderful column and pray she is confirmed soon.

  15. Damn well said. Frankly, the likes of Mark Kelly and his pure, unadulterated cowardice are astounding. Insofar as Wassaman Schultz, and the always contemptable Hillary; if one is a true American they should be reviled in every way possible.
    By the way, your site, is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Thanks.

  16. War has always been . War was before Man , waiting for him . But the US should only fight wars that are in our interest , long term national interest. . Go in with clear aims , employ overwhelming force , crush the enemy so that they can never get back up. And then leave . No nation building in places whose culture is still locked into pre modern ethos , ie Islam
    .And give the military only the tools and personnel they need for that . No equipment that doesn’t work because the factory or shipyard is in some pol’s home district . And have boots that are in the business of winning wars , not playing DEI games .

  18. Spot on John! Your words echo President Eisenhower’s warning to our country in his farewell speech of 1/17/61!!

    “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”

  19. Strong column. Strong nominee for Director of National Intelligence. Listening to Democrats and Democrat-Lights slander Gabbard — weak as War Weasels tend to be.

    Remember when (age requirement) leftists opposed counter-productive wars? Their sacred folk song was “If I Had a Hammer.” It was co-written by Pete Seeger, an ardent American communist. He was in fact a supportive Stalinist who only acknowledged years after Stalin’s death that he should have asked on one of his cheerleading pilgrimages to Papa Joe’s Russia to visit his murderous gulags. (Too bad. Pete probably wouldn’t have been allowed to leave.)

    See, leftists can change their minds! It’s usually too little, too late, but that’s because their minds tend to use folk-song logic.

  20. Brilliant analysis. Trump should not concede one iota on this pick. The dismal American IC track record does not provide confidence that shuffling the current leadership chairs will right the ship. Any and all RINO opposition, and that of red state Democrats, needs to be made a target of Trump’s wrath. This is a critical decision.

  21. John what a great article! Well written, quoted, succinct and powerful.
    Definitely establishes a case for how deep we are penetrated by this deep state. The cockroaches have had some light shed on them by Colonel Gabbard. What a patriot.

  22. The so-called Intelligence Community loves hiding in the dark. Thats how they roll. Should someone pull away the curtain to let in the light they all shriek like Dracula outside on a sunny day. The Senators are no different. It defines them. They can skulk around with the IO’s and act magisterial and sagacious. They are the original Good is Bad and Bad is Good characters. The IO’s find a sympathetic politicians to stick on like a tick and the Senators feel they have the inside scoop. Wink wink, nod nod. Then you get a President Trump and Tulsi Gabbard it rocks their boat and they may now have to be accountable for all that money and lives lost. Thats bad business for them. I am not surprised at the attitude of certain senators at the hearings. For these senators and IOs they are projecting flight/fight response; they are scared.

  24. The moron politicians on both side of the aisle still cannot figure why Trump won. They cannot accept the fact that the voters rejected them as well. All they can do is scurry around in the mud and cover their butts. The slime they wallow in defines them very well. The slimebag Minority Leader from New York and Illinois own contributions – Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are defined by their lack of shame and the garbage that comes out of their mouths every time they speak.

  26. Excellent column. John should also note that President Trump also sent the Doomsday Porn outlets ( ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN.. ETC.) to the back of the press room and put the “Alternative News Outlets (OAN, NEWSMAX.. ” in the front. Propagandists for the Neocons and Big Pharma are now sent where they belong. The bullshit artists are revealed. John and Nick need to BOTH get on Tucker Carlson to discuss how the print media AND the National Deep State Intelligence apparatus work together to create the propaganda necessary to lead the masses to war. Hopefully…

  27. If any of those Senators seriously believe the swill they repeat about Tulsi Gabbard they have an obligation to follow through with both having her dismissed from the armed forces and charged with treason.

    Absent that, we know they are all just clucking capons protecting their money flow.

  28. Damn! Every word u wrote is right on. She’s a damn hero!
    We are a war economy. We make things to kill people. We use it to over throw govts. We need her in position of authority to save this country!

  31. It is interesting. During Obama’s regime when he made an Illinois Republican the head of DOT, he was regaled for putting Republicans in his Cabinet. Were there other Rs? I don’t remember. But at that time there was this upsurge of “Team of Rivals” narrative. And Doris Kearns Goodwin probably benefited from more book sales.

    Why isn’t Trump given any “Team of Rivals” love by the media. RFKJr —- Democrat. Tulsi —- Democrat. Nominated to hold more meaningful positions than just handing out infrastructure pork.

    Great column.

  32. The $DOGE is uncovering all kinds of stuff. All the money flowing to NGOs controlled by Deep State people with Senators of both parties getting money, kickbacks or other niceties. Today, Lindsay Graham who fakes it as a member of a political party said he is supporting ALL 3 of Trump’s nominees (Tulsi, Kash, RFK)….of course, he was the recipient of USAID money in an NGO….Let transparency spread, and bloom. The data is wonderful. If we spent at 2019 levels and had tax revenues at 2023 levels, we’d be in budget surplus.

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