Podbit · The Bulwark Podcast
Tim Miller opens the episode by reading two texts: Thomas Jefferson's 1826 letter lamenting he can't attend the 50th anniversary of the Declaration, and Gerald Ford welcoming new Americans on the 200th anniversary. Together, they articulate America's dual promise — to welcome those who come seeking freedom and to export the idea of self-government to the world.
Where this was said
At 0:00 · chapter starts 0:00
Before the conversation with Clint Smith begins, Tim Miller delivers a solo monologue that functions as the episode's thesis statement. He pairs two historical texts — Thomas Jefferson's final public letter, written in 1826 as he lay dying before the 50th anniversary of the Declaration he authored, and Gerald Ford's brief remarks welcoming new Americans on the Bicentennial — to argue that what makes America special is not its current rulers but its founding creed. Jefferson's letter, which Miller describes as one of his favorites, ends with the hope that the American example will cause people 'finally to all' to throw off 'monkish ignorance and superstition.' Ford's speech, by contrast, is entirely outward-facing: 'You've given us a birthday present beyond price — yourselves.' Miller reflects that America was probably failing when Jefferson wrote the letter, is probably failing worse now than when Ford stood at that naturalization ceremony, and that JD Vance and the MAGA movement are trying to turn America into something defined by ethnicity and ancestry rather than creed. The segment ends with Miller making peace with his own melancholy: the celebration on the Mall might be a spectacle, but the idea underneath it is still worth nourishing and fighting for.
Factories that replaced coal engines with electric ones in the early 1900s got only 6% efficiency gains. Those that redesigned their entire factory around electricity got a 3x productivity improvement. Swapping AI tools into your existing structure will give you 6%. Rebuilding around AI will give you 10x.
Lebanese terrorists backed by Iran were holding American hostages throughout the Reagan presidency. Reagan had loudly campaigned against negotiating with terrorists — putting him in an impossible position that his team quietly decided to ignore.
During the Iran-Iraq War, the US openly supplied Iraq with weapons, training, and intelligence. At the same time, Oliver North was secretly funneling missiles to Iran. The US was playing both sides of a shooting war.
Oliver North traveled to Iran under the alias 'William P. Goode' with a fake passport. CIA Director William Casey allegedly gave him cyanide pills so he could kill himself rather than be tortured if captured. He returned safely and the deal moved forward.
The Pentagon sold missiles to the CIA for $3,700 each. The CIA sold them to Richard Secord at cost. Secord sold them to Iranian middleman Ghorbanifar for $10,000 each. Ghorbanifar charged Iran even more. The profit — including $3 million in interest in one Swiss account — was diverted directly to fund the Nicaraguan Contras.
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran in 8 shipments over more than a year. Only 3 of 7 hostages were released. Three more were taken. The net result was zero freed hostages and a full-blown constitutional scandal.
On October 5, 1986, a CIA Contra supply plane flew a weapons drop at 2,500 feet in broad daylight. A Sandinista soldier shot it down. The only survivor, Eugene Hasenfuss, had borrowed a parachute from his skydiving brother. He was captured, paraded in front of cameras, and told the Sandinistas everything he knew.
The CIA supply operation used a front company called Southern Air Transport, widely known to be a CIA cover. Crew members of the downed plane carried their Southern Air Transport employee IDs in their wallets. One also had a business card directly linking him to Oliver North's office in Washington.
When the scandal broke, Oliver North and his secretary Fawn Hall conducted what became known as a 'shredding party,' destroying a day's worth of documents. The full truth of Iran-Contra may never be known because of what was fed through that shredder.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.