The “Anniversary Hot Take Takedown” Edition

This week, Alan, Quinta, and Scott were joined by co-host emeriti Ben Wittes and Shane Harris for a very special anniversary edition of Rational Security that pits their national security hot takes up against each other.

Which of the following takes will the team find to be "too hot," which "undercooked," and which "just right"?

• Americans (and especially progressives) will regret reviving the prospect of disqualifying people under section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
• Over the next year, there will be a windfall of information regarding unidentified aerial phenomena, including some pointing to possible extraterrestrial origin.
• A President Ron Desantis won't be as dangerous as President Donald Trump.
• Russia's terminal decline presents one of the greatest threats to global security.
• American democracy will be saved by social conservative minorities voting for the Republican Party.

For object lessons, Alan endorsed his favorite children's book about affectionate penguins (of many), "I Like it When" by Mary Murphy. Quinta recommended Garret Graff's new eponymous book on Watergate, "Watergate." Scott urged D.C. area residents to visit Wheatland Spring Farm and Brewery on their next trip out to Purcellville, VA, and try their "Land + Waters" farmhouse ale for a true taste of Virginia. Ben thanked Scott for supporting him through his crippling dog shirt addiction, even though that support has now reached its limits. And Shane recommended a non-spy book by "the American LeCarre" Charles McCarry, entitled "The Bride of the Wilderness," as well as the famous used bookstore where he bought it: "The Bookstore" in Lenox, MA.

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