Wow. I don't believe I've ever read so many one-sided comments. I guess I'll speak for the opposition. Thank you Jon, for this interview. I agree that President Obama's "accomplishments" in the Middle East are pitiful. I found it refreshing to listen to someone articulate some of the consequences from failed foreign policy. And while it would be helpful to hear other's perspectives as well, we would be foolish to think that Iran is not taking full advantage of the current state of affairs.

I agree with all of the criticisms posted above. Read the transcript only of the questions you asked in the segment. Appalling lack of journalistic integrity, typified by this interview. And what would the so-called expert have America do, occupy the whole of the Middle East? Mushroom Cloud, indeed!

John,

As the former Security Director of the CEA-Iraq program I am saddened and appalled that you had Ali Khedery on as a "Middle East" expert today. Khedery was plucked as an undergraduate straight University of Texas-Austin simply due to his birthright as a US born Iraqi-American with no actual education or experience in Middle Eastern affairs. From there he "advised" through five years of failed leadership and the Bush administration's bungling of the entire Iraqi operation as they first alienated the entire population, then failed to see the rising insurgent threat, and then to finally enabling the formation of ISIS.

And now your program holds him up as some kind of expert on Iran and what our foreign policy should be concerning them? His entire "interview" on your program was demagogic hyperbole.

I suggest in the future you either do your job as a journalist and actually ask inciteful and challenging questions of your guests, or you have someone else come on the program as an intelligent voice of experience who can smackdown such idiocy. Otherwise I might as well have been listening to Sean Hannity.

This was an embarrassing mess.

What exactly is the value of letting an ideologue filibuster?

Khederi is delusional, and his delusions are a perfect serial representation of everything that happened with Pinhead W. Peabrain's Big Mesopotamian Adventure.

When historians try to assess this biggest debacle of the Western world since the Idiotic Vietnam War, Mr Khederi's earnest visage will occupy a special little circle near the top of the Divorced From Reality chart.

This conversation has so much criticism from listeners today that I feel like I walked into a bar fight and I'm ducking bottles heading towards my head, not because they want to hit me but simply because there's a ton of frustration out there.

The Takeaway is going to have to respond to the charges, and I have never said that before.

The Guests Credentials?

" senior adviser to three heads of the Central Command from 2003-2010."

Right, an adviser that essentially gave bad advice during the period where we got involved and ensnared in the Iraq quagmire. My "advice" is not to take "advice" from a person with a bad track record.

Very disappointing, John. Extreme anti-Iranian propaganda in the service of war! He wants regime change and war with Iran led by the US. There is no doubt about it. He just went on with a lot of misinformation, and went on and on without challenge.

ummmmm..... I'm listening to public radio or Fox?

Terrible guest. Tottally one sided in his view, and no challenge from the host, supports more war to fix the problem we cuased. Its reminders me a line in Star Wars. "Fear will keep them in line. Fear of this battle station."

Continuing to think we can "fix" the world through force will only serve to drive a deeper divide through humanity.

John, I'm not a journalist, so maybe my comment is off base. But I hope you will analyze your questions and make some changes. When every question you ask could have been simply answered with a "yes," you are not asking all the questions that are required to give your listeners a balanced view of the topic. As I was listening, I laughed when he mentioned his lack of hyperbole. His entire interview seemed to me to be hyperbole! Yet his opinion was never challenged.

John, I'm not a journalist, so maybe my comment is off base. But I hope you will analyze your questions and make some changes. When every question you ask could have been simply answered with a "yes," you are not asking all the questions that are required to give your listeners a balanced view of the topic. As I was listening, I laughed when he mentioned his lack of hyperbole. His entire interview seemed to me to be hyperbole! Yet his opinion was never challenged.

And if you want to have any credibility don't use the term "Mushroom Cloud" when taking about "Terrorists".

Did Frank Luntz write these talking points?

I'm sorry, maybe I'm mistaken; isn't a journalist supposed to challenge the person he's interviewing, occasionally, and ask him to substantiate his assertions? I couldn't tell, John, were you napping on the divan while this Neocon hack droned on? Does "The Takeaway" do any research on its guests to find out how much of their funding comes from Aipac, or Sheldon Adelson? Pitiful.

The only legitimate action taken by the Bush/Cheney administration was to go after Bin Laden and his cohort. The legitimacy ended when we a. allowed him to escape from Tora Bora because we turned our attention to b. the completely unjustified war against Iraq (based on lies and deception to settle neo-con grudges) and finally c. the decision to nation build in Afghanistan. Everything after Tora Bora was illegitimate and destructive to the US as well as the locals. This mess was handed to Obama who was elected to get us out, and he did. Not one iota of contrition was expressed by the GOP or the neo-cons, and Obama is blamed without reference to who created the disaster. Disgusting.

Allowing Ali Khedery do his monologue unchallenged helps The Takeaway move into the realm of Fox talk radio. It's where hyperbole is the norm. Khedery's is so deep his own group's view that all outcomes are dire and the only resolution includes CIA-picked or historical despots maintaining power.

Just because the White House doesn't share its plans and insights with Mr. Khedery and friends doesn't mean they're ignoring the problem. It's insane to think our war machine isn't on top of this. Khedery's criticism, however, does mimic what conservatives in Congress like to use when grandstanding. Hmmm.

Where was this "genius" in 2001-2003? Trumping up the war in Iraq. Why wasn't he telling his friends Bush and Chaney not to invade Iraq because it would lead to what we have today. The Iraq war was the worst Political decision in the history of the world. But those that perpetrated it now have all the answers.This guy is very shady. Shame on you for giving him platform and giving him legitimacy.