Today's Poll Question: How much longer will the war with Iran last?

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Get ready to vote on today's daily poll question at smerconish.com.

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But first, Michael explains it for you right here.

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Welcome to The Smerconish Podcast from SiriusXM.

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For Independent Minds.

**Michael Smerconish** (0:14)
Hello, hello. Hi gang, today is Tuesday, it's the 28th of July. I've got some amuse bouche for you. A little reward for listening to the podcast. I just filed my note for the Tuesday newsletter. It's brief, I'll read it to you.
It says, I spent the weekend at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia at Joe Manchin's invitation. I was there to address a gathering he convened with his daughter Heather and to interview them both for CNN. Watch that by the way, it's on my YouTube channel. Monday, he returned the favor, coming to Philadelphia for a project I'll launch in the early fall. More on that soon. Oh, that sounds intriguing. The setting fit. Beneath it, meaning the Greenbrier, sits a Cold War bunker built to shelter Congress in a catastrophe. The Manchins see a slower moving threat, a duopoly that has weaponized politics. Their answer, unveiled to some 40 donors, reformers and candidates, is the Independent Leadership Council, a movement they insist, not a party. A record 45% of Americans identify as independents per gallop, pure independents in Congress, zero.
Recall what one independent minded senator meant in a 50-50 Senate. Imagine two or three in another closely divided Congress. Eight candidates signed a Declaration of Independence, TS., pledging to caucus with neither party, among them, Seth Bodner, West Point's top graduate, Rhodes Scholar, Greenbrier, former University of Montana president, running for the Senate in Montana. What an impressive guy he is.
And then I said, what struck me most was Manchin himself. I admire his intellect and independence commodities. They're in short supply in Washington. I marvel at his energy. It's 78, 79 next month. He's recruiting a bench of successors to his role as the Senate's deciding vote. That bunker was built to save Congress from the worst. The Manchins are betting it can still be saved from itself if a few like Seth Bodner can pick up the Manchin mantle, the country will be in a better place. Oh, I like it. I really like it. I wrote it.
Make sure you're registered for the Daily Newsletter. It's easy. Go to smerconish.com and register. It's free and it's worthy. And every day, you get a thought like that from me. The Tuesday poll question, how much longer will war with Iran last? Admiral Stavridis is on the program today. I'll ask him that question. What are your choices? Days or weeks? That's one answer. Months or years? I'm not giving you the out of I don't know.

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This is the Smerconish Podcast from SiriusXM.

**Michael Smerconish** (2:59)
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The Daily Poll Question at smerconish.com.

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A non-scientific social political question designed to spark broader discussions about current issues.

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Get ready to cast your ballot and leave a rating and review of this podcast on your favorite podcast app.