Subject: Re: Kegsbreath
He's just now schooling the Iranian military about what they can and can't do, and earnestly trying to convince them of how defeated they really are and how great the U.S. military is in comparison. This power-drunk dude tries way too hard. Sounds like he's actually trying to convince himself, and failing miserably at that.

It seems very unlikely he's trying to say anything to the Iranian military, and pretty unlikely that he's trying to convince himself. That's probably not the audience.

It's an audience of one. Donald Trump.

I find that's the most helpful filter for looking at these statements by cabinet officials, whether it's a press conference or congressional testimony. They're shaping their statements to be well-received by Trump. Their tone and presentation will be what they think Trump would want it to be.