Newsweek's War Game Players - Newsweek and The Daily Beast Gage Skidmore Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Iranians "can cause us to lose 100 or more Americans in a minute." Played by Bing West, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Reagan Administration Paul J. Richards / AFP-Getty Images White House Chief of Staff The president will want everyone to be absolutely clear there are no politics in this situation. Played by John Podesta, President Bill Clinton's White House Chief of Staff, 1998 To 2000 Evan Agostini / AP Played by Thomas Pickering, Former Ambassador to Israel, Russia, and the United Nations Lawrence Jackson / AP Director of National Intelligence That Rubicon would be presented to us if the Israelis suffer massive casualties. Played by John Mclaughlin, Cia Deputy Director, 2000 To 2004 Courtesy of Mantech The Iranians "will be very cautious about a direct confrontation with the United States but there are a number of things they might be able to do." Played by Richard Kerr, Cia Deputy Director, 1991 to 1992 Courtesy of Center for American Progress We need to be clear on the security relationship with Israel. Played by Rudy Deleon, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 2000 to 2001 Courtesy of Duke University National Security Adviser Our [Kennedy] predecessors had their own pressures in time, with their own huge stakes. Yet they were careful and creative and shrewd. Played by Bruce Jentleson, State Department adviser in the Clinton and Obama administrations