Monday 1 February 2016
Photo, left: Sen Cruz’s observation, “A tie between a man who pretends he’s a socialist and a woman who pretends she isn't.”
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, The Great Voice of the Great Lakes
Hour One
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 1, Block A: Tom Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor & FDD; Bill Roggio, Long War Journal & FDD, in re: Warfighting: the scale of the wars and large numbers of terrorists. Two years ago, Abu Dijana al Basha(?), Egyptian, trusted aide to Ayman al Zawahiri and his son-in-law; spirited al Q families into Iran, and is a commander, himself; also a propagandist. Apparently dead but that’s not confirmed. Said to have been instrumental in forming al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent “Hidden commander”: operates in the shadows. AL Qaeda is stocked with guys like this. . . .
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 1, Block B: Tom Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor & FDD; Bill Roggio, Long War Journal & FDD, in re: Da’ish children’s camp, training small children to kill en masse; see: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/01/islamic-state-joins-others-in-training-children-for-jihad-in-afghanistan.php
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 1, Block C: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com & Daily Beast, in re: Chinese hold that the US violated Chinese water in a freedom of navigation exercise in which it sailed around Triton Island for three hours; China claimed that it had driven off the US Navy, but three hours countervails that claim. In the other island chain, the Spratlys, China could land a craft on one of its just-built, bogus islands. Whom is Beijing talking to? The world, Washington, and, above all, its own population as its economy collapses. “Why don't they just declare victory and leave us alone?” . . they want a bunch of islands, incl Taiwan, Okinawa, and the Ryukyus. Last week Japan lowered the ye and now charge a fee to allow a depositor to store his money. . . . China’s ”informal” capital controls – not successful; people figure out how to get around them, and more capital flies out. . . . Crumbling of the Chinese economy, so probably even more belligerence; in the East China Sea against Japan? Democracy is on the move so China is running away. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/01/30/world/asia/ap-as-south-china-sea.html?_r=0 ; http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/02/01/will-north-korea-s-next-missile-test-wake-john-kerry-up.html
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 1, Block D: Abbas Milani, Hoover, in re: Forces of Change Are Coming to Iran . . . family of fourteen people (a sacred number in Islam); photo did not show the mother out of piety, although the actual number is two. . . . What can a Persian woman in the diaspora do to help women in Iran? Foirst, treat their daughters as well as they treat their sons; and by example help this process. One of the remarkable untold stories of the diaspora is how many women were responsible for their families. Began in the early twentieth century, incl in the influenza epidemic; now we have over 1.5 million from Iran. Biggest outmigration in Iran’s history. In the last weeks, no music performance is allowed.
Abbas Milani is the co-director of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution and the Hamid and Christina Moghadam director of Iranian studies at Stanford University. He is a co-editor, most recently, of "Politics & Culture in Contemporary Iran: Challenging the Status Quo."
Hour Two
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 2, Block A: David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent in Iowa; John Fund, NRO; Rita Cosby, WABC News Director; in re: at present: 63% if precincts in, Clinton so far wining? GOP: Ted Cruz leading with 28% of vote, then Trump, then Rubio, with many key areas not yet reporting. In Clift (Des Moines suburb): Cruz is winning with an excellent ground game. “Tonight is Peak Trump.” —JF. Two thirds of caucus-goers watched the debate that Trump boycotted and now won't vote for him for having dissed Iowa voters. Rubio is beating Trump in two counties. . . . A new exit poll: of the undecided (a huge chunk – 35-45% as of this morning) went to Rubio, then Cruz, then Trump. The dread LOSER (oops – lemur?) word is following Trump; Cruz will try to close on him in NH.
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 2, Block B: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, the Great Voice of the Great Lakes; John Fund, NRO, in re: Bernie is closing in on Hillary. To guess: Trump by half an eyelash at the end. GOP: Rubio has the chance tomorrow morning to say, “I’m your most electable and acceptable nominee — your best chance to win the general election.” Cruz will say, I beat the giant Trump. Cruz’s presentation: “I can unite the conservative movement. Rubio is a poseur. I have a spectacular get-out-the-vote operation.” Dems: 81% in; Sanders trails Clinton by 1%. For Hillary Clinton to tie a 73-year-old Socialist in Iowa is humiliating. Establishment wants to stop both Trump and Cruz. The key numbers go to Mr Rubio, decided perhaps in order to win the general election. Fox is calling Cruz the winner.Trump promises to ‘work something out’ on healthcare “And if this means I lose an election, that’s fine," he said.
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 2, Block C: Lara M Brown. George Washington University; & Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review & Pirates fan, in re: CBS calling Cruz, then Trump, then Rubio; Dems: still neck and neck. Old-fashioned retail politics work – not flying in on a plane with your name on it, then flying out. Good American politics are vindicated. Knock on doors, identify and speak with voters. . . . In some way s this is a replay of 2008. Obama brought in new caucus-goers who trounced Clinton. Sanders is within 5/10 of a point of Clinton. Pokes more holes in Clinton’s assumptions about her strength. In 2008, the entire lead-up held many candidates and much enthusiasm, whereas this time not much interest till recently. Cruz wins OR Rubio ties Trump with delegates!
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 2, Block D: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board & host of Opinion Journal on WSJ Video; in re: There are bright lines between Rubio and Cruz, esp in foreign policy, but also considerably in domestic party. Trump: Vote for me I’m a winner.” He’s not a winner in Iowa. Dems: with 90% of he caucus vote, Sanders is even with the presumed nominee and winner. A huge story – shows how much voters worry not only about her ethics but how much she believes what she says. Give Sanders that he believes what he says. GOP: a uniter vs a divider. Rubio: I’ll untie the Party and win. Cruz: I’ll get enough white male Southern voters to win. Join the world or have a nativist policy?
Hour Three
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 3, Block A: John Tamny, Forbes.com & RealClearMarkets, and Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, in re: Sen Cruz wins Iowan caucus; then the businessman from New York; Sen Rubio a strong third. Clinton: 49.8% ; Sanders: 49.6% - and with O’Malley now withdrawing, he gets to assign his delegates, which will probably tip the scales. JT: To be pro-immigration is to be conservative. American electorate never goes for protectionism. . . . The businessman form New York isn’t a politician but is interested in celebrity; I think he was surprised at the results. He may see this as a grace note. He just dropped 20 points – when his entire rationale for the race was, “I’m a winner.”
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 3, Block B: Steve Moore, Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Institute for Economic Freedom and Opportunity, Heritage Foundation; John Fund, NRO, in re: Mrs Clinton is in a dead heat with Sen Sanders, who espouses a theory that would confirm the utopian vision of Nineteenth-century socialists. This shows that she’s extremely weak; if she continues, someone else will jump in the race – Biden or Gore. It's a three-man GOP race; Trump, Cruz, Rubio.
Dems: there’s a third man, behind the screen, is the FBI (c0nducting a thorough Investigation of Mrs Clinton’s email server; 22 of her emails were toptop secret and illegal to send from Mrs C’s email server). Both Parties are having an identity crisis. Mrs C has much better staying power but is terribly flawed. Frontrunner is missing an arm and leg after tangling with Sanders, not to mention the FBI. She’s an extremely unattractive candidate.
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 3, Block C: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Palestinian Police Officer Wounds Three Israeli Soldiers in West Bank Shooting Attack Sunday - Jack Khoury
Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in a shooting attack near Beit El in the West Bank on Sunday by Amjad Sukari, a Palestinian police officer, who exited his car at a checkpoint and opened fire. A soldier then shot the assailant and killed him. (Ha'aretz)
See also Another Member of the PA Security Services Opens Fire - Amos Harel
Amjad Sukari is the second member of the PA security services to commit an attack since the current wave of violence began in October. Two months ago, a member of the PA's General Intelligence Service - a relative of senior PA official Saeb Erekat - opened fire on soldiers at a checkpoint south of Ramallah. Both assailants had been vetted by the PA intelligence services. There have been other recent cases in which Israel arrested PA employees on suspicion of helping to plan attacks.
More widespread involvement in acts of terror by members of the PA security services and the Tanzim (Fatah's armed wing) is a nightmare scenario for Israel. Together, the Tanzim and PA security services have tens of thousands of guns, and the PA's "Dayton Brigades," trained by U.S. officers, have at least basic combat training. (Ha'aretz)
See also PA Police Praises Its Member for Shooting Attack http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Defense-Minister-Yaalon-No-Ga...
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 3, Block D: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/31/middleeast/iran-republic-guard-praised-for...
Hour Four
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 4, Block A: Patrick Tucker, Defense One, in re: Patrick Tucker discusses the new IBM software that could change the way law enforcement fights terrorism. Gonculator! http://www.defenseone.com/technology/2016/01/most-important-technology-f...
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 4, Block B: Patrick Tucker, Defense One technology editor, in re: COGNITIVE ELECTRONIC WARFARE: This Is the Most Important Technology on the F-35 The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive weapons program ever, won't justify its price tag by outmaneuvering other jets or flying particularly fast. Instead, the U.S. military is banking on an emerging technology called cognitive electronic warfare to give the jet an almost-living ability to sniff out new hard-to-detect air defenses and invent ways to foil them on the fly.
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 4, Block C: Richard A Epstein, Hoover, Chicago Law, NYU Law, in re: Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration rejected the application of Biomarin Pharmaceutical to market a drug used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Without question, much evidence from the clinical trials revealed serious complications from using the drug. But the no-treatment alternative could prove far worse. Duchenne is a rare but fatal genetic disorder that attacks only young boys. With time, it relentlessly weakens the skeletal muscles that control movement in the arms, legs, and trunk. Most of its victims are wheelchair-bound between the ages of seven and 13. By 20, many have died. The drug has helped patients battle the disease, but the FDA says that that's irrelevant... http://www.hoover.org/research/other-drug-war (1 of 2)
Monday 1 February 2016 / Hour 4, Block D: Richard A Epstein, Hoover, Chicago Law, NYU Law, in re: Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration rejected the application of Biomarin Pharmaceutical to market a drug used to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Without question, much evidence from the clinical trials revealed serious complications from using the drug. But the no-treatment alternative could prove far worse. Duchenne is a rare but fatal genetic disorder that attacks only young boys. With time, it relentlessly weakens the skeletal muscles that control movement in the arms, legs, and trunk. Most of its victims are wheelchair-bound between the ages of seven and 13. By 20, many have died. The drug has helped patients battle the disease, but the FDA says that that's irrelevant... http://www.hoover.org/research/other-drug-war (2 of 2)
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