The John Batchelor Show

Monday 19 March 2018

Air Date: 
March 19, 2018

Photo:  In gloriously beautiful and remote Badakhshan province, in northernmost-easternmost Afghanistan, transport is almost entirely overland. Here’s a traditionally-decorated land transport truck.
 
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, the Great Voice of the Great Lakes
 
Hour One
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 1, Block A:  Tom Joscelyn, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; & Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal; and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; in re: Afghanistan. They lay in wake for the special forces; it’d be logical for them to have got wind of an impeding op or else to have a few people on the inside – and these commandos are highly vetted and respected.  Taliban cannot stand up against US forces in open battle; all they have to do is fight Afghan forces, and have been effective in that.  Using captured weaponry, night-vision goggles, etc.  Turkestan Islamic Party (Eastern Turkestan _ Movement; mostly Uyghur), fought Talban.  Closely allied w al Qaeda.  Badakhshan*.
Ayman al Zawahiri, prolific commentator: now focusses on East Africa, esp Shebaab.  Current msg: al Q offered a truce, an olive branch, to ISIS in Syria in 2014, and were rebuffed. Then explains why it’s not a real caliphate, and Baghdadi’s errors. Trying to rally fighters around opposing a common enemy.
Mali, Burkina Faso, and neighbors are identified as places where al Q thinks it has a real go at success.  In reading al Q files, remarkable to see how far in depth the aQ analyses go.
 
*Badakhshan (Pashto/Persian: بدخشان‎, BadaxšânTajik: Бадахшон, BadaxşonRussian: Бадахшан; simplified Chinese: 巴达赫尚; traditional Chinese: 巴達赫尚; Dungan: Бадахәшон, Xiao'erjing: بَا دَا کْ شًا, Ming dynasty-era Chinese name:  巴丹沙) is a historic region comprising parts of what is now northeastern Afghanistan and southeastern Tajikistan. The name is retained in Badakhshan Province, which is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan and is located in Northeast Afghanistan.
 
 
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 1, Block B:  Tom Joscelyn, Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies; & Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal; and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; in re:  Kenya.  Zawahiri apprising his flock of al Q actions in East Africa.    Ahmed Imam Ali: named as a global terrorist, is Shabaab’s leader in Kenya, attacking Kenyan forces in Somalia—very effectively; has killed hundreds. Also ran a youth center to acquire recruits.
US is in Kenya truly only as advisors; none active in fighting.
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 1, Block C:  Gordon Chang, Daily Beast, in re:  North Koreans and Americans talking to Finns and others in preparation for the intended conference, Trump & Kim Jong-eun.  In 1958, Khrushchev demanded that Berlin be surrendered to East Germany. In the original Cold War, appeasement wasn’t necessary; we get secondary and tertiary dips work it out. Sixty years later, mtg of “second-tier diplomats.” In San Francisco, South Koreans are briefing us; other talks, incl in Helsinki  It’s a big mistake to head into a summit without the conclusions having been agreed. Note that dictators almost predictably lie, will do almost anything to lie and betray if they consider that’s in their interest. Pres Trump  has given away nothing by indicating a willingness to talk.
Kim will not give up his weapons – denuclearization is impossible, yes?
Maybe. Trump is putting a lot of pressure on Kim.   . . . If US keeps up our alliance with South Korea and Japan, we're a lot stronger than DPRK and China. Meanwhile, Xi has lost so far because he’s not in the room. Is starting to see that China has made major mistakes in the past decade because it has no allies and Trump is saying, You blew it.  Obvious that China has been selling oil to DPRK against its word and is internationally illicit. Abe wants to be in the room, wants to be consulted, wants the US not to make a mistake Trump’s one error was in not calling Abe before accepting the agreement to have DPRK-US talks,
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 1, Block D:  Josh Rogin, Washington Post, in re:  Chemical weapons. In 2002-2003, allegation that Saddam Hussain, ruler of Iraq, had to be constrained because of his WMD.  Now, it’s not in Iraq, is in Syria. Amb Nikki Haley has made threats of military action because of WMD in Syria. However, it's a difficult case to make to the American people and to the UN. Currently, it's obvious that Bashar al-Assad is using chemical weapons regularly, has been since 2013.  Now there are widespread reports of chlorine bombs, leading to starvations sieges, mass shelling of civilians; 400,00 people dead.  We have a ton more evidence than we had in 2003. Atrocities.
The chocolate-cake firing of 59 Cruise missiles.
Mattis says WWE haven't defined a mission and must do so narrowly.  If that’s out new policy, then what does in mean in a practical sense? That Russia and Assad see that their deeds have no consequences, and will continue with force – pushing more refuges in Europe, slaughtering Syrian people; will do so for years to come.  Does the US have the will to put up red lines and hold to them?  US has stood for protecting people from mass atrocities, mass murder, starvation. If the US doesn’t do this, nobody will.  The problem of Syria won’t stay in Syria.  Refugees pouring into Europe, mass mass murder, and the war will never end.
 
Hour Two
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 2, Block A:  David M Drucker, Washington Examiner, and John Fund, NRO, in re:  McCabe; Comey. Andrew McCabe: right now is the former Deputy FBI Director. Once was  a principal in several critical investigations in the 2016 Campaign.  We're told that at FBI, McCabe “lacked candor” in testimony, explaining the decision to fire him. Involved in some aspect of Hillary Clinton research.
Setting aside colorful tweets, the matter of McCabe seems arcane.   It looks a lot more complicated than it might be.   . . . McCabe fired because of his conduct in respect of an investigation into Hillary Clinton?  Brings into sharp relief the anger/hatred ’twixt some elements of the bureaucracy and the Trump Adm. Everything else is secondary, is theater.  Unfortunately everyone who doesn't like Trump is taking McCabe’s side, but the Ofc of Profl Responsibility and all others say that McCabe lied under oath.
The Adm constantly steps on its own stories.  Joseph di Genova, a pit bull lawyer, has been hired by Donald Trump; now allowing his lawyers to speak, as he trusts them.
Film: James Scott takes over the country.  JohnBrennan: “You may scapegoat McCabe but. . . disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history” —  the former CIA director is losing it over McCabe. People are losing their minds over this – wait’ll we see the IG report.
Are we caught up in this melodrama and can't get out?  Many months from now we’ll have two sets of facts: Mueller’s, and a series of investigation from alphabet agencies. Each side will spin his data into the ground.
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 2, Block B:  David M Drucker, Washington Examiner, and John Fund, NRO, in re: Pennsylvania 18th CD election.  Brian Lamb,  the attractive young Democrat with an AR15.  . . . As it stands now, the next race for the House [autumn 2018] will be very close.  In the Midwest, we get sicker quicker [economically].  The national economy is turning out fairly well; the question is, how do you motivate Republicans to [get out and vote]? 
Dems did a good job in recruiting Lamb. Can they replicate that? Will the GOP recruit well? Most of the seats it needs to hold are held by incumbents, who are popular locally but may have a problem in affiliation with Trump.
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 2, Block C: Aaron Klein, Breitbart Middle East bureau chief, in re:  Russiagate & FISAgate I.  Comey and questions about the Steele dossier.  Comey repeatedly signed FISA apps citing Steele dossier as [evidence].  What do we need to know under oath from Comey? Oct 2016, Comey signed the first FISA court app to monitor the communications of a US citizen.  Every 90 days he needed to recertify and renew the app. How did he sign the such apps citing the Steele dossier leaving out that it was financed by the DNC and Mrs Clinton’s campaign? He also omitted Fusion GPS.  It does say “a US person” but omits the name of Glenn Simpson
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/03/13/report-john-kerrys-fo...
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/03/14/book-kerry-state-dept...
http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2018/03/16/new-yorker-reporter-d...
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/03/17/nine-major-problems-j...
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/03/14/report-challenges-com...
Monday 19 March 2018 / Hour 2, Block D:  Aaron Klein, Breitbart Middle East bureau chief, in re: Russiagate & FISAgate II.   John Kerry, Victoria Nuland handled elements of what became the Steele dossier; in one instance passed info to Steele. FBI was in communication with Nuland, who’d had prior experience w Steele, as had others. All this tends to lend credibility to the dossier even though it's circular.  Steele comes in with approval from an Undersecretary of State.  Did Comey ever say any of that? We don't know because FISA court apps are classified.
 
Hour Three
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 3, Block A:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Turkey invaded Syria, took over Afrin. Event he Assad government has told he Turks tey have to leave.  Could result in the US and Turkey facing each other in war.   Two attack tunnels of Hamas destroyed by IDF. A knife attack in the Old City on the way the Western Wall, killed an Israeli.
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 3, Block B:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: [Middle Eastern reports]
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 3, Block C:  Entifadh Qanbar, The Future Foundation president, in re: Helo HG60 crash on the Iraq-Syrian border.  Ja’ish al Kifa al Watani [to Liberate Anbar], a new terrorist group: these are a few hundred Sunnis sent by Iranian militias to make it look as though it's a Sunni movement when in fact it’s Shi’a and Iranian. They
There are supposedly 300-odd members in Anbar, expecting to grow.   Also: a newly-launched op by Qassem Soleimani – Americans are now in great danger there. Iran wants to intimidate the US and to blackmail it by killing US soldiers.  Iranians don't discriminate among terrorists – if you’re a competent terrorist, Iran welcomes you into the fold.  Iran supports the Sunni Hamas in Gaza; are an equal-opportunity employer.
From the photos, you can see that they're Lebanese Hezbollah, are working for Iran in Anbar Province. Crossing among Iraq, Syria and Jordan. Is access point for Iran’s land bridge through Iraq; is too critical to bring in Shi’a from Iran so bring in Hezbollah.
Sounds as though the With House is growing frustrated by Abadi, who massively disinforms the White House.  There have been several very brutal slaughterings of Christians in Baghdad.
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 3, Block D:  Robert Zimmerman, BehindtheBlack, in re:
 
Hour Four
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 4, Block A:  Robert Harris, Dictator.  The story of Cicero and Caesar.
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 4, Block B:  Robert Harris, Dictator.
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 4, Block C:  Ken Croswell, astronomer and author, in re:
Monday 19 March 2018/ Hour 4, Block D:  Ken Croswell, astronomer and author, in re:
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