JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Colleague: Thaddeus McCotter, American Greatness
 
Hour One
Monday 8 February 2021 / 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; Podcast: Generation Jihad; in re:  Feb 29, 2020, Trump Adm intended to exit Afghanistan in some fashion,  However, violence increased. Trump Adm pretended that Taliban were living  up to the deal; Biden Adm is re-evaluating. The “peace talks” are a withdrawal deal. Pentagon is suddenly acknowledging hat this isn't working. From Taliban’s perspective, there’s no there there.  Why pretend they’re a partner for peace? They’re fighting for the so-called Islamic emirate.  Biden might keep 2,500 troops there on the pretext that they're counterterrorism trainers.
Taliban call it “Termination of Occupation Agreement.” The doc is written entirely to facilitate US withdrawal.  US calls it “Reducti9n of Violence Agreement” or “peace deal,” when it's nothing of the sort. There exists no obvious plan to complete this.
Monday 8 February 2021 / Hour 1, Block B: Tom Joscelyn, Long War Journal and FDD; and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD; Podcast: Generation Jihad; in re:  For years we’ve documented al Qaeda in Afghanistan, while US administrations have [seriously] underestimating it, pretending that it was at death’s door for years. Twenty years after the US [invasion], al Q is still very much there, and closely allied with Taliban.    For the US to extricate itself, al Q can’t be there strongly, so US has tried to de-link al Qaeda and Taliban—but a UN report says the ties are strong.  
AQAP: Khalid Batarfi, was head of al Q in Yemen. Lived and fought in Afghanistan. Is both an ideologue and an operative. An unlikely report says he was captured and handed to the Saudis.
Monday 8 February 2021 / Hour 1, Block C: Peter Huessy: @MitchellStudies , @hobeyoco, @HuessyPeter, director of Strategic Deterrent Studies of the Mitchell Institute of the Air Force Association; and Gordon Chang, @GordonGChang, Daily Beast, in re:  New START treaty: 700 bombers that US and Russia may have; 1550 warheads. Plus only warheads 60 on bombers, being 2400 for Moscow.  For all these years we’ve been treading water.  Pakistan, India, North Korea, et al., aren’t parties to the treaty. If __ threatens use of nukes, the US will back down and the other guy will win.  Dangerous to have any agreement with Russian Federation on arms control, as China is not a party and Russia and China work together. Not only does China go free, but via the Khan network in Pakistan has been the world’s most important proliferator. Russia has built 21 types of new nuclear weapons; US: zero. “If we don't modernize, . . .  
The FAS says, “Let’s talk with Russians and see what they say” before making our own plans – totally crazy fairy tale.   Land-based missiles are critical: least likely is Russian attack on our 400 silos; most likely is attack on our ICBMs.  Arms-control community said to get rid of ICBMs--- totally wrong. Peace through strength, not appeasement.  Biden Adm may get rid of one element of the triad—and we absolutely need the triad. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3119913/china-may-seek-...
Monday 8 February 2021 / Hour 1, Block D: Greg Scarlatoiu, @GregScarlatoiu, @committeehrnk; Executive Director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea; and Gordon Chang, @GordonGChang, Daily Beast, in re: . . .  Thousands of Americans des to protect South Korea, which has become a miracle.   . . . Biden’s foreign policy will have two pillars: values, and  [multilateralism?].  Moon Jae-in will have to understand that we care about human rights in North Korea. Moon has banned launching balloons into the north; is weak on human
Biden has called Kim a thug. Consensus that it’s a criminal regime masquerading as a sovereign state.  Exports arms, missiles, drugs, counterfeit money, et al.  Expect a provocation? Probably yes.  Eventually will need relief from virus and horrible policies; will try to get attention by [misdeeds].  Seoul and Tokyo have t get over the tragic wartime legacy; thee are two natural allies.  Need resumption of UN agencies’s focussing on North Korea. We must retake the high ground we used to hold concerning North Korean human rights.
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3120758/can-biden-and-mo...
 
Hour Two
Monday 8 February 2021 / Hour 2, Block A:  David M Drucker, Washington Examiner, & John Fund, NRO, in re: Huckabee Sanders Sarah will run for governorship of Arkansas as an ally of President Trump.  Ronald Reagan, the Movie,stars Dennis Quaid.  . .  Simon & Shuster publishing a biography of Hunter Biden.
Monday 8 February 2021 / Hour 2, Block B:  John Fund, NRO, & David M Drucker, Washington Examiner, in re: Expect Impeachment2  will be shorter than Impeachment1.   
Monday 8 February 2021 / Hour 2, Block C:  John Yoo, @BerkeleyLaw; @HooverInst, AEI; in re:  Why no John Roberts at the impeachment trial?   Severe doubts on the part of the Chief Justice as to the Constitutionality of the impeachment/trial. Funders knew that to try a president would raise so many conflicts of interest, so brought in an impartial Justice.  Leahy is far, far from impartial.  They were trying to make the president more independent, and hard for Congress to remove; note “high crimes” and misdemeanors.    https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/02/the-impeachment-trials-stacked-deck/
Monday 8 February 2021 / Hour 2, Block D:  Jed Babbin: @JedBabbin @WashingtonTimes , American Spectator, in re: The Biden Doctrine; & What is to be done?   Will France and Germany be able to carry their own weight—not pay the requite percentage to their own defense? Yes, Biden will allow NATO to have its last gasp, and let the deadbeats revert to [pocket-picking]. NATO nations believe that the US will shoulder their defense costs, Navalny’s poisoning: unless we impose sanctions or do something, [Putin runs free]. Same thing with Biden’s remarks on Myanmar.   The Quad: does Biden know that it needs a fleet?  Nope.   The 355-ship Navy?  Not under Biden. Will do nothing to bolster defense spending.  In future, will need 555 ships?  Our fleet is old, nuclear carriers about to be retired; US world presence not at all similar to the last 70 years. Abraham Accords? Biden is [undermining] it.  Eroding the Accords hostile to Israeli national security, Biden seems to think that Iran can become an anchor of peace in the Middle East—[irrational].   Biden gives concessions of US security and gets nothing in return. That’s appeasement.    https://spectator.org/biden-foreign-policy-doctrine/
 
Hour Three
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 3, Block A:   Malcolm Hoenlein, @conf_of_pres, Conference of Presidents, in re: Iran behind a plan to bomb the US embassy in Addis Ababa.  
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 3, Block B:  Indiana Hoenlein, @conf_of_pres, Conference of Presidents, in re: Found 4,600 BC olive pits off the coast of Haifa. 
Kingdom of Kush: in Nubia, where Blue & White Nile come together.  
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 3, Block C:  Andrew C McCarthy, @AndrewCMcCarthy, Ball of Collusion; and Thaddeus McCotter, @ThadMcCotter, American Greatness, in re: Because there’s no crime or jury or Chief Justice, this is a political trail.   . . . So many departures in this trial from standard integrity, might acquit Trump. Patrick Leahy’s sharp elbows.  
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 3, Block D:  Andrew C McCarthy, @AndrewCMcCarthy, Ball of Collusion; and Thaddeus McCotter, @ThadMcCotter, American Greatness, in re:  RICO charge?  Doesn't fit well.  Instead of the crime, you targetted not disparate facts, but the trial became about the racketeering enterprise, being a member of a gang. Can recover treble damages, which became popular.  Any two or more offenses in category, and you're entitled to use RICO.  
 
Hour Four
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 4, Block A:  Richard Epstein: @RichardAEpstein, Chicago Law, NYU Law, Hoover Defining Ideas, in re:             Paris Accords.  Forty Executive Orders on day one is a presidential monarchy.
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 4, Block B:   Richard Epstein: @RichardAEpstein, Chicago Law, NYU Law, Hoover Defining Ideas, in re:  John Kerry says global warming is a national security matter.   Needs two-thirds of the Senate to vote in favor.   . . .  Can’t just declare an emergency and suspend the Constitution.  “If we don’t do this . . .”   is a prediction, not a fact.
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 4, Block C:  Mark Hemingway,RealClearInvestigations , in re: The first/Ukraine impeachment.
Monday 8 February 2021   / Hour 4, Block D:  Lorenzo Fiori: Direttore Generale Ansaldo Fondazione ; in re: Mario Draghi as Italian PM?
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