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Sunday, March 25, 2018
Jack Mattlock — William Polk on John Bolton and Dangers Ahead
Another professional looks at John Bolton in terms of his abysmal record.
A lot of people commenting negatively on Bolton are on the right and not "anti-war."
The lists of commentary I've put up are pretty will distributed across the political spectrum.
There is a general consensus that Bolton is an issue because of his attitude as a political arsonist.
The big issue I see with Bolton is that he is a preemptive war advocate and, like torture, genocide, etc., aggression is a serious breach of international law.
US administrations can find domestic lawyers will to provide cover, but that is a non-starter with respect to international law.
The problem is that the US elite want to hold others to international law but not the US.
Well its not like the pro-war people wont change something up if they decide do it again...
So when the guy here says "I believe Einstein was correct when he said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again in the belief that the next time it would produce different results. "
The pro-war people are not going to just "do the same thing..." they will change SOMETHING up... other than not go to war... iow they are not anti-war... they may abandon the primacy on Special Operations and go back to strategic systems/strategic bombing for instance.. start knocking down whole cities again, etc... who knows...
So the "doing the same thing" would have to just be going to war... iow you have to be biased anti-war in order to agree with this...
Tom you have to rely on Trump self-identifying as a "counter-puncher"...
He isnt going to do anything unless somebody takes a swing at us first... only way its going to have to happen if Trump is President...
The only ones in that category seriously was North Korea and now that seems like they want to negotiate which is right up Trump's alley... he is more looking forward to negotiating rather than war.... iow Trump is not pro-war he is a negotiator...
Here he is with Tim Russert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjXZNJ50GN0
Things now look actually pretty good anti-war wise I'd say...
We lock up a bunch of Democrats on the criminal surveillance stuff and the whole Russia thing will then calm down too Trump will get with Putin personally once they start jailing some people here...
Tom watch the video above Trump has a war-time advisor at his back now this creates a stronger negotiating position with North Korea... shows how Trump is serious...
Think 4D chess...
If NK doesnt do the deal still might not be a big deal unless they go back to testing and take a shot at Guam/Hawaii/Alaska/Left Coast... then probably tactical nukes go back in to counter punch and kill maybe a few million in the areas around the NK govt/military targets... we're a loooooong way away from any of that...
North Korea hasn't refused to negotiate - the US has repeatedly for over 60 years. Adding an insane neocon warmonger (hello, Iraq!) to the councils of power (making a hypothetical assumption for just a moment that Trump controls something beyond his bowels) isn't going to scare Kim. Just like more nukes isn't going to scare Russia.
What it does do is put everyone on notice that the crazies really are running the asylum. We've repeatedly demonstrated that we can't stand by any deal that we make and everyone knows it. Bouton is not a sign of tough negotiations, he is a sign of desperation from the neocons. The end game is coming, and it's not going to be pretty.
Noah no big end game unless they shoot at us first with Trump .... lock it...
Who knows maybe Kim used to watch "The Apprentice" and now he thinks it would be this great thing to negotiate a big deal with Trump... like being on the #1 US television show or wtf...
Trump will get Dennis Rodman to take the messages back and forth dressed in full Rue Paul regalia... dont think it couldnt happen...
Tom with the Syria thing that was Trump testing his intel community...
So they come to him and say "Syria has chemical weapons!"
So Trump says "oh really? ... where pray tell?"
They say "uhhhhh.... here at this airbase!"
Trump says, "ok let's hit it!" and thinks to himself 'then and see if the components are released.."
So they hit it (give 48 hours notice so no one is killed...)
Now they have scanned for the components and guess what? NO CHEMS!
so now Trump has them by the balls...
Every time they come in with intel now, they have to be treated to Trump saying "oh.. like you told me there were chemical weapons in Syria you f-ing morons?!"
They are f-ed big league... they look like the idiots they are and Trump has them exposed and they KNOW IT...
I don't agree with the Syrian chem weapons gambit, but it's possible. On the other hand, I've assumed that Dennis Rodman will be the go-between in some way.
The deal is simple.
DJT wants denuclearization.
Kim wants the US off his back and out of the immediate area as well as guarantees.
My read is that Kim is also ready to open up as long as he doesn't feel threatened.
On the other hand, the US elite wants regime change and reunification under South Korea. This is just dumb. NK borders on both China and Russia and serves as buffer.
It's as dumb as extending NATO to Russia's borders.
This is a periphery that the Empire cannot hope to defend over time. It's overreach. Classic blunder.
I think Trump would like nothing better than to finally withdraw from South Korea and redeploy those resources to the US southern border.... "save money!"...
Its been long enough.... and South Korea is now a world class economy they have world class quality... Samsung, LG, Hyundai, etc... and run big trade surpluses (BAD!)... time to take off their training wheels...
I dont see any US Army guy like McMaster ever overseeing a US Army withdrawal from South Korea... US Army in South Korea has become its own institution.... lots of General's stars are earned in South Korea tours....
You have to be anti-war to understand this from this guy...
ReplyDeleteDoesn't make much sense if you are not biased to anti-war...
A lot of people commenting negatively on Bolton are on the right and not "anti-war."
ReplyDeleteThe lists of commentary I've put up are pretty will distributed across the political spectrum.
There is a general consensus that Bolton is an issue because of his attitude as a political arsonist.
The big issue I see with Bolton is that he is a preemptive war advocate and, like torture, genocide, etc., aggression is a serious breach of international law.
US administrations can find domestic lawyers will to provide cover, but that is a non-starter with respect to international law.
The problem is that the US elite want to hold others to international law but not the US.
John Bolton is out front on this.
Well its not like the pro-war people wont change something up if they decide do it again...
ReplyDeleteSo when the guy here says "I believe Einstein was correct when he said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again in the belief that the next time it would produce different results. "
The pro-war people are not going to just "do the same thing..." they will change SOMETHING up... other than not go to war... iow they are not anti-war... they may abandon the primacy on Special Operations and go back to strategic systems/strategic bombing for instance.. start knocking down whole cities again, etc... who knows...
So the "doing the same thing" would have to just be going to war... iow you have to be biased anti-war in order to agree with this...
Not everybody is anti-war some are pro-war...
The military knows that the only way to win wars is with enough boots in the ground in the end game. The American public has rejected that.
ReplyDeleteBolton and the Neocons won't admit it though.
The American Conservative
ReplyDeleteThe ‘Clarifying Effect’ of Having a Fanatic as National Security Advisor
Daniel Larison
Tom you have to rely on Trump self-identifying as a "counter-puncher"...
ReplyDeleteHe isnt going to do anything unless somebody takes a swing at us first... only way its going to have to happen if Trump is President...
The only ones in that category seriously was North Korea and now that seems like they want to negotiate which is right up Trump's alley... he is more looking forward to negotiating rather than war.... iow Trump is not pro-war he is a negotiator...
Here he is with Tim Russert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjXZNJ50GN0
Things now look actually pretty good anti-war wise I'd say...
We lock up a bunch of Democrats on the criminal surveillance stuff and the whole Russia thing will then calm down too Trump will get with Putin personally once they start jailing some people here...
Glass half full...
"Fanatic as National Security Advisor"
ReplyDeleteTom watch the video above Trump has a war-time advisor at his back now this creates a stronger negotiating position with North Korea... shows how Trump is serious...
Think 4D chess...
If NK doesnt do the deal still might not be a big deal unless they go back to testing and take a shot at Guam/Hawaii/Alaska/Left Coast... then probably tactical nukes go back in to counter punch and kill maybe a few million in the areas around the NK govt/military targets... we're a loooooong way away from any of that...
I would say 2D chess between Trump and Kim.
ReplyDeletePicking Bolton make this move multi-dimensional, with Russia, China, and Syria at least.
Doesn't appear to me to be thinking multi-dimensionally.
North Korea hasn't refused to negotiate - the US has repeatedly for over 60 years. Adding an insane neocon warmonger (hello, Iraq!) to the councils of power (making a hypothetical assumption for just a moment that Trump controls something beyond his bowels) isn't going to scare Kim.
ReplyDeleteJust like more nukes isn't going to scare Russia.
What it does do is put everyone on notice that the crazies really are running the asylum. We've repeatedly demonstrated that we can't stand by any deal that we make and everyone knows it. Bouton is not a sign of tough negotiations, he is a sign of desperation from the neocons. The end game is coming, and it's not going to be pretty.
Noah no big end game unless they shoot at us first with Trump .... lock it...
ReplyDeleteWho knows maybe Kim used to watch "The Apprentice" and now he thinks it would be this great thing to negotiate a big deal with Trump... like being on the #1 US television show or wtf...
Trump will get Dennis Rodman to take the messages back and forth dressed in full Rue Paul regalia... dont think it couldnt happen...
Tom with the Syria thing that was Trump testing his intel community...
ReplyDeleteSo they come to him and say "Syria has chemical weapons!"
So Trump says "oh really? ... where pray tell?"
They say "uhhhhh.... here at this airbase!"
Trump says, "ok let's hit it!" and thinks to himself 'then and see if the components are released.."
So they hit it (give 48 hours notice so no one is killed...)
Now they have scanned for the components and guess what? NO CHEMS!
so now Trump has them by the balls...
Every time they come in with intel now, they have to be treated to Trump saying "oh.. like you told me there were chemical weapons in Syria you f-ing morons?!"
They are f-ed big league... they look like the idiots they are and Trump has them exposed and they KNOW IT...
4D chess...
I don't agree with the Syrian chem weapons gambit, but it's possible. On the other hand, I've assumed that Dennis Rodman will be the go-between in some way.
ReplyDeleteThe deal is simple.
DJT wants denuclearization.
Kim wants the US off his back and out of the immediate area as well as guarantees.
My read is that Kim is also ready to open up as long as he doesn't feel threatened.
On the other hand, the US elite wants regime change and reunification under South Korea. This is just dumb. NK borders on both China and Russia and serves as buffer.
It's as dumb as extending NATO to Russia's borders.
This is a periphery that the Empire cannot hope to defend over time. It's overreach. Classic blunder.
I think Trump would like nothing better than to finally withdraw from South Korea and redeploy those resources to the US southern border.... "save money!"...
ReplyDeleteIts been long enough.... and South Korea is now a world class economy they have world class quality... Samsung, LG, Hyundai, etc... and run big trade surpluses (BAD!)... time to take off their training wheels...
I dont see any US Army guy like McMaster ever overseeing a US Army withdrawal from South Korea... US Army in South Korea has become its own institution.... lots of General's stars are earned in South Korea tours....