Watch tonight’s episode of CN Live! at 8 pm EDT as we delve deeply into the situation in Syria and the attempt to impeach Donald Trump.
Impeachment will be dissected on tonight’s show on a panel with radio hosts Scott Horton and Peter B. Collins, and Scott Ritter, former U.S. counterintelligence officer, UN weapons inspector and political commentator. The second segment will be an in-depth analysis of the history and current state of the eight-year war in Syria with Syria expert Tim Anderson.
Join your hosts Elizabeth Vos and Joe Lauria for Episode 14 live here:
Impeach His Hairness (aka “Trump”) for attempting to weaken Biden in the 2020 campaign?
An impechment inquiry and vote(?) based, as claimed, solely on HH’s Ukraine-gate, will only help HH in that
effort since, as JL said: Biden did exactly the same thing … except for 4x the the $$$ value of the extortion.
It’s not clear how Pelosi will gag her GOP adversaries on this issue. If she doesn’t (I’d really enjoy the shit storm if she tried!), then we must conclude that the consistently wrong-headed Speaker of the House has decided*** to use this opportunity to gently let down ol’ Joe (hey, where are going with those feet in your mouth) Biden …before he REALLY embarrasses himself and the party when it it too late to possibly recover. Presumably HH really wants to run against and torment “Pocahontas”?
For Obumma one must add his refusal to veto the 2012 NDAA that codifies the government’s right to indefinitely detain US citizens on
US soil. This, of course, reverts to the comments of JL+PBC: who then deals with the 2012 congressional co-conspirator criminals who wrote and approved that bill and prior congresses that did essentially nothing to stop (but much to enable) the decades of the US, presidentially-orchestrated, slow-motion, global holocaust since the end of WWII?!?
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*** Of course, much to the detriment of “the indispensable country,” it could also be that she is even more demented than is ol’ Joe “feet (up to knees) in mouth” Biden.
I sympathize with analysts and commentators who are trying to hit a moving target, so to speak, but I’m surprised no one questioned the prevailing polly-sigh wisdom that Republicans in the Senate would never vote to remove trump. It doesn’t lessen the danger that Republican rhetorical anger at trump’s decisions to pull back in Syria and not to attack Iran (over alleged tanker attacks, then the Saudi oil field thing) might result in 1) convicting him (hence Pence) or 2) a quid pro quo: no removal from office for a promise to attack Iran or 3) goading him to attack Iran before impeachment ripens (if it does).
See Jim Kavanaugh’s article at The Polemicist for some pretty good arguments about this.
I appreciate the deep historical perspectives on the Syrian situation that CN has been offering. But for masses of a U.S. audience apparently unable or unwilling to look back just a few years and to see clearly now that their own government has been arming & training the very sorts of murderous thugs who purportedly caused all this hysterical war of terror in the first place is telling of herd mentality. To no longer have the capacity or desire to think for yourself and to question the official narrative is just about the most un-American thing I can think of. And I can’t help but wonder how all those families who sent their children into the maw of American perpetual war feel about that.
Mr. Emmet, military aggression for political gain or protection s not beyond our political animals. Nor are giveaways like declaring Jerusalem the capitol of Israel or recognizing the theft of the Golan Heights as legitimate or rescinding the nuclear agreement with Iran. They all can be seen as armor against the relentless assault on Trump’s legitimacy as the POTUS. If the impeachment hysteria reaches the Republicans for the reasons you stated, the possible scenarios you mention could become real.
The CIA Democrats: Part one
“An extraordinary number of former intelligence and military operatives from the CIA, Pentagon, National Security Council and State Department are seeking nomination as Democratic candidates for Congress in the 2018 midterm elections. The potential influx of military-intelligence personnel into the legislature has no precedent in US political history.
If the Democrats capture a majority in the House of Representatives on November 6, as widely predicted, candidates drawn from the military-intelligence apparatus will comprise as many as half of the new Democratic members of Congress. They will hold the balance of power in the lower chamber of Congress.”
As reported by wsws.org in March 2018.
The CIA is the government, the only issue is whose side they take.
By definition, they are murderers, conspiracists to murders, torturers, assassins and more.
We are living in the backwash of 1947 establishment of the CIA.
Barr is CIA, as was his father.
I dont know the full credentials of Brandon Smith but maybe Joe Lauria does:
From an article by Brandon Smith ‘The Syrian Debacle is actually well Planned Chaos’ 18oct19, found at Global research.ca
“I’m seeing the Trump cult making some outlandish arguments (as they always do) to rationalize the president’s bizarre and abrupt policy actions.
The first argument claims that “it’s about time” that a president “stood against the deep state” and ended US involvement in Syria, and we should let Turkey and the Kurds sort out their own mess.
I would repeat the fact that Trump is not leaving Syria or any other nation in the Middle East with a US military presence.
He is only pulling troops back and leaving the door open to Turkish attack.”
Another great episode, thank you very much !
Joe, Thanks very much for these broadcasts.
I have never heard anyone speak more intelligently about Syria, and frankly the whole of the Middle East, than Tim Anderson on this show. To listen to him speak, instead of the endless cartoonish propaganda we are fed daily was terrific. It’s at least a little encouraging to know that there are still intelligent, honest, and frankly brave people in the West, like him.
Consortium News has sane stories. I was going to repeat some of them in the news today and compare them to CN, but there is no comparison. Wesley Clark told USians that the US was going to take out 7 countries in 5 years on Democracy Now and still some think the Syrian war was not planned. I think neither party can survive this many lies and there will have to be a big shakeup.
Erdogan has said that if Kurdish fighters do not withdraw from the proposed safe zone in northern Syria by Tuesday evening, Turkey will “crush their heads”. Turkish military action in Syria: Erdogan ‘crush’ Kurdish fighters
I don’t know if the following was mentioned, but I’ve come across it several times and it has been credited as being one cause of the Syrian Civil War and that is FOR 3-4 YEARS FROM 2008-2011 SYRIA OR PARTS OF IT SUFFERED A RECORD-BREAKING DROUGHT – THE WORSE IN RECORDED HISTORY THAT DROVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEASANT FARMERS AND FAMILIES – I SAW IN ONE PLACE 1.2 MILLION PEOPLE FROM THEIR FARMS INTO THE CITIES, a destabilizing force as these people had nothing. Although I’ve read about this at least five times over the past so many years, it doesn’t usually come up as a factor in the Civil War. I think it is important and it probably isn’t the last drought to hit Syria.
Gretel, great point. Many observers agree that Haile Selassie was dethroned and murdered following the unrest created by disastrous drought in Ethiopia. Disasters tend to do that. They may not be the sole cause but disasters do provide an opportunity for opportunists to take advantage. I am sure there are many other revolutions where such is the case. Certainly, the Bolsheviks used Russia’s disastrous participation in World War One to take power. Perhaps there is need to worry for Trump if we experience a deep recession during his last year.
Another super CN program – the two Scotts – Scott Horton and Scott Ritter, with very well-informed, strong, incisive views – P. Collins rather lawyer-like and equivocating- regarding the shadowy forces seeking to remove Mr. Trump, facilitated by Mr. Trump’s own lack of finesse. (Will in the future watch the Scott Horton Show, which I have somehow overlooked.) I would recommend also inviting to the panel additional experts – three is a small number. Daniel McAdams would be one great person to invite. There are others who come to mind, from different sides of the political divide. The program dealt mainly with Ukrainegate and impeachment, not so much with Syria, the other headline topic – would be good to have a separate program on what exactly is now playing out in Syria.
Peg, the interview on Syria was an entire hour long full of tremendous detail. Please watch it, we believe you will gain much from it, and will go a long way towards answering exactly how it is playing out now in Syria.
Reply to CN response: you are absolutely right, there is whole part of the program on Syria, which somehow I missed on first viewing. Will look at it with great interest!
Scott Horton’s best programs are when he has Patrick Cockburn on. That is my BIAS… I disagree with your assessment of CN’s format. I really like what Joe is doing in particular; I won’t comment on things I don’t like bc I appreciate CN live overall–and what I see as weak might make this program strong……… If CN could get a guy like Patrick Cockburn on, that guy is a real journalist…… We have too many “journalists” sitting in New York City sifting through secondary data and formulating views off of preconceived notions or their own personal ideology. Not to mention these “journalists” are pushing political candidates which is part of identity politics —or an aspect of that is this awesome level of self-righteousness—I won’t name names in NYC but people can guess who I am talking about. They are creating brands of righteousness; I’m sure it is well-meaning to an extent and maybe even much of the information is useful or worthwhile- but I think it is at the expense of real journalistic experience and inquiry and I think a dulling of the mind and also a sabotaging in ways of the discourse nationally—misspent energy –possibly diverting from grassroots organizing in ways. I am just a poor nobody in the USA—Neoliberalism has sufficiently destroyed my life.. I paid the price professionally because I say what is on my mind. I find in life–people want a fake harmony or an identity enclave to be cozy in. I am just trying to be helpful to CN…… If my thoughts aren’t helpful, I offered them with great respect. An aside, I find almost no journalists have a good understanding of what Trump’s disposition is—-(my political bias is that of virtually zero percent agreement with Trump) I find people infantilize him —even the great Noam Chomsky I think infantilizes him too much even if he is accurate about quite a bit…. Oh and Noam Chomsky would work very well on this program if possible. Noam is getting up there in age, might not be possible.
Scott Ritter’s impeachment analysis was the only objective attempt of the three and was by far the most well thought out. Scott Horton has great foreign policy analysis but his impeachment comments were incoherent- in the sense that he cuts too broad a scope and supports impeachment without any context as to the world as it exists. Whereas, Ritter did a good job being real about it. The other guy’s commentary on guiliani was too personal and biased. I thought Joe did a good job contextualizing Guiliani’s roll and the ideological split between the two parties in an abstract sense of left and right. Scott Ritter is a gem of a human being. Scott, I have so much love for you—you have given us alot :)
Scott Ritter , my god I love this man. Such thoughtful commentary!!!!
Thank you CN for giving this man a forum!!!!
The supporters of impeachment on this program make no rational argument for impeachment beyond self-righteousness. Scott Ritter was the only person who offered a journalistic commentary with an attempt at objectivity. Scott Horton needs to qualify impeachment in light of all presidents post WWII being guilty of crimes; otherwise his argument is not worthwhile and a waste of time. Scott Horton doesn’t address the “norm” in relation to Trump; these are war crimes but you want to make Trump the example in light of a coup that has been ongoing? That is just not offering anything beyond self-righteousness. The other guy “Peter” doesn’t even bother telling us why he should be impeached, what a joke. I always learn something from Scott Ritter. Scott if you read this, you helped change my life when I saw you challenging authority many years ago— I am so sorry for what happened to you and I am so thankful for thoughts you share. It means alot to me what you gave us and your impact goes maybe far beyond what you imagine :) . This is an aside on another video, journalists should not get invested in personality worship in politics—-I find the Tulsi Gabbard commentary on prior videos to be devoid of real world context and more identity politics in relation to American foreign policy rather than what is good for constituencies. I find it shocking that journalists would engage personality worship. I think it is well-meaning but it dulls the senses I think and leads to a lack of objectivity. I think Scott Ritter tries for objectivity and we take his subjective context of his life with great job—biases being what they may!!!!
On Tulsi Gabbard, there is a great, detailed article by Scott Ritter, “Tulsi Gabbard’s Road to Damascus”.