RENEE PARSONS—Real-life CIA whistleblower Jon Kiriakou who served 22 months in prison, suggested this “whistleblower is not a whistleblower but an anonymous CIA analyst within the Democratic House staff.” When was the last time a real whistleblower was ‘protected’ by the government from public exposure.
Putin stressed that Russia would not need all these new weapons if its legitimate concerns had not been ignored by the US and its allies. “Nobody wanted to talk with us on the core of the problem. Nobody listened to us. Now you listen!” he said.
He suggested that the US abandon its costly and inefficient hostile plans towards Russia and start negotiating a security arrangement which would take Moscow’s interests into account.
DAVE LINDORFF—With no treaty obligations to meet, no “honor” to defend, not even any economic reason to retaliate against Iran, and moreover, with no real proof that Iran did anything more than the US has been doing that is supply weapons to one of the antagonists in the conflict it is absurd for the US to be readying its military to launch a war against Iran over an issue like this.
GLEN FORD—Bolton lasted a year and a half in the Trump White House, despite his many acts of disrespect for his boss, because Trump sees himself as a master of international showmanship, as opposed to diplomacy — a discipline that Trump is far too undisciplined to fathom. In Trump’s imagined global drama, Bolton would serve as the bad cop, but only to set the stage for Trump to step in and forge the big “deal” with the U.S. adversary. Voila: peace a la Trump. But Bolton kept ruining the show, sabotaging negotiations with the intent to make them unsalvageable
HOWARD BRYANT—Recruiting is a main reason the military is embedded in sports. In an interview for my book, I told three-star General Russel Honore I didn’t want the Army recruiting my son while he watched the Red Sox. His response? “You better hold on to them, if you don’t want them in the Army. We’re gonna recruit the hell out of them. That’s how we man the force.” “I appreciate the general’s honesty,” Astore says. “It’s refreshing, in a way. But I just think that’s the wrong way to recruit.