« Commentary Magazine Podcast

Commentary Podcast: Harvey Weinstein Is Finished, But Nukes Aren’t

2017-10-11 | 🔗
The COMMENTARY crew digs deeply into the horror of Harvey Weinstein, now journeying, perhaps, into a land beyond extradition, and ask whether his monstrousness is specifically related to show business or whether it reflects something baser in general. Then we talk about the story that Donald Trump said he wanted more nuclear weapons and wonder at the outrage expressed about it. Give a listen.
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Welcome to the commentary magazine podcast, I'm John Paul towards the editor of commentary, today's Windsor October, eleven twenty seventeen common Terry is the seventy two year old, monthly of political analysis, intellectual property and cultural criticism from a conservative perspective join us at commentary magazine dot com. We give you a few free reads and asking to subscribe its one thousand nine hundred and ninety five for a digital subscription, two thousand nine hundred and ninety five for an all access subscription that gets. You are beautiful, monthly magazine in your mailbox eleven times a year. We are closing our November issue this
Concluding a large symposium called taking President Trump seriously a sequel to our last year package taken candidate Trump seriously. That will examine in a series of areas from trade to Asia, to infrastructure, to health care, to relations with Israel and some other subjects how how the policies of the Trump administration are being implemented, as well as some other remarkable pieces. So this would be a good time to get, full and complete access because really putting up the issue early next week with me. As always, our senior editor a green wild, high Abe hygiene and souci there nor Rossman high. No, I don't guys
former Weinstein's company chieftain Harvey wine steam has some taken himself off to Europe for sex rehab. We don't know where, and we wonder I think right now some of us are wondering whether he is gone to a country with no extra the formal extradition treaty with the United States. Since among the revelations since last week's bombshell, New York Times, peace revealing the degree of his sexual privation. Among the revelation sense is running Pharaoh in the new Yorker, saying that at least their release to women, who claim to have been raped, or at least to have her. Forcible sexual encounters with what, with wine stand, that would constitute crude, constant criminal sexual assault in any understanding of the term. Now,
most of the cases that we read about the statue limitations is likely passed, but one doesn't know what is New York state? There is no statute on re. Thank you very much a case of their there. You go in some cases, worn in New York, thou in there was theirs why there was a Hollywood. One of them was was was somewhere abroad, but in any case, I think you know he's clearly illegal jeopardy, as well as having been fired from its companies. Company will be renamed and as a producer rather than a creative person. I think it's fair to say that his career is more than over, has arrived
there can ride of director if he can serve somehow get access to a camera. Can direct a producer exists to empower writers and directors to do this and to raise money for them to do it and no rational human being is gonna, give Harvey once in a penny after any of this, because, of course, anything happens, and anyone who was in business with him we'll be potentially complicit in whenever you know evil action he might take. So his career is almost certainly at an end, but that is not the all of it, because this silly series of revelations of come out do rise, the level of criminality and if he particularly has done me, say over the last two years.
As you know, either here in LOS Angeles, you know I imagine it's gonna come out and let us not all hearsay anymore. I, though, isn't audio that drop yesterday that somebody surreptitiously recorded now, the LAPD report may only be rewarded monstrous added included larvae. Whilst in admitting that he had touched a woman's breast- and she said you touch my breath me so now- I'm used to that. That sort of thing so that a rigid is essentially session he's used to his own behaviour. Right. Well, I mean it's interesting thing that's going on because then there is this whole question about whether or not the Manhattan, this returnees office mishandle This tape, its people, claim that the and white people
is effort to you now put a wire on this woman, so she would get information against him was in competently done from a legal perspective, so they did not get Weinstein's acknowledging criminal intent, which is what, which is, which is the level of intent, were required for him to be convicted of sexual assault eyes. Oh that's that that was their brush, my that their brush back was the and why people tried to Dublin drop a dirty dime on them. By saying that it was therefore that the Heaven prosecute them and they said that the MIT be had done this wrong because they have consulted with the mandatory trains office and which could have given them the proper guidance to two since this young italian model, actress was wired to to get Weinstein's talk, that they did not brief. Her with the right question to get the right answer, edges obtain the point of his career being over
I'm sure it is over, but my cynicism tells me that at some much later date I am old Hollywood, pal or pals of his. However, they are some directors and produce some, so I will try it for a public re rehabilitation campaign for him. I don't think it'll work. But I think we're going to see something like that Loki was I waited. So I assume your model here is Roman Poland. Ski rights, aroma Lansky. Who was is arrested by the LOS Angeles police Department for having sex a thirteen year old girl, she said was forcible the law does not. The law does not see any form of consent. In a forty year old man having sex with a thirteen year old girl, that is rape by any definition, and supposedly he had structured, a plea deal, the judge them rejected the plea deal. Ah, he said the judge had no right to reject the plea deal, which is preposterous, because this is how America works. The judges does not work
for the district attorney. That's a finger shades the play deal and then he fled the country and has been living abroad sense and then, of course, he work steadily in that time, and then in two thousand and two not only and made a movie called the pianist about the Warsaw ghetto better, for which he won the best director Oscar in absentia, and not only did he when it in absentia, but he was he was delivered a standing ovation, an audio and had been taught when glowing terms by people in the industry. For years, however, Polanski Is- fr in story because a he is, of course, was a hidden childhood
really holocaust survivor, but he was a Jew who managed to who lived through the horror of the nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia out did during his childhood and of course he lived through the you know the terrible slaughter of his wife Sharon tape by by them it's an family in nineteen, sixty nine. So there were. There are, in his case at least spiritually some form of of existential extenuating circumstances. Arguably, but there are none and white scenes gay. I have one more example that by the way it happens to people, I don't think I've brought up in conversation about one seem much only thinking about it now really melted, a lesser monster but a monster. Nonetheless, honest anti semite here the different era would have risen from cod caught Antipater, tabled on tape, amusing, his wife, but there has just been multiple incidents
and welcome back with open arms by some by enough by people and by the way, also shamefully, by law, to people on the right who, like that lights of whatever brand of his conservative religious part it's ok! But here again the is the difference between these between Rum Polanski now Gibson and Mr Winston, Hollywood, is now engaged in the circular congratulatory effort for their own courage, standing up to somebody who they were silent about for thirty years. They can't simply go back on that. This as to be something now. That's a crusade for themselves to pat themselves on the back and say how courageous we were In order to go back on that, they would have to say in a world where I can. Maybe we weren't all that courageous to begin with so they're more likely to make a movie about their own courage and confronting Mr Weinstein than they are to allow
to return to his particular fans. Annotation. I agree with this, but I also get going back but dealing with the Bell Gibson Point this again. The extenuating circumstance of male Gibson is that he is an extraordinarily talented guy and Harvey Einstein is a thug who raised money and and and cut, what movies down that directors didn't like the way handled them so Melville Gibson is a monster and talent guy. It is a fascinating thing that he should part of his rehabilitation will come in the next for months in the sequel to the welfare, all bar Wahlberg Movie, Daddy's home, in which he plays a grandfather you know and that their there he is people said they would never work with him again. He was through after you know. He was
on tape screaming about Jews, and then this horrible tape of him talking to his to his now ex wife and all that, but you know again like he is. Somebody who you cast in a movie and you are taking a risk that, if you can Then there are a whole bunch of people who won't go to the movie because they are were repelled by him. Similarly, talent in this world does suffer from scandals off like a rustle crows careered, never who to grow, arguably was the best actor of his generation or it had to happen to Russell Crow who was known to have been.
Person, and somebody there was hard to work with and stuff was that he threw a phone at a guy in the lobby of the Mercer Hotel in New York in two thousand and five. While he was promoting the movie Cinderella, man, which had of which was one of the best movies he made in one of the best ways of the decade, and that was kind of the end he took his career, blew up After that? It wasn't. I wasn't even a big thing: it was just a serve up again kind of an abuse of power, a powerful person abusing a less powerful there's, also a dynamic there that Europe in a fine, whereas talent, is far more expendable. Then somebody like Weinstein's, who is the keys to the kingdom, he's these. The rain maker and rain makers are a lot less exe the bull than that? I'm sure that's right, because ok, so this this gets into complicated you met with static choices, are something so one of the reasons that wine scene was in this unique position.
Was that as a producer, he was uncommonly interested in making quality films. At a time when Hollywood had gone was going increasingly populist. So he was an art house be started out by releasing successfully releasing movies like sex, lies and videotape, and very serve hot controversial, fair, like a thief, the cook, his wife and her law. And other things and then serve made his mark that way, and then, when he, moved into the more mainstream filmmaking he may always like Shakespeare in love, which won an Oscar and was you know incredibly literary and sophisticated. And so the idea was sort of, like me, Frank Produce commercial of old. He was it
a man who made a tender chicken like he was a jerk and a monster, an awful, but he loved he cared, and he was so interested in movies and have now. I think, actually, when you know about when you hear about him, if you know people work to them, if you go through all this that what he saw was a market failure or market opportunity, which is that that quadrant, the quality quadrant was being abandoned by Hollywood and that he could kind cheaply. Zoo men, as the independent movie craze, had gone on as a lot of people are starting to get funding for independent films from new sources of revenue, and they didn't have to go through a studio to get me to make a move That the high end was was open for exploitation because Hollywood didn't want any more, and so he could booth
into the high end and follow. This has happened in the fifties and six as there is a producer named Joey Levine, who both made GOSH, lock, garbage or imported Sherlock garbage like Hercules, storing carpet from ITALY and circular movies and fully me and go Dar answer like the Great Guenaud Europe's movies latvian sixties, which he also produced and released on the grounds that their the market, failure that there was a market for art, house movies and he was gonna, see it even though he was a colossal vulgarian in the manner of wine stating that that he could move on it. So if you look at wine scenes career in the cycle in the psychopathic that he demonstrated throughout it, you can say that he cared. He was passionate ah blah, or you could say that you know the whole purpose of his career was
be in a position where he could get women into his hotel room and ask them for massages and masturbate in front of them and that he figured out. Why is that figured out very intelligently modality to do this, in which he would also be protected from the consequences of his actions by people who wanted who wanted to make better boobies than they were being offered by by Hollywood studios. Ain't gonna get me that is now saying that for Google, you- because you have not done podcast Dave well than I can say, this is like a guy room. I upriver request on the radio, but I rather like an organised highlight moderated than lonely I'll. Just cause ape doesn't have anything to say about. This is obvious I approve of what you said I these dollar. Now I just did not just the studio system, it wasn't just mere max. It wasn't just the Winston Company
apparently a variety of other institutions, including he was in television media, including in our day the sponsorships, the corporations that that benefit from these sorts of things. It was the entire the entirety of the entertainment system, and that's why people are saying now that this is the story. This one guy indicative of a much much deeper, broader problem with male sexual predicate predators in industries that protect them not been news and television in media and film in politics, in the advertising, in just corporate life, it's everywhere and we're just simply acknowledging some of its existence now and then and digging deeper into the two, perhaps divine
in an uncover, a much broader problem and in society it. Yes, that's the question really right right, but I hope, but there aren't many Harvey Weinstein's we well. That is the main question. Nobody, nobody I this is where AIDS right, like, I think I mean the big question. Is that where there are many Harvey Weinstein's in it, in a continuum that big that are like a sleaze bag to somebody who's raping actresses in a hotel room like if they can, that's the continuum you can have a lot of people on the sleeves bag side. The don't reached the summit of the raping a girl in a hotel room sigh well. The thing is that the problem for people who want to make it The point is that we no longer know we just go now. Ok, I'm pretty people who are committed to the idea that it that right is a problem almost with a religious conviction that it is unfair to viable. This is absolutely supported. So the industries that you mention have a lot in common rights, the entertainment, history as an industry is us somewhat structurally
conventional industry that helps predation, that is to say, there's a lot of work goes on in unconventional places, people aren't like working together in office in which, as we are saying before its reflect an office, is like the eyes on the street. The Jane Jacobs were first. When her book the death and life of great american cities that that societies norms are kept in. Our arms are reinforced by the fact, literally that there are people watching other people informally. Not like the Stasi, or you know a block committee in Cuba, but that you know people aren't going to you know mug you or rape you on a street in which there are twenty people sitting on a stool, bluely rare whenever black arms around right. They know who's a stranger and they know sums uncomfortable, ok so often this function that way like it's, not that easy to you know work your will in that way.
Determined industry is lotta product. And go on the train to a remote location. They live in a motel together or it is common to go to the confound festival and when you're at the confirm festival, you don't have an office space. So people come to your hotel room for meetings or something like that that ordinarily people I know in the industry's won't say come to my hotel room for a meeting at eleven o clock at night but its, but it makes a certain degree of sense, and you know in in showbiz and similarly with new whose media or entertainment between people are off side there wandering around Where is everybody of Europe campaigns, political campaigns, but without the big okay? So we all know those about politicians are sleaze as rights of the latest. There's this guy Murphy, who resigned from the Congress for being a pro life or who then you know, said his girlfriend should get an abortion
apparently ran of evil horrible office for decades or fifteen years, but It is enough to say that it is an open secret US people survive Harvey Wine, seen that political campaigns involve sleazy middle aged men, who are sleeping with teenage turns whom they then help get jobs and who, in whom there is a kind of explicit, almost explicit promise of mentorship. That is invite you know this is this. Is. Beyond question. You know these are hot house atmospheres. Now it may be consensual or non consensual. Maybe they want to do they want to do it. One of the reasons that people get addicted to working on political campaigns, particularly men, is that they are sexual playgrounds and they have been for decades centuries. Maybe
so. It seems like you, have an early indicator leading indicator of somebody. Who's gonna be engage in this kind of behaviour. Is that they're just a jerk, the rude to people, their scummy? They don't care about your personal space, so you can kind of sea that coming now do these industries with loose morals, attract scummy people or do these industries with loose morals, create scummy people? That's what I mean as with all such things, that is a very profound question- is not answerable as Evian. Now I want this right definitively and but authoritatively ray. What do you think there is coming all in all industries of bits, There are, if their arm, Possibly more of them drawn to entertainment because of the sort of honor now emotionally ambiguous undertaking of at all, because it you're dealing answered of abstract, abstract ideas and representations of
relationships and emotions at and beauty. Also by the real lesson forget it, you know, entertainment is driven, especially if you're an outer an actress in part by the I ought to be worshipped as as an object of beauty. I add that that creates all sorts of problems in and of itself. I would add to your point, which is all a hundred per cent valuable that, because I grew up in the theater audience. I was performing artists from my childhood. I gotta performing arts scholarship to go to college those boundaries, do not just in the theatre. You are in the same dressing room with men and women, your naked together, you are touching each. There all the time you are very physical with each other. They just the boundary, simply don't exist by the way it has always been true of show business like I'm tongue, but for centuries ago. One of the jokes is that travelling people in show business couldn't more respect, will? People wouldn't have them in their boarding houses because their their morals,
whose I'm saying that, if you are a brilliant, predator and obviously Harvey wincing was a brilliant predator, because he did it for thirty years and only got caught when it was sixty four years old like caught in a way that nailed him. You know n n n N and has brought him down that huh. Understood that, yes, it was a bit about depredation, it's not about making gangs of New York, it's not about producing Shakespeare in love, it was about the predation and that there were something unique about his choice. Going into show, firstly serves a concert promoter, then he went, which of course is another field in which there is very weird stuff going on around concerts and groupies, all that goes into goes into the All these, because, if you are Sort of person who wants to find women to dominate whom you can get to give out. Will you can work your will on
how better to do it than to say I'm gonna, get you into a movie or come into my hotel room, and then you just do it and they are looking for and it's a horrible business. It's really hard to get it to really hard to get a good part. It's really hard to get ahead and you create this ambiguous situation in which they are put when Harvey once, instead, as he said to one of these people, look if you won't get naked in front of me. How are you gonna be comfortable getting naked for this picture, which requires nudity well, I mean there's a debar diapers logic to that he's like now. Just do it. I ll help you get get comfortable. You'll, be can be comfortable. If you do me than when you do have to do it. I said it's gotta be just so much easier, but she doesn't it we too is horrible, but you can see how it wouldn't would kind of like night
Eve nineteen year old? They makes a certain degree of sense right. It doesn't speak to psychological point. Vat v, all consuming desire for fame is deeply unhealthy thing, and and and that you know this, the serve you know you can't. If you don't do that, if you I mean, I mean if you was a double or similar. Yes, I mean there's, there is theirs, there's not there! There, oh and a lot of ways, there's no achievement cultural or creative risks that could she, but without the desire for fame as a spur right famous the spurs John Dryden set, you need it. You need the hunger for recognition and and you know end though celebrity is one of the things that makes it possible to achieve. However, it's a harp. Distorting thing and its really dangerous its day, spiritually dangerous it personally,
dangerous and went when the opportunity is dangled before you, you you, you old sort of you know let out let a whole lot slide in rail and in including your dignity net. The part that gets me a little crazy is, if we are, supposing that this is, the industry wide multi industry wide plague of of actual dangerous, violin transgress of predatory behaviour. Why do we spend so much time focusing on things like man splaining right, in other words, that that did that what the blue minor annoyances of being alive in the habits of people, conversely, the gender specific gender issues and habits of people that, viewed as deeply offensive art. Real democratic, oppressive and offensive aren't really oppressive an offensive
it belittles or indeed a word or a baby- did distracts people from the regional from the real problem right. What is it a jack? That's a cry. Wolf issue too, would suggest that this is not a systemic problem that this is not something that most women encounter in their lives because they have their so a tune to minor offences that we elevated. Levels of of great now I'll make a full right. Well, this is where the real thing happens. You gotta less sense of perspective in all this, and we haven't talked about anything like those minor micro, aggression and land says quite some time right now. The other thing to be said is that, as we are three men sitting here, you know we cannot speak to the experience that women have being put
if I'm comfortable situations, but the idea that this is specific to women that that men, where they work, are not also placed an uncomfortable situations by their bosses. That may not be sexual nature, though they can be, I suppose, but our generally the problems of living in a world in which there is a power imbalance in which you have less power than the person that you work for and the personal you work for its happens. With that, I'm saying like a lot of work. We hear about this right now. You seem to think that these things only happened to women and that men somehow function that kind of club in which their incredibly nice and supportive and wonderful to each other, and then they just abuse women. Well I mean everybody is put in a position of being so you can you help me out. You know help me, you know, I don't know, falsify my expense report. Help me do this cover for me with my wife, you now, while I sleep my girlfriend whatever you don't like piggy or
Some men can go pick up their bosses, dry, cleaning and stuff like tat have been with you read the preserve of you, read Damn J Miller's a history of the agency yea, you know every one of these young men working in the agency was abuse. To buy a boss. It was like a right of passage, you know, so I mean it. It was not sexually abused but like in a way that many people would say. I cannot possibly allow myself to be. You know treated in this fashion, but they were they see an object at the end of the goal and that, at the end of the road they do what they have to do to get there, and then they become that guy and they abused. The next person in the cycle goes on again, so this is also part of things to be alive. However, and this is where I think want to get into a larger sociological case- not about how industry you would this all needs to stop. But the degree to which Ross Douthat said this a little bit of the degree to which the end of all
all expectations of personal moral conduct as a central guide, but that you were expected to behave, like a proper moral person at work, Just as you are, you know in life, and that if you don't, you are dismissal, you are shame of all you are humiliated apple and that you know we live now in a world which all these codes have fallen to peace, is and in the end result one of the things that happens is that people like Harvey wines thing can work there will without them. Ok, let's go. Let's talk a little bit about Casper mattresses, my bad I wouldn't I'm not lads, say it's. My favorite of our advertising,
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report from NBC News and at second, or even first glanced, some people and second glanced. Others with cooler heads. I think we will. We real eyes that something else was going on here? There are two different things going on: one policy and the other process. So No, I, as are resident nuclear warheads fan, that's that's about it Ok, so so late lay out the story for us our right, so Donald Trump was apparently according to this story, getting briefed on force posture in place like Afghanistan, and it wasn't a very productive conversation. So the brass want to take it to the Pentagon where they have a very secure small room called the tank there. They would have a couple of principles who would be going over the stuff and you'd have em, ostensibly a much
more focused president. There he was shown a slide where it demonstrated the extent to which America's nuclear Arsenal has grown and expanded and shit over the course of the years, and he saw that in nineteen sixty seven, the United States had some thirty two thousand war. And today we have about seven thousand, three thousand of which are feasible in the present apparently said Why? The hell? Don't we have thirty thousand warheads, get me thirty, two thousand warheads, among many other things, he wanted bigger military, passmore deployments, etc. So far, bigger, better superlative superlative. So now. This the headline of this story is Donald. Trump wants ten times as many nuclear warheads and Donald Trump plus nuclear weapons equals media freak out and
what we ve seen very little new analysis has been involved here and, as this does the morning has progressed, people have sort of taken a deep breath. I thank and begun to see that this wasn't really that the story that it was an so that there is a much bigger story. Legs lets you wouldn't wife's lifeless. Let's get was why the slower years now, what it was so Trump a person, as we know not exactly converse What the details, a policy nonetheless chosen by the american people to be their president, goes to have a meeting with the military brow ass, an says: why don't we two thousand warheads the way that we use to an extreme, secure meeting, The answer is well. Mr President, we don't need thirty, two thousand warheads any more and then explain why that so here's the thing with nuclear weapons must go back to bed,
Obama broke Obama entered office with this fantastical notion of nuclear zero. He gave speeches about how the United the world needs to come together to eliminate nuclear weapons, After years and years and lots of pushing from his breast, he conceded to a a beefing up, a review of nuclear posture which include more funding and more work on life. Extension programs, you our work, has what is your life extension Priscilla warheads, our aging? You can extend their life in facilities like why twelve in pan tax, which by the way forward, apart, they are literally crumbs, such a show, their literally crumbling, and so you that you can, you can extend their life than seventy six at the latest. The most recent nuclear weapon that was our nuclear warhead that was developed, was built in nineteen. Eighty seven most of these things are from the sixties, taken develop them. You can push them ahead. You can refurbish them and get them into the twenty twenty twenty thirty, but eventually you gotta build new warheads, and that's what brow?
Obama committed a due to doing and they can do some pretty fantastic ranks yourself, another eight bunker, zebra, dial up and down the yield. Many of them are low yield. So it's just how little so, basically, what you're saying is that the rational thing to do with a gigantic nuclear? You know and we ve got rid of a whole bunch warheads, as you know, in part partially, because we went from three of US seven thousand. We don't need them because the of the day train of mutual assured destruction that require that we and the Soviet that required that we have as clear the same number of warheads as the Soviet Union had of course goes away, when the Soviet Union goes away, and so we are not in need of matching them warhead for warhead or multiple warhead sitting on top of rocket for multiple warheads and on top of rocket so then the question is: what do you do? Well, so the great fantasy what you got a nuclear zero. Well guess what so? Iran's going the bomb, even though Obama pretended it wasn't. North Korea,
has the bomb there's going to be a nuclear arms race elsewhere. The last thing the United States needs to do is a have an aging decrepit nuclear force. Get rid of its nuclear weapons. We are the only as we now know, with the entire policy toward North Korea on the part of liberals who loved nuclear zero women Obama was talking about. It is now we have to deter them, How do we deter them, except with the threat of nuclear and hydro nation? That the only way that we deter them, which they have won warhead we Three thousand we're gonna name them all at their head and kill them and all try to use illustration is bad and the umbrella keeps our allies from nuclear rising to its right. Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia and other places like that. You do know. Saudi Arabia falls in the and the Islamic are you now them we're hobby? even more serious- were Hobbes take over, and then you got islamic extremists with a nuclear weapon. So it is fairness
that it seven months into this presidency. The present is only now getting curious about the extent to which America's nuclear posture as women what it is and where should That's a fair criticism. He didn't it. You'd have to know when the triad was in the camp and whirling, something who doesn't know he doesn't know nothing. Then we know he doesn't know nothin. So if now this where we get into the secondary thing fee can't go to the Pentagon as a person with, Limited knowledge of this stuff in an incredibly secure location tone about what is going on with the american nuclear posture and say why? Don't we two thousand warheads we had them before without leaking and at him becoming a figure of sport in the ideas that he's a crazy person. When it's a perfectly rational question for somebody who has read a lot about this to ask what, this. Tell us about what's going on within the Trump administration, but by the way did it. It tells us that you know of either. There is great distrust in and animosity and end no respect
for his understanding and leadership and and and fighting and and every other unstable, dangerous thing. But I just want to say that this is this. Is the second round of this act because remember a story leak during the interregnum about, Tromp saying: why can't we just? Why can't we just use news new? Yes in item three times and away our briefing, that's right, but that was a little different, because this occurred in the tank. If the president can be confident that a conversation that occurs in a very secure location and the Pentagon will be compromised, I don't. Your stand have left doesn't see that as a national security and, in fact, some leftists, I was particularly struck by Geoffrey Louis who is an arms control expert at the in Monterrey. California goes by the name. Arm from Iraq Trump Haider and very left wing and goes by the name of arms control. Walk on twitter did aid
a tweet storm in which he said the president. The ice states needs to feel free to speak image you're setting about what is going on with our nuclear posture without fear that that what he says is gonna be reported. This is the most dangerous subjects, particularly for anybody, who is serious about North Korea policy. The very least you have to: u have to who had the press then have his head in having? Even if, if you think that what he needs to be told is that here predilections, r, R R, or dangerous. That has is something that happens in a safe space. I've seen to reactions to this from Democrats. The first, which I think is very dishonest, is this is a noble enterprise. This is virtuous and
as a level of delay, violence that we may, because this man is dangerous. He is crazy, he's unfit to be commander in chief, and anybody who behaves in this fashion is acting as a patriot and irrational supporter of american Security, and I think that's a hundred percent as honest. They don't like Trump may like to see him humiliated. Second, the idea that the leaks occur like this on the regular and then it happened to George W Bush Brok. Obama is also patently false in and then I've seen demonstrations to the support that point saying You know what there was this leak about, how Barack Obama was defiantly, ignoring the recommendations of his generals to insert more troops into Afghanistan as though that's not something the president would want out for the benefit of his own political If there really is no precedent here, this kind of stuff is is unprecedented because it is such an apparent obvious risk to national security.
The only thing others girth you. Otherwise there is the idea that the Democrats are being dishonest when they say that they think this was a righteous action and it saved us from Vienna could potentially save us from from a madman with no, I mean I think they, do believe that I don't think baby. They don't believe that I just don't think that they really honestly believe that it is virtuous behaviour. Our minds that all of our lives it is present in all areas of the compromise. The term presidency are considered virtuous by those who think that it should not exist, but However, the problem with that is that that is self defeating, really crazy, because if you put, I am in a position of being entirely isolated without them, without the capacity to have serious conversations with people on serious matters. Then it's all gonna come out of his head. It's all gonna be just him, and you know, and his three, our friends whoever he ran to at that that that day
and that's all that he's gonna be left with He feels like there is literally no place he can go where he doesn't have enemies inside his own tent. That I'll drive him crazy. That's not that you know that and if you're wrong worried that he may be crazy baby. The EU should be doing the opposite of trying to drive him crazier. Ruth all this, but I have to say if there's something in him, that makes it almost impossible to to keep heaps confidence leaks were supposed to have stopped. Her died down with e with with Stephen and having gone. What what? What? If? What? If Trump ACT in such a way, that he just he did he inspire such such a level of chaos at the method it in the smallest central level that that that radiated? But what radiates
out from that is is a situation where, where were you cannot keep secrets where you cannot treat national charity policy in quite the same way, that it would that it with you had been doing and well I mean accepted. This appears to be a leak out of the Pentagon, not out of the White House right, but that Brad more to the point of it wasn't, so it might be the way but but could not, but but if, but with them, weren't just a matter of observing the White House, turf wars. What? If, what? If there's there's just just sort of too much insanity too, to to do rain it all in an hour. If you're of Europe Chelsea Manning. You know you can go rogue just because you're in the military doesn't mean you're. A hundred percent immune to being radicalized earns just fallen with somebody else. Google imperative that I am more inclined to think that this comes from some more political than the Pentagon.
I guess, but even here you see, doesn't act in a way that inspires confidence, secrecy and- and I think that's that's perfectly fair, but I will say that you know we also don't know what we don't know. That's always the problem in these circumstances, like you don't know what the president is risen, being told at what level at what degree of specified. I believe that what we know is that he is not interested, because what is interested in is picking a fight with the UN with IE and Alan, then a fight with the within BC. You know it. Today says he wants NBC licence pulled NBC, doesn't have a license. I mean it's owned in opera, It had stations in yellow, seven markets or whatever is have licences, but in fact NBC as a national network, It doesn't have a license, but he is attempting once again to create a sort of
that's what interest him are these in our cultural fights and the policy that we have about nuclear weapons or how it works, or what is purpose are is of very little interest to him, which is great by the way- That's that's fine, because entropy right, because that's the point about this is to the extent that should not lessen president be interested in nuclear. Well, that's a horrible thing right that we should say that, but you know, in fact, if you think that the present ill prepared wrong than what you want to do is encourage entropy. That is to say, you want the palace these that are in place bad ones with the Obama administration. The part of the reason that some friends of ours who oppose the IRAN deal now dont want they want. They run deal to stick around on the grounds that they don't know. What's going to happen, That goes away so at least and Tropical II policy remains the same that safer than changing it. But if you have that view- which I don't, but if you have a view The last thing you want to do is incurred the president to
who say yeah I once regions as new, better build those that's what we're gonna do. Who were you? I'm the president? I got sixty three million votes, you got none, it's also it's not like, and this isn't the other part of this rock and that was ended, as argues. He assumed that exactly on our south as appropriate, that kind of money. So it's not like that, can just happen it that's does. This whole thing was like a manufactured freak out over something that, and the focus of the report should have been where the hectic this freaking report come from. The substance of this nature. I believe me there are people within the Trump administration who want and only to know where it came from it. If there were that few people in the tank and they're all in the middle Derek set him? They can be polygraph by the way. So you know they are there active military duty? They can be polygraph under? U S law so who the hell knows where this goes and with that moment of not exactly crushing, were ass labor some verse,
sadness. We should. We conclude this week's commentary podcast efforts for no around a revolt. I'm John ports keep the candle learning.
Transcript generated on 2019-12-13.