Welcome to the commentary magazine podcast today, the eyes of March March was teens. Twenty eighteen, John Paul hordes, the editor of Commentary magazine the seventy three year old, monthly, intellectual analysis, political probity and cultural criticism from cancer.

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our senior editor high John Answerable Mariar, see writer ice or hygiene so this morning, flurry of activity out of Washington, with sanctions being levied by the Trump Administration against Russia into matters one. The meddling in the twelve sixteen action, the other a what is described in the paper work in the sanction paperwork as the worst cyber attack in history that not Petya attack that seems to have taken them high, almost the entire national health service in Britain and Maersk, the largest shipping coming in the world and apparently many hospitals, the United States, also, which were unable, after the attack to the met with a malware attack to file electronic records. And the other for the sanctions were sanctions of the thirteen individuals. Named

Russia Nationals named in the indictment by, Robert Mauler of for meddling in the twenty sixteen elections So the first thing that occurs to me and then a maybe you can reflect on this is is an interesting irony here because of course, for a year, Trump has been or not quite a year, but a trump has been complaining: Mahler, Probus, fake news and its fake news and there's all this. He should fire Mahler and mothers not doing what he should know that this would seem to legitimize one least one aspect of the smaller probe. If his Treasury department has found the information gathered by Mahler to be sufficient to sanction the same people who Mahler indicted so too, may be interfering or the administration may be interfering with its own narrative on the on the problems with the Mahler probe or

Is there a narrative or is this? This gets back to the question of the sort of dual narratives that that Trump puts out there. This is worthy the reality of policy clashes with his through fear of twitter, rent war on on enemies Can he still rant against smaller sure he Canada, I'm sure you will but its he eats. These They certainly is lost. You know what what credibility he had on that front by doing this at another thing, you know, I think, once again, and whether you support him or you believe that that b b investigation in into collusion is going to turn something up: Euro

ready, decided tone. I think it's it's gonna make a difference to one camp or the other at this point, but it is. It is a further serve absurdest twist on the on the daily in and out of this sort one of the interesting aspects of what we ve been talking about for you no six months or longer, is that, while trumped continues to behave peculiarly towards Russia and his own personal behaviour, refusing in his own words to name Russia as the culprit in these, very chemical attack in England and and the like. The less. This is yet another example of the Trumpet administration taking harder line on Russia in russian behaviour. Then say the Obama administration over them. Absolutely I hate to go through the litany because I feel like I do it on their part gas once every two three months or so, but if this goes on top of the

counterstrike against some russian operatives that had threatened a. U S, position in Syria and depending on who you ask the: U S, killed sixty two hundred russian up lives in that exchange the the restoration of a transfer of defensive arms, too defensive lethal arms to the Ukrainians, which President Obama and Angela Merkel resisted for as long as they could now. One caveat about that is we have to follow up and make sure that administration actually does that, although the authorization itself is significant and then you have the bombing of the Assad runway, which essentially was an attack on a russian client or proxy and other and other instances of the kind. The question, though, I think, is whether all that's sufficient to raise the clear, the cloud hanging over trumps head of beings, sort of trump pollutant to my mind, in terms of whether actions

these more loudly than words, I think so, but still I think it would help the present enormously in aid, and I were talking about this politically speaking. If he added to those actions, american clear moral pro american in the tradition of american foreign policy. Type of condemnation of this frankly wreck this regime that desk everywhere, you look, there is taking a finger everywhere. You look there interfering every you look there threatening, U S interests and he still hasn't done that the only time he did it was once in Warsaw in March. Twenty seventeen zackie remember where there was a kind of moral condemnation, condemnation of russian aggression. That was it other than that from

as in himself. You still here either nothing or weird praise that you should never hear from an american president directed at a at a thug like Putin right now, but it's also was also the case that the administration, which is obviously extremely complex machine put it in the nicest terms in a tub tunnel. Widow, chaos and another term has Nicky HALO sitting at the- U N, making exactly the sort of statements that you would want. The president may or you would want the administration to reflect on. There was a lot of talk when Rex tiller some got fired on whenever the hell was that he got fired, like probably they go, but it feels like it was three years ago as right that you now maybe he got because he He hit Russia hard him so drum fired him, but Trump is replacing it with MIKE Pompey O the former colony. Quincy Adrian currency Director, who is not exactly a panty waste on,

no he's a neuber hot yet, and I think that this principle an important point, which is that again and again when any story breaks, it has to do with Russia or its tromp, or certainly with both the media gets way. Over its keys on the idea that Trump is, going to go of criminal, easy on Russia or is, is gearing up to do so and then something like getting getting pale into replace Tell us in or call or orange employing new sanctions. Comes it comes out and completely refutes all serve hysterical coverage of this, and that's that's it ethics, poses the extent to which were not we're we're viewing the entire story through a very particular landings and, of course, of the others,

the disingenuousness is. Nobody was more of a fearful of trumps posture, Visa VIII. Russia then say we were. People like us where, in twenty sixteen, even in early two thousand and seventeen wind at the Superbowl, he gave that interview to Bill O'Reilly in which she seemed to Exculpates Putin, Putin. By saying you know what he says that we're what what word where we don't have blood on her hair and a lot of those very killers to the Erika was too right. So I want to. I want to give no raffoni shouted that even those in your case he is this. The perfect example of all this is when this news broke, that tromp was ignoring his way through the responsible is imposed on them by Congress to to impose more sanctions on Russia. He wasn't doing it and it was there ever every all major coverage of this. Like it with some flavour. Violation in service to Putin, Oh, I had a great blow posing. Do you people make

way more ahead of this than than is there and in fact they reserve the right to at some point in the future impose pose more sanctions and they're not going to announce went, and that is precisely what what today's news shows us happier right, so what we have here is that we were very nervous that you know that that combined with his the way he were trash, talk NATO and seem to procedure, that are. Our allies existed primarily to screw us out of defence money and veto bad trade deals of whatever veto and are in the package that we didn't commentary MAX Cal taking trump seriously and twenty sixteen most of the worries about take. If you said one Here's what he says if this translates into policy we're gonna have,

was problems a lot of that related to to Russia and yet in NATO, and are we the first line of defence against Russia? But you know it's now, fifteen months, fourteen months I came and count close to fourteen months, and you know you have to look at what the administration has done. You cannot look at what the administration as diamond say that Trump is a potent puppet. It just doesn't add up. This is not what puppets do puppets come up? excuses, and you now try to throw the game to the person. You know who helped fix it for them, and you know outside evidence would suggest that the clue narrative and trumps case personally is compromised, because there is nothing no way that he is behaving that suggests He views Putin or run

or a lousy research into view put nor Russia has anything less than an antagonist of the United States model, The prime enemy, not theirs, he's a good guy respects how we called on to power and all of that, but that's more like a kind of Machiavellian a more egos of looking at the world through the lens of who who knows how best to keep and maintain power. But that has nothing to do with he is the present United States feels it is necessary to do to advance american interests This concerns policy wise for me, and I remember writing about it- was in December. Twenty scenes so the first month after do the election during the transition period and may January February, where there were two should apply. See tests that I had in my mind to see. If this is truly a appropriating administration, we should be terrified. One was essentially a U S, agreeing to admit

Montenegro as the twenty Eightth member of NATO, which Putin oppose now, because Montenegro is all that important, but just because they date these things they think of the of a geopolitical map and they don't want a certain piece to go the? U S western side, and there were some noise. Is that may be Bob Corker under the influence of the incoming administration was peddling the oblique Senate approval process for four Montenegro's exe, action to NATO, but then it happening Montenegro is on its way to becoming a full member. The other one was keeping Ukraine sanctions in place again. There was some talk of it being removed, which caused great concern, but then they they were not. The sanctions were kept in place so beyond that policy. Wiser, there really hasn't been a concern that doesn't mean that it's not right.

Some of the things that the Eu S, president, has entered into the public record forever and indian and dismissed his own office with some of the statements like we're killers too, but you are right. I think I think you have to look at policy and it is no way you can look at this policy in and say he. You know he here's your Putin laptop it also doesn't have a more I'm in part of the difference here is that he really does seem make policy outside of a moral frame. In that sense, we were really going back to Nixon in Kissinger, where you don't use the bully pulpit of the presidency to and needlessly antagonize people that Europe negotiations with, even though you may know everything about what's wrong with them and terrible about them, but you know, don't belabour it because you got other fish to fry, and you know a serious person doesn't gonna throw the baby out

the bathwater, if you can make deal so I would say in trumps case what we have is behaviour towards Russia that is very much targeted at their behaviour and things that we think or problematic for us and our national interests, but with no moral you know overlay. It's like worry. President always liked to do because it made, it seem somewhat grander what they were doing or more meaningful or something like that, and he why he seems determined for Whatever reason, I don't think it's considered cause, I don't think what he does is considered just a matter of his god, but he he's lying, You know you can't do this. I here come. The sanctions are here, I'm gonna do this for Ukraine or whatever, but it's not like I'm doing this, because you run it

your country is immoral. Your behavior is immoral, you're in a moral person and where the moral leader of the world he is allergic allergic to that, and we have to get. We have to serve reconcile ourselves that we live with a president who is allergic to not lower. You know you he's he's addicted to lowering things, not re, not not term elevating. I think he thinks that's how we get bogged down in causes. You know crusades that that none of our business, when we should every everything, stupid writer, stupid and let's get out There- stupid. Yet we should, when we should just be transactional, even though the one the one weird sort of thing weird exception to this is: was these strike on Syria, where he would have made this for him. Impassioned speech about beautiful babies having been killed by a sought

that was the only time there were the reports that he was moved, which is very hard to imagine what that it was with. His cry. I have no idea, but anyway, there are required, review. Now he pulled out a cheeseburger, so he couldn't he had to stop eating Ferko but you don't, regardless of the his own moral instinct, the fact it Russia is a monstrous regime has been demonstrated now for the nth time. With this recent really, you should be called a chemical, terrorist attack on british soil. That was intended to kill this expression by who had been granted refuge in Britain as part of a spy exchange programme some years ago, and he and his daughter, I guess they had found them selves and across heirs of the FBI, or whichever branches of the russian security apparatus, and they used a nerve agent that not only

left him and his daughter and critical condition, but caused several dozen Brits to follow including one police officer whose in critical for they say as many as two hundred people were affected or expose somehow or effective if anything were treated for us in some to exposure which makes a very serious matter, and that's where that's where it gets. We ve seen such things were four, but they literally been terrorist action, serves the Sarah Nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway. I think that for the primary one that I can think of where there was I will expose or to her to do some hundreds of culture. Did it that's right and of course I was terrifying, because that really did seem to expose the potential vulnerability than anyone in any city that has a subway system could could

ace. Then the question of whether or not you know if you, if, if you, if the Russians, Ruby so brazen as too for the second time stage, a assassination through a chemical means on the soil of a third country or second country, I guess that Britain in London, in the case of ours, religion, Anko, who was some poisoned with polonium, two thousand sex. So you do that then twelve years later. It's like well, it's we could try that again Nicky Hayley, Sir, do you I, like you, don't make it clear that there are enormous com, quences were behaving in this way. This is the last time going to see that happen, and we do the case that was another assassination of a russian spy

of some sort or Russia in Washington last year that went that is remains a matter of great mystery, and that for reasons that were. Initially clear we soft peddled, but that there was in fact of Russians intervene against somebody on in our country and, of course, in the chemical weapons case we have Kim Jong on in February. Seventeen using a camel were weapon at an airport to kill his brother rather as half rather right these. So so we're. Seeing a new tool in the tool kit of you know: horror now stepped up, and you know the civilised world you know like this is a matter of choice. It is pure national interests like we can have people poisoning two hundred people on the soil of of our country, because they're trying to kill

somebody they have a personal internal fight with that is the horrifying part. Is that indifference two collateral damage or life is a hallmark of Putin, rule inside Russia, including russian life. I mean we care. Out assassinations in public These operations are always a mess that debt that you know that that destroys You want everyone around gets, you know, killed her just and in their effort to go in and get whoever they have to get the feed right? The rice ghettos, two major things where they exactly one hundred people in order to save a hundred rewrite Roscoe's votes short of, took two Putin. Russian life is she all life is cheap.

Pursuing your objectives and we have imagined, because it has been true so far that there's been some sort of fire wall, but but you know outside at once, you that's not gonna hit us, that's not what, but now if, if such things are, if he's carrying out such attacks in the West in England, Then you know we are effectively sort of all all potentially on russian soil in that respect and remember so. This is not states answer: terror or terror. It is state terror, okay, so here's was interesting. That one of the reasons that terrorism is a frightening is of course, that its hard to act against you're talking about spontaneous acts by groups that you don't among the radar. You don't know where they are. You know they once they started mission emotion, you can't get to them and punishing them them requires this wildly disproportionate response, like us, going Evan overthrowing the arm Afghanistan to to deal Al Qaeda state terror. Surprisingly, is there

ethically easier to deal with because it to stay because you say it's Russia, so you still out there diplomats sanction their financial institutions use action individuals you go at Putin's. Unfortunately, there are things that you can do short of you know, sort of sending you know, seals too. You know to do to do stuff, or you know, like engaging in the source suffer. We did after nine eleven that that's what is the point, to restrain somebody like Putin. Well, there's one has: the punishment can be collective through the national institutions and that sort of thing- and I don't know you know- I can't imagine that simply throwing out twenty three diplomats, as that is the extent of what Britain is gonna, have to do here. Well, there's theirs,

us. What our friend Eli Lake now recommend switches man declaring Russia official state Sponsor of Terrorist Rick Right where terrorist actor wish, which, by the way, has really would that would be an earthshaking thing to do because those requirements, once you name a country, a a terrorist player. All sorts of automatic sanctions are are our triggered, including much of I have to say this much of New York cities most expensive, realistic. It is owned by shadowy L L sees that are hiding, or you know, using our real estate market to put tube to take money out of Russia, put it in the liquid assets and protect it. Well, you know if Russia were declared its state hereafter, let others think a lot of those apartments could be

seized her tongue, but billions of dollars. Real state could be seen as well in London, a global capital of that random arrival capital as a kind of investor own either they sit empty. I was one reason, in Gaza so high and in it Many have amidst the it's it's shady regimes, but of all the above all Russians. The other thing yes, I'm just saying that. That's a very big step to the alleged recommends an answer. You jump through a lotta hopes to see if you could moderate behaviour before you go there, but you know well tomb one or two more of these serve events, and then that gets the other question I want ass or of as a Russia watcher. What do you make of this? What appears to be a kind of growing recklessness on

part of of of Putin and Russia like this. This was a wildly reckless, so reckless. I think that it took them a couple of days. The Brits too, to acknowledge were really grasp the fact that this was an operation that out of the Jerry you or the or the efforts be, which means I assume that it was approved at the highest level of the Kremlin. That's a very wild and crazy thing to do what what what is going on here. Why is prudent acting so wildly? I think it some. I always thinking about this this morning and I was reminded I used to be a dog owner, I no longer am, but I was used to observe dog behavior in a dog park in Boston when I used to have a dog

you know I took me a while to realise, through some research, that you know what a bigger dog goes up to a smaller dog and licks its face. It's not a gesture of affection, it's a sort of like I can do t who is dead and assertion of dominance, and I think that the that the Russians have, on this one too many times and not either they ve tested what they can get away with and not met with steel that they become possibly reckless or in the case of, for example, Britain. Not only do you have fact that as a document it in our pages in the Wall Street Journal, the british political and security Savishna actually attempted to downplay too soft peddle. The lithuanian co case to make a kind of go away as part of a broader Obama lead but uncle reset with the regular quickly with living echoes. Oh, he is in London and he is dosed with polonium in his tea in his tea the millennium hotel. If you could see pictures of him ass,

since a handsome man, and then he became a skeleton. Liability is only looked like a zombie than died and but it was only him yes, but but it could have been terror. Because polonium move spilled area, but yeah it's like ran and in the killers, but one of them was a was an ex efforts be guide? The other was in office, be linked. Business man had essentially left trail of polonium all the way you know from the hotel. Back to their own room to the airport, and polonium emits each like tiny bit of polonium emits a hundred and sixty six quadrillion alpha particles per second look at you, Well, we're done it better than I know this because I wanted it took a very long time for the british government to agree to I'm calling you and who wants to be a million addressed that we as a maze it s. All jest polonium. Aisy took a very long time for the EU for the UK government to greed.

Establish an independent commission, since they couldn't actually try the people who were the suspects who have fled to Russia a living it goes on The cap pushing for an independent inquiry and the government then home secretary to resume kept resisting it and formerly cited at one point, national relations as being a major factor in their decision making, meaning relations with Russia. They didn't want to upset Russia so ashes, just one exam one of the ways: the West, the whole here's, the Obama administration Teresa may had been tougher on Russia. His home secretary. She would not be facing this crisis Navy as Prime Minister Naomi and that is that other nuclear I've been supply. We know it's a counterfactual, but but you know not reacting or making clear that the price you know that there will be a real cost to trying this you know maybe leads to contempt on the part of Putin in Algeria and the efforts being made. Think ok, you know

targeted dead, so this is gonna, be like a slap on the rest, the the eight years of the Obama administration, the annexation of Ukraine. The invasion of grazing swinging over you crave another case which, the anti kind of russian politician. What was right now, I'm I'm I'm trying to remember it was until a shack oak, as I was right to abortion no Porsche was the fragrant present timid anyway. But he was dose during the election campaign as an anti Russia activist with dioxin, and you can see a picture of him. He You know he his skin, he look like poor baby right like that, like the layers tanker virtue victory is check, arrived so skin or he looked like. You know the thing from from mugs, fantastic for something like that.

Model, deformed, askin, deformed and suchlike. This is like this is, as I say it in the tool kit benefits, if its accelerating the weights, accelerating its really terrifying and Trump has. Wait. You know in a broader geostrategic context, beside the? U S and the EU hey and even the UK is barely so a lot, NATO countries just we're not getting there their defence commitment so that you know that the French have gone down from, like four hundred thousand true to less than a hundred thousand. They barely have any aircraft when they went into to Libya ran out of munitions and had to have the: U S failed amount. The Bridgestone they have a proper aircraft carrier anymore. The Jew humans have eighty thousand active troops a lot spending they do these european country. This is all on pensions and health care for the poor, retired personnel, so Ino they leave the room,

watch all this and they they draw certain conclusions. Last point I interviewed about reckless and Munich, so you say my conclusions were drawn. Is that Europe's spent force of a paper tiger and what? What what single knew them. Yes, I mean Britain to be fair of all the events might still maintains and is still has an active military, the smaller countries I think NATO that actually, Spain is a terrible but terrible buddy unless they are our peril, though I have to say so. This defence minister spoke this morning. Gavin Williams at our friend deem godsons a think tank policy exchange fertile. He looks like he's about seven years old, maids forty, but he really like it's a defence minister than you see the sky and it's like You know you should be applying happy sack on the quiet. Ambulance would kill us and has never been the military, which is also good, but he's like you know

so we want to say to prudent, shut up, go away. That's like what shut up and go away. That's the this is your part. This is your policy pronouncement about the danger posed by chemicals. After your Odin saw, but with with British, understatement. What he's really saying is would be you know unsaleable on a family broadcasts for half an hour nodes seem somewhat british understatement imo what its aim! but but I interviewed in twenty fifteen, I interviewed this sum: NATO General Ban Hodges, whose now retired, but then he was commander of. U S Army Europe just to raise the recklessness stakes. This was in twenty fifteen and he General Hodges, who is whose again commander of U S Army Europe, a very, very smart and hardened Russia watcher at the time. He told me that he thinks that this was after Ukraine than Russia

start, a war in the next five years that that that's the path that he sees them being on and they did. You know that war. May located a NATO member state, so I dont think as a huge surprise, but they did. I think that Russia is it is, a continuation of a pattern of a very aggressive state, right side, let's go, let's take a step back and tell everybody about Serbs, fantastic acquisition, the Casper Wave Matra. So the way you hurt us by cast, actresses many times on this podcast. The wave is the most innovative mantras from the sleep exports at Casper. It's the first mattress of its kind to relieve pressure at thirty six different points

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Commentary. One hundred and use promo code commentary one hundred four hundred dollars new web mattress terms and conditions apply so Sadly, we are having a baby radiator problem in our offices. There is no escape by the glop culture podcast. This day, and it sounded like Robin said it sounded as though the inside of his head was being torn off from the inside. So we're gonna have to talk to our building about doing something about this. It's prepping, us all crazy. So if you're hearing it we apologize. If we were in a different office, you would be hearing the incessant drilling of a construction site for a new hotel that has been making our lives a living hell now for about a month, so we're It's fun, it's fun being here in our in our Spencer Offices, just south of times, where now

Tuesday night pensively eighteen special election. We said on the pod cast earlier in the week that it really didn't matter what the result was as long as it was close, that was gonna, be a terrible portent for the Republicans in the fall, because it would suggest that tromp had no led tread. The trump wave effect in a classic Trump district you know, serve not totally republican Union any kind of the the place that, one that made it possible for him to win Pennsylvania and therefore, when the presidency So the swing- and it happened exactly like this. So in the end it was a twenty point, swing away from trumps margin in twenty six. Since the special election. The Democrat appears to have one though He only one by six or seven hundred votes in any

election. At any other time, the Republican would have won the reason that that the Democratic one is Trump so meaning that debt, crasser dragging themselves over glass to go and cast votes against Trump and Republicans are staying home trump. Then some people tried to trumpet yesterday trumpet for Trump. That you know appalling showed that the democratic Gonna win by five so Trump coming in and having their guns so crazy sugar rally on Saturday night, where he get out basically look like a crazy person, and so the people love him, love that in the people don't love him go my God, our present as a crazy person, which is really not a great thing so that rally may have helped the Republican pick up some points,

That just means that, in the absence of Trump going personally and trying to drag people across alive, he would have lost by the swing, would have twenty five points or twenty seven points. So it's really really bad and your hearing a lot of efforts on the part of people on the right to claim that, not so bad, but it's really bad. It's bad for slew reasons, because, as we were talking before, it also provides a possible blueprint for democratic candidates going forward. Lamb is considered to be ass. Moderate came out against pollution he sees these doesn't adopt the activist left at his line on guns, thereby we have total in here about the extent which establishment Democrats are willing to break with activists. Democrats, I think

I think winning is is. It is a good incentive for that. It also shows that the administration ministrations narrative on which was good one about tax cuts, did not resonate as as they hoped it would the maiden resonate at all rights part. The point here is that the Republican should have. In this district was so public and saddened that he had to discuss. The extra marital thing going on he quit any at. The other time in any other point at any other moment, the Republican, what when this race- and this is we're talking about in the wake of a jobs report that showed the internationally three and three thousand job growth. You know tat saved the change in the EU. There is a whole thing about how, though there really be, Withholding forms

restart seeing the effects in their paycheck and all of that and it didn't it's not that I just didn't help it's that it's that Democrat, I ran to the polls and Republican stayed home, so Democrats got you know, like some vast proof close to the amount that Hilary number people voted in TWAIN. Sixteen voting for Hilary in the district and Republicans had nowhere near the percentage of people who voted for fur trump. So that's a depressive effect at a time of relatively good economic news Mid terms are supposed to be bad for the party in power, particularly if they hold all the all the levers of power in Washington like there is a natural tendency to create divided governments, bleeding restrain Lee ability

of a single party to work. It's will, like that's part of our system works, but this is bigger than that, and you know this. After Alabama. Obviously, the whole point boy. This is that in Alabama, a real, No stay words Trump, one by twenty nine or something like that. You had a credibly accuse child molesters lose to lose to a Democrat, carry out just like Standard issue. Republican Paul variants are probably Paul who said he loved Trump Ruddy gets a moderate Democrat and he collapsed hit. You knows thinking, I think part of this, and I think this is going to continue to play out. Certainly, and in November, that four for those report for those who voted for Trump, but

not enthusiastically for this future. They couldn't countenance Hilary. If there are, if they, they were aware that they were sure of going out on a limb by voting for trot, they weren't entirely easy about it, but they did it. I think there's a Since now of ok, I went out on a limb. I did this thing now, if, if, if the people want to sort of check, him That's that's fine by me to write or you have voted form, and you know some things are going well, but you know. He makes me sick or something like that, or you know it's like ok, so I like the taxicab bill. So now what like now? What am I supposed to like him for, and you know he there's no Hilary anymore. It's not a binary choice, he's not on the ballot number one and number two, I got there's a person than I have vote against to help him more to vote? For him is not Larry Clinton that somebody- and I am not now going to bother with going to the poles to vote for some- you know- slept-

when I get off. I don't feel good about the way this looks. I don't feel like I'm not too happy with the tweeting, and then you know, the bragging and then then this story today that you know he when this fun razor and said you know. I told the just indigestion, Trudeau said: there's no trade deficit and I said oh yeah, there is- and I didn't even know if there was not but give it we make bad deals. So I say, in fact there is no trade. In fact, we are weird we are. The United States has a twin twelve billion dollar trade surplus with. So you know, if you, leave that this matters, which I think any of us around this tabled, did double track of annex I mean it doesn't matter, but someone came up to he said now go check on it to some staff. As in trumps telling someone came I said no, they they actually need are. We do have a surplus with them unless, if you count timber among only only goods right so

goods and services. We have a surplus right, but in goods they have a set of. You only assume that, if you only assume that trade in view because you know again. This is where we get it the jack's only in part of trump remember, we set a couple we so we have this conversation. The whole thing about Jackson and Andrew Andrew Jackson and trumpet injects Ionian is that the abstraction of money, it was a very hard for the the Jack Sony ends to deal with, but didn't like back because the notion that this piece of paper was a presentation of of good was empty civil for them to realise and Trump see. To be exactly that. Trade is only some giant of a girder. You know that's trade, but if we run the entire back end of every canadian business in the United States, you know with

if every every thing that's in the cloud in Canada is stored in Amazon, web services and all that that's not trade. While an did just to get to the timber, We saw offended the president that we have it's not like, we are giving them money nothing we're getting timber right, we're getting timber at a better price than we would care to hear serve, so you know it's always made this joke on Twitter. I've seen other people, do it as well. When I go to whole foods give him just my money, I also get avocado and eggs. Why runaway one of the reasons that canadian timber is cheaper than american timber is that the United States twenty five years ago made a concerted decision that it would to preserve its woodlands and actually not you know it was not

considered a national cause to sell as much would as possible, because you wanted to preserve forest because of you know the lungs and remember the whole thing without the lungs of the rain forest is being cut down knowledge, so we need all these trees and George H W Bush said he was gonna plant a billion. Freeze during his his presidency. Them and those trees just to cut them down there. We actually open the market in part for me, because we believe that there was there was of national democracies, not just sentimental it may be true, I mean to be fair. It may be true that good, see a balancing thing. If you cut down you know all the trees in the world, you're gonna have a carbon dioxide problem I'm just saying like this is not you know, There are many reasons that things happen, but I just a good idea. Since there was more I mean. I am not alone in feeling this, but and we ve said it before, but com

you know that there are various things that the Trump Administration Minus, the president is doing. We just mention them in the foreign policy round. There also happening with tax cuts and irregular deregulatory push at home, The numerous sound conservative original as judge being confirmed the circuit level, district level and obviously jet in justice. Corset all good stuff just lead but the debt is not what's in the news, there's some some insane drama. Every day, and I think there is a legitimate demand on the part of you're, saying: ah EMU Womb, Gimme a break and also general sense that that that, with this man Chaos with with with these many breaking headlines with with so many p being fired and coming on? Whatever we think is happening things just Campi good it? This isn't it. You know this, but where we don't have the same, rational

So she went and besides which were divided country. You know why. I can't you gotta, look at things then say: Hillary Clinton got more votes than Trump, and so the idea, for example, that is really great- that he's veto heap originals judges are big, point, I agree. You agree. We agree people on the right, that we do not make up eighty percent of the country, people there people who, like liberal judges and there be as many of them as are there- are who like conservative judges and that's the issue in the country in the notion that you're saying Trump is going to prevail and he's fantastic and everything is going to be wonderful because he is, you know, pushing strong conservative policies. Well, that's a case to be made for his support among the people who for him already. It is not a case to be made that he is finding a way to use that to reach out to other people which he would lead in any case

to win reelection because the only got forty six percent of the vote and as the Conor Lamb result in Pennsylvania shows precise firstly, the kind of district that he managed to secure by but more percentage points than Romany right round, they got seventeen. He got twenty. That margin is maybe EDA was the margin of the trunk victory in Pennsylvania. Doing doing three percentage points better, he lost all of them. He lost, or didn't lose that members. You say he lost his margin in I'm in a hurry and your election. That was almost entirely symbolic, since I assume some considerable number of people voted We know that that district is disappearing in November. It is advertising, there was a Pennsylvania Supreme Court. There's one that said that the better the congressional map was was unjust and it has to be redrawn. And the district will not exist so you're only going to the poles to make a point anyway. So if you're gonna go make a point, then trumps people do

No one was making the point that they like trump I mean, ought not no one I mean, but you know that was the force of it was obviously in the other direction. So we have reached the end of another commentary, podcast a shorter one than usual, but of course knows money to provide us with his insides. He will be back on Monday. I assume everybody have a wonderful saint, Patrick Stale, be hiding inside, because you are, you know you wanna go outside New York, city and Saint Patrick stay. Sometimes it's you see a lot of people throwing the gutters. It's not the greatest thing on earth but please enjoy, have a sham rock shake you know: do they still have shamrock shakes funds? I have no idea as to vanilla, shake with green

I assume the Chicago reward. We died green, which is always a pleasure to somehow mentioned with this, so for so with multi cultural salute his Patrick's day, for her a reward and sorrow, Memoriam Jump onwards, keep the camel learning.