IF there is growing political ferment in Russia such that Putin might be replaced, Putin at Valdai seemed oblivious to it. Could, of course, be hubris – the tragic flaw that fells oblivious leaders. But not likely. He is cautious; good if he stays around.
Trump Amenable to Extending START Treaty
Trump: Extending New START Treaty for a year, as Putin has proposed, “Sounds like a good idea to me.” Kirill Dmitriev reacts: “Judging by Trump’s remark, the probability of such an outcome is quite high.” Re Tomahawks, I sense red herring in that kerfuffle
Back at the Podium
Professor Robert Scheer again asked me to address his USC journalism class virtually on Oct 1. I love being back at the “podium” and grappling with students’ questions. Scheer alerted them to reality that other universities will not risk inviting me. Sigh.
Sickening Sycophants
CENTCOM Commander Adm Wm Fallon told Petraeus he considered him “an ass-kissing little chicken_hit after Petraeus uttered sickeningly sycophantic remarks. (Robert Gates, no stranger to sycophancy, fired Fallon after he said “War with Iran isn’t going to happen on my watch.) x.com/nemo_pix/statu
Lean and Dangerous
“Yond Hegseth has a lean and hungry look; such men are dangerous. I do not know the man I should avoid so soon as that Hegseth. Let me have about me men that are fat.” Enter plump Gen. Mark Milley, as deus ex machina, with words to thwart complete despair.
Quantico Carnival of Senior Lemmings
Pascal Lottaz of Neutrality Studies interviewed me on Sept. 30 right after the Quantico Carnival of Senior Lemmings; we talked Ukraine future, against the backdrop of Obama’s warning in 2015 NEVER to give Kyiv the idea it could ever prevail against Russia.
Lavrov on the Tomahawks
Tomahawks: Lavrov riffs on old song: Smoke that peace pipe, bury that hatchet (tomahawk). “This is the US trying to play nice with the Europeans; I do not think we are dealing with a decision that has been already made.”
How Were My Guesses and Prognoses
Mike Adams interviewed me August 19, 4 days after the Alaska summit. Discussed what the immediate future might hold for Ukraine, other key issues. Always instructive for me to compare my guesses and prognoses of 6 wks ago with how events are now unfolding.
Putin Offers to Extend Nuclear Arms Treaty
Judging Freedom Intelligence Roundup, Sept 26: I emphasized that President Putin has offered to extend for a year the NEW START nuclear arms control treaty expiring Feb 5, 2026, if the US does the same. A whole lot is going to depend on how the US responds
The Reddest of Russian Red Lines
Is Trump drinking Kellogg’s flaky, sugary “intelligence” on Ukraine. Kellogg now advertising nuclear-capable, Moscow-reachable Tomahawk missiles in each cereal box, so to speak. Any such step would encounter bold fuchsia – the reddest of Russian red lines.