with Patrick Henningsen, Efrain Inbar, and Ray
July 2, 2019 (24 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW-yXkAWxbs
Ray was invited to appear on CrossTalk yesterday on the strength of his Sunday commentary on the Trump-Kim DMZ meeting. ( See:
https://consortiumnews.com/2019/07/01/ray-mcgovern-hope-for-a-breakthrough-in-korea/ )
Moderator Peter Lavelle noted Ray’s dishevelled appearance, a sign of solidarity with Ray’s friend Julian Assange, whose beard was so prominent in the photos of Julian being unceremoniously carried out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, arbitrarily ending his political asylum. ( Ray’s earlier piece on the “Julian Assange Beard,” JAB, movement got lots of “looks” but no joiners: https://raymcgovern.com/2019/05/28/the-julian-assange-beard-jab-movement-a-suggestion/ .)
The discussion on DMZ diplomacy and possible next steps addressed the main substantive points as well as obstacles — like how long John Bolton and Mike Pompeo are likely to be employed by Trump. Bolton, who was exiled to Mongolia lest he play skunk at the DMZ picnic, seems clearly in jeopardy.
But so is Pompeo. We posted Ray’s brief commentary on a highly interesting NY Times article last week, written by well plugged-in journalists who rang several changes on that theme. ( See: “The Last Days of Pompeii-o? at https://raymcgovern.com/2019/06/23/the-last-days-of-pompeii-o/ ).
Also (hopefully) available to President Trump is the VIPS MEMORANDUM, warning him that, in key respects, Pompeo’s agenda may not be the same as Trump’s. ( See:
https://consortiumnews.com/2019/06/21/vips-memo-to-the-president-is-pompeos-agenda-the-same-as-yours/ ).
Discussion of the almost 70-year Korean conundrum, especially the still formidable obstacles to real progress, was so heavy-weighty that Ray thought he would throw in a frivolously hopeful throwaway line: “Pompeo has been told there is a weight limit on the Rapture.”
Thus, the immediate danger of Pompeo’s bringing on Armageddon to hasten the Rapture has receded. As for the longer term, Pompeo is still in a bind. Surely, he does not want to miss being “lifted up,” while most of the rest of us are “left behind.” But, if he slims down enough to meet the Rapture’s weight requirement, he may end up in Mongolia — like Bolton. Generally speaking, President Trump, like Caesar, likes to keep men about him who are fat.
“Bureaucratic Tapeworm” (hat-tip to Tucker Carlson) Bolton is a notable exception. By all indications, he would not mind being “left behind,” so long as he can continue to linger in neocon intestines and in those of the body politic.
As the Germans say, “Ein bisschen Spass darf sein,” or, It’s OK to have a little fun — even with these weighty issues.