Thank you for a great live event. HRG, one of the most humble and gifted journalist out there. Perhaps it was just me but Maya seemed surprised and sometimes disappointed with HRG’s answers to her questions.
A couple of observations, the Qatar proposed gift has been so incorrectly reported that the outrage is somewhat absurd. Not just my opinion. The negotiations for a newer 747 model were started under previous Administration. Here’s a quick take from someone in the know about AF-1.
From Buzz Patterson
“I’m going to try one last time.
The Qatar B-747 was built in the US by Boeing. They are offering a newer 747 to replace one of the two current AF-1s that have been flying for 40 years. Which are tired and need to be replaced. The wing based at Andrews has also purchased aircraft from other countries in the past which are currently flying our VP and senior government officials. This is NOT new.
Qatar is offering the jet to the US military, not Donald Trump. The DOD contractor is based in the US, in fact my dad (a retired Air Force general) used to work for them. They are, not unironically, also working to upgrade the FAA technology as we speak. You know, Newark and elsewhere. They will get the aircraft and perform all of the security and the installation of the systems that AF-1 requires to safely move our president around the world. Not the Qatari’s. And you and I will pay for that but not the $400 million the 747 would normally cost. I could tell you exactly what is required to modify the AF-1 for safe flight but that is Top Secret and I’d have to kill you.
This AF-1 will serve the sitting president, whether they be Republican or Democrat until Boeing gets their shit together to complete the new, upcoming improved 747s that started under Obama, was renegotiated under Trump, and was completely ignored by the Biden administration. It’s looking like 2029 to 2030 for delivery at the soonest.
I love X but sometimes the “sky is falling” conspiracy crap grows tiresome. A little knowledge goes a long way. Having flown on the current AF-1s 100 hundred times, I have intimate knowledge.
Now, come at me about “chemtrails.” 🤣”
It was totally new info to learn that the intellectual grandfathers of the Muslim Brotherhood tried to find some reconciliation between liberal democracy and I gather some obscure suras. I know that there are 10s of millions of Muslims looking forward to peace with Israel. They happen to live in Iran. As for how Trump feels about the “Palestinians” (nee Levant Arabs), he called Schumer one, and not for the first time. It was not meant as a compliment.
Only solution to Iran question is Libya option. Trump and team have stated this numerous times. And one has to believe that there’s an IRCG faction willing to abandon enrichment in order to stay in power. Khamenei & team prefer to meet their 72 virgins. It would not surprise me to see him leave the scene - naturally or not.
You have left out the part where the plane gets passed on to the "Trump Library" at the end of Trump's administration. So Trump will be getting a luxury plane upgraded even further by the U.S., that will be at his disposal, and no longer owned by the U.S. military.
I really don’t get it. Why is everyone avoiding mentioning that the magnitude of the Iranian threat is huge precisely because the mutually assured destruction ( MAD) doctrine would not work with Iran if it gets the bomb. According to Bernard Lewis, “For people with this mindset, M.A.D. is not a constraint; it is an inducement…” Surely the world should be aware of the stakes involved. 9/11 and 10/7 happened because the politicians in the US and Israel did not understand what motivates the jihadists. We cannot let that happen with the Iranian regime acquiring a nuclear device, because if they get the bomb, they might use it regardless of the consequences for Iran.
But it has almost become a taboo to quote Bernard Lewis. When have you seen the quote last in MSM? Trump is making deals while Iran inches ever closer to a nuclear weapon. I would be more at ease if Marco Rubio would come up with a statement acknowledging that the Trump administration is fully aware that the mutually assured destruction doctrine (MAD) most probably would not work with the Iranian mullahs. Then and only then would I be convinced that the administration is serious about never letting Iran get a nuclear device. Here is the interview with Bernard Lewis https://madisdead.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-are-bernard-lewiss-views-on-mad.html
Listening to the Douglas Murray and Dave Smith debate made me look more into Dave Smith--specifically about his (and others') claims that "they" want us to go to war with Iran, that Netanyahu is an American proxy who has always lobbied for our historical and disastrous involvement in wars in the Middle East, and that war with Iran is just another one of his ploys that we have to resist. His cohort claims, like others, that Israel is guilty of war crimes and doesn't have a "right to exist" since they can't support themselves without our help. (Batya's recent piece really helped me think about this!) Question: who "wants" us to go to war with Iran and why? What does such an opinion say about the fact that our ignoring the conflict likely increases Iranian capacity to develop nuclear weapons, something nobody wants? I want a steel man of this Dave Smith/Tucker Carlson etc. argument.
Peaceful coexistence must be reciprocal. In view of past and current Israeli and Palestinian conflicts, what is one thing every Israeli and Palestinian could do today to set this in motion?
Thanks for acting as a reminder that its surprisingly easy for people to confuse Good & Evil no matter how "well read" they claim to be.
This allows places like China or Qatar to guarantee eventual victory; because theyre playing the long game. Smarty pants Mr. Public Niceguy wants the world to know he is very tolerant of violent extremist cultures. Just make sure you pay the Jiziya or convert when the day they've been openly planning for arrives.
My question to Haviv Rettig Gur: Why is it that even now as Iran inches ever closer to a nuclear weapon nobody is quoting Bernard Lewis’s warning about Iran and the ayatollahs: “ For people with this mindset, M.A.D. is not a constraint; it is an inducement…” After all, Bernard Lewis was a leading scholar of the Middle East and his opinion should count. Why doesn’t Haviv quote him on Mutually Assured Destruction and the ayatollahs?
Why are Bernard Lewis's views on MAD being ignored?
Addressing US troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Thursday, President Trump said his ties with Qatar’s Sheik Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani are unbreakable, adding that “nobody’s going to break” his relationship with Qatar. I would appreciate Haviv's thoughts on why the President would make such a statement and what it portends for Israel and the region.
Does Haviv think that the move to draft Haredi will be successful? Some factions of the ultra orthodox are threatening to leave Israel if it is. Would love to hear his thoughts.
Thank you for a great live event. HRG, one of the most humble and gifted journalist out there. Perhaps it was just me but Maya seemed surprised and sometimes disappointed with HRG’s answers to her questions.
A couple of observations, the Qatar proposed gift has been so incorrectly reported that the outrage is somewhat absurd. Not just my opinion. The negotiations for a newer 747 model were started under previous Administration. Here’s a quick take from someone in the know about AF-1.
From Buzz Patterson
“I’m going to try one last time.
The Qatar B-747 was built in the US by Boeing. They are offering a newer 747 to replace one of the two current AF-1s that have been flying for 40 years. Which are tired and need to be replaced. The wing based at Andrews has also purchased aircraft from other countries in the past which are currently flying our VP and senior government officials. This is NOT new.
Qatar is offering the jet to the US military, not Donald Trump. The DOD contractor is based in the US, in fact my dad (a retired Air Force general) used to work for them. They are, not unironically, also working to upgrade the FAA technology as we speak. You know, Newark and elsewhere. They will get the aircraft and perform all of the security and the installation of the systems that AF-1 requires to safely move our president around the world. Not the Qatari’s. And you and I will pay for that but not the $400 million the 747 would normally cost. I could tell you exactly what is required to modify the AF-1 for safe flight but that is Top Secret and I’d have to kill you.
This AF-1 will serve the sitting president, whether they be Republican or Democrat until Boeing gets their shit together to complete the new, upcoming improved 747s that started under Obama, was renegotiated under Trump, and was completely ignored by the Biden administration. It’s looking like 2029 to 2030 for delivery at the soonest.
I love X but sometimes the “sky is falling” conspiracy crap grows tiresome. A little knowledge goes a long way. Having flown on the current AF-1s 100 hundred times, I have intimate knowledge.
Now, come at me about “chemtrails.” 🤣”
It was totally new info to learn that the intellectual grandfathers of the Muslim Brotherhood tried to find some reconciliation between liberal democracy and I gather some obscure suras. I know that there are 10s of millions of Muslims looking forward to peace with Israel. They happen to live in Iran. As for how Trump feels about the “Palestinians” (nee Levant Arabs), he called Schumer one, and not for the first time. It was not meant as a compliment.
Only solution to Iran question is Libya option. Trump and team have stated this numerous times. And one has to believe that there’s an IRCG faction willing to abandon enrichment in order to stay in power. Khamenei & team prefer to meet their 72 virgins. It would not surprise me to see him leave the scene - naturally or not.
Thanks again for the excellent content.
You have left out the part where the plane gets passed on to the "Trump Library" at the end of Trump's administration. So Trump will be getting a luxury plane upgraded even further by the U.S., that will be at his disposal, and no longer owned by the U.S. military.
The plane if accepted and modified will serve as AF-1 for Vance/Rubio Admin through 2028 to 2036. 😉
Where is the video??
Will this be available to subscribers as a podcast or video? Couldn’t listen live.
I really don’t get it. Why is everyone avoiding mentioning that the magnitude of the Iranian threat is huge precisely because the mutually assured destruction ( MAD) doctrine would not work with Iran if it gets the bomb. According to Bernard Lewis, “For people with this mindset, M.A.D. is not a constraint; it is an inducement…” Surely the world should be aware of the stakes involved. 9/11 and 10/7 happened because the politicians in the US and Israel did not understand what motivates the jihadists. We cannot let that happen with the Iranian regime acquiring a nuclear device, because if they get the bomb, they might use it regardless of the consequences for Iran.
I agree with the OP that Westerners are fuzzy on this fact.
I think everyone gets it, for better and for worse, unfortunately.
But it has almost become a taboo to quote Bernard Lewis. When have you seen the quote last in MSM? Trump is making deals while Iran inches ever closer to a nuclear weapon. I would be more at ease if Marco Rubio would come up with a statement acknowledging that the Trump administration is fully aware that the mutually assured destruction doctrine (MAD) most probably would not work with the Iranian mullahs. Then and only then would I be convinced that the administration is serious about never letting Iran get a nuclear device. Here is the interview with Bernard Lewis https://madisdead.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-are-bernard-lewiss-views-on-mad.html
What does a "good" Iran deal look like?
Edit: to add, one that Iran would actually agree to.
Listening to the Douglas Murray and Dave Smith debate made me look more into Dave Smith--specifically about his (and others') claims that "they" want us to go to war with Iran, that Netanyahu is an American proxy who has always lobbied for our historical and disastrous involvement in wars in the Middle East, and that war with Iran is just another one of his ploys that we have to resist. His cohort claims, like others, that Israel is guilty of war crimes and doesn't have a "right to exist" since they can't support themselves without our help. (Batya's recent piece really helped me think about this!) Question: who "wants" us to go to war with Iran and why? What does such an opinion say about the fact that our ignoring the conflict likely increases Iranian capacity to develop nuclear weapons, something nobody wants? I want a steel man of this Dave Smith/Tucker Carlson etc. argument.
How can we support the Woman Life Freedom revolution in Iran to topple the mullahs?
How do we stop ai from redefining words to make Israel a colonizer genocidal force? Where is the truth police?
Peaceful coexistence must be reciprocal. In view of past and current Israeli and Palestinian conflicts, what is one thing every Israeli and Palestinian could do today to set this in motion?
Is Zionism reconciliable with a two-state solution?
Is Islam?
Is Israel doing enough to protect Palestinians on the West Bank from settler violence?
Thanks for acting as a reminder that its surprisingly easy for people to confuse Good & Evil no matter how "well read" they claim to be.
This allows places like China or Qatar to guarantee eventual victory; because theyre playing the long game. Smarty pants Mr. Public Niceguy wants the world to know he is very tolerant of violent extremist cultures. Just make sure you pay the Jiziya or convert when the day they've been openly planning for arrives.
My question to Haviv Rettig Gur: Why is it that even now as Iran inches ever closer to a nuclear weapon nobody is quoting Bernard Lewis’s warning about Iran and the ayatollahs: “ For people with this mindset, M.A.D. is not a constraint; it is an inducement…” After all, Bernard Lewis was a leading scholar of the Middle East and his opinion should count. Why doesn’t Haviv quote him on Mutually Assured Destruction and the ayatollahs?
Why are Bernard Lewis's views on MAD being ignored?
https://madisdead.blogspot.com/2012/05/why-are-bernard-lewiss-views-on-mad.html
Is there any chance of the Palestinians disarming and moving toward peace?
Addressing US troops at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on Thursday, President Trump said his ties with Qatar’s Sheik Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani are unbreakable, adding that “nobody’s going to break” his relationship with Qatar. I would appreciate Haviv's thoughts on why the President would make such a statement and what it portends for Israel and the region.
Does Haviv think that the move to draft Haredi will be successful? Some factions of the ultra orthodox are threatening to leave Israel if it is. Would love to hear his thoughts.
to which we should follow soon thereafter with a collective "Bye Felicia"
How come Israel does not have a no man's land around itself like the Korean demilitarized zone?