Photo, left:   Battle of Gaugamela, Flemish tapestry, first half of Eighteenth Century.
The Battle of Gaugamela (Greek: Γαυγάμηλα), also called the Battle of Arbela, was the decisive battle of Alexander the Great's invasion of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. In 331 BC, Alexander's army of the Hellenic League met the Persian army of Darius III near Gaugamela, northeast of the modern city of Mosul in Iraq. Even though heavily outnumbered, Alexander emerged victorious due to his superior tactics and army. It was a decisive victory for the Hellenic League and led to the fall of the Achaemenid Empire.See Hour 2, Block D, Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents.
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Thaddeus McCotter, WJR, the Great Voice of the Great Lakes
 
Hour One
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 1, Block A: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: Taliban extremely close to Kandahar (NE of city); controls a god deal of space in its heartland, where its religious and religious leaders come from.  Looking to sow tat they can  storm other provincial capitals; will do that with several.  Probably can overrun Kandahar the way they did Kunduz.  Kuneitra Province, Golan Heights, UN Hill: fought over everyone with guns. Control it now: maybe the Assad troops?  Some territory is key to approach to Damascus. The Free Syrian Army's southern front – claimed by al Nusrah (= al Qaeda); so did some of the jihadi allies.  Meaningful because it's pellucid that al Qaeda, Al Nusrh, FSA, are all fighting together. Can stand on a hill in Israel and see the smoke from Damascus. Israeli officials have been slow to see this problem coming at them –a real mistake.   These will be a fierce, fierce foe in Syria.  Jordan was the key actor in supplying the southern front, but came to believe that it wasn't a pure play, was compromised, and weapons flowed to jihadis.  US is supplying FSA brigades through cut-outs; the brigades are fighting under al Nusrah and its allies.  "Gains in North Syria" – Jaish al Fatah – al Qaeda; the press is ill-advised to celebrate it. 
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 1, Block B: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re; Thousands of US TOW missiles given by US to small fighting units that in fact are entirely allied with al Qaeda, so they're fired at Syrian army, thus in effect Russian troops.
Al Baghdadi was said to have been in a convoy hit by rockets; if Baghdadi was there, he surely escaped. Iraq has a few helos, MiGs, and few aircraft.  They must be flown by Iranians or Russians. "The Iraqi are as unreliable as the Pakistanis – the worst I can say."    Russians hitting Jaish al Shaams, ISIS allies. Also hit CIA groups having TOW missiles.    ISIS has no qualms about coming in behind groups being bombed by Russians and taking over their towns and territories. Normal for them to steal turf from others.  Coalition: The Levantine Alliance – multiple groups in the Aleppo area; murky: close allies have ties to al Q, but are taking towns from ISIS. Complex, hard to track – a Game of Throne on amphetamines.  Iranian general killed near Aleppo?
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 1, Block C: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: Beijing: US is briefing its allies on Freedom o Navigation Patrols. Long time coming. Photo of Adm Harry B Harris next to a photo of Ferry Cross, a Chinese-constructed atoll.  Shows China that it's  in a long, protracted struggle with the US; that the US and its allies will not relinquish freedom of navigation.  Other than patrols, options are: use our economic leverage vs the Chinese. IMF pledged not to increase interest rates, which would create an even greater flow of cash out of china –disastrous for China. Cash fleeing China is currently at $135 billion per month.  ;    Missile fired from the Mainland vs US war vessels? Trash talk.  Scares China-watchers.  World coming apart everywhere - boiling points globally are erupting, which is how the last world wars began. Philippines has filed charges vs China – India, the US, Vietnam, Philippines, others, are not w coordinating oppositions, China may think this is do or die, and Beijing has few off-ramps, Extremely dangerous.  
You know there's a problem with China when the Fund issues sunny statements.  ; 12 mile limit US Navy and China threats ; Navy will challenge Chinese territorial claims in South China Sea  The Navy is preparing to send a surface ship inside the 12-nautical-mile territorial  limit China claims for its man-made island chain, an action ... ; US commander says US must exercise freedom of navigation in ... ; US Navy to China: We'll sail our ships near your man-made islands ... ; China to join Russia at Syria Russian and Chinese military sources now confirm that Chinese warships are en route to the Middle East to get in on some of the action of humiliating the U.S.
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 1, Block D: Devin Nunes  (CA-22), Chairman, House Select Intelligence Committee, in re: Dave Brat vs Charley Dent.  Wm T Sherman: "If nominated, I won't run; if elected, I won't serve." We haven't yet heard that from Paul Ryan.   Freedom Caucus nominated Daniel Webster (FL) for House Speaker. Hugh Hewitt said her e are 15 members. Truth is, we don't know; one may enter by invitation only; if 80% of the members vote a certain way, then all must vote that way.  We don't know who thy are; they won't tell anyone; if most vote one way, all must. One Member from Wisconsin and one from _ have resigned. 435 members run and win; when you walk in, you must join the GOP or Dems. Once you do that, you have conference rules Eight leadership positions if 30% vote for you -  . . .  Freedom Caucus say they have 40 votes; in past, have voted for Colin Powell, Ron Paul Newt Gingrich ; so 207 vote for whoever the Speaker-designee is and 40-minus members for someone else.   . . . GOP conference has certain rules: Kevin dropped out because they had ridiculous rules, one of which was that they'd put in their choice for Speaker.   Irony of the Freedom Caucus limiting freedom. They're acting like a cult – a blood brotherhood, a boys's thing. 
 
Hour Two
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 2, Block A: David Drucker, Senior Congressional correspondent, Washington Examiner; and John Fund, NRO, in re: Las Vegas gathering of candidates, Secy Clinton, Gov Chaffee, Martin O'Malley: what to listen for. Mrs Clinton moved her policy left left left. President spoke of Mrs Clinton's "mistakes" – not an endorsement.  Best thing she could do is "be authentic." What I expect is to hear a debate with the GOP writ large, esp w certain candidates, to engage her fellow Democrats as little as possible. She wants to put votes to sleep so they'll sleepwalk into the polls. Competitors need to goad her into a fight, compare they're progressive views; also, a deep hunger in the Dem Party for a more committed, pure version of progressivism. Only O'Malley has enough governing among them to put himself in the group.  Opponent has to say, "Anderson Cooper, you said you'd take a new approach – you won't pit one Dem vs another – but this party needs a robust debate, not tea and crumpets."  The DNC is in cahoots with Hillary Clinton.  Nobody tune in?  Might someone join this group and shake it up?  Joe Biden is running, will file in late October, needn’t be in the debate – a wounded front-runner and bunch f dwarfs – so Biden will think he had to run. 
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 2, Block B: David Drucker, Senior Congressional correspondent, Washington Examiner; and John Fund, NRO, in re: McCarthy called off his candidacy; uncertain future for House leadership.  Freedom Caucus: secretive. Rep Danl Webster remains its candidate for Speaker; his lifetime Conservative Union rating is 79 (in the bottom half?); a Florida judge ruled that the state's Congressional districts are unconstitutional and that his seat has vanished out from under him.  Caucus founder was Jim Jordan (OH).  Tortilla Coast.  Congressional arm of some outside groups that want a confrontational style, don't have enough members to run the House the way they want but do have enough to disrupt things.  Boehner wasn't as dictatorial as some, but removed Members from committees, basically threatened some.  Freedom Caucus is deep secret so leadership doesn't know whom to lobby. 
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 2, Block C: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: Not the depth but the breadth of violence in Jerusalem, Gaza, West Bank; Abbas making provocative statements and inciting knife-wielding teenagers; and at the Golan, fighting right across the Syrian border. Not an intifada, but is a growing movement; young people are being sent by PA, Hamas Iran.  Some sources within Israel, Knesset moving to outlaw that. Most are spontaneous – walking on the street, sitting in a bus.  Now firebombs. Security along the Gaza border is strong, but still containable.  Adults use he situation to force Israel into a reaction and broadcast it to the world. The silence of the world has encouraged the violence: Palestinians keep up the narrative of victimhood, never take responsibility for deeds.  Firebombs are Molotov cocktails. Escalation, but meant only to terrorize, not to overthrow a govt. In Israel, populations are so integrated it's hard to separate who's who. Majority of all sides are not eager for violence.  Now young girls are being used, and Arab ministers in the govt are participating. "Stone-throwing" is not what is sounds like -  it's dangerous and deadly boulders. Parents need to be brought to   .Yong people being indoctrinated in media, in mosque, everywhere.
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 2, Block D: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: What did the Iran deal achieve if Iran becomes ever more aggressive with missile tests and more? Tested the Imad 48 hours ago; State Dept said itl'll "take appropriate action." Hunh? Precision-guided long-range missile, 750 kg payload, a step toward intercontinental that obviously could hit the US. It's a violation of  UN Security Council resolution 2231 – launchers, ballistic missile tech, etc. Probably also violates the Iran Deal.  Wendy Sherman, the US negotiator, said in Feb that missiles were not in the first part of the deal; Pres Obama insisted the ban wd last eight years. Begins disintegration of restrictions "Not a JSPOA violation" says State –hogwash.  Iran aggression in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, regionally. Gen Hamdani, who led efforts to crush the Green Revolution in Iran a few years ago (one of the grave criminal deeds of the mullahs)  was killed in Syria. Iranian stock mkt has dropped rapidly, economy is ot good. Sanctions might be lifted mid-2016.  Supreme Leader: "No new negotiations with the US. Finish."  Document distributed to the Majlis is over 1,000 pages, is not the same as ht US document.  . .  The deal is disintegrating – even before the $150 billion arrives, and Iran feels no constraint, grows in aggression. 
 
Hour Three
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 3, Block A: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board & host of Opinion Journal on WSJ Video; in re: Opinion Journal: EPA's Water Rule Overreach Pacific Legal Foundation Executive Director Todd Gaziano explains the import of a federal court ruling that blocks a new water regulation.
Opinion Journal: California Rejects 'Right to Try’  Goldwater Institute National Affairs Director Kurt Altman on why Governor Jerry Brown vetoed legislation to help terminally ill patients.
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 3, Block B: Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board & host of Opinion Journal on WSJ Video; in re: Opinion Journal: Jailed in Iran Editorial Page Editor Paul Gigot on a Tehran court’s conviction of Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.  Opinion Journal: Obama on Leadership Editorial Page Editor Paul Gigot on President Obama’s 60 Minutes interview and the consequences of U.S. withdrawal from the Middle East.
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 3, Block C  Michael Ledeen, FDD and PJMedia; in re: The New Axis of Evil Things are getting much worse . . . Do you remember the Axis of Evil?  It was one of the major themes of President George W. Bush’s State of the Union speech in 2002, 4 months after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States.  The president identified Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an “axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.”
W was roundly criticized for the phrase.  Some couldn’t figure out what North Korea was doing in there—we were smashing al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan at the time—while others, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, complained that Iran was being very cooperative and that Bush’s words were a gratuitous slap in the face of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.  And even though Saddam Hussein was widely viewed as a monster, nobody thought he’d been involved in the 9/11 operation, and Iraq and Iran were highly partners in anything, having recently ended their long and very bloody war.  Yet Bush saw that all three countries were enemies of ours, were dedicated to developing weapons of mass destruction, and were willing to cooperate in order to expand their power and threaten the peace of the world.
The “Axis of Evil” went hand in hand with Bush’s analysis of the threat we faced:  it was, he said, a combination of terrorist groups and countries that supported them.  He promised that the United States would not distinguish between . . .
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 3, Block D: Seb Gorka, Marine Corps University; in re: Russian Actions Tighten Turkish Bonds with NATO, Qatar. Moscow deliberately expanded its dispute with the West over Syria when it flew jets over NATO member Turkey's border, observers believe. At the same time, the situation may cause Turkey to draw more closely with regional partners, in particular Qatar.
During Oct. 3 and 4, Russian warplanes twice violated Turkish airspace during Moscow's bombing campaign in Syria aimed at bolstering the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Then on Oct. 7, the Turkish military said that Syria-based missile systems harassed Turkey's warplanes while eight F-16 jets were on patrol along the Syria border. Turkey also said an unidentified MiG-29 harassed its jets Oct. 6, prompting the Foreign Ministry to summon the Russian ambassador three times in protest. The Russian Defense Ministry said that an Su-30 warplane had entered Turkish airspace "for a few seconds" Oct. 3 — "a mistake caused by bad weather" — but NATO on Oct. 6 rejected Moscow's explanation.
The incidents came at a time when Russia was sending more ground troops to Syria and building up its naval presence. "That was a calculated Russian move," a NATO member state ambassador in Ankara said. "They want to challenge both Turkey and NATO. The message through Turkey is clear: We won't let you decide on Syria's future." A London-based Middle East analyst said that "the Russians humiliated Turkey by violating not just its airspace but also its rules of engagement." "An attack on Turkey means an attack on NATO," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, citing Article V of the NATO charter. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Oct. 7 that . . .
 
Hour Four
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 4, Block A: American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II, by Jonathan W. Jordan (1 of 4)
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 4, Block B: American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II, by Jonathan W. Jordan (2 of 4)
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 4, Block C: American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II, by Jonathan W. Jordan (3 of 4)
Monday  12 October 2015  / Hour 4, Block D: American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II, by Jonathan W. Jordan (4 of 4)
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