Petra (Greek πέτρα [petra], meaning 'stone'; Al-Batrāʾ in Arabic) is an Arabian historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system. Established possibly as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction. It lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. At present, the peaceable kingdom is under assault from Muslim Brotherhood-related political factions. Were they to succeed, the loss of Jordan would constitute a significant destabilizing factor in the entire region.

JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW

Co-hosts: John Avlon, CNN & Newsweek International, and Margaret Hoover,

Monday 905P Eastern Time (605P Pacific Time):   .Larry Johnson, No Quarter, in re: Benghazi; murder of the US ambassador; video of events on the evening of September 11; the head of the State Department prevented relevant information from reaching important persons in a timely manner. 

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Current Affairs It was an intelligence failure. No, wait! It was the fault of Paul Ryan’s Congress, which cut State Department’s budget. No, wait! It is under investigation, so we can’t make any judgments. No, wait! The RSO only requested increased security for Tripoli, not Benghazi.  On Friday, the department released an Oct. 9 background press briefing, during which a State Department official contradicted the White House’s claim about the video. The move is unusual, because the transcripts of most background briefings are not released — especially if they involve a direct disagreement between the department and the White House. The contradiction came late in the briefing, when a reporter asked the State Department official to explain “what in all of these [Benghazi] events … led officials to believe for the first several days that this was prompted by protests against the video?” “That is a question that you would have to ask others. That was not our conclusion,” responded the official. “The Ambassador walked guests out around 8:30 or so, there was no one on the street at approximately 9:40, then there was the noise and then we saw on the cameras the — a large number of armed men assaulting the compound.” http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/15/state-dept-pushed-back-on-white-houses...

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Monday 920P Eastern Time (620P Pacific Time):   Mona Charen, NRO, in re:  new poll says that Romney is 5 points ahead of Obama among women – determinative factor in making decisions about the economy – in swing states.

Monday 935P Eastern Time (635P Pacific Time):   Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune Review, in re:  the campaign, esp swing counties and swing states. I interviewed dozens of woman waitresses, expecting support for Obama, and was very surprised to see that most of them now favor Romney.  Pres Obama gave a beneficial [push] to Romney by portraying him as a remote monster for months; when he appeared normal and robust in the first presidential debate, the Obama campaign lost its argument.  Arlen Spector, with whom Salena worked, never changed his politics but was defeated when he switched parties from Republican to Democratic.

Monday 950P Eastern Time (650P Pacific Time):   .Arif Rafiq, Middle East Institute & The Express Tribune (Intl Herald Tribune), and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal, in re: al Qaeda.

Monday 1005P (705P Pacific Time):   John Fund, NRO, and Taegan Goddard, Political Wire, in re: In New Obama Ad, Workers Tout Economic Growth;  Campaigns Critique Moderator Ahead of Second Debate; Ryan, Romney Blast White House on China Currency Manipulation

Monday 1020P (720P Pacific Time):   . (continued)  

Monday 1035P (735P Pacific Time):   .Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:   PM of Israel calls a snap election for 22 Jan. Ohlmert was in scandal, faces trial; might nonetheless beat Netanyahu at some point. Foreign Minister could do very well – maybe 20seas – which cd make hi a kingmaker. The Shas Party (religious) usu gets 9 to 15 seats. The left is weak for the moment. Labor cd do well enough, cd be a partner for Netanyahu. Kadima under Mofaz is very weak. Budget.  Cyberattacks on Israel 1,000 times an hour for over a year. Deliberate campaign; Iran has promised/threatened to do this to Israel.  Egypt: Morsi's govt has granted Egyptian citizenship to 50,000 Palestinians from Gaza.  Any Palestinian born of an Egyptian mother may have Egyptian citizenship. Facilitates crossing the frontier and has political demographic implication.  Blds a huge tie between Gaza and Egypt (which Israel warmly welcomes).   Unilateral declaration of independence (UDI): can go to the General Assembly to get upgraded status, "equivalent to the Vatican."    UNESCO announced today that it's cutting a lot of programming because it's low on money after the US was obliged to cut funding when the PA slashed past Congressional requirements. Jordan:  fired the PM, put in a new PM; king is trying to introduce reforms. tribal groupings. Muslim Brotherhood-type regime coming in would have huge implications for US, Israel.  US has sent 150 soldiers nominally to help in humanitarian relief on the Syrian border, but probably to help bolster the king.  Saudis and Gulfies have pledged a lot of money to help but they always promise and rarely pay. No tradition in the Arab world of having an opposition party.  [Danger ahead.]

Monday 1050P (750P Pacific Time):   . Gordon Chang, Forbes.com, in re: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonchang/2012/10/14/china-weaponizes-trad...

Obama Administration has decided not to issue a report on Chinese currency manipulation till after the election.  China Min of Foreign Affairs forming a Ministry of Foreign Economy in order to weaponize trade: use its economic clout to obtain geopolitical ends. We see this now vs Japan, US, EU, Norway and the "Banana War."   Chia's decision to make itself an unreliable member of global supply chains will put it in a world of trouble.

Monday 1105P (805P Pacific Time):   . Reza Kahlili, author, A Time to Betray, in re: VPOTUS Biden incorrect about Iran nukes, also Iran secret negotiation with Obama team in Doha on Oct 1; also what happens if Turkey invades Syria  

Monday 1120P (820P Pacific Time):   . Diana West, Townhall.com, in re: what is the Feb 17 Martyrs Brigade that provided security at Benghazi on September 11, 2012.

Monday 1135P (835P Pacific Time):   .Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia's Underground Railroad by Melanie Kirkpatrick ; 1 of 2

Monday 1150P (850P Pacific Time):   .Escape from North Korea: The Untold Story of Asia's Underground Railroad by Melanie Kirkpatrick ; 2 of 2

Monday/Tues 1205A (905 Pacific Time):   . ):   .Larry Johnson, No Quarter, in re: Benghazi; murder of the US ambassador; video of events on the evening of September 11; the head of the State Department prevented relevant information from reaching important persons in a timely manner. 

..  ..  ..

Current Affairs It was an intelligence failure. No, wait! It was the fault of Paul Ryan’s Congress, which cut State Department’s budget. No, wait! It is under investigation, so we can’t make any judgments. No, wait! The RSO only requested increased security for Tripoli, not Benghazi.  On Friday, the department released an Oct. 9 background press briefing, during which a State Department official contradicted the White House’s claim about the video. The move is unusual, because the transcripts of most background briefings are not released — especially if they involve a direct disagreement between the department and the White House. The contradiction came late in the briefing, when a reporter asked the State Department official to explain “what in all of these [Benghazi] events … led officials to believe for the first several days that this was prompted by protests against the video?” “That is a question that you would have to ask others. That was not our conclusion,” responded the official. “The Ambassador walked guests out around 8:30 or so, there was no one on the street at approximately 9:40, then there was the noise and then we saw on the cameras the — a large number of armed men assaulting the compound.” http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/15/state-dept-pushed-back-on-white-houses...

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Monday/Tues  1220A (920 Pacific Time):   .Mona Charen, NRO, in re:  new poll says that Romney is 5 points ahead of Obama among women – determinative factor in making decisions about the economy – in swing states.

Monday/Tues  1235A (935P Pacific Time):   .Arif Rafiq, Middle East Institute & The Express Tribune (Intl Herald Tribune), and Bill Roggio, Long War Journal, in re: al Qaeda.  

Monday/Tues  1250A  (950P Pacific Time): Exeunt.  Jed Babbin, Washington Examiner, in re: what is the US interest in Syria?

Photo, below: Petra Treasury, one of the great sights to see during a lifetime.

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Music (using New York City broadcast times)  

9:00 hour:      Green Zone; Ides of March; The Hurt Locker.

10:00 hour:    Crysis; Infamous.

11:00 hour:     Green Zone; Season of the Witch.

midnight hour:    Green Zone; Ides of March; Season of the Witch.

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