Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken has promised that Ukraine WILL join NATO, despite that literally being one of the reasons Russia gave for going to war. Is the Biden administration purposefully drawing us closer to World War III? Glenn and Stu discuss what this might mean for the future. Plus, they also review Blinken’s infuriating warning that Israel is close to becoming “indistinguishable” from Hamas.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Let's talk about World War III, shall we?
STU: Oh, uh-huh. Uh-huh. Stu, tell me what you think of this. Cut one. Cut one.
STU: It's a little slow.
GLENN: It is -- I thought it would be a little more exciting.
STU: Yeah. It's a little slow.
GLENN: Here it is.
VOICE: Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose of the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership.
And to create a clear pathway, for -- for Ukraine moving forward.
GLENN: Oh!
STU: Oh.
GLENN: Okay. All righty then. That's great.
Now, Stu, can you help me out? What was it, that Russia said, that the reason they were going to war, was because of?
STU: Ukraine potentially getting into NATO.
GLENN: Yeah. And so the one thing they didn't want us to do was?
STU: To push for Ukraine to be in NATO.
GLENN: And so the -- the goal of this big global conference, in Europe, yesterday, was...
STU: To put Ukraine in NATO.
GLENN: Okay. This sounds bad.
STU: Yeah. Now, look, Russia shouldn't be able to tell the rest of the world, who gets in NATO, and who doesn't.
But in this moment, okay?
In the current moment that we're in. Potentially, an answer somewhat like, you know, we're in the middle of a war, right now. I don't know if anyone has noticed this.
Perhaps, we don't want to inflame tensions. We'll discuss this a little bit more. Of course, our policy has not changed. Right? Something like that. We're not necessarily -- the policy has been they want Ukraine -- and the president has not changed that policy. So Blinken cannot come out and say, that's not the policy anymore.
But he can probably be a little more judicious with the way he talks about this in the middle of hundreds of thousands of people dying on the battlefield.
GLENN: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. All right. Good.
Good safety tip.
GLENN: Now, you're not the Secretary of State.
STU: I'm not. I think I might be qualified for it though. I kind of thought I was way too much of an idiot to get that job, but I don't think I have the main qualification.
GLENN: Yeah. I don't think you are. I don't think you are.
Now, at the same table, at the same time, the president of France, Macron has been saying lately, he's thinking about sending troops. Now, remember, another thing Russia has said is: You guys get involved, then you're involved. And I target you, as well. So Macron -- now, help me out. We may have slipped through another wormhole. Okay?
In the universe that I went to sleep in last night, France were wusses. France never -- I mean, they were not exactly -- they were lovers. They weren't fighters. And they were the joke, in the universe, I came from.
That like, France, you know, will -- will surrender to your suitcase.
So --
STU: Oh. Not a carry-on. It will have to be a full checkable bag.
GLENN: Well, not necessarily. This has no?
GLENN: Not necessarily. You may be from a different universe than I am.
Have we slipped through a wormhole?
How is it that France of all places is beating their chest going, you know what, we have a military, and we're going to use it. When did that happen?
Why are we listening to France? Why? Why?
Okay. So Macron also said, that he knows for sure Russia is going to target the Paris Olympics. They're going to do it. They're going to do it.
Hmm. Okay. So that's good.
Now, this has not been a problem at all for oil prices.
I mean, yes. It went up to $90 a barrel.
But that probably has something to do with Iran, getting ready to attack Israel. Can. Full-fledged war breaking out in the Middle East.
Which would drive the price of oil through the roof. Would anybody say, $200 a barrel?
By the way, America, the economy is built for 100, to $110 a barrel.
It doesn't survive long, the economy.
Anything over that, that's what we've already priced in.
If you remember, 2008, it was this sustained, what was it? Stu.
130. 130 or $40 a barrel?
STU: That seems high from my memory. I think it was a little lower than that.
With inflation, it would certainly be at least that high.
GLENN: With inflation.
STU: $110 in those days is like 190. 200. 3,000. Whatever it is today.
GLENN: I know.
So it was a sustained over 120.
And I had been warning about it. You can't -- with -- everything is so delicate right now.
You cannot handle, that it will break the back of the economy. Well, it did, and we have the 2008. We're talking now possibly $200 a barrel. $200 a barrel. And what is our government doing?
They're saying, they're not going to fill the strategic oil reserve.
Because it's now too expensive!
I don't know. I say we bite the bullet.
We don't seem to have a problem sending billions of dollars overseas. For -- I don't know. France needs animal crackers. Let's get them!
Let's get the animal crackers to France, quick!
They need $10 billion for animal crackers. We seem to find the money to do whatever we want. Why can't we find the money to fill the strategic oil reserve? From the people who brought you Afghanistan, believes an empty strategic oil reserve. Who would have seen it come?
STU: And, of course, no weapons. Because we gave them all to other countries. So you have that going on as well.
GLENN: Yeah. You have that going on. And, oh, by the way, because of corruption and everything else in our government, all of our F-35s. Well, only 25 percent of them are mission capable. But don't worry, it was just the most expensive airplane ever built.
STU: So it's more like an F9, or an F8. That's what we have left.
GLENN: Yeah. If the F8s didn't work. So also, we have Antony Blinken yesterday. I love Antony.
STU: I love the fact that his name is not Anthony.
GLENN: No, it's Antony.
Hey, everybody, it's me, Antony. I'm over here to tell you, you know what, Israel is becoming indistinguishable from Hamas. You know what I am saying?
Because they're doing too many bada bings and bada booms. And we have to support the bada booms.
STU: I might support him if he sounded like that. I might be okay with it.
GLENN: I at least would enjoy this trip to World War III, you know what I mean?
STU: It's much more fun.
GLENN: Hey, so we have a lot more World War III, you know what I'm saying?
Bada bing. Bada boom. And when I say bada boom, what I'm talking about is what happened in Washington, DC.
Boom! It's gone. Good thing I wasn't there. I was at a strip club, that night.
(laughter)
I was the one held back, you know, in case of a catastrophic event. And it went bada bing.
And she was going bada bing on stage. You know what I'm saying?
Okay. So yesterday, Antony Blinken said those words.
Israel is becoming indistinguishable from Hamas.
Okay! All right.
And Joe Biden, I mean, he laid it down on the terrorists.
Okay?
You know, those terrorists, the Houthis. Man, they are just -- they're so -- they're vicious, those Houthis.
So the Houthi terrorists have been, you know, launching rockets at our ships.
At the ships in China. Everything else.
They've been attacking the ships.
And Joe Biden came out yesterday, I mean, with a strong bada bing.
He came out!
And he said, the Houthi terrorists.
The Houthi terrorists decide that they won't launch any more missiles. I won't call them terrorists.
Okay?
So I'll -- I'll use that -- a nicer descriptor word, for Houthis. If they just stop bombing.
I won't call them terrorists.
STU: What's going on with his voice?
Did he have several red bulls?
GLENN: I mean, wait.
Wait. Wait.
So the Houthis are like, oh!
Well, America won't call us terrorists anymore.
That would be the opposite, that they -- they want you to call them terrorists. Because it makes the Houthis sound scary.
You really think, you know, I have really had -- I have a lot of sand in my ears. Because I grew up here in the desert.
But I -- I -- I can't even say it.
I have been so hurt by America calling us attests.
Just for doing terrorist activity!
What?
They're not Harvard students. They don't have their feelings hurt by mean words. Mean words.
Stop. It might just stop launching rockets at their ship. Oh, my gosh.
We're doomed!
STU: That was our fault. These things are always our fault. Like if we would just improve our behavior, they would stop shooting missiles at us. If we would just stop being so mean to the Gazans, they would stop raping all the Israelis. It's always our fault.
GLENN: Exactly right. Exactly right.
And you call them Gazans, and they're not. They're Palestinians.
STU: Sorry, Palestinians.
GLENN: How do they deal with you people? This has if we would just stop calling them the wrong name, they would stop the murder.
Every single time, it's always our fault.
It's our fault, that because Hamas, the people that were elected by the Palestinians, came across the, quote, unquote, border.
And murdered and raped a bunch of people.
It's our fault, that their citizens are not getting food and water now?
That's because of us?
It's not because of the 150 citizens. Or 150 countries across the world. Who supported Hamas?
GLENN: Can I tell you something, I would love to be a fly on the wall, at the national security committee. And listen to them.
In the bunker, in the bowels of the basement, of the White House.
As they're saying, Mr. President, things are getting a little crazy.
Let's just stop calling them terrorists. My gosh, Mr. President, that is genius!
I think that is the greatest strategic move our military could ever -- that is -- you are a history maker.
STU: Hmm.
GLENN: It could go as well as our withdrawal from Afghanistan.
STU: Well, to be fair about Afghanistan for a second here. They did send in multiple officials with no evacuation plan. And within hours, after Kabul fell. So they decided to come up with a plan after the fall of Kabul. Which wasn't at all foreseeable in the days leading up to that. And, hey, what are you going to do, right?
GLENN: Hey, are we still in Afghanistan? No. Bada bing.
STU: That would be a better press conference, than the one that Blinken was giving.