This post will be a bit different. It’s a transcript of a video interview with Larry Wilkerson, most of whose career revolved around Colin Powell. Listening to this interview I see Wilkerson as part of the “expert class”—assistants to the Ruling Elite. You can see that he has all the credentials for membership in that class—in spades. What I’m hoping readers will find interesting is his mentality, which I take to be fairly representative of that class. He views himself as largely above politics, but you’ll see he has strong views on politicians. With all his experience, he seems to have largely adopted the views of those whose coattails he rode—which means, mostly Colin Powell. He has harsh views of certain people—especially Trump and Bill Clinton—while absolving others. Most of all, though, he appears baffled at how the people he served for decades have screwed up so royally, how we came to this pass. He can’t quite figure that out, and the only way forward he sees is submission to the Leadership Class that he served. In that sense he doesn’t seem to have learned much at all.
As I read this I am reminded that these people in Washington DC think that they are smarter than everyone. Larry is a perfect example. I work for some really smart people in technology and my customers are very intelligent. These people couldn't last a year in our work. I respect Feds. I have relatives and friends who are Feds. My uncles were Feds. One was Chief Clerk to the Senate Appropriations committee. He left the hill with offers to be helped to be a senator. He knew better. I respect your work Mark but don't expect me to have respect for guys like Larry who thinks that Joe Biden knows what he is doing because Colin Powell thought so. Give me a break. We are reaching a tipping point.
I agree with you that Wilkerson has no depth. My impression after reading was that his opinions are shallow. He takes gratuitous swipes at Republicans (they are morons), Ronald Reagan (suggests he got his ideas from a movie script), and even calls Henry "Scoop" Jackson a near fascist.
That last one really puzzled me, since I vaguely remember Jackson as a long-ago prominent Senator. But when I looked him up to get more details, I found that Jackson's main ideological opponent was William J. Fulbright. The namesake of the Fulbright scholarship program that is sponsored by the US State Department. Then WIlkerson's casual insults started to make sense. Basically he is just a "yes man" saying things that will win approval from friends and former colleagues. All those Fulbright Scholar alumni must still hold a grudge against poor old Scoop Jackson.
"...Stupid move..." in the mid-body of your piece sums up virtually all the moves made by this administration....from the beginnings ot the sanctions against RF which became the exploding cigar in Uncle Sam's face, to the incessant lying to themselves of how well UA was making out on the battlefield. Zellensky is on the ropes, Rasputitsa is arriving soon, and we will either see Abrams M1s stuck while firecely burning or on display at the Russian War Museum.
$100B+ gone up in smoke while the Republic burns.
Thank you, CONgress.
Last thought: Chuck U. Schumer, caught bowing to the cocaine midget, likely had previously agreed to perform this circus act in order to collect his spiff. Even a maroon would understand the horrible optics .
Epic rant, and all of it true (except for "Mike Milley") about the massive hole the elites have dug for themselves. However, this is yet another "expert" acknowledging what most of us here knew years ago. God save us from "experts".
New allegation: @CIA secretly escorted Dr. Anthony Fauci into Agency Headquarters to "influence" its COVID-19 origins investigation. pic.twitter.com/MilogK6xll
— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) September 26, 2023
Fauci's alleged CIA meeting was revealed in a Tuesday night letter from Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) to the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services, which demands documents, communications and other evidence between Fauci and the CIA.
What difference does it make to @CIA whether the pandemic originated at a Chinese lab or in nature?
Now, same question for Dr. Fauci.
— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) September 26, 2023
This allegation is even more interesting in light of a report from two weeks ago that the CIA bribed analysts to say Covid-19 did not originate in a Chinese lab.
If I remember correctly from when I learned about the disastrous Sicilian Expedition way back in my College days, the General in charge was from the correct class of people, and it was his turn. Trump not only was involved in the Art of the Deal, but managed major projects and dealt with the realities of construction and financing. But he is not from the proper class of people. Our experts are not experts. They have the proper connections. That is all. It is Biden's turn.
In terms of the historical pecking orders in NYC, Trump is *not* from the proper class. He's from Queens and he went to a military academy and Fordham (before Penn). And he's Wharton undergrad, not Wharton MBA. He never worked for Morgan or Goldman. He's not in any clubs (he buys his own) and he married a tacky blonde from Eastern Europe who decorated his garish apartments with gold fixtures. He's not a WASP and he's not Jewish. He might as well be Catholic! His father was a real estate developer in the 'outer' boroughs. I could go on.
In other words, like the old money portrayed in "The Gilded Age" the gauche Trumps are seen by the right people of old money as pushing in where they don't belong. Can't have that.
I fear you are speaking of Michelle O and not Michael B. 🫤 The ruling class has proven they can put a vegetable in a suit and fly him around the world for four years; why not Gavin N?
Well said, Perle. There’s definitely a class element here perhaps even more accurate is to say there is a blood line element. Remember the blood lines of the nobles and aristocracy were often idiots from too much inbreeding and we have a lot of idiots among our elites.
Therein lies much of the problem. When self-selecting takes place the ideas become stale and the best they can do is recycle the same old tired ideas in fresh newspeak.
True, Cosmo. I've worked in many different places in my life and each place has had a dominant culture or orthodoxy against which it is very hard to go against. The orthodoxy has sometimes been correct, but nevertheless, outsiders are not usually appreciated. It's the same in society in general, and it's not surprising that most people just want to go with the flow.
I expect Generals to be complete morons (Petraeus, Hodges), but expect at least some common sense from Colonels. These are often front-line soldiers who never had the political connections to make general rank. Witness Doug MacGregor. He roomed at West Point with a General's son called Stanley McChrystal. Guess which one got his stars and went on to become an awful senior officer?
From Wilkerson, “And those plans, as I said, need to be based on three very basic things: climate change, nuclear weapons, and economies. And everything associated with those things needs to be prioritized and the only way you can do that is through cooperation, collaboration, and comity.”
He gives himself away right there. Kumbaya, Let’s all hold hands and sing together. Globalist’s wet dream. The problem is that the rest of the world does not share in the same “priorities” that he has, and they ultimately get a say in the matter.
Wilkerson may think climate change politics are the answer, but if there is one thing that will ultimately bring the West and the Rest of the World (ROW) to existential war...its the politics of climate change.
Until the 'science' is irrefutable that man-made CO2 is causing or will cause the literal destruction of human civilization or until the ROW has achieved the same material standard of living as the West, the ROW will *never* agree to substitute unaffordable alternative energy systems for cheap, plentiful carbon energy. The ROW depends on cheap, plentiful carbon energy to grow and develop. And growth and development are crucial for their own peace and stability.
Since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution the West has become rich and powerful using cheap, plentiful carbon energy. I'm just picking these figures out of a hat, but they'll serve to make my example. The US and the EU and friends account for over 50% of the world's total GDP (still largely based on carbon energy production) but only 10% of the world's population. The US has a GDP per capita of roughly $80K (Norway and Switzerland are around $100K) and the G7 averages about $60K. The so-called emerging and developing countries have GDPs per capita of $7K. Russia and China are around $14K each. Brazil $10K; Iran $4.K.
Barack Obama, Klaus Schwab or George Soros are crazy if they think that the rest of the world is going to convert to more expensive and unreliable alternative sources of energy to avoid 'climate change' and watch their GDPs stall and plummet (let alone fail to achieve parity with the West) while John Kerry flies around in his private jet and 'Joe Biden' and Victoria Nuland unleash cluster munitions on anyone who looks at them funny.
The 'US' seems to think that it can maintain global hegemony over the entire world through military coercion, proxy wars, color revolutions, coups and regime changes. Then, in its infinite wisdom, it will inevitably impose its 'climate change' policies on the entire world. To the ROW this looks an awful lot like serfdom.
Russia currently has a GDP per capita of less than 20% of the US. It also has enormous reserves of carbon energy and other natural resources. But under the globalists' climate change agenda its development will be suppressed. Is it any surprise they object to a globalist takeover? Then Russia will always have a GDP per capita of less than 20% of the US.
For so long as the West insists that so-called climate change requires submission to the West's climate change agenda, the ROW will, increasingly and inexorably, line up in opposition.
Great comment. I don't think the ROW has already checked out on the "climate change" grift. I saw an interesting chart the other day about global coal usage over the last 40 years. One would expect from the climate propagandists that it would be dying out. However, the percentage has remained pretty much the same: 38%. And that is set to grow as China and India increase industrial output, and other nations realise that wind and solar are next to useless for powering advanced economies. I wonder if the globalists have already given up on converting the ROW and are now content with just turning we Euroweenies into helots.
The globalists will not easily give up on "climate change" because it holds out too much promise for control. Control freaks all. And that's probably the least of it.
And nor will the ROW easily get sucked in. If the West used cheap carbon energy for 200 years to get 'rich', the ROW will say they're entitled to, too. In fact when push comes to shove, they will 'insist'.
Take a look at the growing alliances among the SCO, BRICS, and OPEC nations...and their 'waiting lists' and look at the most common denominators...
People here in Europe seem to be the most susceptible to the propaganda. However, even here many are getting tired of the relentless lies. The Greens have been losing traction in Germany and the French have too many other problems on their plate. This winter will be interesting. If we do get a cold one and fuel prices go higher, then I suspect enthusiasm for the greenie cult will seriously decline.
When I read the first paragraph Larry Wilkerson immediately reminded me of David Brooks of the NY Times; famous recently for his $88 hamburger with fries and two double whiskeys tweet on X/Twitter. Wilkerson, like Brooks, wants to be thought of as upper crust intelligent and savvy enough to know the score and tell you what it is. They both seem more like John F'n Kerry wannabes without the rich wife.
Wow, rarely have I read someone so at odds with the thinking of most sane people. How did he reach the levels he did, while he calls Biden’s history pretty accurately, he does his mentor, Powell, a knife in the back with his assessment of Biden. I expect more from “my betters🤮”
Does Wilkerson think that the class of people he worked for have ever heard of, much less read about, the Sicilian Expedition? Perhaps it boils down to ‘Sicily? It was in that movie ‘Patton.’ Icky. Better not talk about it.’ BTW for those interested Professor Paul Rahe just published a book about the Sicilian Expedition. Sounds like it will be from the Spartan perspective. The Spartans sent just one of their own and he helped Syracuse beat the Athenians catastrophically. One person and good leadership can be decisive. We seem to be finding out what the bad ‘leadership’ of many will do. Perhaps we should start reading about the perspectives of the great land powers in history. Land power? We don’t need no stinkin’ land power. Or something like that.
For these people, it's still 1991 and the End of History. They think the won the whole world and can't understand why those oriental peasants refuse to lie down.
And don't forget, one of the main beliefs of the globalists elites is that only they have the smarts and the expertise to run the world properly. Imagine how chaotic and terrible the world would be if a`smelly populist came to power!
Putin and Kim aren't pals, Debra. There are no "pals" at this level. They are strategic partners and allies against an enemy who wants to destroy them.
As I read this I am reminded that these people in Washington DC think that they are smarter than everyone. Larry is a perfect example. I work for some really smart people in technology and my customers are very intelligent. These people couldn't last a year in our work. I respect Feds. I have relatives and friends who are Feds. My uncles were Feds. One was Chief Clerk to the Senate Appropriations committee. He left the hill with offers to be helped to be a senator. He knew better. I respect your work Mark but don't expect me to have respect for guys like Larry who thinks that Joe Biden knows what he is doing because Colin Powell thought so. Give me a break. We are reaching a tipping point.
I agree with you that Wilkerson has no depth. My impression after reading was that his opinions are shallow. He takes gratuitous swipes at Republicans (they are morons), Ronald Reagan (suggests he got his ideas from a movie script), and even calls Henry "Scoop" Jackson a near fascist.
That last one really puzzled me, since I vaguely remember Jackson as a long-ago prominent Senator. But when I looked him up to get more details, I found that Jackson's main ideological opponent was William J. Fulbright. The namesake of the Fulbright scholarship program that is sponsored by the US State Department. Then WIlkerson's casual insults started to make sense. Basically he is just a "yes man" saying things that will win approval from friends and former colleagues. All those Fulbright Scholar alumni must still hold a grudge against poor old Scoop Jackson.
"...Stupid move..." in the mid-body of your piece sums up virtually all the moves made by this administration....from the beginnings ot the sanctions against RF which became the exploding cigar in Uncle Sam's face, to the incessant lying to themselves of how well UA was making out on the battlefield. Zellensky is on the ropes, Rasputitsa is arriving soon, and we will either see Abrams M1s stuck while firecely burning or on display at the Russian War Museum.
$100B+ gone up in smoke while the Republic burns.
Thank you, CONgress.
Last thought: Chuck U. Schumer, caught bowing to the cocaine midget, likely had previously agreed to perform this circus act in order to collect his spiff. Even a maroon would understand the horrible optics .
Epic rant, and all of it true (except for "Mike Milley") about the massive hole the elites have dug for themselves. However, this is yet another "expert" acknowledging what most of us here knew years ago. God save us from "experts".
Also, an ‘expert’: often wrong, but never in doubt.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fauci-was-smuggled-cia-headquarters-influence-covid-19-origins-investigation-select
🚨BREAKING🚨
New allegation: @CIA secretly escorted Dr. Anthony Fauci into Agency Headquarters to "influence" its COVID-19 origins investigation. pic.twitter.com/MilogK6xll
— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) September 26, 2023
Fauci's alleged CIA meeting was revealed in a Tuesday night letter from Subcommittee Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) to the Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services, which demands documents, communications and other evidence between Fauci and the CIA.
What difference does it make to @CIA whether the pandemic originated at a Chinese lab or in nature?
Now, same question for Dr. Fauci.
— Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (@COVIDSelect) September 26, 2023
This allegation is even more interesting in light of a report from two weeks ago that the CIA bribed analysts to say Covid-19 did not originate in a Chinese lab.
If I remember correctly from when I learned about the disastrous Sicilian Expedition way back in my College days, the General in charge was from the correct class of people, and it was his turn. Trump not only was involved in the Art of the Deal, but managed major projects and dealt with the realities of construction and financing. But he is not from the proper class of people. Our experts are not experts. They have the proper connections. That is all. It is Biden's turn.
In terms of the historical pecking orders in NYC, Trump is *not* from the proper class. He's from Queens and he went to a military academy and Fordham (before Penn). And he's Wharton undergrad, not Wharton MBA. He never worked for Morgan or Goldman. He's not in any clubs (he buys his own) and he married a tacky blonde from Eastern Europe who decorated his garish apartments with gold fixtures. He's not a WASP and he's not Jewish. He might as well be Catholic! His father was a real estate developer in the 'outer' boroughs. I could go on.
In other words, like the old money portrayed in "The Gilded Age" the gauche Trumps are seen by the right people of old money as pushing in where they don't belong. Can't have that.
Beyond the pale.
If Big Mike gets in in 2024, we'll definitely be beyond the pale.
I fear you are speaking of Michelle O and not Michael B. 🫤 The ruling class has proven they can put a vegetable in a suit and fly him around the world for four years; why not Gavin N?
Well said, Perle. There’s definitely a class element here perhaps even more accurate is to say there is a blood line element. Remember the blood lines of the nobles and aristocracy were often idiots from too much inbreeding and we have a lot of idiots among our elites.
All leadership groups eventually break away from the balanced selection process and become self-selecting.
Therein lies much of the problem. When self-selecting takes place the ideas become stale and the best they can do is recycle the same old tired ideas in fresh newspeak.
True, Cosmo. I've worked in many different places in my life and each place has had a dominant culture or orthodoxy against which it is very hard to go against. The orthodoxy has sometimes been correct, but nevertheless, outsiders are not usually appreciated. It's the same in society in general, and it's not surprising that most people just want to go with the flow.
Trump's an outsider and butted in line.
Or just not the right tribal blood line.
Hmm...30 years he made it all the way to bird colonel! Not sure I’m very impressed.
Probably can't golf :) :)
I expect Generals to be complete morons (Petraeus, Hodges), but expect at least some common sense from Colonels. These are often front-line soldiers who never had the political connections to make general rank. Witness Doug MacGregor. He roomed at West Point with a General's son called Stanley McChrystal. Guess which one got his stars and went on to become an awful senior officer?
Nope, but the point is that his class--lacking in introspection as they are--are alarmed.
But, he is very politically correct!
From Wilkerson, “And those plans, as I said, need to be based on three very basic things: climate change, nuclear weapons, and economies. And everything associated with those things needs to be prioritized and the only way you can do that is through cooperation, collaboration, and comity.”
He gives himself away right there. Kumbaya, Let’s all hold hands and sing together. Globalist’s wet dream. The problem is that the rest of the world does not share in the same “priorities” that he has, and they ultimately get a say in the matter.
Wilkerson may think climate change politics are the answer, but if there is one thing that will ultimately bring the West and the Rest of the World (ROW) to existential war...its the politics of climate change.
Until the 'science' is irrefutable that man-made CO2 is causing or will cause the literal destruction of human civilization or until the ROW has achieved the same material standard of living as the West, the ROW will *never* agree to substitute unaffordable alternative energy systems for cheap, plentiful carbon energy. The ROW depends on cheap, plentiful carbon energy to grow and develop. And growth and development are crucial for their own peace and stability.
Since the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution the West has become rich and powerful using cheap, plentiful carbon energy. I'm just picking these figures out of a hat, but they'll serve to make my example. The US and the EU and friends account for over 50% of the world's total GDP (still largely based on carbon energy production) but only 10% of the world's population. The US has a GDP per capita of roughly $80K (Norway and Switzerland are around $100K) and the G7 averages about $60K. The so-called emerging and developing countries have GDPs per capita of $7K. Russia and China are around $14K each. Brazil $10K; Iran $4.K.
Barack Obama, Klaus Schwab or George Soros are crazy if they think that the rest of the world is going to convert to more expensive and unreliable alternative sources of energy to avoid 'climate change' and watch their GDPs stall and plummet (let alone fail to achieve parity with the West) while John Kerry flies around in his private jet and 'Joe Biden' and Victoria Nuland unleash cluster munitions on anyone who looks at them funny.
The 'US' seems to think that it can maintain global hegemony over the entire world through military coercion, proxy wars, color revolutions, coups and regime changes. Then, in its infinite wisdom, it will inevitably impose its 'climate change' policies on the entire world. To the ROW this looks an awful lot like serfdom.
Russia currently has a GDP per capita of less than 20% of the US. It also has enormous reserves of carbon energy and other natural resources. But under the globalists' climate change agenda its development will be suppressed. Is it any surprise they object to a globalist takeover? Then Russia will always have a GDP per capita of less than 20% of the US.
For so long as the West insists that so-called climate change requires submission to the West's climate change agenda, the ROW will, increasingly and inexorably, line up in opposition.
Take it to the bank.
Great comment. I don't think the ROW has already checked out on the "climate change" grift. I saw an interesting chart the other day about global coal usage over the last 40 years. One would expect from the climate propagandists that it would be dying out. However, the percentage has remained pretty much the same: 38%. And that is set to grow as China and India increase industrial output, and other nations realise that wind and solar are next to useless for powering advanced economies. I wonder if the globalists have already given up on converting the ROW and are now content with just turning we Euroweenies into helots.
The globalists will not easily give up on "climate change" because it holds out too much promise for control. Control freaks all. And that's probably the least of it.
And nor will the ROW easily get sucked in. If the West used cheap carbon energy for 200 years to get 'rich', the ROW will say they're entitled to, too. In fact when push comes to shove, they will 'insist'.
Take a look at the growing alliances among the SCO, BRICS, and OPEC nations...and their 'waiting lists' and look at the most common denominators...
People here in Europe seem to be the most susceptible to the propaganda. However, even here many are getting tired of the relentless lies. The Greens have been losing traction in Germany and the French have too many other problems on their plate. This winter will be interesting. If we do get a cold one and fuel prices go higher, then I suspect enthusiasm for the greenie cult will seriously decline.
Right. Can't we all just get along? Kumbaya. And you're right, he's down with global fascism--follow the leaders.
When I read the first paragraph Larry Wilkerson immediately reminded me of David Brooks of the NY Times; famous recently for his $88 hamburger with fries and two double whiskeys tweet on X/Twitter. Wilkerson, like Brooks, wants to be thought of as upper crust intelligent and savvy enough to know the score and tell you what it is. They both seem more like John F'n Kerry wannabes without the rich wife.
David Brooks? That's pretty good. Still, it's telling when these establishment types are getting REALLY alarmed.
David Brooks. So many punchable faces, and so little time.
Wow, rarely have I read someone so at odds with the thinking of most sane people. How did he reach the levels he did, while he calls Biden’s history pretty accurately, he does his mentor, Powell, a knife in the back with his assessment of Biden. I expect more from “my betters🤮”
But really he went very gently on Powell. You have to know a bit to ask the right questions. If Powell got Biden sooooo wrong, ...
Maybe that explains a few other things. But, then, where does that leave Wilkerson?
Sparta’s Sicilian Proxy War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 418-413 B.C. Paul A. Rahe. Available now.
Does Wilkerson think that the class of people he worked for have ever heard of, much less read about, the Sicilian Expedition? Perhaps it boils down to ‘Sicily? It was in that movie ‘Patton.’ Icky. Better not talk about it.’ BTW for those interested Professor Paul Rahe just published a book about the Sicilian Expedition. Sounds like it will be from the Spartan perspective. The Spartans sent just one of their own and he helped Syracuse beat the Athenians catastrophically. One person and good leadership can be decisive. We seem to be finding out what the bad ‘leadership’ of many will do. Perhaps we should start reading about the perspectives of the great land powers in history. Land power? We don’t need no stinkin’ land power. Or something like that.
For these people, it's still 1991 and the End of History. They think the won the whole world and can't understand why those oriental peasants refuse to lie down.
And don't forget, one of the main beliefs of the globalists elites is that only they have the smarts and the expertise to run the world properly. Imagine how chaotic and terrible the world would be if a`smelly populist came to power!
My readers aren't mudwits!
We're double halfwits.
When I look at my wit, I see a wit that is half full, not half empty. 😎
I caught that too. Wow, so they lack empathy? What kind of people miss that vital quality, I wonder?
Putin and Kim aren't pals, Debra. There are no "pals" at this level. They are strategic partners and allies against an enemy who wants to destroy them.
Karmaggedon hopefully for the globalists and neocons. Let's hope we can avoid the fallout.