Steve Bannon: 'We're going to war in the South China Sea ... no doubt'

[BlueCaliDem]

Source: The Guardian - Wednesday 1 February 2017 22.55 EST

Only months ago Donald Trump’s chief strategist predicted military involvement in east Asia and the Middle East in Breitbart radio shows

The United States and China will fight a war within the next 10 years over islands in the South China Sea, and “there’s no doubt about that”. At the same time, the US will be in another “major” war in the Middle East.

Those are the views – nine months ago at least – of one of the most powerful men in Donald Trump’s administration, Steve Bannon, the former head of far-right news website Breitbart who is now chief strategist at the White House.

In the first weeks of Trump’s presidency, Bannon has emerged as a central figure. He was appointed to the “principals committee” of the National Security Council in a highly unusual move and was influential in the recent travel ban on citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, overruling Department of Homeland Security officials who felt the order did not apply to green card holders.
Trump administration 'officially putting Iran on notice', says Michael Flynn
Read more

While many in Trump’s team are outspoken critics of China, in radio shows Bannon hosted for Breitbart he makes plain the two largest threats to America: China and Islam.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/02/steve-bannon-donald-trump-war-south-china-sea-no-doubt

---

It's not like we weren't warned. But too many bought into the lies of a "corrupt Hillary Clinton" and decided to "vote their conscience" in crucial battleground States. They just refused to do right by this country because their feels were more important than the threat of an war-mongering autocracy under a Trump/Putin Administration.

Now it's here.

When the draft--and make no mistake, there will be a draft--comes around, I hope all those who had refused to vote for Hillary Clinton will happily get their family to enlist in order to fight the many wars Trumputin has planned for the U.S., and I mean ALL who refused to listen to reason and assert common sense.

[YOHABLO]

1. Bannon's got to go!

[bdamomma]

45. he needs to be stopped

he is the force behind tRump.

I noticed yesterday when tRump called the Australian Prime Minister he was sitting right in front of trump.

Bannon is the catalyst for all this.

[world wide wally]

50. Yeah, but we just voted them in

Can you say, "duuh, America?"

[TomCADem]

2. Given His Poor Polling Numbers, Trump Needs A War Pronto

He missed out on his Captain Phillips moment when he authorized a raid that President Obama previously rejected due to lack adequate intel.

[zentrum]

3. Exactly right.

He's bankrupting us morally and now he'll do it economically too.

[starshine00]

62. If he gets a war I am seriously going to have "Hillary wouldn't have..." tattooed on me somewhere

somewhere like my back where there is a lot of space beneath it for a very, very long list.

[LudwigPastorius]

5. Yep.

Poll approval numbers (i.e. "ratings&quot are what Trump lives for. He's all dead inside and can only feel personal security and safety is it is somehow quantified that people like him.

Thus, he will gladly exchange the horror and suffering of others for a temporary bump in the polls.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rally_'round_the_flag_effect

[BlueCaliDem]

10. This is what makes this so terrifyingly real--when poll numbers drop, launch a war! It's what

Republicans always do because they know it's the ONLY thing that can get the country to back them and have their numbers rise. G.W. Bush and President Cheney knew this, too. In the end, they left office with a 24% approval rating, but that doesn't matter to them. They live in the here and now.

Congressional Republicans love war for profit for their benefactors (and themselves), but it's a twofold strategy: they get to starve our social programs "in the name of war" and tell people that they need to the money to "protect the United States" and any 'naysayers are the enemy'.

The American people have seen this play out over and over again, yet they continue to have faith that the Republican Party of today is the same as their grandfather's, in a Party where Republicans actually loathed to launch war if we're not directly attacked. They don't know--or don't want to know--that their grandfather's Republican Party is long dead and gone. In its place have come autocrats hellbent on taking from the people and to give to themselves in every which way possible, even at the expense of destroying our country and our world.

Until and unless these pathetically willful ignorant R-voters can see today's Republicans Party for what they really are, we'll continue to see types like Duhbya and Trumputin installed in the White House, and we'll continue to see Congress dominated by RW, pro-corporate ideologues who will harm this country again and again in order to enrich themselves.

[world wide wally]

52. Is there an America still left to protect?

Maybe 50%?

[BlueCaliDem]

67. Not after Republicans have destroyed it, no. And they're working fast and furious to do just that.

But they'll raise taxes on working Americans to pay for their tax cuts and their benefactors' tax cuts; starve the working and the working poor for every tax dollar they can milk from us, kill off our social safety net, and when it appears that there aren't enough jobs for paycheck Americans to keep their gilded coffers fat, there will be war to 'thin out the herd'.

These are today's Republican Party's policies and plans.

[nikibatts]

34. Exactly what I was thinking. Remember Trump said Hillary would have a war within a year if elected.

This the GOP dream come true. Think of how everyone would come to his side in massive support of "protecting America." NOT! I predict that there will be even greater numbers in the streets than at the Women's March and they will not get the volunteers needed to feed the war machine.

Trump will be forced to re-institute the draft and the country will revolt. Who would want to fight for Trump's America? What allies will be willing to fight with us? Talk about breaking up NATO!

The only people who would be happy are the GOP who have huge investments in the weapons industries.

[yurbud]

58. If he even cleared his throat about reinstating the draft, he would be chased out of office

Even W was smart enough not to try that.

As soon as you have a draft, you have a lot more people pay attention to your wars, and fighting to end them.

[Bengus81]

49. Yep...needs to cover up Yemengazi.......

The count up clock keeps running until he starts a War. Won't be long..........

https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20170120T11&p0=403&msg=Time+taken+for+Trump+to+start+a+War&ud=1&font=sanserif

[Javaman]

57. he'll handle it like he has everything else, with gross amounts of ignorance. nt

[ananda]

4. OK, this is it folks.

Either we come together as a nation and stop
this warmongering pestilence in its tracks, or
it takes s to our doom.

[Eyeball_Kid]

6. You know when things are bad when you know it's bad and it can't get worse,

then it gets worse, and you know it's not as bad as it's going to get. Then it gets worse again.

That's where we are.

Bannon and Flynn will stage a pretext for bombing Iran. Soon. They want war. Trumpy wants glory. There you go.

[progree]

7. Oh gosh, it's a religious war too. Onward Judeo-Christian soldiers...

From the article in the OP:

They’re on the march. And they think the Judeo-Christian west is on the retreat,” Bannon said during a February 2016 radio show.

((on another show)) “The one thing the Chinese fear more than America … they fear Christianity more than anything,” he said.

[msongs]

17. then there ought to radio sound clips to prove he said these things. verifiable proof nt

[Hassin Bin Sober]

63. This isn't the clip. But it's just as bad

https://m.

[barbtries]

39. okay, it's from february 2016

i did not read the entire article, i'm at work and i'm just trying to verify this threat is real. but of course it is, even if it was never said out loud. these craven bastards will not be satisfied until they have destroyed the world, it seems.

[betsuni]

8. I'm going to start to panic now and nobody can stop me.

I'm afraid of China. Trump insulted Japan the other day, not good.

[Midnight Writer]

9. Jesus wept

[Brother Buzz]

11. What happens when we go to war and discover all our allies...

are suddenly allied with our enemies?

[Charles Bukowski]

19. We're the bad guys this time, definitely.

[world wide wally]

56. Can we even count on Mexico or Australia at this point?

[murielm99]

23. Let the world close ranks against us.

We deserve it. Our archaic electoral college allowed it.

Maybe some of us will see why it happened. Do not depend on the MSM for the truth! Do not allow them to blame it on Obama.

[yuiyoshida]

12. HOW LONG BEFORE we start seeing INTERNMENT CAMPS for Chinese and Middle Easterners?

Infact, since most of the Republicans are FUCKING STUPID, if you are Asian or Middle Eastern, you might just end up in an Internment camp, because they can't tell a Korean from a Philippino. We all LOOK THE SAME to them!

I hope Decent people won't stand for this, and do something to stop this from ever happening.

[diane in sf]

13. We better not

[yuiyoshida]

14. In San Francisco?

Hi Neighbor!

[Warpy]

15. So hand him a gun and put him on a boat and send him first

Bannon is even crazier than Trump is. Trump is a raging narcissist but Bannon believes his own bull shit.

[NBachers]

16. "all those who had refused to vote for Hillary Clinton" There was one way to prevent all this.

I emphatically agree with the statements made by BlueCaliDem. Those responsible for our atrocious predicament need to be called out, and called out loudly and frequently.

[secondwind]

18. I beg of you, let's not do this. It would be so unproductive.. those who voted 3rd party, let this

be on their conscience for the rest of their days.. But right now, we need to STAND TOGETHER

[tecelote]

25. +1!

[bdamomma]

46. we need to stand together

I don't mean to sound corny here, but we are the majority and we need to unite.

The republicans are selling their souls and do they really want to see the destruction of the US?

I am trying to remain hopeful, is there anything such as a citizens arrest??? of the president.

[world wide wally]

59. We do stand together... Now we just need to be able to vote and have our votes counted

[Ligyron]

28. I don't think there were that many that did.

You hear this a lot on DU and then someone usually comes along and blames Bernie.

We progressives and those who lean that way own a slight majority of the population ideologically speaking and we were making progress on all fronts. Then we tried to cram Hillary Clinton down the American people's throat and it was a bridge too far.

She's not even all that progressive either, kinda middle of the road but the American electorate had been brainwashed into thinking she was a communist lesbian who sacrificed babies to Satin while organizing a child sex ring.

We don't have to "understand" or "reach out" to these people but we do need to take them into consideration if we want to win elections.

[ffr]

20. No question. Your followup comments are right on the mark.

Had one of the soft reds comment to me that war isn't ever going to happen under tRump. I thanked him for including me in with his discretion and that I'll have him on speed dial when the birds start to fly.

[Achilleaze]

21. If the Republican Draft-Dodger-in-chief picks a war with China, it ain't staying overseas

you can bet your ass it will come to the freakin fruited plains.

Sad.

[TubbersUK]

22. Australia would be critical in this scenario I guess

Bannon might not be too pleased with Trump's recent telephone antics.

[no_hypocrisy]

24. Somehow I don't think China will lend us the money for this war . . . . .

[tecelote]

26. Good point.

But Trump might just see it as a way for us to erase the debt we owe China.

[The Sand Reckoner]

27. Still blows my mind

that people who rejected Clinton because she was a "warmonger" somehow thought that Trump wouldn't be.

There is not one thing that people disliked about Clinton and said kept them from supporting her as president that isn't far, far worse with Trump. Except for having a vagina. Gee...

[bdamomma]

47. again they voted for

a sick mentally ill man. Why can't they see this??? Can't they arrest him now?

Please.

[world wide wally]

60. They voted for Trump because he is a Republican like they are.

The rest about emails, Benghazi, or her not reaching out to them was just more Republican bullshit.

[The Sand Reckoner]

64. I'm not even talking about people

who actually voted for Trump. They were at least being consistent, if not rational. I'm talking about supposed progressives who stayed home or voted for Stein or Johnson because they couldn't support Clinton, claiming that they were sure she'd start a war. As if it weren't a sure thing with Trump.

[gademocrat7]

29. Drump and his evil cabal need to go.

They are destroying our Country.

[Orrex]

30. Golly, a war-mongering Nazi. What a shock.

Thanks again, Herr Trump!

[BeyondGeography]

31. "We"? Ok, who wants to charge the hill with Steve?

[nitpicker]

32. Oops...

What about those formerly known as 4F?

[logosoco]

33. For every person who voted for this or is not standing up to say something

(which is no one on this board,but I am saying it here anyway!)
this blood and mess is all on your hands. You voted for or did not fight against this band of hateful, greedy, shortsighted idiots. You own it.

[BlueCaliDem]

35. The Hillary-emailz-fixated M$M have the lion's share of blame. Bannon said this nine months ago!

And only now are reporting on it.

Does anyone think people would've voted for the Tangerine-Tyrant had what Bannon had said back in May 2016 been widely reported?

The failure of M$M to report on important news and facts - as opposed to baseless fluff against any Democrat - always seems to push this country to war.

I'm so sick of this corrupted but dead and gone American 4th estate.

[Marthe48]

36. Well done, angry disaffected voters

n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

41. Currently, with Mattis ginning up U.S. military, we can count on another unpaid war, possibly two,

in this Republican Administration. There might even be a draft in order to fight President Bannon's wars.

Just watch and see...

[bdamomma]

48. who will fight

for these filthy people????

[BlueCaliDem]

68. Everyone not of their "class"...whether they want to or not. eom

[bdamomma]

69. the trump supporters will be willing.

[BlueCaliDem]

70. They'll be screeching that they tried to sign up 50 times but the military wouldn't approve them.

That's their go-to excuse...while not having tried to sign up ONCE. I met quite a few of them during the Bush years, trying to get people to sign up to fight the war their guy launched - including my able-bodied 20 year old son at the time.

I told them, "Fuck Bush and fuck the war for profit. YOU sign up and go!"

[malthaussen]

37. Quelle surprise n/t

[barbtries]

38. i cannot find any other sources that i trust.

BBC does not have this story. not CNN as far as i can tell. NYTimes, not there.

how do we know if this is accurate? i just donated to the Guardian but is it accurate?

because this is fucking bad news if it's true. i want to know if it is true, definitely, unequivocally. is bannon trying to give trump a present in a place he can push the button?

[BlueCaliDem]

40. BBC is no different than CNN. The Guardian has a track record of being a strong investigative

news outlet, reporting on things U.S. Media dare not report on. They are more reputable than CNN, NYT's, L.A. Times, and any other American media (propaganda) outlet, and this has been the case since G.W. Bush and his Administration's lies to get us into invading Iraq.

[barbtries]

53. yeah, and i should have read further

the quote is from almost a year ago. i believe it is still relevant

[BlueCaliDem]

66. Bannon's quote was in May 2016, but only now is being widely reported on. It's scary to know that

Mattis, Secretary of Defense, is beefing up our military. This tells me they're gearing up for another war. That frightening prospect combined with what Bannon said back in May 2016 and the saber-rattling with Iran, tells me Trumputin is going to launch another war probably within this year.

And with 'beefing up our military' will inevitably come a draft. There just aren't enough Americans serving to fight all these wars.

Watch this space.

[Crowman2009]

42. He wants to destroy the US pacific fleet so Russia can take over.

[Scalded Nun]

43. More than a war, what he needs

is a large-scale terrorist attack.

Then it's bar the door, Katie.

[erpowers]

44. Vote For Trump Because Hillary Will Take Us To War

I remember seeing a number people saying people should vote for Donald Trump because at least he would not take the country to war, which is what was going to happen under Hillary Clinton. So, it seems liberals are going to be in the same position as some Trump supporters. We got Hillary Clinton without the competence. We have George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove all over again. However, the main problem this time around is that Steve Bannon is much worse than Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. At least the Republicans will get something out of Donald Trump.

The choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, for liberals, like the choice between George W. Bush and Al Gore, was never the lesser of two evils. One person was competent with plans to make things better and surrounded by sensible advisors. The other individual was mainly a puppet being used to further the goals of the individuals working somewhat behind the scenes. Maybe one of the things Hillary Clinton got wrong in the 2016 election was her failure to see that, whether or not Donald Trump was going to be Vladimir Putin's puppet, Donald Trump was already Steve Bannon's puppet.

[yurbud]

54. I think it was less that people voted for Trump on the war issue than that Hillary's hawkishness

gave them pause and dampened their enthusiasm.

I don't remember Al Gore being so pro-actively hawkish as Hillary was.

[C_U_L8R]

51. When they say what they're going to do....

BELIEVE IT

[yurbud]

55. If he is in the pocket of Russia, doesn't he know that Russia won't support war with China?

[maxrandb]

61. This guy thinks his 7 years in the Navy make him a effing expert

100-1 he had to get out because he couldn't meet the body fat standards.

He's an embarrassment to the Naval Service, and an even bigger embarrassment to the Naval Officer Corps.

I served 30 years. 15 Years to the rank of Chief Petty Officer, and then 15 years as an LDO Navy "Mustang" Officer.

Bet this guy was a "real peach" when he was on active duty.

Haven't met anyone who admits to ever being stationed with him. Would like to know some detail about his Navy "service". Something tells me he was a sniveling little weasel back then too.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

65. Only the truly insane propagate war as an approach to settling international disagreements.

We all remember how well that worked out for the Bush/Chaney cabal, thousand of casualties, 4 trillion plus pissed away, Middle East destabilized and finishing with the great recession.

[muntrv]

71. I'll support the war

if Bannon enlists.