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Glenn Beck
Will Republicans Lose Big in November?; Is JonBenet Ramsey Murder Suspect Insane?
Aired August 25, 2006 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
GLENN BECK, HOST: All right, coming up: The suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey case, is he eccentric or freaking nuts?
Plus: my exclusive interview with Senator Joe Lieberman made news all over the country. Find out why, coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: He has made a startling confession. He has made headlines all over the world. Now he`s making fabulous clothes. Introducing the Captain High Pants pale and creepy collection. If you like collecting child porn, and want to look good doing it, check out the Captain High Pants pale and creepy collection.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BECK: I think we can blur his face a little bit more than that.
After a real bizarre week, Captain High Pants, the main suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey case, the guy who we call Captain High Pants, because he is not going to get any more fame on this program, he arrived in Colorado jail yesterday.
And I`m sure he`s going to be mighty popular there. Some of Captain High Pants` friends and advisers, his family, have, oh, no, he`s not insane. He`s just different.
Different? You know what? He may not be insane, but I got to tell you, I`m about to go insane, because this country, I`m telling you, is spiraling out of control.
Different? An Ohio guy, earlier this week -- well, he`s accused of sexually assaulting nine boys with physical and mental disabilities. He told a judge, he`s just different. Having sex with children is his sacred ritual, a sacred ritual protected by civil rights laws.
I got to tell you, I know our society likes to see both sides of every stinking story, but you know what? Sometimes, there`s not two sides. There is not two sides to every story. You know, it is just -- some things are just indisputably wrong. Child molestation -- call me crazy -- one of those things, no real gray areas that I can see.
You don`t say, you know, I really like blondes, but Fred over here, he prefers 8-year-old boys. Just a matter of taste.
No, it is not. Now, I know I may have to take sensitivity training for my hateful remarks in this country, yes, the way we have set it up now, but I`m going to take a stand. I`m, yes, solidly anti-child molesting. And I think most Americans are, as well.
Captain High Pants, he`s just different.
You know, he might use the different thing as an excuse. He might use his bad childhood as a defense. It came out recently, his mom tried to burn him when he was a kid. And I don`t mean like, oh, don`t touch that, I mean, you know, making him into the "Wicker Man."
It`s -- it is a pretty serious charge. And I`m sure, if that happened, well, I`m sure that would affect you in life. But you know what? We all have stuff, don`t we? My mother killed herself when I was 13 years old, a history of alcoholism in the family, did drugs every day of my life for God knows how long.
Things are starting to come together for you as a viewer right now, aren`t they?
Anyway, the loser part might of my life, when I was more of a loser than I am now, used to say, oh, poor me. And I used those things as excuses. I don`t anymore. And I`m sure you have baggage, too. I mean, don`t you have some things that you could whine about, if you wanted to?
But it is what we do with the baggage that matters. You can either let it destroy you, or you can use it to build character, make you stronger. As far as I know, Oprah Winfrey was raped as a kid; Teri Hatcher, molested. They didn`t use their trauma to -- you know, an excuse to go to the dark side.
One day, several years ago, my dad, who is Spock -- I don`t mean Dr. Spock -- I mean pointy-ears Spock -- he was -- I was talking to him. And I was complaining about my life. I have been through so many bad things."
And he said, yes, my goodness, how have you gotten through all of it? You should make a list, son.
It was this -- at this point, it was before I really knew that my father had a sarcastic side to him. I did make that list. And I got to, like, number six before I realized what my dad was trying to teach me.
Every bad experience that happened to me in my life led to something positive. I realized, I`m successful and happy because of the bad experiences. They made me stronger. I also realized there is really kind of a fine line between crazy and successful.
So, here`s what I know tonight. I know there is no such thing as a bad experience. It is what you do with it that matters. What doesn`t kill you makes you stronger. I also know I really, truly believe in mental illness. I believe you can be insane and not know what you`re doing.
But I don`t really buy into excuses. And I`m sick of hearing of them in -- in this country. I laugh every time I watch a TV show, you know, some 20-somethings, and they -- you know, they`re not alcoholics. They`re like: I -- I just didn`t know what I was doing. I was drinking when I slept with him. What?
Please. You`re not an alcoholic. What a bunch of bullcrap that is. You didn`t black out. Trust me. I blacked out countless times. It is like being a step away from death. Alcohol unties your inhibitions and loosens your tongue, Mr. Mel Gibson. It doesn`t transform you into something else.
There is no excuse for that, and, in my book, no excuse for raping kids, no matter if mom was there with the presto logs or not.
Here is what I don`t know. I don`t know how far insanity is from success. Why is it that the same things which cripple some people propel others to great achievements? I also don`t know why our society allows you to take the easy path most times. I mean, isn`t the point of our time here on Earth to pull ourselves up from the mud, you know, to -- to be better than we allow ourselves to be?
But our society and our culture in America today seems to be telling you, oh, lay back down in the mud. It is OK. Some people will actually tell you, it is just the way you are. Lay here in the mud. It is all right.
Dr. Jack Levin, he`s a criminologist from Northeastern University.
Dr. Levin, lots of people have childhood tragedy.
DR. JACK LEVIN, CRIMINOLOGIST, NORTHERN UNIVERSITY: Mmm-hmm.
BECK: How come some people can move past it, and others become psychos?
LEVIN: Well, you know, it is true that there are many sexual sadists, those who kill and commit senseless crimes who have -- who have really suffered a great deal as children.
But, as you point out, there are hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people who have suffered, and -- and they get over it. They grow up...
BECK: Right.
LEVIN: ... and become healthy, upstanding citizens, never kill anyone.
BECK: So, can you -- are -- are there those sexual rapists, killer, I mean, psychopaths, that -- that didn`t -- that had a good childhood?
LEVIN: There are a few.
I mean, I have -- I have been studying these guys for more than 25 years, and there are some who -- who really are an enigma. You really don`t know where it comes from. Maybe it is faulty wiring. But, you know, we`re not always talking about sociopaths.
We`re -- we`re talking about children who have been sexually stimulated by a parent.
BECK: Yes.
LEVIN: We`re talking about those who have been abandoned or adopted under terrible circumstances, physically and verbally abused. Now, this makes them feel profoundly powerless. They -- they just don`t feel important.
And -- and, again, that is true of hundreds of thousands of people.
BECK: Mmm-hmm.
LEVIN: And most of them grow up. They become business executives who hire and fire and wheel and deal. They may become tough-minded lawyers who are great in the courtroom. They may be professors who are extremely hard on their students, give them bad grades. Makes them feel important. It makes them feel powerful.
BECK: So...
LEVIN: There are legitimate ways of doing it.
But, for some reason, these -- these -- these sexual sadists, these child molesters, can`t seem to feel good about themselves when they do the right thing.
BECK: Let -- let`s -- let`s move to Captain High Pants, as we like to call him on this program, because I refuse to give him any more -- any more fame.
This guy -- on a scale of one to 10, just -- just based on what you have seen in the press -- and I know this is hard to judge -- but, if -- if this guy strolled into you, on a scale of one to 10, one being, oh, he would be a fine neighbor, 10 being, oh, dear God, he`s a dangerous man, where do you put him?
LEVIN: I would say 12.
(LAUGHTER)
LEVIN: You know -- and it is not based on his demeanor, necessarily.
You know, after we know he`s a suspect in this kind of horrendous case -- you know, everybody is a psychologist. And, with the benefit of hindsight, we examine every little idiosyncrasy, hoping to determine the warning signs.
Well, that`s after the fact. And, before the fact, he still had all of these warning signs. Nobody seemed to...
BECK: Mmm-hmm.
LEVIN: ... think it was very important.
But I will tell you, this is a delusional person, who had a rich and perverted fantasy life. For four years, he...
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: He believes it, doesn`t he?
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: Doesn`t he? He -- he actually...
LEVIN: Yes.
BECK: ... believes all of the crap that is...
(CROSSTALK)
LEVIN: Oh, I -- I think that`s true. I think, you know, at first, it looked like he was one of these false confessors.
BECK: Right.
LEVIN: But that is superficial. This is a lot more profound.
This guy, for four years, e-mailed in his conversation with a professor in Colorado. My goodness, he is so delusional -- not the professor, necessarily, but...
BECK: Right.
LEVIN: ... but the suspect. And you know what? He -- he -- his fantasies focused on JonBenet Ramsey.
BECK: Right.
Jack, I have got to run, but thank you so much. Appreciate it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: All right.
Senator Joe Lieberman and I have a very long history. We have been very good friends. We have had a falling out. Actually, we hadn`t spoken in eight years, until this morning.
Joe Lieberman was on the radio program earlier today. And we talked about everything, from the war in the Middle East, to the future of the Democratic Party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: I remember you coming down to my fund-raisers.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Yes.
BECK: And you would bring a bag of groceries. And you and I would talk. And you...
LIEBERMAN: Yes.
BECK: ... and I would talk. And you -- we would always end the conversation with the same thing: Joe, you`re in the wrong party.
And you would say, No, Glenn, you`re in the wrong party.
(LAUGHTER)
BECK: It appears as though a lot of people in your party say, you`re in the wrong party.
LIEBERMAN: Yes.
BECK: Do you feel betrayed at all? I mean, they have just filed paperwork to get -- to kick you out as a senator.
LIEBERMAN: Yes.
BECK: How do you feel about that?
LIEBERMAN: Oh, I -- I think it`s nutty.
And, I mean, you know, I have accused Ned Lamont of representing the old politics of partisanship and polarization. But this -- this group of his supporters represents an older politics that sounds more like the Soviet Union, where they would love to purge people from the official list of party members, because they weren`t thought to be 100 percent.
I mean, I think that`s going fade away. And -- and...
(CROSSTALK)
LIEBERMAN: But it -- but it`s a sign of the times.
And, you know, my answer to those -- those discussions we used to have was that I am fighting to -- to make sure that there is, in each of our two great parties, a strong national security wing, because -- because, otherwise, America loses.
BECK: Do the people in Washington not sense that the majority of Americans could give a flying crap if you`re a Democrat or a Republican? We want answers. And we are screaming for answers on the border. We are screaming for answers on Iraq.
LIEBERMAN: Right.
You know, I -- I -- you know, they act as if they don`t hear it, but what I hear out here is exactly what you hear. And I keep meeting people in Connecticut, since the primary, who say: You know, I`m -- I`m a Republican. I`m a Democrat. I`m unaffiliated. But, hey, I don`t vote the party. I just vote for who I think can do the best job. And that`s what I expect you to do as my senator, not -- just do what you think is right, and most of all, get something done for us.
I think I have a -- a mission here. And I`m -- I`m going go at it with full force, and I thank you for your support.
BECK: Thank you very much.
LIEBERMAN: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: All right.
In his editorial piece on -- in Sunday`s "New York Times," Frank Rich, who just makes my eyes bleed every time I read him, made the argument that the war on terror doesn`t scare the American public anymore. He says, Republicans won`t be able to use terrorism to scare people in order to get elected, and that the poll numbers will reflect this.
I said on the radio on Monday I actually hope, for the first time in my life, that Frank Rich was right. I don`t want people to be scared by the war on terror. I want them to not just vote for a Republican or Democrat because they`re afraid. I want you to understand what`s going on. That way, people like Frank Rich won`t be able to call me a fear monger anymore, when I talk about what could be coming.
What Frank doesn`t understand, though, is that I think most Americans are genuinely afraid of being vaporized by Islamic terrorists. We`re not afraid of Democrats taking control of the government, or -- or Republicans losing.
Well, Frank Rich and his sterling record of being absolutely wrong every single time is still intact today. President Bush`s approval ratings have risen substantially in the past week. Why? Because the American people know, in their gut, something is coming. And, while it is connected to Iraq, it isn`t Iraq.
Stuart Rothenberg is the editor and publisher of the nonpartisan "Rothenberg Political Report."
Stuart, what is it going to take for people in our country to talk about the global scope of terror without tying it to Republicans or Democrats?
STUART ROTHENBERG, "THE ROTHENBERG POLITICAL REPORT": Well that`s a tough question, Glenn.
I think what is going to have to happen is, politicians, probably Republican politicians, probably the president, are going to have to go back to the wealth of the American public and put the war in Iraq in the broader context.
Right now, the public is being hammered every day with stories about Iraq, the reactions to Iraq. When you get a bigger picture, then people will respond to it.
BECK: But you know what? I -- I -- see, this is the problem. I -- before we went into Iraq, I said, we`re not going in for weapons of mass destruction. We`re not going in for, you know, humanitarian reasons. Otherwise, we would have been in Somalia.
We`re going in to crush the head of the snake of Iran. And I -- I`m telling you, the president only outlined that in one speech before we went in. I think it was a critical error.
How do you reframe it now, without looking like you`re insane?
ROTHENBERG: It`s -- it`s really difficult, because people react to the daily news on television, in the newspapers, and the daily news is what happened yesterday, or the day before, the day before. And it has to do with the decapitations and car bombings and the like.
Only when you get an event that puts Iraq into the broader war does the public start to focus on that.
So, I think it`s very difficult. It really is going to be news- driven, and the media right now is focused on Iraq.
BECK: So, how do you -- how do you sell -- I don`t understand this -- how do you sell the fear of terror, and that we are going protect you, when that really isn`t even in the news? I guess, is it just -- is it just that nothing has happened? Is that the good news that they`re hearing, or not hearing, if...
ROTHENBERG: Yes.
BECK: Do you understand what my question is, Stuart?
ROTHENBERG: Yes. Oh, I do. I do. And it`s really difficult. And it`s really difficult now for the president for this reason.
Glenn, the president has been in office now for almost six years. And opinion about him has gelled. People have become depressed, soured, disappointed about some of the performance, certainly in Iraq, with Katrina, and the like. And, so, they don`t want to listen to White House. So, I -- I don`t think there`s an easy answer.
You would think that events that have occurred, whether in Britain or Canada or the like, would get people to refocus on the war against terror, but, so far, they haven`t.
BECK: This isn`t really, historically -- I don`t know if you`re the right guy to answer this. Historically, this isn`t that different. I mean, if you look at it -- you know, I know it was before polls, but, I mean, if you looked at the public`s reaction to people like Abraham Lincoln, when we were in the throes of war, it really wasn`t so good for Abraham Lincoln.
ROTHENBERG: Well, I think what the -- the problem is, when you look at the president`s performance -- and you talked about the uptick. And it is up by a couple points in a recent CNN poll. But, still, people don`t give the president the credit they once did...
BECK: Right.
ROTHENBERG: ... for integrity, for being forthright, for being honest. He doesn`t have this reservoir of goodwill.
I think Lincoln was able to mobilize public opinion about a big -- about a big idea. This president now...
BECK: Right.
ROTHENBERG: ... is into little things.
BECK: Republicans, they -- they were calling for huge losses this fall. Do you think that`s still accurate? Are we just -- we`re just too far away, aren`t we?
ROTHENBERG: No. This is going to be a bad year for Republicans for the House and the Senate. Voters want change. At least that`s what they`re telling the pollsters.
BECK: Right.
ROTHENBERG: It`s up to the Republicans to change that.
BECK: Think people are smart enough? Because, you know, I want to throw all of them out, quite honestly. Do you think people are start enough to just -- are they just looking at D`s and R`s , or are they smart enough to say, this person -- will it become a local thing?
ROTHENBERG: Yes. That -- that`s two questions, really.
Voters don`t like any politicians and any incumbents, but the Republicans are perceived to control everything. So, they will be hurt.
BECK: Right.
ROTHENBERG: And the question is on local. Can the Republicans localize between now and November? Can they rip the hide off individual Democratic candidates in Connecticut and Pennsylvania and Montana? And, if they can, the Republicans can hold the House and the Senate. If they can`t, the House is probably going to turn.
The Senate is tougher for the Democrats. The Republicans have a better chance to hold it.
BECK: Stuart, thanks a lot.
ROTHENBERG: Sure.
BECK: I -- I will tell you, as a viewer, I -- I just want you to know, we`re not going talk a lot about politics, because it is so much bigger than Republicans and Democrats.
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: By the way, more on my interview with Senator Lieberman coming up. I asked him if he was as concerned about this global war on terror. And I talked to him about the end of the West. Wait until you hear his answer -- coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: Oh, this show is creeping me out, man. We got to let -- you know, put some levity into it.
Every day, you can hear my radio program on great radio stations all across the country, like 960 WELI in New Haven, 830 AM KLAA from Los Angeles.
And from L.A. is Brian Whitman.
Hello, Brian.
BRIAN WHITMAN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hello, Glenn. How are you, my friend?
BECK: I was pretty good. You know, I was a little freaked out with the snake on a plane...
WHITMAN: Yes.
BECK: ... John Mark Karr, over the weekend.
WHITMAN: Yes.
BECK: You know...
WHITMAN: Yes.
BECK: ... that footage. That guy just is creeping me out. Is he that way with you?
WHITMAN: You know, I saw that, and I thought not the typical business-class passenger.
(LAUGHTER)
BECK: You know, I think I would rather sit next to somebody with a screaming baby all the way to the Orient than that guy.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITMAN: No, you...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITMAN: I don`t know what it is, Glenn.
Is it the Dockers yanked up over the navel, your grandfather`s look?
BECK: Could be.
WHITMAN: Or, perhaps, it`s the golf shirt, with the three buttons that he insists on fastening all the way to the top. That`s not a look that you see very commonly.
BECK: Part of me said that we should have -- we should have gotten, like, the two fattest people -- like, we should have gotten, like, Michael Moore and the current fat guy...
(LAUGHTER)
BECK: ... from Saturday Night Live and had him sit there in coach, in between these two guys, like this.
Unfortunately, when I really think that through, he`s skinny enough to sit fully relaxed between two fat guys in coach, and have enough room.
WHITMAN: Well, this is -- seriously, if you`re in coach or economy class, John Mark Karr is the guy you want to be sitting next to.
BECK: He is. Well...
WHITMAN: Because you got a lot of elbow room there.
BECK: Right. Right. Mmm-hmm.
You know, what`s interesting to me...
(LAUGHTER)
BECK: ... is his wife never turned him in.
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: His wife said -- I mean, his ex-wife, who does not have a good relationship, is afraid of him, says that she didn`t -- she thinks...
WHITMAN: Oh, you think?
BECK: ... she was with him. And I -- I think most people with an ex, if they had the opportunity, they would be like: Wait a minute. If I don`t provide an alibi, you put him in jail forever?
(LAUGHTER)
BECK: I mean, how many people would just say, no, he wasn`t with me?
WHITMAN: Nope, don`t know him.
BECK: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITMAN: Don`t know -- I have never seen that man wearing the eyeliner.
BECK: Right.
WHITMAN: It`s weird.
BECK: Did you see the -- did you see the study that says that married couples live longer than single people?
WHITMAN: I did see that, Glenn. And I thought, you know what? That doesn`t surprise me, because us single people, we`re more likely to live harder, to drink more, to drive faster.
I would rather have 60, 65 really intense years than, say, 85 really boring years...
BECK: Right.
WHITMAN: ... with the same person.
BECK: Yes, this is the guy who`s constantly on antidepressants. I don`t think...
WHITMAN: Well...
BECK: ... I`m going to listen to you.
WHITMAN: You know, I think the single guy with the Wellbutrin, that helps out.
BECK: Right.
WHITMAN: I have...
BECK: Sure.
WHITMAN: ... the once daily. I have turned the corner, Glenn.
BECK: Really?
(LAUGHTER)
WHITMAN: I -- yes.
BECK: Go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITMAN: I`m coasting toward happiness.
BECK: Actually, it`s because, I mean, if you are married, you are living just a -- you`re living a better life.
I...
WHITMAN: Well...
BECK: You know, you -- you become fatter, at least guys do. I mean, once guys get married, then they`re thinking, you know, there`s no reason for me to eat salad anymore. She`s legally bound to have sex with me now.
(LAUGHTER)
BECK: Right?
WHITMAN: I`m the exception to the rule. I`m the fat single guy, which is a nice combo.
BECK: Right.
WHITMAN: You want to be both of those things.
BECK: Yes.
WHITMAN: I saw -- I saw a survey that there are a billion fat people in the world and 800 -- and 800 million starving people.
So, the fatties are now out -- outnumbering the starving people. And I have to say, as an overweight guy, I don`t know if the government needs to compel us to do it, but us fat people really need to kind of spread the food around.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITMAN: There`s -- there`s a lot of...
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: We could just have a bunch of starving people eat you.
WHITMAN: Well, that`s also an option.
BECK: Yes.
WHITMAN: But, you know, the fat people really need to break loose with the Chips Ahoy...
(LAUGHTER)
WHITMAN: ... and, you know, get some of them to the people who really need them.
BECK: Right.
WHITMAN: It`s -- it`s...
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: I don`t know if we should be sending Chips Ahoy to Ethiopia, but I appreciate the thought.
Brian, from Los Angeles, thank you so much, sir.
WHITMAN: Thank you, buddy.
BECK: Freak.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: All right. Welcome to "The Real Story." This is the part of the show where we take a look at some of the stories that the media is reporting
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECK: All right, welcome to "The Real Story." This is the part of the show where we take a look at some of the stories that the media is reporting for what I think are all the wrong reasons. But before we get started, I want you to listen to a few comments that President Bush made earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And, therefore, those who heralded the decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people just simply don`t see the world the way we do. They see, you know, maybe these kind of isolated incidents. These aren`t isolated incidents. They`re tied together. There is a global war going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Thank you. Finally, finally somebody who knows a heck of a lot more than me confirming what I`ve been saying all along. What we`ve been seeing lately, all of these unrelated stories that are coming in from all over the world, they`re all connected. I swear to you, sometimes I feel like Russell Crowe in "A Beautiful Mind." I see yarn connecting everything. I really do.
Now, I want you to keep those comments in mind as I tell you these next two stories.
First, the big story today is John Mark Karr, the accused killer of JonBenet Ramsey, how he sipped champagne and ate cake during the extradition flight back to the U.S. Oh, the humanity.
But the real story here is more important, and it`s based on three separate headlines that have come out in the last few days. First, there was a little story buried on page eight of the "New York Times" on Sunday saying that Iran has apparently been shelling portions of northern Iraq with artillery for at least the past four days and, according to the article -- and I quote -- "it is unclear what weaponry or troops Iran has amassed along the border with Iraqi Kurdistan."
Next, also on Sunday, Iran launched tests of at least 10 surface-to- surface missiles near the Iraqi border.
And finally, just today, Iran has reportedly turned away U.N. inspectors who were there to examine an underground nuclear site, a clear violation of the nonproliferation treaty. All this, of course, comes on the eve of August 22nd, the day that Iran is supposed to formally give their answer to the world about their nuclear program, also the day that noted scholar Bernard Lewis thinks it just might be the end of the world.
Now, I`m not jumping on that bandwagon, but I do believe that Iran is ready to play their next card, and it may just be their ace. Watch what happens in Kurdistan.
Second story, it`s something you probably missed because it was buried inside of an article over the weekend. On Saturday, 1,200 Muslims turned out in London for a pro-Hezbollah rally organized by a group whose stated goal is to unite Muslims together under a state run by Islamic law.
Now, 1,200 Muslims protesting may not seem like a big deal to you, but the real story is that it is becoming apparent that this is not about the Arab world. This is the Islamic world.
In 1967, Israel fought and won a war against Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. Since then, Muslims have been looking for a rallying cry, a leader to unite them, again bring all of them together to go to war again against Israel and the West, a war not just to regain the land that they believe was stolen from them, but also to avenge the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Israelis almost 40 years ago.
Hezbollah`s defeat of Israel is that new Muslim rallying cry. You can hear it in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. And Iran is quickly becoming the leader.
So they are starting to unite. If you think 1,200 people marching in the streets of London is an isolated incident, I ask you to remember the words of the president this morning: We are in a global war. There is no such thing as an isolated incident. These stories are all connected.
Walid Phares, he`s the author of "Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against America."
Walid, the phrase, "We have no army but Hezbollah," is frightening on multiple levels. They are really starting to unite the entire Muslim world, are they not?
WALID PHARES, AUTHOR, "FUTURE JIHAD": Well, the jihadists, Glenn, are uniting themselves. They are projecting themselves as, quote, unquote, "the army of the Muslim world." What they really want to see happening is the collapse of 21 Arab country governments and about 30 Muslim governments around the world -- and guess what? -- erect instead of these governments a superpower, a super-government they call the caliphate.
And that caliphate, in the mind of the jihadists, of course, (INAUDIBLE) would be equipped with weapons, will have all the oil of the region, and will pursue policies such as what`s happening in Lebanon and Israel, but also beyond.
BECK: Tomorrow, you know, it`s August 22nd. I don`t know. Do you buy into that August 22nd that something`s going to happen in the Muslim world?
PHARES: Well, what may happen is that the president of Iran will make a big declaration. He may also shoot a rocket or a missile, but basically what I believe has happened with the jihadists worldwide is that, if they acquire that weapon or that surprise, they will then look at the dates and then merge both. So we`re going to wait and see for tomorrow.
BECK: Right. On tomorrow`s radio program, I`m going to talk a little bit about what we should watch for in the future. And one of the signs that we`re going to talk about is watching Hezbollah take over Lebanon. That is a really bad sign.
Do you think that there`s a hostile takeover coming or some sort of an overthrow of Lebanon with Hezbollah, that they gained power somehow or another?
PHARES: Glenn, let me say it quickly, it has already started. Plan A of Hezbollah was when they attacked Israel that they will have a limited answer and then they will crumble the government, that Israel, you know, reacted very harshly, but also did not crumble Hezbollah. So what we`re going to see in the next few days, months, if the United Nations Security Council doesn`t send serious multinational forces...
BECK: That`s not going to happen.
PHARES: ... that a slow but sure takeover of the government, unfortunately, Glenn, as we`re seeing.
BECK: The Muslim world is -- I mean, most people see this, and there are still these people -- and I don`t even get it. How they can look at what`s happening over the Middle East and saying, "Oh, well, let`s -- this is all about oil, and we should get out of there." I mean, there`s really no escape here. What do you see happening in Europe? I mean, Europe is toast if this thing starts to crumble.
PHARES: Well, all the European elites, establishments, governments, since at least 1973, where they wanted to ensure a cheap flow of oil, you know, committed a political suicide. They did not assist the real democracies in the region. They crumbled. And they considered Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and even Al Qaeda as freedom fighters. And then London, Madrid and possibly other places are going to be paying the price, unfortunately.
BECK: I`ve been doing my homework in the last few days, trying to talk to some real experts off-air to kind of pass on my theories and say, you know, before I present them on the radio tomorrow, where am I right? Where am I wrong? I talked to one guy today who said he believes that, if we don`t wake up soon, it`s the collapse of the West. Do you think that`s a possibility?
PHARES: Well, the collapse of the West, unfortunately, has started. I mean, these waves since the `20s, the `30s, and again the `80s, the `90s, all these attacks against the United States and Western targets, more important than the West to start with, the friends of the West have been abandoned for so many years.
I mean, the Iranian people, the Lebanese people, the Iraqi people have shown that they want a democracy, but they are crushed by jihadist regimes. This is where the West begin to feel that the next wave is going to be in Europe and the one after in the United States.
BECK: Our friends here in the United States, when we see people in Dearborn, Michigan -- I`ve only got about 20 seconds -- Dearborn, Michigan, are there enough good in those communicates to be able to crush the bad that are growing in those communities?
PHARES: Glenn, the majority of Muslims and Arabs are the good people, but the minority which has the control over the media, which in the Mideast has the control over terrorism, can deter them. We need to help the good people.
BECK: Good. Walid, thank you very much.
Now, as you may or may not know, we`ve been talking about it: August 22nd, possibly the end of the world. Iran`s president, "Ahmadimajob," has some pretty big plans in store for tomorrow. Oh, well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: In a world where every day may be your last comes a movie so frightening you`ll think it`s real. Actually, it is real. It`s the end of the world, directed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and starring a cast of thousands, and thousands, and thousands. Opens tomorrow and closes tomorrow. This apocalypse has not yet been rated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: Why is it there aren`t more politicians saying, "Guys, this is World War III, we are in deep trouble"?
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: You know, you`ve got to look at what happened in Lebanon as another battlefield in what is a global war, in which Islamist extremists have attacked us, and they are in it for the long haul. You got to look at the question of how we end our involvement in Iraq in the same way. If we walk away, then the Iranians will, as sure as I`m talking to you, surge into Iraq, certainly take over the south and all the oil that`s there.
BECK: Look, we will have $200 barrel of oil overnight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECK: You know, I told him that I really thought that, if we lose this war, it would be the end of the West. And he agreed with me. If you want to hear this interview, we`ve made it free audio at glennbeck.com.
Now, if you watch the show a lot, you probably know that -- you know, nobody is ever really going to accuse me of not talking enough about Iran or World War III or the massive fight we`re undertaking against terror and extreme Islam. But even somebody like me -- I mean, somebody who gets up every morning and gets on that paranoia express to go to work can`t quite go as far as our next guest is willing to go.
So before we get to him, let me give you a quick test to see how far down Apocalypse Avenue you`re willing to drive tonight. One, do you think Iran has nuclear ambitions? Do you believe that the U.N. won`t aggressively stand up to them?
And, three, do you believe that Iran and Russia will come together to invade Israel, resulting in a world war of biblical proportions, an eventual peace treaty, and the beginning of the seven-year tribulation period, and the eventual revoking of the peace treaty by a leader who turns out to be the anti-Christ, and a campaign of Armageddon, and the second coming of Christ?
If you`re still shaking your head, "Yes," you are going to love Mark Hitchcock. He is the author of "Iran: The Coming Crisis," and the stage being set for the end times.
Mark, I`ve got to tell you, I believe in the second coming of Christ. Is this it? Do you think this is it?
MARK HITCHCOCK, AUTHOR, "IRAN: THE COMING CRISIS": Well, no, I don`t think that what we see happening right now is it. You know, this is the -- no one knows when the end is going come. But my thesis is just that a lot of the things we see happening in the world today appear to be setting the stage for the end times. We don`t know how long this stage-setting might take or what it might look like, but...
BECK: All right. So this is not it now?
HITCHCOCK: No, this is not it right now, no.
BECK: Do you believe that Iran is going to play a role in this?
HITCHCOCK: Well, I do. The Bible in Ezekiel 38, verse 5 mentions Persia as one of the nations. It mentions a whole bunch of nations, a group of them that will invade Israel in the latter years, in the last days, when Israel has been re-gathered to her land. And Persia became Iran in 1935 and became the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979, so the Bible lists the specific nations there in Ezekiel 38, and one of them is Persia.
So I think they`ll be involved in this invasion of Israel. And it doesn`t look too farfetched right now.
BECK: OK, so you`re up on Iran. I mean, these guys really do have an apocalyptic view of what`s going on. What kind of a role? What kind of a role right now? Why are you coming out and saying, you know, "end times"? What kind of role right now are they playing?
HITCHCOCK: Well, I mean, first of all, 1948 was key. Israel became a nation. They`ve been re-gathered. We see Europe reuniting, the reuniting of the Roman Empire. But we see these nations like Iran, that are mentioned in Ezekiel 38, also forming alliances with Russia, who is mentioned there, as well. And with Iran right now, their leader is of fanatical, end-of-days, messianic view, that he thinks he can actually hasten the coming of the end times.
BECK: Do you think that the anti-Christ is alive today?
HITCHCOCK: Well, no one knows for sure. You know, we can say this: If the end times are going to begin in the next 30, to 40, to 50 years, it`s very possible that he is, because obviously he`s going to have to be an adult. I wouldn`t...
(CROSSTALK)
BECK: So you think that he is possibly alive today?
HITCHCOCK: He possibly is, yes.
BECK: OK. And, I mean, for us homeowners, should we go for the 30- year fixed or the seven-year ARM? Is that...
HITCHCOCK: Well, you know, I think, when it comes to living our daily lives, I mean, I live my life every day. I get up every day and just try to serve the Lord and do what God called me to do, but I can`t look around in our world today, and read the Bible, and not see that many of the things we see happening in the world today seem to correspond or remarkably correspond with what the Bible is says.
BECK: Yes, you know, Mark, I`m having laugh and levity at your expense.
HITCHCOCK: Oh, sure, I`m not...
BECK: I will tell you that you seem like a reasonable guy. I mean, I do believe that we are in real deep, deep trouble, and you`re right. A lot of the things that are happening today, you know, are spelled out clearly in scriptures.
I just -- you know, I wonder -- I mean, I like your attitude of just, you know, live your life. I just -- I wonder if you`re going to see -- do you believe you`re going to see Jesus in the next 10 years?
HITCHCOCK: Well, the way I look at it is I think Jesus could come back at any time. He could come back any day, so I don`t...
BECK: That`s a wussy answer.
HITCHCOCK: Well, I don`t put time frames on it, because...
BECK: That`s a wussy -- I know, I know.
HITCHCOCK: ... the Lord just says, you know, to be ready at any time, so...
BECK: See, now you`re -- stop hedging. Stop hedging.
HITCHCOCK: Every day I just get up and say, you know, "Perhaps today." You know what`s interesting though? A "Newsweek" poll recently said that 17 percent of the people in America -- not Christians, just all Americans -- believe the world is going to end in their lifetime.
BECK: Yes.
HITCHCOCK: That`s almost one in five people. So even just among secular people there`s a real sense that we might be getting near closing time.
BECK: Right. Mark, thanks a lot.
You know, if so many people really do believe that we`re nearing "closing time," as Mark so eloquently puts it, you`d think there would be quite a rush to get out there and spend all our now or soon-to-be useless money.
I mean, if you`re one of the 17 percent that thinks the world will end in our lifetime, I mean, are you worrying about your 401(k)? I mean, let`s be honest. You should be on a lifelong freaking shopping spree, that`s where you should be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: If you like a bargain, then you`ll love our "end of days" sale. Everything must go, and we mean everything. We`ve got aisles and aisles and aisles and aisles and aisles of merchandise priced to move. Looking to buy land? Well, we`ve got plenty. Six continents, seven if you count Antarctica. Why let Armageddon pass you by without making that one last purchase of a lifetime?
But act now before it`s too late. Operators are standing -- operators have just been vaporized. No refunds or exchanges. Offer not valid in the afterlife. Limited time offer. Cash-only. No reasonable offer refused. Not responsible for typos. Look for our circular in your Sunday paper.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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BECK: All right. Looks like the world is coming to an end, but, hey, you know, we`ve had a good run. But since this might be our last show together, I thought we`d take a look back and look at all our best moments here on Headline News.
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BECK: Yes, that`s really it, too. Not a lot of good highlights.
Our first e-mail comes in from Mike in New York. He writes, "It`s Armageddon today. Yes, stop it, Glenn. Stop damaging weak people`s psyches and terrorizing our nation with media panic. You`re a total tool."
Well, I mean, I suppose I could point out for the 13,000th time that I wasn`t predicting Armageddon today, even though I did order a cake. We talked about the predictions of renowned Middle East scholar Bernard Lewis. But even he didn`t really predict the Apocalypse. He said, quote, "It`s far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad planned any such cataclysmic events precisely for August 22nd, but it would be wise to bear in mind the possibility."
It is amazing to me to be called a nut job for quoting a scholar who thinks we might expect aggressive behavior from a man who wants to wipe Israel off the map. I know. Sounds crazy! But, hey, who has time to actually listen? Apparently not you, Mike. Thanks.
Ken writes in, "Glenn, you brought to light the prediction that the world would end" -- again not listening -- "on August 22nd. I marked your words. I marked my calendar. This morning, 8:22, I wake up to find not just one, but two flat tires on my car."
Disturbing sign, Ken. In fact, can we bring up the elements of the perfect storm that I talked about earlier? Towards the end of that monologue we had -- no, not that one. No, the other one. Nope, not that one, either. There it is. There it is. Remember, I never said they would happen in order.
Deborah writes to my bosses here at Headline News, "Give Glenn Beck his mushroom cloud cake. Don`t be a cheapskate." Well, I am happy to report that I did get my mushroom cloud cake, and my apologies to my dad and mom who are bakers. And this cake, it has no art in it at all.
But I figure if I`m going to go out on -- you know, we`re going burst into flames, you might as well go out eating cake. And I want you to know, I`m taking this war in the Middle East and this cake very seriously. I am.
But before we leave, I have a special idea for Armageddon, our Armageddon exit sign. Project it in the sky. This is when, when everything melts down, you`ll at least know which direction to run in. There it is. I say we get one over the skies of every city in America.
END
