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Mark Green's New Democracy Project sponsored a "Books on Bush" discussion at NYU's Skirball Theater. What a great night in a great setting (and Peggy Kerry and Robert Grunwald were in attendance). Each author spoke for 15+ minutes and then they all answered questions for about half an hour. Here's some quotes and comments in order of appearance. I hand wrote the quotes, but they're mostly word-for-word, with occasional paraphrasing.
Mark Green spoke first (co-author of "The Book on Bush" with Eric Alterman). He may not be well known nationally, but he's been a strong progressive voice for decades. He was a public interest lawyer who worked with Ralph Nader, worked as NYC Consumer Affairs Commissioner and then Public Advocate, and lost the mayoral election to Bloomberg. He may not be a great political schmoozer, but he is a persistent, strong voice for progressives.
"All Presidents lie, but george bush is different. If dissembly were an Olympic sport, bush would win the Gold, Silver, and Bronze."
Green quoted Lincoln's comment about an opponent: "He has such a high regard for the truth he uses it sparingly."
"A radical is no longer a kid with long hair in the 60's." Green then listed the extremist policies of bush.
Green said that Giuliani's speech tonight will compare bush to Churchill. "Churchill foresaw the rise of the Nazis. Bush ignored al Queda before 9/11. Churchill went to war with Hitler. Bush went after a country that didn't attack us."
Paul Krugman spoke next ("The Great Unraveling," NYT columnist). He received a loud standing ovation when he stepped to the podium.
"If we ever come out of the other end of this tunnel, we'll look back and realize that the last three years are some of the most shameful in American history."
He spoke of how bush not only lies, but says things that are appear to be true but spoken in a way that is meant to deliberately mislead. Speaking of how bush uses statistics to mislead the public, Krugman said, "If Bill Gates walks into a bar the average net worth of the patrons of the bar is a couple of billion dollars."
Krugman then moved into a chilling discussion about the radical right in America today. This radical movement has been building for several decades, and it will not end with a Kerry victory in November. "Getting rid of bush is necessary, but not sufficient."
"The left (in America today) is the position formerly known as the center."
Krugman thought about what could stop the radical right. "We need an enormous unearthing of the scandals, a mega-Watergate, otherwise this won't be the country we grew up in."
Krugman did not seem too optimistic when saying this. He seemed almost at a loss for a solution to fight back against the right's stranglehold on our government and mainstream media, and its' vicious attacks against any that oppose it. He seemed deeply concerned that no matter what happens in November, we will be overwhelmed by the radical right.
Craig Unger spoke next ("House of Bush, House of Saud"). He said, "The 9/11 Commission selectively omitted facts that were explosive."
"The flight from Tampa to Lexington, KY carrying the Saudis after 9/11 needed White House approval and got it."
"Before 9/11 the Saudis had Visa Express. They were the only country in the world where a person could get a Visa by a third party. They didn't even have to show up in person."
"I live five blocks from Ground Zero, and seeing bush lauded as a great hero in the war on terror can be a bit hard to take."
Unger mentioned PNAC and World War Four (James Woolsey?--I'm unfamiliar with this). He said the Iraq war has become a war on oil facilities. He said we're moving into a new era of oil wars.
Sidney Blumenthal spoke next ("The Clinton Wars", adviser to our last elected President). "I'm delighted Mark Green has convened this first meeting of the New York Subway Veterans for Truth."
"The most insidious lie about John Kerry is that the Swift Boat controversy is his own fault, that he brought it on himself."
"The night before I joined the Clinton White House, Matt Drudge's website said I had a secret history of domestic abuse and had destroyed arrest records."
Blumenthal had a conversation with repug Senator Alan Simpson. He told him, "You know Whitewater was nonsense." Simpson said, "Sure I do, it just got out of hand."
Rush Limbaugh told the truth about Whitewater. He said, "Whitewater was about healthcare. A pseudo scandal was created to stop the Clinton healthcare plan."
"More than 1,000 FBI agents were used to investigate Clinton's campaign finance, which was four times what was used to investigate the first attack on the WTC. There was not one indictment."
Blumenthal quoted Walt Whitman: "The President is there in the White House for you. It is not you who is there for the President."
Joe Wilson was the last speaker ("The Politics of Truth"). While there was no new info on Fitzgerald's investigation, he gave a powerful speech. He said that Sid Blumenthal is a good friend, and that he and his wife had been a pillar of strength for Joe and Valerie. Blumenthal had told Wilson, "Remember, when everything is swirling around you, you are still innocent."
Speaking of the mainstream media's reporting on the Senate Intelligence Report that supposedly proved Wilson wrong about Niger and the 16 words, Wilson said, "A rather docile American press decided it could not take the time to actually read the seven pages of the Senate Report."
"They revealed my wife's identity, but the person who put the 16 words in the State of the Union Address is still unknown."
Wilson said that the recent smear on himself and his wife was a dress rehearsal for the Swift Boat Veterans smear of Kerry.
Wilson said one intention of the attacks on him and his wife were to send this message: "Should a citizen ever use his responsibility to hold his government to account, then this administration will use everything in its power to destroy you and your family. Be afraid, be very afraid."
Wilson closed by saying that as he travels around the country, he's met a lot of people, some from Central Europe, who say they've seen this before. "There's a whiff of fascism. Beware, you will not know it's happening until it's too late." Wilson left the stage to a standing ovation.
There was then some handwritten questions from the audience that had been collected earlier. Here's some comments made about them.
Unger: " 'Conspiracy theorist' has become the new red-baiting." They've been calling him that for ten years since he began investigating Carlyle.
Green: "Since FDR, the economic growth rate under Dem Presidents is two to three times greater than under repug Presidents."
Krugman: "John Kerry almost single handedly brought down BCCI." He said one extra incentive bush has to win in November is to avoid being investigated.
Wilson: "The operating blueprint of this presidency was PNAC", not what bush said during his campaign.
The overriding theme of the night, illustrated by all the speakers, was that bush is a radical president whose policies are not what most Americans believe in. Yet through blatant lying and vicious smear campaigns against those who speak out against them, they are able to remain in power. All of these authors have been victims of rightwing smear campaigns.There was much discussion about the mainstream media and how they no longer are journalists. Blumenthal spoke of how they will report what each side says, but will not report which is speaking the truth. Green spoke of how the left is learning to fight back stronger. But to me, the effectiveness of the manufactured bullshit of the Swift Boat smear was what hung in the air tonight. At times, the speakers seemed uncertain about how to combat the viciousness of the right and the deathgrip it has on the media and much of the American public. Krugman and Wilson both alluded to a rising tide of fascism in America (and remember, fascism in Germany wasn't defeated from within).
Krugman said it might take a mega-Watergate to expose the radical right for what they really are. To me, that mega-Watergate has already happened. It's 9/11, and if the truth of that day is ever revealed the rightwing in America will be discredited for decades.
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