Gore Vidal: "Worst period I've ever seen for the United States"

KW: How would you describe the State of the Union?

GV: This is an Empire gone berserk. You’ve got a President who had every intention of militarizing the economy and militarizing the society. This had nothing to do with governance. He was mostly smearing people who pointed out his shortcomings. Now we don’t have the money anymore… We don’t have the will… People are disgusted… Katrina has turned off half a nation… And there’s all the nonsense about borders… and so on… This is the worst period that I’ve ever seen for the United States. And Marcy Winograd, at least, is a good candidate who is intelligent.
...

KW: And besides manipulating machines, they’ve used a variety of other tactics to disenfranchise black voters.

GV: Oh yeah, it was well thought out. After 2000, I said, “Watch out for 2004. They’ll have four years to perfect that one.” After 2004, you know I wrote the preface to Congressman Conyers’ book , thinking that might help get it off the ground. But it wasn’t reviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, or any daily paper in the United States, after this highly-respected Congressman and ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee had taken the time and gone to all the personal expense to do he book. When nobody would even mention it, that sounded to me like the end of the republic.

KW: What do you think was Bush’s agenda for this Presidency he wanted by any means necessary?

GV: To give his corporate friends jobs and tax cuts, from the oil people to General Electric. To make sure Halliburton wouldn’t have to bid on its contracts to rebuild a country we first knocked-down with our tax dollars.

KW: By deliberately ruining Iraq so war profiteers could rebuild its infrastructure, he ended up ruining this country in the process, given the record federal deficit, which is why so much of the Gulf Region looks the same as the day after Hurricane Katrina hit. I wonder whether Bush has a sense of the irony about that.

GV: He has no sense at all. That’s the problem. I don’t think he deliberately set out to wreck the United States, but he has. It’ll take two generations to get this country back, if we can ever get it back.

more wisdom and laughter here ...
http://eurweb.com/story/eur26667.cfm

Excellent long and chatty interview with Kam Williams, published June 1, in which Gore endorses Marcy Winograd for congress in Calif's 36th congressional district. He kills George Bush with kindness here. He touches all the bases, and even throws in a few tasty tidbits for the fans of cousin Al.

and insightful. Thanks for posting.

K & R'd

:kick:

http://www.thecorporation.com/index.php?page_id=2

detailed synopsis.

Still hoping the sheeple wake up soon.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the first time in human history. And the conclusions are always tragic.

I'd give a lot.

I think Vidal would reduce George W. Bush to bean mesh before our very eyes.

When it comes to historical perspective and associative intellect, I just don't think you wanna mess with Gore Vidal.

Especially if you're a brainless Republican.

the on-line book discount services and grab a copy or two.

LINCOLN is a masterpiece, and the others aren't bad either.

Exhilarating, and fiercely American in the Thomas Paine sense of that word.

Good stuff.

I've been looking for some good books to read. "Lincoln" would fit the bill.

from a ways back and I think Lincoln is just the thing... if you can time it so that you read it somewhere around the first week in July -- the anniversary of the Battle of Gettsyburg -- well, there's a powerful passage in the novel describing the battle itself. Vidal says the trees during the battle were "smashed to matchwood."

He gives you the weight of the war that must have been on Lincoln's shoulders.

money out of news, corruption is complete."

The above is from a Gore Vidal video clip I found on DU and DL'd a couple of months ago. If you haven't seen it yet it was WELL worth the DL time on our very pokey dial-up line: Gore Vidal Video Dial-Up Link

Hopefully we'll be able to pickup some of his books we haven't read yet soon. I know we can probably get them at the library but I know we'll want them for our book collection. B-)

That's a well-edited nine minute introduction to Gore Vidal speaking. There's links for broadband users as well. Thanks for posting it.

among other things. With the MSM it's not about reporting FACTS and making their money from actually reporting the news, it's mostly about big corporations (who own most of the MSM) getting big money gov contracts.

I appreciate that there are others that enjoy Vidal :) IMO he's a observant, intelligent, articulate and outspoken about what he sees going on.

one of the few who just tells it like it is with real style

:loveya::loveya::loveya::loveya::loveya::loveya:

Vidal is not for sale to anyone at any price for anything.

He's the last honest essayist.

:kick:

One of the sharpest minds out there.

That's what these Bushies and Neocons are all about. The money and power feed off each other. They do not create wars just to make money, but they do create wars when their money trough is threatened because they can't make money without complete power so the first goal is the power with the pay-off being all the money.