by Mike Hersh, 5-22-04

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Journalist / author Greg Palast's reporting has appeared in the Washington Post, Harper's Magazine, the Observer, the Economist, the BBC, the Guardian (UK) and several other publications. He is currently working with Martin Luther King III and the NAACP to protect voters' rights just in time for the rapidly approaching elections.

Palast won Britain's highest journalism honors for his 1998 undercover investigation of influence peddling within Tony Blair's cabinet - by Enron and other US corporations. He then turned his sleuthing skills on to the Bush money trail: uncovering for BBC and The Observer the uncomfortable truths of how the Bush Administration quashed investigations of Saudi financing of terror* - and Poppy Bush's extraordinary methods for stuffing his bank account and his son's campaign coffers.

Palast remains consistently a year or more ahead of the headlines, breaking critical stories others fear to investigate including: How Enron cheated, lied, and swindled its way into an energy monopoly.* How the Bush family stole the election in Florida* with violations of voting rights including: illegal voter purges, registrations collecting dust, millions of missing ballots, and the Bush Brothers' plan for the "Floridation" of our elections called the "Help America Vote Act."

Recently, Palast got his hands on the secret State Department "Iraq Strategy" document - the blueprint for a free-market Disneyland of, by and for Washington insiders and lobbyists - outlining the real reasons our troops are putting their lives on the line in Iraq today.

Previous editions of Palast's The Best Democracy Money Can Buy uncovered the calamitous lapses in national security leading up to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Palast essentially wrote the report the 9/11 Commission should release - but won't.

Reviewers praised previous editions. The Tribune wrote: "Investigative journalist Greg Palast has uncovered scandal, fraud, corruption, and lies in the highest seats of power from the White House to corporate America. [Palast is] known in Britain as 'the greatest investigative reporter of our time. [In his] polemical indictment of globalization and political corruption ... Palast updates the muckraking tradition with 21st century targets such as oil treaties, energy concerns and corporate evildoers...."

Michael Moore, Oscar Winner for Bowling for Columbine based much of his upcoming movie Fahrenheit 911 on Greg Palast's reporting which he calls "Courageous!" Joe Conason, reporter and best-selling author says, "We need a dozen more Greg Palasts." Noam Chomsky, activist, author and iconoclast says Palast "Annoys all the right people." Including Katherine Harris, Bush's infamous 2000 Florida Campaign Co-Chair who claims Palast is "Twisted and maniacal." Activist, comedian, and actor Janeane Garofalo says Palast uncovers "The whole truth." And he does.

I interviewed Greg Palast April 19. He explained that he felt compelled to re-re-release this new Expanded Election Edition of his NY Times Best Seller, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy because, "Sewage keeps pouring out of the pipe." This is the third version of a book that "gets newer - more urgent and topical everyday." Palast is about to go back on the road again supporting the book. Here's the interview:

Hersh: Let's discuss the major new topics in this edition: First - shades of 2000 - this is shaping up as another photo-finish election. Your website, http://www.gregpalast.com/ mentions "the Bush family fix for the election of 2004 - from bogus voter lists to computer voting tricks, plus the story of 1.9 million missing ballots."

Palast: The fix is in - as Kissinger says, "The issues are too important to be left to voters." We've got the "Help America Vote Act." When the Bushes say they're going to "help us vote" I get worried. This takes the Katherine Harris Florida purge nationwide. I've been working with Harvard University statisticians whose research revealed one million Black people cast votes which were voided - thrown out for no reason. This computerized voting will make things worse. This is all known well in advance. It's intentional.

Hersh: I heard DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe interviewed on Air America radio, and he said they understand the problems and have it all under control. I'm not sure I have confidence in his confidence.

Palast: "Terry Mc" is the Party Chairman who led the party from peace, prosperity and incumbency into defeat. I don't know why he's singing a lullaby to voters while the pick-pockets are on the loose. This will be worse than 2000. In 2000, they were just trying it out. They got away with it, and it'll get worse. They still have the fake felon lists. They didn't make any effort to fix it.

Hersh: Second, "the State Department's secret "Iraq Strategy" document - that lays bare the true reasons our troops are still putting their lives on the line."

Palast: Bob Woodward is saying they were planning to invade Iraq since 9/11. That isn't news. This is: People in the White House were having meetings just days after the inauguration. I've spoken with people who were *in the room* when they discussed "selling off all of Iraq's state assets - especially in oil and oil services."

It's the money a grab for the goodies. People like General Jay Garner and others were fired for calling for elections. After about a year, you're no longer liberators - you're colonizers. The French helped us get rid of the Brits - then they left. That's the difference.

It's evil - the entire Middle East strategy under James A Baker III. Baker has an office in the White House, and he's the lawyer for the Saudis against the 9/11 victims. Why can't the victims have any representation in the White House?

Hersh: Third, "The War on Terror, the "Third Ring" and the billion-dollar bonanza for George Bush's political pals to set up a new American KGB." How are Bush's cronies cashing in on this?

Palast: It's "Fear for Sale." People are concerned with the Total Information Awareness Project and Big Brother. It's even worse than that. I'm concerned about "berserker brother."

No bid contracts for gizmos and gadgets - smoke and mirrors - supposedly to prevent another attack. This is the new duck and cover.

Hersh: I remember those during the Cold War. "Feel good" measures which didn't protect anyone. This is more of the same?

Palast: We're spending $billions on programs to look the other way. They're spending money to maintain passenger lists to trace hijackers using their own names. They did that last time. They're tying their shoelaces together. When they fall over we all get hurt.

Hersh: When they fall over buildings will fall over.

Palast: And they're trying to accuse John Kerry of impotence vs. terror - painting Kerry as Osama.

Hersh: They did that against Tom Daschle and others. What is the "Third Ring" of security? What do you mean by "new American KGB?"

Palast: We're all getting caught in this spider's web. It's not about security it's about control. I'm getting this information from contracts and documents - Homeland Security - it's very clear they're going to be your "political proctologists." This is misuse of information. This isn't going to find a single terrorist. The purpose is political control. This is about going after dissent.

Choice Point - the same company that came up with fake felons list in Florida - is going to be using fake felon lists to stop dissent. They're now in Venezuela and Brazil. They're stealing personal files of citizens of Latin America when none of the terrorists came from there. They're not investigating the guys who lent their credit cards to the hijackers.

Hersh: More on Election 2004. Any comments on John Kerry? Is he a liberal?

Palast: He's a warm body - I hope he'll come back to life. He looks like Lurch from the Adams Family. Even Richard Nixon ran as a peace candidate [in 1968]. Why can't Kerry with his Vietnam War record lead us out of war?

Hersh: I see him as more like the Tree People from the Lord of the Rings - the Ents.

Palast: *Laughs*

Hersh: Any comments about the rise and fall of Howard Dean?

Palast: The Powers That Be were uncomfortable with him. He was scary. He didn't owe anything to the DLC or Terry McAuliffe, but he showed how taking a position on issues can make a difference. Kerry took all his best lines.

Hersh: How about Dean's announced intention to "break up" media conglomerates? I noticed the next day the press coverage - which was never that great - turned ugly. He never got another positive story.

Palast: Bill Clinton bought the affection of the media when he gave away $50 billion of our TV spectrum to the corporations. We can't outbid Bush in that arena. FCC Chairman Michael Powell is more powerful than his father. He knows if you've been bad or good. He's the "enforcer." If you don't do the administration's bidding he can punish you.

Hersh: Any thoughts about Dean's "Democracy for America" effort to transform his email lists and blogger army into a secular, mainstream version of Pat Robertson's political empire?

Palast: That's what Ralph Nader should have done. Nothing changes except from the grassroots up. It's about time someone is doing this. The first time a politician made the goal a continuing movement instead of just running for office.

Hersh: About Ralph Nader's decision to run again?

Palast: This is the 1st guy in history who ever invited an entire nation to join a midlife crisis. He should just go off-shore and declare himself president of his own island.

Hersh: 9/11 - coverage and the Commission - Questions asked and not asked - are they doing their job?

Palast: They're missing the key issue. It's not about the screw ups. It's about Bush stopping the investigation of the Saudis. He didn't want to offend his benefactors. Bush gets away with a lot with his dumbbell grin. The most dangerous mistake people make is they assume Bush is dumb. He's not dumb. He's the front man for bigger forces. We've got an unelected puppet government operating here.

This is the Big Stuff: The Saudis financed the Pakistani nuclear weapons program. Saudi Billionaires in 1996 in Paris provided funding for al Qaeda. It was more like protection money after the fact. Bush made sure our intelligence services couldn't follow the money. They were blinded. This is what's important: What Bush didn't know, didn't want to know, not what he did know before 9/11. Bush's willful failure to know.

Hersh: He didn't want to make waves with the Saudis?

Palast: Agents told me, the "fastest way to end your career" in the CIA was to investigate the Saudis. The Saudis assured us al Qaeda was paid off and Bush ordered our national security agencies to "back off" the Saudis as I reported on BBC's TV program Newsnight.*

Hersh: Any comment on Richard Clarke, his book, testimony, appearances on TV?

Palast: Where was the American press? This information has been out there. No one would report on it. He had to print the story himself.

Hersh: How about Condoleezza Rice - her performance as Nationemail@domain_name_here.comal Security Advisor? Her testimony and appearances?

Palast: Rice's outright lies about how the attacks using planes were not foreseeable. Law enforcement in the Philippines arrested al Qaeda and found plans to use airplanes as weapons. Her criticism of Clarke? Clarke wasn't National Security Advisor. Rice was.

Agents were looking into Saudi funding of Pakistani nukes. I'd like to ask her, "Why was that investigation killed?" Clinton's National Security Advisor Sandy Berger told Saudis to stop funding al Qaeda. He sent two missions to Riyadh. Why didn't you?

Hersh: How about Cheney and Bush testifying together?

Palast: Here Kerry has an opportunity to say, "When I'm President and I get asked a question, I won't have to wait until my Vice President can hold my hand and whisper the answer in my ear." I'm running late. I have to go. See you in DC.

Hersh: Thanks for your time! I'll see you in DC.

Buy the Expanded Election Edition of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy with an all-new additional chapter; the hottest and latest material with details for the topics discussed in this article and more.

Catch Greg Palast's book tour:

5/07 7PM Los Angeles Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wilshire Blvd Suggested Donation: $20 general, $15 students/seniors with ID. Greg Palast presentation and book signing featuring the expanded election edition of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy (2004). All proceeds to Pacifica Radio KPFK. For more information, please visit www.kpfk.org.

5/08 11 AM Los Angeles Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd PSR Debate General Seating $15, Reserved Seating $50, Journalists Free. Moderated by award-winning investigative journalist Michael Collins and Kate Lutz, Presented by Physicians for Social Responsibility, Cosponsored by The Network for Environmental Communication. For more information call (213) 386-4901 x112 or write lainfo@psr.org

5/09 7 PM San Diego Meeting Hall, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, 4190 Front Street, Hillcrest, San Diego (opposite UCSD Medical Center), $5 donation requested. Phone: 858-459-4650 Email: PeaceDemTF@aol.com, Website: www.ActivistSanDiego.org

5/12 7 PM Washington, DC University of District of Columbia (UDC), Van Ness Campus, Main Auditorium Bldg 46, Presentation, Q&A and book signing. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Ron Pinchback of WPFW to host with special guest Gregory Moore, Executive Director of NAACP, National Voter Fund. For more information and to order tickets online call 202-588-0999, ext. 344 or visit http://www.wpfw.org/news.html.

* Watch / listen to Greg Palast broadcasts and interviews on these topics.

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