Plame & Propagannon: Joe Wilson Speaks Out

[Oilwellian]

Yes, Kossacks, while you all were out linking to military porn sites and fraternity house pages and checking out friendster (you sordid crew, you), I've been spending my past few days in a leisurely, wide-ranging email discussion with Ambassador Joseph Wilson, asking him the questions we've all been dying to ask him.

Now did I get the better deal, or what?

Mr. Wilson has been incredibly gracious and generous with his time, and we are deeply indebted to him as a community for the insight he's offering us into our research into Gannon, Talon News and propaganda. He's a Daily Kos reader, and while not a registered user, is willing to answer additional questions we may have; I'll compile them from this thread, forward them to him and post a follow-up diary.

So without further ado, the incredible truth-speaker, Mr. Wilson:

How did the interview with Gannon come about, given that it was a small-time conservative news outlet?

Gannon called me and identified himself as the White House Correspondent from Talon News, a conservative news organization. He wanted to do a wide-ranging interview on my position on the war as well as the Niger mission and the leak.

While I had never heard his name or the name of his organization before, I was happy to do it. I have long felt that it is readers and viewers of conservative media who could benefit from a more balanced discussion of what is at stake in our policy and the actions of our government. At one point I recall Gannon as saying he was a traditional conservative (distinguishing himself from the neoconservatives, who in my judgement have totally captured our foreign policy). Speaking to the Times and other mainstream media is fine but those readers and viewers are generally better informed and often of the same perspective. It is those on the other side to whom we need to address the issues even more than to those with whom we already share views.

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[glitch]

1. This interview is must-read. Thanks for posting. I especially liked this

"I have no reason not to ensure that the truth is told and I am tired of the way in which the Republicans have smeared my family and myself for no reason other than to perpetuate their lies to the American people. I did not like fascists when I fought them as a diplomat for 23 years and I don't like them now in my own country."

[dryan]

2. When Wilson was here....

for a speech he was very gracious. He is a real classy guy.

[fooj]

3. What a great interview! MSM should be ashamed of themselves...

parading themselves as journalists...what a joke! I just e-mailed Matthews and asked him how he sleeps at night! The responsibility lies on the shoulders of the media to get it right-they have failed us miserably!