The new kid on the block.
JACK
I was reading Lee Iacocca’s book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?" which is highly critical of George Bush and his entire government. He starts the book by saying he’s indignant, angry, despite the fact that people might say –– Lee, you’re 82 years old, why are you getting so irritated? At this point, I realized how much I feel the same kind of anger. When I ran my business, I felt it was very important that I continually reinvent myself, and the company, in order to stay competitive and relevant. I realize that one of the greatest problems that we suffer is a lack of accountability and a pig-headed refusal to change direction. Despite the fact that I am one year older than Lee Iacocca, I join him in a feeling of mixed anger, indignation, and frustration. I have so often counseled you not to let circumstances upon which you have no control upset your life. Here I am with somewhat the same feeling. Although I feel no personal guilt, I can’t help but wonder where we went wrong.
HILLARY
I think we went wrong, as a country, when we gave in to our fear and gave over our power to this administration, instead of mobilizing private movements to deal with our fear. We could have, as a citizenry said: the people that we are suppose to be defending want us out and we will leave, and if that means that we don’t have their oil, then we’ll have to work together to ration and/or find alternatives. We did not take an action on our own, but let our government “handle it.” At this point, we are stuck in this process. I, personally, don’t see anyway out and I have chosen to focus on my personal well- being and hope to ride it out. I feel a bit like I am burying my head in the sand, but I don’t really know what else to do. Five years ago, I think I would have been willing to do almost anything – junk my car, create a compost heap, put up solar panels, anything. Now, it all seems so futile. Do you honestly think that there is anything we can do between now and the next election to stop the decay of our country?
JACK
You are adopting a healthy attitude. It does not solve anything, but the reality is that you as an individual cannot correct the problem. I see so many elements out of whack. Aside from the war in Iraq, which is really the 800 pound gorilla, I heard statements by some generals that we should prepare for a long involvement and continuing to keep a force in Iraq for many years to come. Here is the prize — they are using the model of our keeping 75,000 troops in South Korea. We are talking 50 years. My question is, why? My curiosity was piqued and I did some investigation and found that we have 400.000 American troops on foreign soil. I have heard the cost to be in the hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and I have yet to hear anybody question why. It seems to me that our forces are strained to the max. At what point is someone reasonable going to press the question?
HILLARY
I think that there are people pressing that question. Ohio Congressman and Presidential Candidate, Dennis Kucinich, consistently has said that war is not the answer and that we are spending the people’s tax dollars on foreign wars instead of domestic care for decades and that this has got to stop. The only problem is that he does not get the kind of coverage that someone like Hillary Clinton does, therefore, his message is considered fringe. In reality, I think if someone were to read his speeches and believe that they were being said by Obama or John Edwards that he would be a shoe in for the position. But he doesn’t have their money or their political might, so his ideas get marginalized. The real question is, why aren’t the people in the spotlight willing to say that the policy of militarism that has existed in this country for decades is causing our ultimate demise?
JACK
The question of coverage and the state of the press is something that we have discussed before. When I see the news now, I have been reminded at least two dozen times that Paris Hilton is out of jail, and en route to Larry King. On the encouraging side, more and more attention is being paid to the blogosphere. I understand some of the more dominant sites get over 500,000 hits per day. Now I notice there was a convention of bloggers at which all of the democratic candidates appeared. This can turn into the voice that can be heard by all. I certainly hope so.
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