On Sunday's Meet The Press, host Tim Russert asked Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Pete Pace if he is troubled by the fact that Iraqi interim Prime Minister Jafari apparently lists Noam Chomsky as one of his favorite American writers. Here it is from the transcript:MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Jafari said that one of his favorite American writers is Professor Noam Chomsky, someone who has written very, very strongly against the Iraq war and against most of the Bush administration foreign policy. Does that concern you?
GEN. PACE: I hope he has more than one book on his nightstand.
MR. RUSSERT: So it troubles you?
GEN. PACE: I would be concerned if the only access to foreign ideas that the prime minister had was that one author. If in fact that’s one of many, and he’s digesting many different opinions, that’s probably healthy.
Chomksy has been the leading critic of US foreign policy since Vietnam, yet he has been virtually censored in mainstream American media throughout most of that time. A good archive of his works can be found here.Tim Russert should invite Noam Chomsky to appear on Meet the Press. Send him an email requesting that Chomsky be on. Russert can be reached at this address: mtp@msnbc.com
Here's a sample email that I just sent. Feel free to copy my wording:
Dear Tim Russert:
On Sunday's program you asked General Pace if he is troubled by the fact that Iraqi interim Prime Minister Jafari lists Noam Chomsky as one of his favorite American authors. You described Professor Chomsky as "someone who has written very, very strongly against the Iraq war and against most of the Bush administration foreign policy." As you know, Professor Chomsky has been a principled critic of United States foreign policy and media since the Vietnam era. Why not invite him to appear on Meet the Press? I think a Russert/Chomsky discussion would represent a major contribution to our understanding of American foreign policy.
Thank you for taking my request seriously.
Sincerely,
Tony Palmeri
In the meantime, you can hear a recent Noam Chomsky interview with my good friend Bob McChesney of the University of Illinois on the February 26 edition of Bob's show "Media Matters" http://www.will.uiuc.edu/am/mediamatters/default.htm
2 comments:
As a faithful Cauldron member I could hardly deny your request to send the note to Timmy. I translated it into Jody-speak though.
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Dear Tim Russert:
On Sunday's program with General Pace your conversation seemed to imply that Professor Chomsky is troubling in some way, not keeping our nation's best interests in mind or perhaps less patriotic than he could be.
Professor Chomsky is a brilliant man with well-documented insights into United States foreign policy. History will likely prove Chomsky's view of current events as more accurate than the hype that is put out by media giants. It is time we saw Chomsky on Meet the Press. His ability to discuss American foreign policy intelligently would be enlightening for many and would allow him to clear up any misconceptions about him that may have been planted in the minds of your viewers as a result of your conversation with General Pace.
Well I must say that your letter is much better than mine!!
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