Behind the Byline: James Risen »
Posted By jovial 6 months, 3 weeks ago in Political News
From his perch at the New York Times, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist James Risen has been at the forefront of uncovering some of the Bush administration's worst abuses of power. As a result, he has been hauled before a grand jury and pressured by the government to name his anonymous sources. A few days after this interview was filmed, one of Risen's key sources, Thomas Tamm, was featured on the cover of Newsweek as "The Fed Who Blew the Whistle." Risen spoke with ANP about the rise in executive power during Bush's tenure and how the media failed to be vigilant in the wake of 9/11.
Read Full Story at link.brightcove.com »
569 Views Share Story 10 Comments Report
Submitted By:
jovial
Grew up In Brooklyn. Joined the Navy in 1976 stayed in 10 years. Aircraft Electronics tech. Worked for Major Govt. contractor then settled in California ...
Who Also Submitted:
RSS Join the Discussion
+ Add CommentComments So Far: 13 (view all)
-
100%
jovial6 months, 3 weeks ago
A good interview. One I really recommend. Enjoy ;) The Democrats have seemed to grab the middle of the road. That's why we didn't have impeachment. Now we will see if they will stay in the middle and not go after Bush and his cronies for the Iraq war and torture issues. Will they do nothing in fear of losing that centrist position.
Reply-
100%
DarkWizard6 months, 3 weeks ago
jovial,
Reply
I think this was one of the better interviews I've seen explaining the political climate of the last 8 years. President Bush made a lot of mistakes that led us to even greater political and economic disasters. The media didn't do its job in as a watchdog either. Very telling and pretty much what many of us here and across America probably already realized.
-
-
soniyashrmaComment removed: User banned.
-
100%
rightfromwrong6 months, 3 weeks ago
nice one jovial...Bush the dictator. I would love to have him in one of those secret prisons
Reply -
100%
cowboygrandpa6 months, 3 weeks ago
Jovial:
Reply
Nice !!!!
Never underestimate the lunacy of Bush !!!!! He is a danger to society and the world !!!!!
I really hope Obama and the Attorney General go after the SOB after he is out of office. He should be tried for his crimes againt humanity.
He should be made to look at every name he caused to be put on the list of the dead world wide !!!! He should be read those names day and night until he understands what he did !!!!!
He is a murderer !!!!!
I don't care what the right wing fanatics will try to say to defend him and his actions. We still have the idiots in the world who defend Hitler, doesn't make them right. -
88%
Spadecaller6 months, 3 weeks ago
I am not a partisan; I voted for an individual. I am not pleased with either party as it appears to me that they both suffer to varying degrees from misplaced priorities.
Reply
The lesser of the two evils in my opinion demands that I reject the Republican party for allowing itself to be hauled into extremist right wing ideology, which has damaged our nation by giving the president imperial powers that go contrary to what our constitution mandates.
Pelosi's rise to power in the Congress was a disappointment for the majority of Americans who had wanted the Iraq War terminated. She chose to play politics with the Bush administration and vital responsibilities have been ignored.
Our failure to hold our leaders to their oaths of office, the failure to impeach the executive branch for obstruction of justice, and for violations of human rights regarding torture may have allowed the Democrats the opportunity to grab mainstream centrists. However, to sacrifice the rule of law and the need to defend our constitution from both foreign and domestic enemies is too high a price to pay.
Will Obama take the initiative and find the support of enough politicians in Washington to reinstate executive powers as they were prior to the Bush presidency? I don't know.
I do know that the vastness of the damage created by this current administration is overwhelming and will require persistent effort by a nation -- not just a President and a handful of sincere politicians, as we only have a few of them.-
100%
jovial6 months, 3 weeks ago
Compromises and more compromises. All parties involved have been there. The neocons had to setlle for McCain. Many said they would hold their noses and pull the lever. Many Democrats I know, myself included, did not want either Hillary or Obama as the candidate. It seems that America is firmly divided, all that's been made perfectly clear by this election is that change is sorely needed. Can the Democrats bring about the kind of change that is needed depends on many factors. Here's an important one. Can the President-elect get enough of Congress and the Senate on his side to implement policy? Can the President-elect stay focused on the goals that need to be accomplished to undo the detrimental policies that have been put in place in the last few years? Can he do it in a way that corrects the policies subtly so as not to further divide the country? Can the old wounds of a Republican majority in the Senate and Congress that minimized the Democrat vote be mended? Can the Supreme Court stay truly bipartisan, and not get involved with politics? Questions, compromises, and hope. Obama offers us hope. He has reached across the aisle like no other President that I've seen. Whether that hope ever amounts to a hill of beans depends on one thing...US...all of us.
Reply
-
-
100%
jordan116 months, 3 weeks ago
This "centrist" idea perplexes me. I'm liberal, conservative, and centrist. It depends on the issue. As far as I'm concerned, being a centrist across the board (as some democrats have chosen) leaves us with a wash. Eventually, you have to take a stand and choose a side when an issue surfaces that is critical, (such as an administration that clearly trashed Constitutional intent). To ignore wrong doing, clearly invites it to surface again....sometime. And if you don't deal with it, and don't consider the consequences of not dealing with it, you're useless.
Reply-
100%
jovial6 months, 3 weeks ago
I hear you. It's like walking through a field with landmines in it. One wrong step and BOOM! I surely hope that the Obama administration and his new attorney general take action on the concerns of torture and constitutional rights. I hope those that broke the law are prosecuted. I think the only reason that Bush wasn't impeached is simply because it would have failed. The Republicans hold to many seats in the Senate. The embarrassment would have made the Democrats appear vindictive, and brought sympathy for the Republican Administration. I know that's not really a good reason, but it's the only one I can think of. We got real close to sewing up the Senate, but it's not filibuster proof yet. That's why I think these matters ought to be turned over to the courts to decide. I don't think the Senate or the Congress has the will to address the issue.
Reply
-
-
100%
jordan116 months, 3 weeks ago
That's why I think these matters ought to be turned over to the courts to decide. I don't think the Senate or the Congress has the will to address the issue.>>>>>
Reply
Personally, I don't think they have the intelligence to deal with it. But that's for another discussion. I agree with you, and am waiting 'patiently' to see how the new DOJ deals with all of this. -
100%
ETproductions6 months, 3 weeks ago
Wow, I wish my sound system were working. Santa, if you're listening, I'll be good for... Oh forget it. I'll fix it myself.
Reply
I heard Thomas Tamm's interview with Kieth Oblerman. At least the TV works right. Very informative. One thing the Administration doesn't seem capable of tolerating these days in DC is an honest, hard working public servant who want's to do the right thing. -
100%
Tcaros6 months, 3 weeks ago
Here's a good title for his next book:
Reply
Bush; Uncovering 8 years of stench. -
100%
lovemorgul6 months, 3 weeks ago
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist James Risen has been at the forefront of uncovering some of the Bush administration...
Reply
Add a Comment
Sign In With Your Propeller Account
Please keep your comments relevant to this story.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.