David Talbot speaks with Julian Darley

Video Interview | [42:32] | mp3

Interview Questions:
1. What is the purpose of the media, especially news and current affairs media?
2. Can you comment on the efforts now under way in America to rebuild an opposition to the Right, perhaps comparing it to the way the Right rebuilt itself in the post-Nixon era, hijacking the Republicans in the process?
3. One often has the impression that what’s left of the Left is not very open-minded, and is still living in the past, both ideologically and policy-wise. Is that your impression? Again, for comparison, the Right-wing think tanks have their intellectual doors wide open – they welcome briefings from anyone with brains, who practically walks in off the street. The Left / Progressives wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing – or would they? When challenged on this, the answer is usually along the lines of “Oh well, they – the Right - have much more money.” Is it about money, or is it really about attitude?
4. You have spoken of the importance of ideas, and their being debated and presented. Who is articulating ideas on the Left or in the progressive realm? Where is that debate taking place?
5. Democrats are occasionally able to critique corporate excesses, but Liberalism, especially American Liberalism accepts capitalism as part of its core thinking. But what if there were something seriously wrong with capitalism, not just that it occasionally get a bit out of control, but that in fact it really is one of the root causes of their mess we’re in both socially, culturally and with regards to the environment. If that is the case, is there anyone that can investigate that? Can Salon for instance? Can anyone in America?
6. Can you comment on the June 1st FCC ruling – tell us what happened & what you think the implications will be? Does it not illustrate how powerless opposition to anything has become – 750,000 emailed and wrote to the FCC, and even some Republicans were worried by it, yet still it got through. What do you the chances of reversing the decision are?
7. What might cause Bush to lose the 2004 election? Is there anything the Democrats can do to win?
8. You mentioned the war on terror. Surely by accepting even the very idea, you are denying that the war on terror is a trumped up successor to the Cold War, and hiding the fact that is patently a Goebbels-like manoeuvre to keep the ill-informed US populace even more terrified than they already are? What do you think of the suggestion that it is American capitalism, with all its uncontrollable greed, violence and extractive capacity, that is the true cause of attacks on the Americans, called terrorism by some, but surely it is just called terrorism when they are acts of savage violence carried out by the powerless, and legitimate defence, when carried out by repressive governments such Israel and the US? And particularly, one of the reasons of the common denominators is that every single country the US goes after has something called oil. And surely if you are going to reduce terrorism you want to reduce people wanting to commit suicide, unusual act for those genetically operating creatures surely one of the things you have to do is reduce your dependence on oil. And yet there seems to be no real effort including no real effort from the Democrats. America needs to use less energy. What are your thoughts on this?
9. [starts at 33:09] Do you think that the White House deception now being revealed regarding Iraq's supposed attempt to buy uranium from Niger, should also reopen the doors on many troubling questions surrounding September 11th, 2001?
10. What sort of direct access does Salon have to the Bush administration and is it sufficient? Is Salon on the Administration’s radar screen?
11. Would Salon consider participating in progressive radio, such as Working Assets Radio, or perhaps with the liberal think tank under construction in Washington by John Podesta?
12. When will Salon fire Andrew Sullivan for bigotry and low quality journalism?