|
Journalist Helen Thomas Speaks at WERU Full Circle Fair
A White House correspondent during every presidency since John F. Kennedy’s, she has been selected by The World Almanac as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America. Thomas is known for asking questions at White House press conferences that addressed political accountability, Many have been questions other reporters feared asking, but Thomas felt it was her responsibility, as a journalist, to ask. The 87 year old writer spoke of current political events from her exceptionally long perspective. She discussed the war in Iraq, the state of the American presidency, the responsibility of the press to the nation, the suppression of that right and responsibility, and the coming national election. Regarding the war in Iraq, she said the neo-conservatives helped lead the president into war in Iraq. Now with widespread public opposition to the war, she said they have, “left to hide in universities and right wing think tanks.” “Make no mistake”, she said, “9/11 has changed things, fear is rampant and never underestimate the power of fear. However, we don’t have to scrap the United States Constitution to deal with the (post 9/11) situation.” Famous for asking presidents “the tough” questions at press conferences, questions other journalists feared asking, Thomas noted “we journalists are a part of the only institution that can ask the questions that must be asked.” She said after 9/11 the press was afraid of asking questions about going to war for fear of being considered unpatriotic.” Subsequently, grounds for questions at the time have been made apparent. She cited the failure to find weapons of mass destruction and taking people to foreign countries to torture them. To one of the questions from the audience about the imperial presidency and the power of the current vice-president, she responded, “they have taken powers that do not belong to them. We must remember that these people are our public servants. They have to be accountable; they are paid by us, this is our money. Who is going to pay for this war in Iraq?” Asked about impeachment, Thomas said she didn’t “think we have a congress with the guts.” However, “the power of the people is very important.” The people have been too soft on the current candidates, she said. The people, she said, should put the difficult questions about the rise of corporate power and the negative influence of money on the national elections to the candidates. Thomas mentioned anecdotes from experiences from each of the presidencies in her career. About the current George Bush in office she referred to his being the first president to have a religious office in the White House. On a lighter note, she spoke of Fidel Castro being asked how he thought the presidency of the U.S. was different from the presidency of Cuba. He said, “I don’t have to answer questions form Helen Thomas.” “Regarding the role of the press in fostering accountability among politicians, Thomas referred to former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandise who said, “constant light must be shined on public officials because it lessens the chance for corruption.” |
