Sunday, October 12, 2003

Wayne Madsen and the U.S. Power Structure

A Press Action Interview

Investigative journalist Wayne Madsen thinks that Jim Moran is a tool of the defense contractors whose offices dot the landscape of the congressman’s Northern Virginia district. Madsen says he’s tired of Moran doing the bidding of powerful companies and their political action committees instead of representing all of the people in his district.

Serving the interests of the U.S. corporate elite doesn’t make Moran unique among his peers in Congress. They all play that game to varying degrees. But Moran’s seven terms in office of catering to a narrow economic layer of Northern Virginia, Madsen says, has frustrated him to the point that he wants to do more than write articles or provide commentary about the inequities of the political system. Madsen has decided that Northern Virginians would be better served if he, not Moran, were their representative in Congress.

The fact that Moran has had trouble steering clear of controversy has only deepened Madsen’s belief that Moran should be replaced with someone not beholden to corporate interests. Whether it’s disclosures of him receiving personal loans from companies likely to benefit from legislation that he helped to shepherd through the Congress, or an Alexandria, Va., mother accusing him of physically assaulting her 8-year-old son in a recreation center’s parking lot, Moran has been on the receiving end of his fair share of bad press in recent years.

And yet, Moran’s foibles have never hurt him at the polls. An extremely popular congressman in an overwhelmingly Democratic enclave of Virginia’s Washington, D.C., suburbs, Moran, like almost all incumbent lawmakers, has sailed smoothly from one election cycle to the next.

But another controversy, one that erupted earlier this year over comments Moran made at a town hall meeting on the planned U.S. invasion of Iraq, is expected to turn Moran’s 2004 reelection bid into his toughest political battle since he was first elected to serve the 8th district in 1990.

At that March 3 meeting in Reston, Va., Moran reportedly said: “If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this. The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should.”

First reported in a suburban weekly newspaper, Moran’s comments didn’t get much notice until the Washington Post, more than a week later, offered its take on what the congressman said at the meeting. After the Post ran its story, certain Jewish groups, Democratic leaders in Congress, and the White House accused Moran of making “poisonous,” “offensive,” and “shocking” remarks.

Sensing vulnerability in Moran’s camp, several political aspirants in Northern Virginia have given notice over the past six months that they plan to challenge Moran for next year’s Democratic nomination. Madsen is the latest entrant into the 2004 8th Congressional District sweepstakes.

Press Action asked Madsen, whose most recent book is America’s Nightmare: The Presidency of George Bush II, why he is seeking to replace Moran in Congress. “In addition to having spent a good portion of my life in Northern Virginia, I’m a Washington-based journalist, columnist, and civil liberties and privacy advocate,” Madsen told Press Action. “I was once in the defense contracting business and know how that sometimes insidious game is played. I know who the power structure wants on top and who it wants on the bottom.

While recognizing the need for certain military weapons systems, Madsen, who served as a U.S. Naval officer from 1975 to 1985 and worked at the National Security Agency, said there “has to be limits on the amount of influence that this group of war profiteers has on our political process as General Eisenhower warned of so long ago.” Despite Moran’s penchant for attracting controversy, many of the defense contractors based in the D.C. suburbs want to make sure Moran stays in office “because they have a large investment in him,” Madsen said.

As for Moran’s comments at last March’s town hall meeting, Madsen said: “Moran is known for these types of insensitive comments. You might say it’s a personality trait. Moran’s broad-brushed comments encourage anti-Semitism among some deranged Americans and there is no excuse for such remarks.”

An outspoken critic of the policies of the Bush administration, Madsen has appeared on 60 Minutes and has done verbal battle with the hosts of Fox News’s Hannity and Colmes show. He’s also the author of Genocide and Covert Operations in Africa 1993-1999 and The Handbook of Personal Data Protection, as well as the introduction to the U.S. edition of Forbidden Truth: U.S.-Taliban Secret Oil Diplomacy, Saudi Arabia and the Failed Search for bin Laden.

If elected, Madsen said he would allow his office to be used as a platform from which soldiers returning from Iraq and those opposed to the war could speak without fear of retaliation. “I would fight to bring our troops home from Iraq and Colombia immediately,” he said. “I would fight for a recall of our troops from Afghanistan and turning over more responsibility to tracking down terrorists there to the UN, NATO, and NATO Partnership for Peace countries.”

What follows is the full Press Action interview with Madsen about his bid to oust Moran from Congress.

--Mark Hand, Editor

Press Action: Why did you decide to throw your hat into the field of Democratic challengers to Moran?

Wayne Madsen: Well for a number of reasons, but let me say first that I think that Jim Moran is typical of the type of representative mediocrity that Americans have had to put up with for far too long. Like all of America’s incumbent congressional representatives, Moran secures his job by doing the bidding of both powerful companies and their political action committees, and the wealthiest communities/donors in his district. It’s a callous representation of a minority with the majority of the wealth. Last time I checked, Moran, like his entrenched colleagues on the Appropriations and Budget Committees, were elected to represent all the people. But that is not happening and what we’ve got is a situation where a majority of the 8th District’s citizens are subsidizing Moran’s corporate and individually wealthy patrons. Here’s a couple of examples.

Corporate political action committees are the top contributors to Moran and, as you might expect, most of the PAC’s have defense money behind them. As a former US Navy officer, I recognize the need for many of the products produced by one of our national treasures, the nation’s defense industrial base. But there has to be limits on the amount of influence that this group of war profiteers has on our political process as General Eisenhower warned of so long ago. Moran is little more than a tool of defense contractors, some with questionable reputations. One of Moran’s top contributors is Paul Magliochetti Associates (PMA), a defense lobbying firm that boasts that it has an inside track to business with the federal government.

You can be sure that track runs right through Moran’s office. PMA is in violation of one of the Defense Security Service’s guidelines that states that government clearances should not be used in advertising. Nonetheless, PMA boasts that one of its lobbyists held a “top secret security clearance”. That’s the kind of company that has Moran in its hip pocket. The list is rounded out by SAIC, PSA, Boeing, Mantech, Teledyne, Lockheed Martin and ProLogic of West Virginia. They want to make sure Moran stays in office because they have a large investment in him.

The 8th District is part of the D.C. metro region, one of the most transportation and urban planning challenged in America. It includes Arlington County (one of the most densely populated counties in America and home of the Pentagon and its fiefdoms), Alexandria City and a swath of Fairfax County (one of the wealthiest communities in America). Recently, Moran boasted that he secured $33 million for his 8th District, but if you break down the numbers you’ll find that $25 million went towards a light rail system benefiting the hi-technology industry and business travelers using Dulles Airport in Reston. Another $2.5 million went for better Metro buses, $800 thousand to fix up George Washington Parkway and just over $1 million to fix Wolf Trap farm park — an entertainment venue. Alexandria and Arlington County, just across the Potomac River from D.C. got a pittance: $1 million.

When Moran gets media attention, you can bet that it’s usually something embarrassing. For example, threatening youngsters, accepting bribes from lobbyists, losing his temper, and making insensitive comments about ethnic groups. Every time I ask someone in the 8th District what they think about Jim Moran, the responses are overwhelmingly negative across the board — law enforcement, retirees, union members, military veterans, new entrants into the workforce. When I ask why they vote for him, the response is that an electable candidate has yet to step up to the plate to challenge Moran.

As a long time resident of Arlington and Fairfax, I’ve watched our public services degrade (think of the electrical outage from the recent hurricane). I’ve watched our schools get more over-crowded and I’ve watched the homeless populate the streets of the 8th’s business communities. Our lower income and middle class are once again called upon — as they always are — to pay war’s price and subsidize, to an unprecedented degree, corporations and the greedy. Developers have tried to drive out small business in the 8th. It’s slash and burn development without regard to planning and the community structure. In addition to having spent a good portion of my life in Northern Virginia, I’m a Washington-based journalist, columnist, and civil liberties and privacy advocate. I was once in the defense contracting business and know how that sometimes insidious game is played. I know who the power structure wants on top and who it wants on the bottom.

Press Action: How do you plan on getting your voice heard among a likely field of candidates with strong ties to the Democratic establishment in Northern Virginia?

Madsen: Grass roots, local public access stations, college campuses, and Internet campaigning is the way to go for those of us trying to break the stranglehold that big business has on most media outlets. Like all candidates for political office these days, I’m in the process of establishing a web site that will let the 8th’s voters know where I stand on local, state and national issues. The site will have sections for voter input and suggestions (yes, hate mail too), contributions, volunteer sign-up, and will also provide a secure email capability for campaign staff to discuss tactics and strategy. Campaign literature will be available in both English and Spanish. I do not believe that today’s congressional representatives spend enough time with constituents in the lower to middle income ranges. They are the ignored since, in someone like Moran’s view, they don’t have money to contribute. I plan to spend a lot of time in South Arlington, Arlandria and similar areas throughout Fairfax. Given what we’ve had with Moran, that’s a novel approach. I already have high school and college age volunteers on my staff and their input is welcome, indeed needed, at all times. As a member of the American Legion in Arlington, I am in contact with veterans and related groups in the 8th District. I have made initial contact with trade unions, the NAACP and the Hispanic/Latino community. I plan to travel the 8th like the legendary Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. Although, it’s be by Metro Rail-Bus and car since I can’t afford a bus!

Press Action: Moran will be closely scrutinized by the Washington Post and his challengers for several past actions and statements, including his comments about Jewish support for the war against Iraq. What impact do you think this statement and his vote against Bush’s war on Iraq will have on his campaign?

Madsen: Moran is known for these types of insensitive comments. You might say it’s a personality trait. Moran’s broad-brushed comments encourage anti-Semitism among some deranged Americans and there is no excuse for such remarks. Should Israel’s foreign policy be the subject of levelheaded analysis and, if appropriate, constructive criticism and international pressure? You bet. The United States is subjected to the same type of scrutiny.

I know many Jews who were and remain opposed to the war in Iraq, including many of my Israeli friends. It might come as a surprise to Moran that before the war in Iraq there was an anti-war rally in the central square of Tel Aviv that attracted 5,000 people (Jews, Israeli Arabs, and Palestinians alike). The same holds true here in the United States. The pre-war demonstrations in Washington, D.C. — in the ice cold of January 2003 and later in the year — brought the same groups together along with thousands and thousands of low income and middle class Americans.

Press Action: Given your past ties to Cynthia McKinney, some people might be surprised that you would be challenging a congressman who has a relatively enlightened stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. How would you respond to those who might say Moran needs the support of the progressive community in Northern Virginia?

Madsen: First, let me point out that my past trips to Israel and my frequent visits with those active in the Israeli Labor Party, the secular-oriented news media in Israel, and the Israeli peace movement have given me an appreciation for Israel’s unique security concerns. In a country where people (Israeli Jews and Arabs, as well as foreign visitors) must constantly live in a state of fear that the next person walking onto a bus or into a supermarket may detonate a bomb, there must be an emphasis on continued American security guarantees. The recent bombing of Maxim’s Restaurant in Haifa (co-owned by an Israeli Jew and an Israeli Arab) that killed members of both communities points to the dilemma faced by Israelis who desperately want peace and an end to the Intifada uprising in the West Bank and Gaza. But there must also be a solution to the squalor and demeaning existence that the Palestinians find themselves in.

Security walls and roadmaps are not the answer, nor is the occupation of Iraq. One disturbing trend in all of this is the proliferation of arms sales and military aid to that region by the U.S. and other governments. Israel is a nuclear power but refuses to accede to international treaties. Is it any wonder that Iran seeks such weapons or that Pakistan — an Islamic nation — is building more nuclear weapons? Rather than repairing roads, feeding the hungry, finding work for the less fortunate, these nations are spending far too much on weapons (a similar problem here in the USA). Larger nations should do more to get the nations of that region to spend less on military gear and more on education, healthcare and employment. The USA, Russia, China, Europe and India — working through the good offices of the UN — should bring pressure, peacekeepers and money to bear on that region’s troubles. I can think of no better people to head such and effort than Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

It’s interesting to me that progressive has taken on such a radical connotation. It seems to me that the issues listed are common sense for the 8th’s voters, most of whom are lower income and all the strata that make up the middle class. The times in which we live, characterized by war, big lies, savage profit taking in the name of patriotism have made us lose sight of our basic needs. If working on behalf of the 8th’s residents for the following is progressive, we’ll then I’m proud to be one.

  • Affordable health insurance and prescription drug coverage.

  • Increased funds for infrastructure improvements to our roads, electrical systems and bridges.

  • Increased funding for education and its infrastructure.

  • Improving traffic patterns and safety.

  • Ensuring that social security is there in the future.

  • Making sure our youngsters don’t end up fighting in needless wars in place like Iraq and Colombia.

  • Making sure business and the wealthy don’t control congress.

  • Getting away from tax cut mania. If taxes get cut, libraries close, roads don’t get fixed, public safety degrades, education suffers, the homeless take to the streets (the number of homeless persons roaming the 8th has increased dramatically).

  • Reducing federal spending on defense and moving funds to our infrastructure.

  • Reducing tax cuts for the wealthy and dozens of business loopholes-primarily offshore tax evasion.

  • Ensuring that no American will be without benefits upon being laid off or fired.

Finally, I have the highest regard for Cynthia McKinney and participated with her in hearings she sponsored in the House of Representatives on the tragic genocide that has occurred and is occurring in Central Africa. Some 3 million people have died in genocide and counter-genocide in the region, making the African genocide the worst systematic murder of human beings since the Holocaust of World War II. As someone who has written extensively about the African genocide, I share Ms. McKinney’s outrage at the neglect of Africa’s tremendous problems by the current Republican administration and similar neglect by past Democratic and Republican administrations alike.

Press Action: If elected to Congress, what steps would you take to counter Bush’s zealousness to send U.S. soldiers overseas to fight fictional enemies and to counter his war against civil liberties here at home?

Madsen:

  1. I would allow my office to be the platform from which those veterans returning from Iraq and those opposed to the war could speak without fear of retaliation. The American public needs to know what war does to its youth.

  2. I would work with groups opposed to the occupation of Iraq have my staff coordinate monthly mass mailings and telephone calls to the White House and colleagues on the Hill expressing opposition to such deadly policies.

  3. I would push for the elimination of the Bush policy of preemption.

  4. I would be a vocal proponent for the USA to return to the rule of international law and sign on to a ban on children in war, to the ban on landmines.

  5. I would fight tooth and nail to ensure conscription never returns.

  6. I would fight to bring our troops home from Iraq and Colombia immediately.

  7. I would fight for a recall of our troops from Afghanistan and turning over more responsibility to tracking down terrorists there to the UN, NATO, and NATO Partnership for Peace countries.

  8. I would fight for an international peace conference at which all warring factions and parties would sit and discuss solutions to war’s tragedy.

After many years of involvement in privacy and civil liberties advocacy and policy-making, I understand what has driven the Ashcroft Justice Department in its virtual abrogation of constitutional rights of American citizens. Ashcroft has used anti-terrorism powers to prosecute cigarette smugglers, prostitutes, and pro-environmental vandals. He has used his powers to threaten journalists and maybe even the Democratic Mayor of Philadelphia, whose office was recently found to contain FBI listening devices. The dangerous right-wing zealousness of Mr. Ashcroft and his associates must be checked. That process can be started by Congress rolling back most of the provisions of the so-called USA Patriot Act, a law crafted while Congress was under siege by a still-unsolved anthrax attack. Efforts by Ashcroft to further expand the Patriot Act (Patriot II and Victory Acts) must also be aggressively blocked.

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