Harper's Magazine Editor Lewis Lapham Warns U.S. Constitution is Under Attack
Interview with Lewis Lapham, editor of Harper's Magazine, conducted by Scott Harris
As the nation prepares to vote in the Nov. 7th congressional election, a near-perfect storm of bad news for Republicans has prompted many political observers to predict a once- or twice-in-a-generation vote that will usher in dramatic change in which party controls the legislative branch. The scandal involving former Florida Rep. Mark Foley for his sexually inappropriate e-mails to congressional pages and allegations of a leadership coverup, is just the latest episode that has caused an increasing number of voters to turn against the GOP.
Escalating violence in Iraq, incompetence in responding to Hurricane Katrina, an expanding web of corruption scandals, federal budget deficits, following the radical agenda of the Christian Right regarding stem-cell research and intervention in the case of Terri Schiavo, have all contributed to polls that found that only 26 percent of Americans approve of the way Congress has been doing its job.
Lewis Lapham, longtime editor of Harper's Magazine, has throughout his career eloquently and effectively challenged those in power. In his new book, "Pretensions to Empire: Notes on the Criminal Folly of the Bush Administration," Lapham chronicles the misconduct and ineptitude of Bush and his White House team. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Lewis Lapham about the crisis for democracy he believes the nation must now confront.
Visit Harpers' website at www.harpers.org
Related links:
People for the American Way at www.pfaw.org or call: (202) 467-4999
Center for Constitutional Rights at www.ccr-ny.org
Amnesty International at www.amnesty.org
National Lawyers Guild at www.nlg.org
Human Rights Watch at www.hrw.org
Authors of "The Case for Impeachment"- David Lindorff and Barbara Olshansky's website: www.thiscantbehappening.net
"The Impeachment of George W. Bush," by Elizabeth Holtzman, The Nation, Jan. 30, 2006
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