My Interview With Congressman Peter DeFazio
By Matt Renner
t r u t h o u t | Report
Tuesday 18 March 2008
In a wide-ranging interview, Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) discussed
the Democratic presidential primary contest, the ongoing occupation of Iraq,
the sudden resignation of Adm. William Fallon and the recent revelations about
the Bush administration's surveillance programs.
Serving in his eleventh term, DeFazio is a member of the Congressional Progressive
Caucus and has been a leading critic of Bush
administration policy. DeFazio serves on three committees in the House: Homeland
Security, Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure.
As we discussed in our interview, DeFazio is concerned about the infighting
between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in their contest to become the
Democratic Party's nominee for president. He wrote a letter
to both senators urging them to compete with each other to prove who can better
take on the Republicans in the general election by targeting Republican nominee
Sen. John McCain with their attacks.
DeFazio is in a powerful position as a "Super Delegate," one of almost
800, who could ultimately decide the outcome of the nomination contest. "In
the end, it is the candidate who can take the fight to McCain and win that deserves
my support and, most importantly, the support of the Democratic Party,"
DeFazio said in his letter.
Our interview also addressed the abrupt resignation of Adm. William Fallon,
who, until March 11, served as the head of US Central Command and oversaw the
ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A strongly worded feature
story in Esquire magazine
painted Fallon as the main roadblock to war with Iran.
DeFazio said military action against Iran would be "the ultimate disaster."
We also discussed the Wall Street Journal report
that revealed a massive hidden spy apparatus similar to the Total Information
Awareness program. DeFazio said it is up to members of the House Intelligence
Committee to investigate the legality of the program.
The Bush administration has been working on a Status of Forces Agreement with
the government of Iraq in an attempt to "tie the hands of the next president,"
according to DeFazio. A previous report on the subject by Truthout's Maya Schenwar
can be viewed here.
More information about DeFazio's work in Congress can be found at his web site.
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