U.S. of Amnesia

Marc Cooper: You and I speak on the eve of the election. Without yet knowing the results, how would you assess the Kerry campaign?

Gore Vidal: The Kerry campaign was pretty much a disappointment, however it might have ended. You know, it was Howard Dean who pretty much broke down the gates and let the people in. Dean knew intuitively the fact that American people are violently isolationist, and virulently against foreign wars and want to be left alone to do their own business — which is business. And that is quite sensible and is what the life of a people should be.

Dean realized this war was an abomination to all sorts of Americans: lower class, middle class, Democrats and Republicans. He saw that, and rallied them — getting more registrations than anyone could expect from a mere governor of Vermont who just suddenly threw his hat in the ring.
That should have given Kerry a hint. What the people want you to say is that you are against this war of adventure. Against this meaningless war against terror. How do you beat terror? Terror is everywhere. Terror is the government of the United States half the time in how it relates to its own people. Our government is no friend to us and has not been for some years. To smile with satisfaction, "Boy, we got Saddam Hussein." Oh yeah, I feel safer. Terror goes on. And Saddam Hussein does or does not. He’s irrelevant to the story.

But with constant repetition, constantly telling lies, Bush and Cheney have convinced the America people somehow they’re all mixed up together. And they hate us because we’re so good! We’re such a good people. That is cretinism.