Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel talks with reporters following the Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, June 3, 2007. (Courtesy Steve Terrell/Santa Fe New Mexican)
Former Senator Gravel definately has a message and I think "Slate" made a good estimation of it in the title that preceded the transcript:
Sen. Mike Gravel answers questions in our presidential mashup.
Updated Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007, at 11:51 PM ET
The following is an unedited transcript and may contain typos or omissions. Click here for more on the presidential mashup.
Rose: Sen. Gravel, the president has said that he's going to listen carefully to what Gen. Petraeus says and reports to him about the surge and what might be America's commitment in the future. What do you make of what Gen. Petraeus has said?
Gravel: I think it's a tragic charade where obviously one could predict what Petraeus was going to say three years ago on this particular subject. And then you get the president, who is the commander in chief, saying he's going to follow what the dictates or recommendations of Gen. Petraeus, who is making recommendations that the White House wanted. This is a very tragic charade. While human lives are lost because of the inability of this government to have any sense of moral commitment....
The following is an unedited transcript and may contain typos or omissions. Click here for more on the presidential mashup.
Rose: Sen. Gravel, the president has said that he's going to listen carefully to what Gen. Petraeus says and reports to him about the surge and what might be America's commitment in the future. What do you make of what Gen. Petraeus has said?
Gravel: I think it's a tragic charade where obviously one could predict what Petraeus was going to say three years ago on this particular subject. And then you get the president, who is the commander in chief, saying he's going to follow what the dictates or recommendations of Gen. Petraeus, who is making recommendations that the White House wanted. This is a very tragic charade. While human lives are lost because of the inability of this government to have any sense of moral commitment....
I believe the former Senator from Alaska is indeed the one person whom would like to take the country back from the clutches of power while returning it to the people. That is no easy task and while I admire him for his view of the world, I challenge him to find a way to say 'a voice' of the country even if the nomination does not come his way.
As a candidate surrounded by the simple challenge to keep his campaign alive (click here), it would be helpful to have his positions on issues a part of 'ready access.' I admire his use of the internet, but, if lacking for time it is a challenge to find his position on Human Induced Global Warming. After all, the former Senator may be speaking with forked tongue as Alaska is one of the oil producing states with assaults by this adminisration of it's precious wilderness and lucrative fish stocks.
If there is anything true about the Gravel candidacy, it's the fact it's completely obvious he is not a corporate sellout and coming from an oil producing state that to me would be easy to do. I mean what would be better but to have a Democratic candidate with an anti-corruption message from an oil producing state for companies/employees like Halliburton to hang their hat on.
Mike Gravel is an interesting candidate with an important message, he needs to find a way to keep that message alive after 2008.
