FTR-256 Campaign 2000 (Two 30-minute segments)

1. Beginning with discussion of the theft of Bush debate-preparation documents and the mailing of those papers to the Gore campaign, this broadcast analyzes some aspects of the 2000 campaign that have not received as much coverage as others. (“Bush Documents Appear in Mailbox of Gore Campaign” by Katharine Q. Seelye; San Jose Mercury News; 9/14/2000; p.19A.)

2. This theft is remarkably similar to other events that have befallen Democratic opponents of Republican candidates handled by Karl Rove, Bush’s chief handler in the 2000 campaign. (“Neither Bush Nor Gore Are Candidates for Mount Rushmore” by Molly Ivins; San Francisco Chronicle; p. A21.)

3. Opponents of Rove-managed Republicans have characteristically benefited from dirty tricks ostensibly committed by their opponents, but probably orchestrated by the Rove machine, in order to discredit the opposition. (Idem.)

4. The program then turns to analysis of the race for control of the congress. The New York Times noted that the Democrats had a slim chance to retain control of the Senate. (“Democrats Have Outside Chance to Wrest Senate” by David E. Rosenbaum; New York Times; 10/16/2000; p.1.)

5. One of the races that offered the possibility of a Democratic victory was the crucial race for the Senate seat held by John Ashcroft (R-Missouri.) (Idem.)

6. The day after that observation was printed, Ashcroft’s Democratic opponent, Governor Mel Carnahan, was killed in the crash of a private plane. (“Governor, 2 Others Flying in Bad Weather” by Jim Salter; San Francisco Examiner; 10/17/2000; ppA-1, A-12.)

7. An investigator noted that the wreckage was found in “very small pieces spread over a large area,” more characteristic of a bomb explosion than the accidental crash of an aircraft. (Idem.)

8. The crash came too late for the Democrats to nominate an alternative candidate. (Idem.) The broadcast underscores contradictions in the official account of the tragedy.

9. The plane was initially reported to have crashed in very bad weather and (possibly) to have been struck by lightning. (Idem.)

10. Subsequent accounts indicate that the weather was not particularly bad for flying and that the pilot had reported gyroscope trouble. (“Doomed Plane Apparently Had Instrument Trouble” by John W. Fountain; New York Times; 10/18/2000; p. A20.)

11. Analysis of Carnahan’s death suggested that his demise would lessen the Democrats’ chances of winning control of the Senate and lessening Gore’s chances of winning Missouri, a crucial swing state. (“Equation Changed by a Fatal Crash” by James Dao; New York Times; 10/18/2000; pp. A1, A20.)

12. The state Democratic infrastructure also was pessimistic about the outcome for the Senate race. (“Governor Mourned as Public Servant” by Stephanie Simon; San Jose Mercury News; 10/18/2000; p. 15A.)

13. The program notes the superficial similarity to the death of John F. Kennedy Jr., who was mentioned as a possible running mate for Al Gore. (See FTR-175.) The first half of the broadcast concludes with discussion of the importance for a Gore victory of a high turnout by African-Americans and notes apathy among many of them. (“For Many Blacks, Election Isn’t on Radar” by Mark Z. Barabak; Los Angeles Times; 10/17/2000; pp. A1, A4.)

14. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan presided over a rally in Washington D.C. and stated that he didn’t see much difference between the candidates, obviously working at cross-purposes with the Gore campaign. (“Marchers Step Forward for Family Unity” by Marlene Cimons; Los Angeles Times; 10/17/2000; p. A4.)

15. The Farrakhan event was co-sponsored by Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church, an apparent front for Japanese fascism. (For more on the Unification Church, see RFA #’s 7, 14, as well as FTR #’s 84, 243, 248.)

16. The program excerpts FTR-248, highlighting the elder George Bush’s well-paid promotional work on behalf of the Moon organization after leaving the White House. (For references, see the description for FTR-248.)

17. The second half of the program deals with events in the Middle East and their potential impact on the campaign. The broadcast notes the similarity between events unfolding in that part of the world in 1980 (when the elder George Bush was running on the Republican ticket) and 2000 (when his son is running.) The Iranian hostage crisis and the failed “Desert One” rescue mission doomed Jimmy Carter’s administration. (San Francisco Examiner; 10/13/2000; p. A-1.)

18. The program notes that oil prices are rising, just as they did in 1979-80. As discussed in FTR #’s 29, 214, that petroleum price increase appears to have been the result of collusion between the oil companies, elements of the CIA, the elder George Bush and the Saudis. It may well be that the current price increase is also the result of collusion between the petroleum industry (for which “Dubya” works) and OPEC. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians escalated dramatically in the fall of 2000. One of the events that helped to touch off the renewed hostility and the breakdown of the Oslo peace process was the visit by Likud Party stalwart Ariel Sharon to Temple Mount, held sacred by Muslims and Jews. (As noted in Miscellaneous Archive Shows M-30, M-58, as well as FTR #’s 94, 252, there are historical links between international fascism and the Israeli right wing.)

19. In the spring of 2000, Likud party members and Italian fascists were conferring with each other, as well as former U.S. ambassador to Italy Maxwell Rabb. (“International Fascist Axis” by Gerry Gable; The Searchlight; #304; 10/2000.)

20. The broadcast highlights the possibility that the troubles in the Middle East may have been deliberately triggered, in order to help swing the election Bush’s way. (It should be noted that there are also strong links between the Palestinian national movement and other Arab states and international fascism. See, among other programs, RFA-22, Miscellaneous Archive Shows M-19, M-21, as well as FTR #’s 71, 161, 237.)

21. Having been Secretary of Defense during the Gulf War, Dick Cheney has political contacts that might be beneficial to the Republicans, in light of the turmoil there. (“Cheney’s Work in Gulf War Could Help GOP in Light of Current Mideast Crisis” by Jackie Calmes; The Wall Street Journal; 10/17/2000; p. A24.)

22. In turn, Hillary Clinton’s past receptivity to the Palestinian cause has hurt her standing among Jewish voters in New York. (“The Middle East Tells Us the Hawks Were Right” by Amity Shlaes; The Financial Times; 10/17/2000; p. 17.)

23. Tensions in the region were heightened by the bomb attack on the destroyer U.S.S. Cole. Initial evidence suggested that Osama Bin Laden might have been behind the attack. (“U.S. Says Yemen Attackers Used Inside Information” by David A. Vise and Vernon Loeb; San Francisco Chronicle; 10/13/2000; p. A6.)

24. The program then excerpts FTR-186, reviewing information about the probable role of the Bin Laden family in supplying a portion of the investment capital that was used to establish George W. Bush’s first oil company. (For references, see the description for FTR-248.) The possibility that petroleum-related elements of U.S. intelligence and what Mr. Emory calls “the Underground Reich” may have been behind the attack on the Cole should not be too readily cast aside. The attack was used by the Bush campaign to attack the Democrats.

25. Next, the program underscores the significance of the increase in oil prices for the economy, the stock market and the Gore campaign. Oil price increases have historically led to recessions and a falling Dow Jones Industrial average and, during Presidential election years, this has led to the incumbent being voted out of office. (“Can Al Gore Survive Rising Oil Prices and Falling Stocks?” by Floyd Norris; New York Times; 9/22/2000; p. C1.)

26. The Republican camp and their related petroleum interests have historical links to some of the most militant of the Arab petroleum producing countries. Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Dick Cheney’s Haliburton Oil has been doing business with Iraq. (“U.S. Oil Groups Find a Discreet Way of Doing Business with Iraq” by Carola Hoyos; Financial Times; 11/3/2000; p. 6.)

27. Iranian militants have called for a hardening of the OPEC stance toward Israel and the U.S. and the use of the oil weapon on behalf of the Palestinian cause. (“Oil Prices Move Back Up as Iran Steps In” by Ruth Sullivan; Financial Times; 10/18/2000; p. 28.)

28. The new speaker of the Iranian parliament has a "hard-line" past. ("Détente in Iranian Parliament: New Speaker Elected Unopposed" by Ali Akbar Dareini; San Francisco Examiner; 6/12/2000; p. A-12.)

29. The broadcast underscores that the “moderate” speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mehdi Karrubi and his brother, have a history of collusion with the Reagan-Bush administrations in the October Surprise and Iran-Contra imbroglios. (Trick or Treason: The October Surprise Mystery; Robert Parry; copyright 1993; Sheridan Square Press; ISBN 1-879823-08-X; pp. 82-3, 170, 261.)

30. (For more on the October Surprise and Iran-Contra scandals, see, among other programs, RFA #’s 29-35, 38.) The program asks if there may be collusion among these elements in 2000, just as there was in 1980. (See also: FTR #’s 216, 236, 255, 258, 259, in addition to the programs cited above.) (Recorded on 10/26/2000 and 10/29/2000.)