The Author Who Got A Big Boost From bin Laden

The Washington Post ^ | January 21, 2006 | David Montgomery

[grandpa jones]

Twenty-four hours after Osama bin Laden told the world that the American people should read the work of a little-known Washington historian, William Blum was still adjusting.

Blum, who at 72 is accustomed to laboring in relative left-wing obscurity, checked his emotions and pronounced himself shocked and, well, pleased.

"This is almost as good as being an Oprah book," he said yesterday between telephone calls from the world media and bites of a bagel. "I'm glad."

[grandpa jones]

What a maroon.

Overnight, his 2000 work, "Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower," had become an Osama book.

In gray slacks, plaid shirt and black slippers, Blum padded around his one-bedroom apartment on Connecticut Avenue. A portrait of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the '50s hung on his kitchen wall. Bookshelves bowed under the weight of secret histories of the CIA. The cord on his prehistoric phone let him roam across the living room. He'd already done CNN and MSNBC. A guy from the New York Post knocked on the door to take pictures. The BBC rang, then Reuters and Pacifica Radio stations on both coasts.

Uhh... CNN? Check. BBC? Check. Al Reuters? Check. Pacifica? Check.

[Yaelle]

WHAT is Osama's life like? Does he sit around reading Arabic translations of leftie books? Does he have Al Franken podcasts?

[Jeff Head]

Blum, who at 72 is accustomed to laboring in relative left-wing obscurity, checked his emotions and pronounced himself shocked and, well, pleased.

"This is almost as good as being an Oprah book," he said yesterday between telephone calls from the world media and bites of a bagel. "I'm glad."

So, when endorsed by the self-admitted murder of 3,000+ innocent Americans, and the direct, abject, deadly enemy of our nation and freedom, this guys response is that he is, "well pleased, glad, and as good as being on Oprah"

God help us and preserve us from such internal enemies and abettors of abject evil.

[newconhere]

He did Fox and Friends this morning too.

[Patriot from Philly]

On Fox and Friends they had the horrible Julian Phillips interview this fool and it was a disaster. I'm not always a fan of O'Reilly or Hannity but they would have served this clown his head. Phillips was clearly out of his element, again. Why do they let him do serious interviews, the man is really bad.

[SAMS]

Saw this idiot of Fox & Friends this morning...he sounds like Elmer Fudd.

[grandpa jones]

...Blum's exact words? "If I were the president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United States in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize -- very publicly and very sincerely -- to all the widows and orphans, the impoverished and the tortured, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism."... Blum said his life's mission has been this: "If not ending, at least slowing down the American Empire. At least injuring the beast. It's causing so much suffering around the world.

Jeff Head said: "God help us and preserve us from such internal enemies and abettors of abject evil."

I couldn't agree more.

[sageb1]

"If I were the president, I could stop terrorist attacks against the United States in a few days. Permanently. I would first apologize to all the widows and orphans, the tortured and impoverished, and all the many millions of other victims of American imperialism. Then I would announce, in all sincerity, to every corner of the world, that America's global interventions have come to an end, and inform Israel that it is no longer the 51st state of the USA but now -- oddly enough -- a foreign country. I would then reduce the military budget by at least 90% and use the savings to pay reparations to the victims. There would be more than enough money. One year's military budget of 330 billion dollars is equal to more than $18,000 an hour for every hour since Jesus Christ was born. That's what I'd do on my first three days in the White House. On the fourth day, I'd be assassinated."

William Blum: Why Terrorists Hate America

[Chi-townChief]

My vote for the dumbest comment of the millineum so far is still the Widow Jean Carnahan's

"I'm the number one target of the White House. They can't get Osama bin Laden; they're going to get me."

This guy comes close, though.

[KJC1]

No surprise that Osama would enjoy a leftie book, but it's a bold admission of what we already know that the author is "pleased" with this endorsement.

[dennisw]

Anorther fellow Jew for me to be ashamed of. I repudiate him

[gotribe]

The ethics question: If osama gave you a million dollar windfall, what would you do with it?

[dennisw]

Says William Blum of Osama: "I'm not repulsed by his embrace of my book."

Photo Credit: By Lois Raimondo -- The Washington Post
Related Article: , page C01

[Brilliant]

"On the fourth day, I'd be assassinated."




That's about as optimistic as a liberal gets these days.

[samtheman]

By last night, "Rogue State" shot up from 205,763 to 26 on Amazon.com's index of the most-ordered books.

And who is buying this left-wing anti-American propaganda screed? The hordes of America-hating leftists in our society, that's who. They already agreed with everything in this book, they just didn't know it was on their assigned reading list.

Now, one of their teachers has spoken, and they all dutifully line up to obey his commands.

[DoughtyOne]

"Check" Was that confirmation of the world's leading propagandist and terrorist front organizations checking in? Check.

[DoughtyOne]

What's hard for me to come to grips with, is that in any 300,000,000 count of individuals, you're going to find a few dilusional fools.

Bush did not lie, and fewer members of the military have died in Iraq than civilians who died on 09/11. So far, that has contributed to no more civilians dying in the U.S.

[angkor]

this guys response is that he is, "well pleased, glad, and as good as being on Oprah"

Are any of these MSM interviewers raising Blum's 1970's work with Philip Agee in revealing the identities of covert CIA operatives working overseas? Are they mentioning his foul inspiration for the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which had the MSM in such a lather due to Valerie Plame (who wasn't even covert)?

I wouldn't have considered this angle on Blum, but for the fact that a childhood neighbor was CIA, was covert, was overseas, and was assassinated directly due to his "outing" by Blum and and his seditious pal Phil Agee.

[Spirited]

How is Iran going to go after Israel while Osama is pimping for a Jew?

[grandpa jones]

And who is buying this left-wing anti-American propaganda screed? Of course, NSA wouldn't be monitoring those sales, would they? Muwahahahahahahahaha