LETTER: Press more concerned with glorifying Powell at conference, not qualifications

---

by Michael Maddi

---

The Nov. 17 edition of the Thresher reports on the conference held recently by the James Baker Policy Institute.

Included in the coverage is an article titled "Disruptions punctuate panels" which reports on two instances of unwanted (by the panelists) discussion.

I am writing to set the record straight about the first incident, involving General Colin Powell. I am the person who asked him the question to which the article referred.

The article claims that my question was incomprehensible.

For the sake of readers who might wonder what I asked that caused such a commotion, I will repeat the question, which Gen. Powell never answered: "Gen. Powell, do you have any regrets over your role in the Panama invasion, now that Newsweek magazine has reported that the Bush administration made a deal with the Cali Cartel to convict Noriega, and it is well known that the Endara government that you helped in- stall is full of drug-money launderers?"

While my question might have been incomprehensible to the Thresher reporter on the scene, what is truly incomprehensible to me is the fawning attitude of most of the press toward Gen. Powell.

Until he announced that he will not run for president, the press was promoting him as the heroic savior of the nation without so much as a word from Gen. Powell himself as to what he stands for, let alone how he would save the nation.

Perhaps that is why the article incorrectly reports that I "claimed" to be a member of the press.

In fact, I did have press credentials, representing the Executive Intelligence Review (founded by Lyndon LaRouche), issued to me by the conference staff.

My question was meant to discover if Gen. Powell is able to defend his record and to stand the light of public scrutiny.

Perhaps we would have been able to establish that if the conference officials had asked Gen. Powell to respond and not eject me from the conference hall.

Michael Maddi

Executive Intelligence Review

Correspondent

Editor's Note: According to our photographer at the conference who was standing just a few feet from Mr. Maddi, the question was incomprehensible due to the noise and speed with which the question was delivered. Furthermore, Mr. Maddi did claim to be a journalist. In this letter, he still claims to be a journalist. The word "claim" does not imply that he is not a journalist.

This item appeared in the Opinion section of the December 8, 1995 issue.

Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights Reserved.
This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.