A new three part interview with Larry Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff: Part I

by The Real News
Wilkerson, who has gone on record calling Powell's speech before the U.N. in 2003 laying out a case for war with Iraq a "hoax", spoke to The Real News Network at this year's AIPAC conference that did not shy away from painting Iran as a hostile, nuclear threat.

 

 

 

The Washington insider was featured in the documentary "The Israel Lobby", saying that AIPAC was highly influential in the Bush Administration's decision to go to war in Iraq.

Wilkerson tells Senior Analyst Paul Jay in the interview that "President" Dick Cheney blocked an Iranian offer to negotiate in 2003 because it didn't fit with his regime change agenda.

Saying he would "prefer to see the squabble of democracy to the efficiency of dictators", Wilkerson asserts he is a lifelong Republican who will not be voting for John McCain. As Barack Obama still basks in his recent victory in the Democratic Party, Wilkerson questions the Senator's substance, and says he is awaiting signs of a real challenge to traditional US foreign policy assumptions.

Hear the first part of this interview on The Real News Network: Cheney blocked talks with Iran, and stay tuned as we roll out the next two parts in the coming days.