Reply #31: Letter to the Charlie Rose Show [View All]

[the phantom shouting]

I just sent this message off to Charlie Rose in the hopes that he would feature the major players from Rep. John Conyers hearing on the Downing Street minutes as a panel on his show. I would encourage others here to send their own requests to Mr. Rose, as he usually responds if he sees enough interest in a topic for his show. Good luck!

Dear Mr. Rose,

I have been a regular viewer of the Charlie Rose Show for many years now and have always found the program to be fearless in it's approach to even the thorniest topics. As the Charlie Rose Show is one of the few remaining programs on television willing to offer informed conversation about the important issues of our time, it is, for me, a refreshing break from all of the partisan bickering that passes for commentary and discussion on the networks these days.

That said, there is a story that has been breaking in the last few months that I feel has not received the attention it deserves from the media-at-large. I am speaking of the release of the Downing Street minutes and other related top-secret internal British documents that appear to indicate that the U.S. intelligence supporting plans for the war in Iraq was being ‘fixed around the policy’.

As I’m sure you know, an unofficial hearing was held in the Capitol building last Thursday on the relevancy of the British memos, chaired by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and televised on C-Span. I found the abuses of government power suggested during the hearing nothing short of jaw-dropping. Watching the proceedings, I had the feeling that I was seeing something historic taking place, and that the memos were just the tip of an iceberg that just might turn into the biggest news story of my lifetime.

Please allow me to recommend a panel of guests for your series of shows on Iraq, a panel that I feel would be enlightening not only to yourself but to millions of your viewers at large. In addition to Rep. John Conyers, I would enjoy seeing on your program the group of witnesses that were present for the initial hearing on the Downing Street minutes: Ambassador Joseph Wilson, retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern, constitutional attorney John Bonifaz, and the mother of a soldier killed-in-action, Cindy Sheehan.

I am convinced that this is an issue that needs to be addressed further for the health of our nation, and if you find it at all relevant, I would be immensely pleased to see it addressed on the Charlie Rose Show.

Regards,
J. Riley