Dick Morris sounds off on Sunday Temple Times
By John Temple Ligon Temple@TheColumbiaStar.com

Dick Morris

Dick Morris, President Bill Clinton's number one political strategist and the advisor who steered Clinton to the right in time to win a second term, has recently

authored a book, Fleeced.

The book is a hit list of what's wrong with the country, and Morris also offers corresponding corrective actions suitable to set the country straight.

Morris was on a two- week book promotional tour, terminating Friday, July

18, and the Sunday Temple

Times radio show took the opportunity to record an interview with Morris at 4:30 that afternoon, presumably the last radio interview for the tour. The interview was broadcast over 1320 AM and WISRADIO.com for its full 21 minutes after the 10 o'clock news Sunday morning.

As the host on the

Sunday Temple Times for the past two years, I had never had on the air anyone of such stature and national prominence as Dick Morris. He and his publicist asked to come on the show to sell his book, Fleeced, but I thought it a better sell to let Morris sell himself and show off a little with his incredible command of past political wars and the current issues on everybody's mind. A humble, almost naive opening was in order: "So tell me, Mr. Morris: How are things in book publishing?"

Morris appears with Clinton on the cover of Time magazine as "The Man Who Has Clinton's ear."

Morris, the old pro, took it from there.

For instance, Morris reminded the listeners the U.S. has released 425 terrorists from Guantanamo, and at least 50 of them have returned to the war zone to fight our troops.

Another zinger: Up to a quarter of all state pension funds in the U.S. have invested almost $200 billion in companies that are helping Iran, Syria, North Korea, or the Sudan.

As for Congress: The "Do- Nothing" Congress has little to show for the current session. Just about the worst offenders are the presidential candidates Clinton, McCain and Obama, who rarely show up in the U.S. Senate, even though they're paid $165,000 in annual salary.

On the matter of affirmative action, Morris blasted the misdirected racism and sexism. Just help those in need regardless of race or sex, he said. In other words, the country has plenty of poor people who could use a hand up, some affirmative action, but please don't prequalify the beneficiaries based on race or sex. Otherwise, as is currently the case, there are plenty of middle and upper- middle- class Americans who score public patronage, taxpayer funded contracts, just because they meet the definition of minority, which ostensibly equates with victim.

Two of the country's most liberal states, blue states, have come out banning affirmative action. California and Michigan do not allow race- based or sex- based affirmative action in awarding state jobs, contracts, or university admissions. Morris sees this as a national trend to help the people at the bottom, those most in need.

Morris came across on the radio interview as neither left- nor right- winged anything. He aimed for his targets dead center.

The broadcast of my conversation with Morris triggered a response from those who failed to tune in. Ordinarily, I brag about our seven confirmed listeners, even though we know we have an eighth on rotation in the bathroom, but I have heard from far more than the usual seven or eight this time. The good word got out, and a repeat broadcast is scheduled for the next

Sunday Temple Times, July 27, at 9:30 in the morning.