Q&A

Q:Was do you think about the protests against china/olympics controversy?

A:He was in China two months ago. Finds them to be extremly nationalistic and very sensitive about how they are seen in the world. They want to show their rising power by hosting the Olympics. Brooks feels that the protests are serving a good purpose, because they are sending a message to China that, although they are rich and "rising", the world can still see their faults.

Concerning online journalism, he says that he's in the "whaling business", since viewer people are reading news in print format. He believes there is still a future for journalism, but he doesn't know what it will look like. He finds it presents challenges to him as a columnist, since he is competing with the opinions of bloggers who can "print" immediately.

He tries to interview at least three people everyday to increase his stream of information to allow him to compete with the online world.

Q: Do you feel like McCain is the man for the job?
A: "Yeah, I love McCain". Brooks says he's funny, he's open, good guy to be around. Tells a story when McCain called another senator a f'n a-hole, and Brooks appreciates this kind of honesty. He would trust McCain with his life, and believes in his honesty. One drawback he sees inMcCain is that he's a disorganized guy who flies by the seat of his pants. "In raw political terms", McCain has a chance because he's more than the average Republican.

Q: Some people assert that McCain would be a continuation of Bush policy. What do you think his foreign policy would look like, especially in Iraq and the middle east.
A: McCain knows all of the world leaders. He shows respect to world opinion. He recognizes the issue of global warming. He has a broader range of advisors. He did support the war, but if he had been the President and not Bush, the war would have been fought much better. His foreign policy would be somewhat different(not same as Bush, but not as different as, say, Obama's) and much more competant.