As the exploding crisis in Iraq spotlights once again the tragic record of American policy in the Middle East, Bill Moyers speaks with investigative journalist Charles Lewis, whose new book, "935 Lies: The Future of Truth and the Decline of America's Moral Integrity," details the many government falsehoods that have led us into the current nightmare. Lewis details the deceptions and illusions that have caused "most Americans and their elected representatives to completely ignore facts, logic, and reason in the rush to war." A complicit partner, he says, is a media intent on preserving the status quo and never offending the ruling elite. On this week's Moyers & Company (check local listings), Lewis tells Bill Moyers, "An outrageous thing happened. We lost $2 trillion. More than 100,000 people died. Folks are going to be maimed for life in the tens of thousands... And no one has ever acknowledged that this was a war on a lark. It was a complete war of choice, because a certain little faction wanted to do it and they orchestrated it... Did they make statements that weren't true? The answer is yes." He concludes, "If we don't have information that we can trust, and we actually can't even agree on what the truth is, forget it. It's over. We're not going to have a country. It's going to hit an iceberg here. And the question is not, 'Will that happen,' it's 'How soon will it happen?' . ..We have a problem. Until we solve it, we're staring into the abyss. I'm convinced of it." Charles Lewis is a former producer for "60 Minutes" and founder of the Center for Public Integrity, one of the world's largest news organizations dedicated to independent, investigative journalism. The recipient of a coveted MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," Lewis was presented PEN USA's First Amendment Award "for expanding the reach of investigative journalism, for his courage in going after a story regardless of whose toes he steps on, and for boldly exercising his freedom of speech and freedom of the press." This week's broadcast begins with a Moyers essay on the foresight of the legendary Lawrence of Arabia, who, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, predicted the trap in which the West would fall attempting to interfere in the Middle East.
