leans.rnI’m not sure what Bill Gates did to me to be attacked by thernantitrust division of the Department of Justice. As far as I know,rnhe tried to give me a free browser. Microsoft is a national asset.rnIf they did something wrong, fine them, and tell them, “Don’trndo it again.” But don’t smash up this company.rn((/Chronicles has been to me,rnV> in the last ten years, whatrnNational Review was in the very earlyrn1960X with this difference: Chroniclesrnrepeatedly comes to my defense.”rnTake a look at what’s far more dangerous: a concentration ofrnpower, in which a handful of companies get control of thernmechanism by which ideas and information and political newsrnare spread throughout a socieb,’ of 270 million people.rnI thought CNN was a great idea, and frankly I didn’t like thernidea of it merging with [Time-Warner], and now they’re goingrnto merge with AOL. Two or three people in the country are goingrnto be able to decide the career, or the noncareer, of virtuallyrnevery journalist and columnist and commentator in America.rnThey’ll be able to kill all but the biggest, like a Rush Limbaugh;rnand even there they have enormous power. So I do believe inrnmaximum decentralizahon of the media.rnK: What about requiring radio and TV licensees to live in therncities in which they have licenses?rnB: I think that’s a great idea. You should have some kind of preferencernin the law for folks who live in the town, because thesernabsentee landlords sit up there and own 85 or 100 newspapersrnand they don’t give a hoot about what’s going on in Podunk, asrnlong as the Podunk News makes money. They go out there andrnreformat it and put their bingo games in, and it ceases to be arncommunity newspaper.rnIf everv radio station and every newspaper were owned byrnpeople who lived in the town, it would be far better than theserngiant media conglomerates.rnK: Have you lost any friends over your defection from the RepublicanrnPart)’?rnB: There weren’t all that many to lose. Bill (Laughter). I’m notrna great socialite around D.C., never have been. I can’t think ofrnan’body who was a great personal friend who is not now.rnK: Have you ever talked to Dick Lamm about his treatment byrnthe Perot people in ’96?rnB: No, I have not, but somebody I know talked to him. This isrnone reason we’ve got the fight with the Perot people. We sawrnwhat was done to Lamm, and early on we picked up signs thatrnthe Dallas people, in giving us advice on whom to support andrnnot to support, and whether to get on the ballot as the ReformrnParty or as an individual, were making decisions and giving usrncounsel that would leave them with the capacity to take it awayrnfrom us, if they so chose.rnSo we decided to follow our own strategy and make sure Irnwent to Long Beach with an insurance policy of two-thirds of allrndelegates. We started to act deliberately and consciously in ourrninterest, making our own decisions, doing what was best for us.rnWhen they offered advice we would say “Thanks,” and wernmight accept it if we thought it was consistent with our interests,rnand if it wasn’t, we would do what we wanted to do. That’s wh’,rnfor example, when we were asked by them to go down and getrnthe Reform Party on the ballot in Texas, we said “No, we’re goingrnto get me on the ballot in Texas.” If we had gotten the ReformrnParty on the ballot in Texas, I’m sure there would havernbeen an effort to give that line to Hagelin.rnThis is the source of the great conflict with Dallas; it’s gotrnnothing to do with social issues. They knew exactly where Irnstood on those when I joined.rnK: You famously threw punches at a Washington policeman asrna young man, and you have a pugilistic image. Were yourntempted to throw any punches during the Reform Party convention?rnB: No, I was thinking of m)- coming surgery (Laughter), Somebodyrnmight have punched me in the stomach, and that wouldrnhave been it. At the Reform Part) convention, I told all our people,rn”Look, be sweet, be nice —no punches thrown,” becausernwe won. Wlien you win, it’s the gu)’s that are losing that throwrnthe first punch.rnK, Do you expect that, in 2002, Reform will fieldrn• Buchananite candidates for governorships and Senaternand House seats and such?rnB: That would be the clear plan, but we have to see how well werndo and how well I am. But here’s the thing: This is a long-termrncommitment. I’m not going back to the Republican Party: I’mrnliberated; free at last! (Laughter).rnK: Could you see yourself supporting Reform candidates inrn2002 who are with you on most issues but not abortion?rnB: That’s where I have a real problem. I have a problem defeatingrna candidate who has stood up for right-to-life, whichrntakes great courage these days. If my guy supports life and thernother Buchanan things, of course I can support him, evenrnagainst a conservative Republican.rnPeople say, “That’s an impediment, Pat; you can never putrntogether a coalition as long as you believe that.” Well, if thafsrntrue, that’s true, and there’s nothing I can do about that. ButrnI’m not changing.rnK: WTiat if they disagree with yovi on decentralist grounds, saying,rn”IjOok, there should not be a federal law against partialbirthrnabortion; this should be legislated at the local level.”rnB: Do they agree Roe v. Wade should be overturned?rnK: Presumably.rnB: If thev take a stand that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.rn16/CHRONICLESrnrnrn