Jerome Corsi

Jerome R. Corsi is an American author and conservative activist, who at one time was considered a candidate for the Constitution Party's 2008 Presidential nomination.[1] Corsi received national media exposure as credited co-author (with John O'Neill), of Unfit for Command, a book that topped the New York Times bestseller list. The book, written in cooperation with Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, criticized the conduct of John Kerry -- at the time the Democratic candidate for president -- as a naval officer during the Vietnam War and challenged the legitimacy of each of his combat medals. The book also criticized Kerry's later efforts organizing opposition to that war. The book's veracity has been widely challenged.

Biography

Corsi received a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University in 1972, and has since published several works on political protest and terrorism. His 1972 dissertation was titled Prior Restraint, Prior Punishment, and Political Dissent; a Moral and Legal Evaluation. In 1972 Corsi published an extensive study of the political protest around the 1972 Democratic and Republican National Conventions in Miami Beach, and the involvement of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (an organization that Kerry was involved with). That work was published at the Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence (Brandeis University, 1974). Corsi authored Atomic Iran: How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians (2005) and co-authored Black Gold Stranglehold (2005) with Craig R. Smith. In 2006, he also co-authored Showdown with Nuclear Iran: Radical Islam's Messianic Mission to Destroy Israel and Cripple the United States with Michael D. Evans. Corsi has also co-authored Minutemen: The Battle to Secure America's Borders (with Minutemen founder Jim Gilchrist), published in August 2006. This book heavily criticizes President George W. Bush for deficiency in enforcing border protection laws and for furthering plans to create a North American Union. In January 2005, Corsi told the Boston Herald that he planned to bid for Kerry's Senate seat in Massachusetts in 2008. He stated that he would run as a Republican or Independent. While on C-SPAN's Washington Journal on the morning of 25 May 2007, Corsi said his wife had "vetoed" this plan, and Corsi will not run in Massachusetts. In May 2006, Corsi co-wrote the book Rebuilding America with Kenneth Blackwell, then Ohio secretary of state and a Republican candidate for Ohio governor.^[1] In the fall of 2006, Corsi used his column at the conservative news website WorldNetDaily (whose publishing division, WND Books, also published Rebuilding America, as well as Atomic Iran and Black Gold Stranglehold) to write numerous columns attacking Blackwell's Democratic opponent in the governor's race, Ted Strickland. ^[2] Strickland easily won the election, receiving 60 percent of the vote to Blackwell's 37 percent.^[3] In January 2007 Corsi announced he was joining the staff ^[4] of TheVanguard.Org, the conservative website.

Presidential candidacy

Corsi stated "Howard Phillips of the Constitution Party asked me to consider seriously running for president in 2008 and I am doing so." He then agreed to be nominated at the Constitution Party National Convention. [2] He has started appearing at its state conventions. On the radio on May 21, 2007, he said if he is the nominee, he would campaign on these issues: (1) secure the borders; (2) a strong national defense used only to protect the U.S.; (3) punish employers who hire illegal aliens; (4) abolish social welfare for illegal aliens; (5) work for energy independence; (6) work for a tax system which does not include personal income tax.[3] He dropped out in July. ^[5]

Controversy

In August 2004, during Corsi's cooperation with the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, the website Media Matters for America reposted a number of controversial comments some interpreted to be anti-Islam, anti-Catholicism, anti-semitic and anti-homosexuality^[6] made by Corsi at the forum threads of the Free Republic website, dating from 2001 through 2004 ^[7]. Corsi responded that the selected posts were failed attempts at humor ^[8], but the Media Matters for America story rapidly spread.^[9] When questioned about his connection with Corsi at this time, John O'Neill claimed that Corsi was not actually a co-author of the book Unfit for Command, but rather was "simply an editor." ("Scarborough Country," Aug. 10, 2004; "Wolf Blitzer Reports," Aug. 11, 2004) ^[10]. Conservative author and pundit Debbie Schlussel has accused Corsi of plagiarizing elements from columns that she has published, and subsequently posting them under his byline in his WorldNetDaily column. ^{[11] [12]} Corsi is also a prominent endorser of the concept of "abiotic oil" production; the idea that oil is naturally produced underground through methods other than the scientifically-accepted process of converting biological material. This view is sometimes used to counter concerns over "peak oil", but as yet has no demonstrable basis in fact.

Books

• O'Neill, John E. and Corsi, Jerome E. Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. Regnery Publishing, 2004. ISBN 0-89526-017-4.
• Kenneth Blackwell and Jerome R. Corsi. Rebuilding America: A Prescription for Creating Strong Families, Building the Wealth of Working People, and Ending Welfare. WND Books, May 4, 2006. ISBN 1581825013
• Atomic Iran. WND Books
• Black Gold Stranglehold. WND Books
• The Late Great U.S.A.: The Coming Merger With Mexico and Canada. WND Books, July 4, 2007, ISBN 0979045142.

References

External links

• Corsi's column archive at WorldNetDaily
• Jerome Corsi Articles Archive at Human Events
• Jerome Corsi on the planned North American Union from Human Events Online
• "Who is Jerome Corsi, co-author of Swift Boat Vets attack book?" by Media Matters for America
• "Jerome Corsi responds to accusation of being anti-Catholic," FNC Video.
• Innuendos leveled by Corsi against Democratic candidate Strickland in the 2006 Ohio governor's race.