My interview with Lisa Daftari
I recently had the joy of interviewing one of the smartest, most gorgeous women on Earth. Lisa Daftari is a Fox News Middle East analyst. She is also a stunning politically conservative brunette, one of 2013’s most beautiful women in politics.
As with any interview, this will have three components. First comes the fake interview that never happened. Then comes the Jayson Blair (New York) Times doctored version of the fake interview. Then comes the real interview.
Here is the fake interview that never happened.
Tygrrrr Express: Given that you are a politically conservative brunette, should we get married this evening or just skip straight to having children?
Lisa Daftari: I would sooner bear the children of the mullahs in Iran.
Tygrrrr Express: I would not subject you to Sharia Law, except maybe on Sunday and Monday nights when I am trying to watch football.
Lisa Daftari: Torture comes in many different forms, and I suspect what you are offering me qualifies.
Tygrrrr Express: Fine, should I just skip trying to romance you and go straight to the interview?
Lisa Daftari: Yes, that is an excellent idea. Let’s get down to business right now.
Now here is the Jayson Blair New York Times doctored version of the fake interview.
Tygrrrr Express: Given that you are a politically conservative brunette, should we get married this evening or just skip straight to having children?
Lisa Daftari: Yes, that is an excellent idea. Let’s get down to business right now.
Enough fantasyland. Here is the actual, real interview with the lovely and brilliant Lisa Daftari.
1) What is the Lisa Daftari story?
The single most important event in my life was the attacks of September 11, 2001. In the minutes, days and then months that followed, I was just so unusually attached to the story. The details, the motives, America’s awakening, our first lessons on modern terrorism on our soil, all of it had me both devastated and intrigued. Almost everyone living in the New York City area knew someone who died in the attacks, and while my family and I lost friends in the collapse of the Twin Towers, there was more to it. I kept news articles and magazines. I read them over and over analyzing the reports. But what I really was yearning for was a voice in the media that understood the underpinnings of this new ideological war in order to contextualize the attacks, the aftermath, the consequences and how Americans were going to go back to ‘business as usual.’ This voice was missing.
A month later, on exactly October 11, 2001, I had signed up to take the LSAT (law school entrance exam), and the test site I was assigned to was Pace University, only a few blocks from Ground Zero. My first reaction was that the location must have been changed as the cleanup efforts were still intense near the site, but after calling the test board, they only advised me to stay in a hotel the night before because “No one can get into that area.” The night before the exam, I had packed up all my number two pencils, erasers, and forms and when I walked up the subway steps, the smell of dead bodies, rubber and metal still lingered in the air. This was downtown Manhattan and beside for the sound of the horses the cops were riding, you could hear the proverbial pin drop in the loudest and liveliest city in the world.
That night, I was the only civilian staying at the hotel, among policemen, first responders and detectives. I spent hours in the lobby talking to those taking breaks and wanted to talk about their experiences. The last thing on my mind was my test and little to my knowledge at the time, I was actually heavily engaged in interviewing these responders. It was an incredible and extremely unique experience.
As you can guess, law school was not the route I chose. I ultimately ended up going to journalism school, worked for a handful of think tanks, produced a documentary on bringing regime change to Iran, spent two years doing undercover investigative journalism work looking into terror cells that are expanding their networks right here in the U.S., and now, I work as a Fox News Middle East and counterterrorism analyst. I still aspire to be that voice.
It’s pretty interesting the way things work out. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is to be open to the random and serendipitous; to be flexible and resilient. The only constants for me have been hard work, faith and positivity; and of course, incredibly supportive friends and family!
2) How would a Daftari administration deal with Iran, Egypt, and Syria?
3) What 3 political issues are most important to you?
Terrorism (homegrown and abroad) and national security, this includes the NSA wire tapping issues and holding our administration to really working to strike a balance at understanding the importance of keeping Americans secure while guarding personal liberties, human rights and religious persecution in the Middle East.
4) Who are your 3 political heroes, American or worldwide?
I have four. Ronald Reagan, King Cyrus of Persia, Theodore Herzl and of course, Eric Golub!
5) Without delving too deeply into your personal life, what would you want Americans to know about Lisa Daftari the person? 100 years from now, what would you want people to remember about you, and what would you hope the history books say about you?
Hmmm… Not sure I’ll be mentioned in any history books, but should I be proven wrong, I would say that it’s most important to me that my work is also discussed within the context of my personal approach. I went into journalism to tell the human stories, particularly of the persecuted and marginalized. Whether it’s talking to a young child or a woman abused at the hands of radicals, every story, every human teaches us something and brings to light larger issues that are common to the human experience. I talk to people in Egypt, Syria, Iran and elsewhere on a daily basis, hearing their stories and having the ability and voice to serve as their advocates. Just last week I got over 50 emails from Egypt thanking me for the accurate coverage of their plight. This is the most rewarding and fulfilling aspect of the work I do.
6) Do you get bored with the marriage proposals that you get inundated with on a daily basis?
Bored? Never. All frogs are welcome to audition till I find my prince Just kidding. Marriage proposals keep a girl humble and more importantly, entertained! I’m a hopeless romantic, an idealist and a believer in fate. I’m sure he is out there somewhere!
It was a pleasure meeting and hearing the insights of Lisa Daftari. While she remains easy on the eyes, listen to what she has to say as well. The world could learn a lot from her. American politicians certainly could.
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