books and check my Web site and show up wherever | speak. It’ s a safety valve for them, on how far things are going.” “Are you saying that the intelligence community has allowed you to function because you know more than any of them?" “Exactly .. .” kok # On my return fight the next morning, | found myself reminiscing about the 1987-88 TV season, when | had been a writer and on-air commentator on 7he Wilton North Report, a nightly satirical hour on the Fox network that lasted only 21 shows. Critics blamed the hosts, a pair of disc jockeys who were not untalented but who were deliberately chosen for their inoffensiveness. | had previously suggested as host Conan O’ Brien, a writer on the show who also did the audience warm-ups. “No,” said the producer, “he’ s not professional enough.” Ellen DeGeneres? “Too dykey.” Chris rock? “Too raw.” Rosie O' Donnell? “Who wants to look at her every night?” Richard Belzer? “Too reptilian.” Belzer is a conspiracy researcher as well as a comedian and actor, but little did he ever dream that ultimately he—his reptilian self—could be the culmination of his own investigation. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015268