Azar Nafisi: At some point it isn’t. Politics in the genuine sense of the word should be at the service of the personal. It should help every . . . If we believe that it is our right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, then politics should be at the service of that for every single individual. On that level, what Obama and Clinton were talking about last night about healthcare, or education, or you know what they will do for us – all of it relates to our personal lives. And in that sense yes. What I am very afraid of is not political in that sense – that you as an individual are very aware and alert of whether the government is working in the interests of the individual . . . of its citizens. What I am worried about is that where everything you do, you do for an agenda – either for or against an agenda, which is what I see more in this country. I don’t see political in the noble sense of the word. I see political in the crassest form of it.

Recorded on: 2/22/08