Month: December 2008

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Our year-in-review show features, first, IRAQ: the Forever War. DEXTER FILKINS  has covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 for the New York Times. Filkins describes “an arid, hopeless policy” in an unforgettable book: The Forever War. (originally broadcast 9/17/08)

Obama and History: ERIC FONER comments — he teaches American history at Columbia U.,  and is the author of many books, most recently Our Lincoln.  His recent essay in The Nation, “Rooted in Reconstruction,” explores the history of black politics in America.  (originally broadcast 11/5/08)

Politics in 2008: DAVID CORN, Washington bureau chief of Mother Jones, reviews the year in politics – and considers the future of the Republicans.  (originally broadcast 12/17/08)

Your Minnesota Moment: it looks like AL FRANKEN will win the Minnesota Senate contest — and that Republicans in the Senate will try to block seating him.  Details at TPM Election Central.

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The war on Christmas continues!  CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS says “Religion poisons everything.”  You say religion might not be true, but it provides comfort in the face of suffering and death?  Hitchens replies: “How contemptible.” His number one best-seller is God Is Not Great. (Originally broadcast 5/30/07.)

Plus: Your Minnesota Moment: In honor of Al Franken’s Senate recount, we revisit our interview with him about Rush Limbaugh: “You’ve got to have compassion,” Al says. (Originally broadcast 10/22/02.)

Also: The best of 2008: “The Dark Side” – that’s where Dick Cheney said we would have to go to “achieve our objectives” in the White House’s war on terror. JANE MAYER investigated what “the dark side” really means. Her conclusion: “the dark side” violated the constitution and American freedoms, and also made it harder to pursue Al Qaeda.  Her award-winning book is The Dark Side.  (Originally broadcast 9/3/08.)

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Robert Reich on economics, David Corn on politics, and Juan Cole on shoe-throwing in Baghdad:

ROBERT REICH was Clinton’s Secretary of Labor; now he argues that “What we most lack. . . are the things we use in common – clean air, clean water, public parks, good schools, and public transportation, as well as social safety nets to catch those of us who fall.” His book Supercapitalism is out now in paperback.

DAVID CORN, Washington bureau chief of Mother Jones, reviews the year in politics – and considers the future of the Republicans.

JUAN COLE comments on Arab suprt for the journalist who threw shoes at Bush, and the secret government report on the failure of the US reconstruction effort in Iraq.   Juan’s indespensible Iraq blog, “Informed Comment,” is at JuanCole.com.  Juan’s book Napoleon’s Egypt is out now in paperback.  READ the secret official report on Iraq Reconstruction HERE.  WATCH shoe-throwing video HERE

Your Minnesota Moment: in the Al Franken Senate race, the state Canvassing Board recount of 1500 disputed ballots has begun.

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Corruption in Illinois, bankruptcy in Chicago: HAROLD MEYERSON of the Washington Post op-ed page comments on Governor Rod Blagojevich’s arrest for plotting to sell Obama’s senate seat, and on Sam Zell taking the Tribune Co., and the LA Times, into bankruptcy.

Plus: Kafka Comes to America – attorney Steven T. Wax talks about justice for Gitmo detainees.  (originally broadcast 7-16-08)

And we’ll talk about the financial crisis at MOCA, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art – the New York Times says the museum has “an exhibition record that many feel is the best in the country and even the world”  — but that its endowment has shrunk from $50 million to $6 million. CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT, art critic for the LA Times, will comment.  more info at MOCAmobilization.org.

Also: Your Minnesota Moment: In the recount in Al Franken’s senate race, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has incumbent Republican Norm Coleman ahead by 192 votes, but Franken says his own projections have him ahead — by 4 votes.

One more thing: The Department of Homeland Security is now an underwriter of National Public Radio.

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Leftists are worrying about Obama’s national security team—is this the change we need?  JOHN NICHOLS will have our Washington-in-Transition update.  John is Washington correspondent for The Nation and writes “The Beat” blog at TheNation.com.

Peter Matthiessen won the National Book Award last week – he’s best known for The Snow Leopard, an account of his spiritual journey in the Himalayas.  PICO IYER will explain – he wrote an introduction to the new Penguin Classics edition of the book.

Your Minnesota Moment: Al Franken’s margin in the Senate recount may down only 13 votes – we’ll listen to more of our 2003 interview, where Franken talks about Rush Limbaugh.  “You’ve got to be compassionate,” he says.

Also: THE JAZZ EAR: jazz musicians not only play differently from others; they listen differently. BEN RATLIFF of the New York Times listened to music with a dozen jazz greats and talked with them about what they heard – we’ll focus on Dianne Reeves. Ben’s new book is The Jazz Ear.  PLAYLIST: Dianne Reeves, “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (2007); Aretha Franklin, “Mary Don’t You Weep” (1972); Sam Cooke, “Try a Little Tenderness” live medley (1964); Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Closer and Closer Apart” (2006); Shirley Horne, “Here’s to Life” (1991).