TALK / TALK
A fun, feisty, and philosophical dialogue among two leading independents as they reviewed the week's top political news.
ARCHIVES: 2006 ‐ 2010
For years, Fred Newman and Jacqueline Salit ‐‐ two leading activists and intellectuals within the independent political movement ‐‐ watched the political talk shows and discussed them over coffee. In early 2005, they began transcribing these conversations and distributing them to their friends and followers. Over the years, their "talk about the talk" developed into a popular weekly missive distributed via e‐mail to tens of thousands of readers worldwide. Making ﴾Non﴿ Sense of an Irrational World is a compilation of some of their most popular and thought provoking discussions from the last five years.
Upturns, Downturns and Turnouts.
I guess we have to start with the story that everybody in the political pundits' universe is talking about – the Clinton/Obama collision this week. I have a theory about it.
Turning Point?
John McLaughlin asked his panelists 'Is this the turning point in the war?' He's referring to the congressional votes this weekend. The House passed a resolution disapproving of the troop surge in Iraq. The Senate was not able to muster the votes, but came within four votes of doing so. Says McLaughlin, 'The tide is turning and this is the hinge moment.' Would you agree?
Obama and the Zeitgeist.
Barack Obama's candidacy is, potentially, a very big deal for the country. How could it not be very big for an African American man to be running for president? It's not an abstract political issue. It's something we're going to have to be attentive to, hour by hour. I think it's very complicated.
The Moral Independence of the Independent Movement.
We watched John Edwards on "Meet the Press." He made a lot out of having gone through a process of reflection on the war, that he's come out the other side, and that he's being honest with the American people. Tell me your reactions to him.
They’re In. And They’re Off and Running.
If I had to come up with some kind of "vest pocket" description of the shows today, I would say this: There are so many possibilities for the presidency, and so few possibilities for Iraq. That seems to be what the discussions were about.
All Alone at the Top?
Is George Bush alone at the top? That's a good question and hard to answer. I'll tell you why. Because he's certainly alone on Iraq and what he's done with this war. But today's "alone" is tomorrow's "deal."
Presidents, Principles and Politics.
Commemorations and discussions about President Gerald Ford were a focus point today, including Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon after Watergate.
You Can Change Your Eggs…But.
At one point in Tim Russert's interview with Newt Gingrich, who was discussing U.S. options in Iraq, Russert asked him something like "What does real change mean?"
Changing Course in Iraq…and in America.
It was Baker-Hamilton Day on the talk shows. James Baker laid out the following premise: 'We're not going to win militarily in Iraq. There has to be a political victory. How do you define a political victory? There has to be some kind of national reconciliation.' Let me start by asking - what's your reaction to his premise?