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rssAndrew Bacevich: The End of Exceptionalism
Andrew Bacevich: realism and remorse Andrew Bacevich incandesces with the rage of a serious professional: with a West Pointer’s scorn for political weasels and embarrassment at incompetent generalship; with a citizen’s horror at the Long Peace that became the Long War — war today as “a seemingly permanent condition.” He burns with a Nieburhian realist’s [...]
Audio|Fri, 10 Oct 2008
|Middle Eastfound at1:19, 4:08
“…general view. What in the world we're going through militarily. In the Middle East. . Economically on Wall Street culturally. On TV sets. And you've taken his bravest to have that it is anybody I know in …”
“…in this book about. The Pentagon about Tommy franks -- this fight Donald Rumsfeld. . You talk about that kind of unspeakable. Gap in general ship in the modern American. Military you'll want to talk about complete …”
Bernard Lown’s Prescription for Survival
Click to listen to Chris’s conversation with Bernard Lown (33 minutes, 15 mb mp3) Bernard Lown: Rx for sudden nuclear death The world-renowned cardiologist Bernard Lown won the Nobel Prize for Peace, (outside his field, so to speak) for putting doctors (starting with Russians and Americans) into the fight against nuclear weapons in a global force called [...]
Audio|Wed, 8 Oct 2008
|White Housefound at0:51, 1:56
“…mid -- late 1980s. But this hard sergeant from Boston handed the White House and the Kremlin was in the title of his memoir. A prescription for survival. …”
“…were attacked. In the media in -- radio and the German government. Prime Minister calls demanded the Nobel committee rescind the Nobel prize. Who was sitting with -- about 200 journalists. The majority of them would …”
Virtual JFK: Vietnam (and us) if Kennedy had lived
Six crisis decisions forecast the seventh Find a way to see Virtual JFK — a documentary film chasing a what-if riddle — and have your own presidential debate before choosing between John McCain and Barack Obama. The question in Virtual JFK is whether President Kennedy, had he lived, would have withdrawn from war in Vietnam in 1965. [...]
Audio|Mon, 6 Oct 2008
|Latin Americafound at10:47, 14:26
“…there insurgency breaking out in 19606162. There all over the world and Latin America's. . Gone up in smoke and Central America and all over Africa over Asia. And the idea that a few green berets are …”
“…The rhetoric of is late months the American University speech at the United Nations when he is. Ardently. Embracing peace and in ways that American political rhetoric doesn't anymore. …”
What We’re Going Through: Anna Deavere Smith
Anna Deavere Smith: grace notes Anna Deavere Smith works barefoot on stage — the better to walk in the words of the people she’s impersonating; perhaps also to summon Walt Whitman, who said we’d feel his spirit “under your bootsoles.” Actress and documentarian, Anna Deavere Smith is all feeling, no bootsoles. Her new show is “a [...]
Audio|Thu, 2 Oct 2008
|Kentucky Derbyfound at0:39, 1:25
“…over the place Johannesburg. New Orleans after Katrina. Louisville after -- heartbreaking Kentucky Derby and then Houston hotel room with a grassy ex governor of Texas and Richard is dying. There's a range here. And a …”
“…am -- going through and especially in this season with what you Wall Street melting. Everybody's went -- a week going through. You're our authority but just off the top what are we going. …”
The American Exception: Pop Culture Today
On the exceptional power of American culture, what comes first to my own mind is a moment about ten years ago, after narrating Aaron Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait (1942) at the JFK Library in Boston with the Indian conductor George Mathew — before George got his American green card. The piece triggered a general [...]
Audio|Tue, 30 Sep 2008
|Czech Republicfound at14:29, 1:26
“…appealed to dissidents an appeal to youth. Playwright and president of the Czech Republic to be talked of Kabul was a great fan of Frank Zappa and the mothers of invention. . And you know although the real kind of hard edged counterculture stuff. …”
“…proud of and we think you're the Voice of America. Broadcast sure Louis Armstrong is ambassador. Satcher. I was used to tell my kids the reason they call between essentially the American century was one we …”
Candid Capitalist: John Bogle
John Bogle of Vanguard We asked the legendary investor, John C. Bogle, patriarch of the trillion-dollar Vanguard family of funds, for wisdom that would get us past the weekend in this financial rockslide. He sees an avalanche and three years of severe pain ahead, but something less than Armageddon, and no reason to realize Sarah [...]
Audio|Fri, 26 Sep 2008
|Kurt Vonnegutfound at29:26, 5:56
“…Has written eight books. It's his heart transplant. Eleven years ago his new book is called enough. The enough -- drawn. From Joseph Heller's comment to Kurt Vonnegut and -- attended a party does it feel. We know that the hedge fund guys at this party made more money last …”
“…like and reviewed the players here electric collar men on. At the World Series and in. …”
Slavoj Zizek: What is the Question?
The Elvis of the intelligensia, Slavoj Zizek, hot-links in our one-way conversation… …from nominating George W. Bush (for his trillion-dollar bail-out) to the Communist Party to Kung-Fu Panda, …from John McCain (”Bush with lipstick”) to Naomi Klein, …from Barack Obama’s risk of the “John Kerry syndrome” to the experience we’re all having of putting on the reality sunglasses [...]
Audio|Tue, 23 Sep 2008
|Newt Gingrichfound at4:23, 7:24
“…but -- at the same old story. Do you remember when Newt Gingrich became the speaker. No -- did he always thought he also led a -- properties but he vote and so on and …”
“…can of -- can be a woman so the great. A -- high school being over men nobody being Mormon screen -- men it's modernizing dispute because that. They don't they go to a -- weeklies. …”
Torture, Part 3: the Philip Gourevitch version
In our third go at this miserable business of sanctioned American torture, Philip Gourevitch turns it around, Pogo-style. We have met the victims, he says in effect, and they are us. Click to listen to Chris’s conversation with Philip Gourevitch (58 minutes, 27 mb mp3) Philip Gourevitch (photo: Andrew Brucker) Even if you want to put it [...]
Audio|Thu, 18 Sep 2008
|new bookfound at1:04, 13:07
“…in the New Yorker and its editor ship. Great Paris review. -- new book is called standard operating procedure. We talked with Errol Morris who made the movie of the same name. But the book is …”
“…do it the world will you know perhaps with. -- citizen arrested Donald Rumsfeld as he's walking down the main street in Geneva Sunday. …”
Philippe Sands’ Torture Team
First, the Spencer Tracy “verdict” from “Judgement at Nuremberg” (1961). Click to listen to Chris’ conversation with Philippe Sands (45 minutes, 21 mb mp3) Who will pay for the illegal abuse of detainees at Guantanamo? If violations of the Geneva Conventions — and specifically of Common Article 3, against torture, cruelty and “outrages upon personal dignity” [...]
Audio|Wed, 17 Sep 2008
|Donald Rumsfeldfound at31:42, 4:16
“…British historian of the French foreign soldier. Who sent exactly that mrs. Donald Rumsfeld. . And got a response but it was a kiss on when one does that mean my Tony Blair not have whispered this to George Bush early on. By the way George I don't work I don't think that was the sort of relationship they had I mean I've not been privy to any material between Tony and George W. . Bush on the issue of torture and these interrogations. But I have seen two will be able to its including. Minutes of meetings between bush and that in relation to warn Iraq and it's abundantly clear from the material. That the relationship. Is one all deference on the part of the British Prime Minister this is not a British Prime Minister. He's going to read the -- taxed to its US president this is not a British Prime Minister who's gonna say to George W. . Bush actually when it. Don't do -- we cannot be -- with us and we will go public. If you persist you cannot …”
“…or Paris or over top of that matter. Should Jim hanging should Donald Rumsfeld should Alberto Gonzales. If you with a lawyer should they travel abroad. …”
An American Exception, in Danger
Chuck Collins is an analyst and agitator around the grand canyon of inequality in American incomes and property. With Bill Gates Sr., the grandfather of Microsoft, so to speak, and father, till yesterday, of the richest man in the world, Chuck Collins wrote the book in favor of “death” taxes: Wealth and Our Commonwealth: [...]
Audio|Fri, 12 Sep 2008
|United Statesfound at18:35, 11:40
“…you ask a question of the rest of the world. In the United States when we were founded the rest of the country world was forecast societies. Where you were born is where you die you did. He didn't. Move up or down if you were just you stayed where you were. And the United States had this very different kind of Ito's and and now. The United States our -- our. We're having hardening of the arteries in terms of mobility and for the first time in the last 1015 years we're starting -- European countries being more mobile. Having more mobility within the society than the US so were trading places. And I think professor Wilson alluded to that that there's some. Ways in which the United States is becoming more like old Europe. Old caste society Europe and there's ways which Europe is becoming more. Of mobile society. …”
“…having today meaning if you think about theater Roosevelt. And Andrew Carnegie. Weighed in on you know that the dangers of inequality and but the populist -- agrarian rebellion the that urban reformers that early labor …”