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The Final Days GabfestListen to Slate's review of the week in politics.

By Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David PlotzUpdated Friday, Jan. 16, 2009, at 12:07 PM ET

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Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz talk politics. In Barack Obama's final week as president-elect, the gang discusses the Treasury nominee's problems and the last days of the Bush presidency.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned in the show:

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Obama moved his family into Blair House, located across from the White House, on Thursday. Obama and his family also visited the Lincoln Memorial, where he paid tribute to a president he says he turns to periodically for inspiration.

The group discussed Obama's dinner with a group of conservative columnists at the home of George Will. David says the meeting has symbolic significance for the president-elect, and John remembers Obama's earlier comment that although he "may not have won their [conservatives'] vote," it's important to hear their voices.

Emily wonders whether Timothy Geithner will survive confirmation hearings to become treasury secretary. Geithner's hearing was delayed after he revealed that he had failed to pay self-employment taxes for the years 2001-04.

President Bush held his final news conference this week, in which he acknowledged making some mistakes but said he was at peace with what he had done while in office. Emily said he had not owned up to the real messes he has created, while John called it the best public indication of what Bush is really like in person.

David chatters about a work of art commissioned by the European Commission. Czech artist David Cerny created Entropa, which bears the outlines of each EU nation on a grid. Germany's autobahns form the shape of a swastika; France is shown as being on strike; and Bulgaria is shown to be a squat toilet. The artwork has created a major controversy in Europe. Czech officials apologized for the work.

John talks about Obama and Joe Biden's visit to the Supreme Court. They met with all the justices except Samuel Alito. Obama will be the first incoming president to be sworn in by a justice whose confirmation he voted against.

Emily chatters about a Bush administration official's statement that a Saudi national was tortured by the U.S. military in Guantanamo. Susan Crawford is in charge of deciding whether Guantanamo Bay detainees should be brought to trail.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Jan. 16 by Dale Willman at 12:09 p.m.

Jan. 9, 2009

Listen to the Gabfest for Jan. 9 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can also download the program here, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.

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Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz talk politics. This week, the economic stimulus package, Bill Richardson's departure, and the too-long inauguration planning.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned in the show:

President-elect Barack Obama had hoped that his economic stimulus package would await his signature soon after his inauguration, but it now appears that the package will be delayed at least until February. This week, Obama warned of the possible consequences of a delay, saying the economy would become "dramatically worse" if Congress did not act quickly.

Meanwhile, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer wrote in Slate that any stimulus package should include spending on more than just basic infrastructure needs—it should also include "visionary" spending for things like Internet access and robots in schools.

Another part of Obama's stimulus plan calls for a faster shift toward the use of electronic medical records. Many experts feel this would improve medical treatment. It would also be a boon to a number of companies across the country.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson withdrew himself from his nomination for commerce secretary. John says this is one instance in which the Obama team's vetting process failed.

Observers are wondering whether the Obama administration will take an active role in investigating possible wrongdoing by Bush-administration officials. Emily says one possibility could be a more passive role for criminal investigation but a broader public release of documents surrounding possible misdeeds.

John says all the discussion of the Obama inauguration has been going on too long. The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder and Slate's Mickey Kaus make good points about Obama's perpetual fundraising.

A historic moment occurred this week when all the living presidents gathered with President-elect Obama at the White House.

David chatters about NBC's Friday Night Lights. He says the relationship between Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his wife, Tami (Connie Britton), is the best cultural portrayal of a good marriage that he has ever seen

Emily talks about Obama's choice for solicitor general, Elena Kagan. If confirmed, she would become the first woman to hold that post. Kagan is currently dean of Harvard Law School. Emily says it's an interesting choice, but she says that despite her broad legal experience Kagan has never argued a case before the Supreme Court—and may have never argued a case before any court.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Jan. 9 by Dale Willman at 12:03 p.m.

Dec. 31, 2008

Listen to the Gabfest for Dec. 31 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can also download the program here, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.

David Plotz, Terence Samuel, and Bill Smee talk politics. This week, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appoints a senator to replace Barack Obama, war rages in Gaza, and it's NFL playoff time.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned in the show:

On Tuesday, embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris to fill the remaining Senate term of President-elect Barack Obama. A quick reaction came from the U.S. Senate, where some members are vowing not to let Burris take office. David points to a Slate piece that advocated a speedy appointment.

Terence points out that with Obama leaving the Senate, there are now no blacks serving in that body.

Bill says the ongoing attacks by Israel in Gaza might lead to an outpouring of sympathy for Hamas leaders, at least in some quarters. David says the attacks will force Obama to take a stronger stand on the Mideast conflict.

It's playoff time in pro football, but one team set a historic regular-season low, prompting the group to ask, "The car companies may be in financial trouble, but who will bail out the Detroit Lions?"

Terence chatters about the inauguration. He says this weekend everyone in Washington will be talking about who is invited to which inaugural balls and who is leaving town because of the expected crowds. He predicts the hot ticket will be the Illinois inaugural ball.

Bill recommends two newspaper stories on the nation's financial mess: The New York Times' profile of the rise and fall of Washington Mutual and a three-part series in the Washington Post outlining how Wall Street stayed ahead of Washington regulators.

David hates Milk.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Dec. 31 by Dale Willman at 11:15 a.m.

Dec. 26, 2008

Listen to the Gabfest for Dec. 26 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can also download the program here, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz talk politics. This week, a free-flowing wrap-up of some of the year's most memorable stories.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned in the show:

Emily talks about the heightened role of women on the national political stage this year, especially Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska. There was a knock-on effect for comedian Tina Fey, who grabbed attention with her portrayal of Palin during several Saturday Night Live sketches.

The group recalls the doubts many had that Barack Obama could win the general election in November.

They also ponder the political demise of former Sen. John Edwards, who began the political season as a strong contender for the Democratic nomination but flamed out amid revelations of an extramarital affair after his withdrawal from the race.

Which scandal was worse: that of John Edwards and his affair or the charges of corruption filed against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich?

Emily says it will be interesting to see how former President Bill Clinton behaves if Hillary Clinton gets confirmed as Obama's secretary of state.

Emily honors Harriet McBryde Johnson, who died on June 5, 2008. Johnson's response to the Terry Schiavo controversy was among the first things Emily edited when she began working at Slate.

David says his guilty pleasure of the year was listening to the musical group Vampire Weekend.

John chatters about the Canadian show Slings and Arrows, which he discovered this year.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Dec. 26 by Dale Willman at 10:47 a.m.

Dec. 19, 2008

Listen to the Gabfest for Dec. 19 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can also download the program here, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz talk politics. This week: an inauguration controversy, a Kennedy mystery, and a torture debate.

Here are links to some of the articles and other items mentioned in the show:

Details of the live Gabfest in Washington, D.C., have been announced. The event will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, at the Sixth & I Synagogue. Those who have submitted ticket requests will soon be notified if they have won seats.

President-elect Obama has announced that the Rev. Rick Warren will present the invocation at his inauguration. Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church, an evangelical megachurch in California. The announcement has drawn criticism from some gay rights leaders, as well as liberal organizations, because of Warren's positions on abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and stem-cell research.

The group discussed the latest news on the Obama Cabinet. John says he's pleased with the nomination of a Nobel physics laureate to the position of secretary of energy. Steven Chu is a strong proponent of combating climate change.

Tom Vilsack, former governor of Iowa, was nominated to head the Department of Agriculture. Vilsack is considered a friend of the biofuels industry.

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, announced this week that she wants to be considered as a possible replacement to fill New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's seat if Clinton is confirmed as the next secretary of state. Emily says she is apoplectic about the prospect. While Kennedy has raised money for New York City schools and has done other charitable work, she is not qualified to be a senator. Emily says appointing someone to such a powerful position on the basis of her last name does not serve feminism. Kennedy, meanwhile, is mirroring a tour of upstate New York that Clinton took when she decided to run for the Senate.

An investigation by the Senate armed services committee has found that top Pentagon officials were more involved in the development of torture techniques than had previously been thought. The group says this presents an interesting dilemma for Eric Holder, Obama's nominee for attorney general. It would be up to Holder to decide whether to investigate possible criminal misconduct in the use of torture.

Wall Street legend Bernard Madoff was arrested this week and accused of running a multibillion-dollar fraud scheme.

Emily chatters about Paul Tough's book Whatever It Takes.

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David talks about an article in this month's Outside magazine about a discovery by MIT researcher Daniel Nocera and others. Nocera and his team have found a way to use solar power to derive hydrogen and oxygen from water.

John points out the good stuff at USA.Gov.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Dec. 19 by Dale Willman at 11:00 a.m.

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Slate Senior Editor Emily Bazelon, Chief Political Correspondent John Dickerson, and Editor David Plotz host the Gabfest weekly. Bill Smee is executive producer of Slate V, and Terence Samuel is deputy editor of The Root.

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