President Bush's eclectic agenda makes the GOP of his father and Newt Gingrich seem a distant memory. His "talk softly, govern firmly" political strategy has earned him a solid approval rating, and his masterful use of the bully pulpit to romance the right allows him the inevitable compromise with the left. Is it a breakthrough on policy or a rhetorical veneer that hides a deeply conservative agenda? We look at the Bush's imprint on the Republican rhetorical and political landscape, as well as Democratic response to it, with political experts, journalists, and a former presidential speechwriter. (Matt Miller guest hosts.)
- Newsmaker: Yugoslav Troops Return to Zone Bordering Kosovo - NATO today allowed the Yugoslav army and special police back into a zone bordering Kosovo that has become a haven for Albanian gunmen. The gunmen's attacks are spreading, and alarming the West. Steven Erlanger, of The New York Times, explains the new developments and NATO's tightrope walk to maintain ethnic peace.
- Reporter's Notebook: Bankruptcy Reform Legislation - An overhaul of the bankruptcy law is heading toward Senate approval today. The bill has sparked fierce debate between debtors and lenders. Mallory Duncan, of the National Retail Federation, and Jim Steele, co-author of a Time magazine investigative report, join us to discuss the merits of the new law.
Bankruptcy Reform Act (S. 420)
Harvard's Center for American Political Studies
Heritage Foundation
National Retail Federation
NATO
The New York Times
Time Magazine
The Wall St Journal
The Washington Monthly
Western Policy Center