Presidential historian
Award-winning author of presidential biographies, including Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963, Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President and Harry Truman; former professor of history at Boston University; Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California at Los Angeles
Obama Addresses a Joint Session of Congress Oratorical ability has been a defining characteristic of some presidents. For others, the inability to make a good speech has been a serious limitation. In the past month, President Obama has been criticized for presenting too grim a picture of America's current challenges. Last night, the President painted a grim picture of America's economic crisis and predicted hard times. But in contrast to recent speeches, he insisted that recovery is a certainty. He explained why he wants to give banks more taxpayer money and outlined ambitious plans for healthcare, alternative energy and education. Did the President strike the right note of optimism in perilous times? What did Governor Bobby Jindal say on behalf of the Republicans?
Preview of the Democratic Convention Next week's Democratic convention is going to be an historic event as the party nominates the first African American presidential candidate in US history. In a major departure from tradition, Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech before a crowd of 75 thousand at the football stadium in Denver and a worldwide audience of millions. This will happen 45 years to the day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream Speech" in Washington. But the polls are showing a close race between McCain and Obama and the campaigns seem mired in mud, with candidates trading accusations about who is more "elitist." What can we expect from the convention? Will the vice-presidential choice boost Obama's chances? Will Hillary 's supporters get on board? Can those polls really be trusted?
The Race for President and the Politics of Change With Mitt Romney out and a fresh round of primaries coming up this weekend, the race for the White House has narrowed to three people: Republican John McCain and Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama . Will a new political dialogue emerge? Voters and candidates talk about change, but what kind of change is actually likely in the campaign ahead? Are voters inspired by messages of hope tired of the slash-and-burn style of campaigning that's marked recent elections? Will cynicism give way to civility in political discourse? How will shifting political alliances affect the way candidates shape their messages to voters?
Is the Obama Victory a Historical Watershed? An African American Democrat wins a contested primary in a state composed mostly of white voters, getting the support of more women than the first woman with a real chance for the White House. An evangelical minister beats out a wealthy businessman on the Republican side. How does all that look from a historical point of view? Historian Robert Dallek is a long-time presidential biographer.
Bush Invokes Vietnam, US Must Not Rush to Leave Iraq President Bush invoked some dark pages of American history today to support staying the course in Iraq. Speaking to a veterans group in Kansas City, Missouri, Bush recalled the "millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like 'boat people,' 're-education camps,' and 'killing fields.'"Robert Dalleck is a professor of history at Boston University.
Jimmy Carter v. the Bush White House Once again, former President Carter stirred a political hornets’ nest when he said, “I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.” He was talking about the Bush Administration this weekend to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The Bush White House called Carter not just “sad,” but “irrelevant.” Today, in New Orleans he was asked for clarification.
Is Our Government Keeping Too Many Secrets? Bill Clinton's Attorney General, Janet Reno, ordered that government agencies should tell American citizens what they wanted to know, as long as it would "do no harm." After September 11, John Ashcroft changed the standard to tell the public less, rather than more, saying he would defend in court any legal argument against releasing information. While the argument is that, especially in times of war, it's best to err on the side of caution, critics contend that too much secrecy is counterproductive and destroys the openness that leads to trust in representative government. Last week, the House passed what's called "sunshine" legislation . If it passes the Senate, the White House threatens a presidential veto. We talk about privacy, national security--and political embarrassment.
US Troops in Iraq: Go Big, Go Long or Go Home? With the mid-term elections over, and an insurgency that continues to rage, the debate is heating up in Washington over what exit strategy the US should follow in withdrawing American troops from Iraq. President Bush says he hasn't decided whether to increase the number of US troops, the Pentagon has been exploring three different options, and a bipartisan panel is expected to come out with its recommendations in the next few weeks. Some policy makers suggest a short-term build-up leading to an exit, others call for an immediate withdrawal. Is it possible to stabilize the situation while still pulling out troops? How will Congressional Democrats wield their new authority? What options is the public willing to support? (An extended version of this discussion was originally broadcast earlier today on To the Point.) Sara Terry guest hosts.
US Troops in Iraq: Send in More, Pull Them out? With the mid-term elections over, and an insurgency that continues to rage, the debate is heating up in Washington over what exit strategy the US should follow in withdrawing American troops from Iraq. President Bush says he hasn't decided whether to increase the number of US troops, the Pentagon has been exploring three different options, and a bipartisan panel is expected to come out with its recommendations in the next few weeks. Some policy makers suggest a short-term build-up leading to an exit, others call for an immediate withdrawal. Is it possible to stabilize the situation while still pulling out troops? How will Congressional Democrats wield their new authority? What options is the public willing to support?
Negative Campaigns Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and other founding fathers exchanged personal insults and publicized each others' extramarital affairs. Lyndon Johnson all but accused Barry Goldwater of wanting a nuclear war. So it's no surprise that President Bush and Senator Kerry are at it again even though neither is on any ballots this year. All over the country, candidates are accusing each other of idiocy, flip-flopping and corrupting the Boy Scouts. With the war in Iraq and control of the Congress at stake, we talk about the crucial role of negative campaigning in US elections.
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?