This week Tucker introduces the series and addresses the issue of conservatives on public television, talks with Ken Starr who weighs in on Bill Clinton's new book and the former president's version of his turbulent years in the White House, examines questions such as ""is America tough enough to occupy Iraq?"" with his ""Plus 2"" panelists, and peeks inside President Bush's psyche with the author of Bush On the Couch.
First Up this week Tucker speaks with Ehud Barak who discusses his view of the situation in Iraq on the eve of the turnover of sovereignty, as well as the theory that the U.S. invaded Iraq to protect Israel. Joining Tucker in the Plus 2 panel, Richard Cohen of The Washington Post and CNBC analyst Hilary Rosen in a conversation previewing the handover in Iraq, the release of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, Bush hatred and their impact on the 2004 election. An finally, on the Back Page, a conversation with Peter Howe author of the book Shooting Under Fire: The World of the War Photographer about the power of war photographs to change public opinion.
Political commentator, author and former presidential candidate Pat Buchanan engages Carlson with his view of the American empire and what Buchanan perceives as our international overreaching. How do Iraq and Afghanistan affect the place of the U.S. in the world? What, in Buchanan's view, are the real reasons the U.S. went to war? Joining Tucker in the Plus 2 panel, Christopher Hitchens, author of A Long Short War: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq, and columnist Deroy Murdock of Scripps Howard News Service. The roundtable discusses the effects of religion on public opinion of war. And finally, on the Back Page, a conversation with Dr. K. A. Paul, the Indian-born Christian minister who has been described as the most popular evangelist in the world, examining the ""heavenly"" judgment of Saddam Hussein and others, including the United States.
Carlson interviews William Greider of Rolling Stone on the political message and strategy of populism, invoked by both parties in recent years and espoused to great effect in 2004 by Sen. John Edwards, the new Democratic vice presidential nominee. Does populism sell? What are its historical roots and record? And, if it does work, why do wealthy individuals predominate among our elected officials? Joining Carlson for a conversation on populism, vice presidents and other topics in the week's news are Michelle Cottle, senior editor at The New Republic and Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist's economics correspondent. An finally, on the Back Page, a conversation with P.J. O'Rourke, America's leading political satirist and the best-selling author of ten books, including his latest, Peace Kills: America's Fun New Imperialism. O'Rourke comments on the atrocities of the previously ""stable Iraq,"" and the reasons that America is disliked overseas.
Carlson engages with Jonathan Rauch as to why the rush toward this grandest of social experiments, gay marriage. Rauch, author of The Case for Gay Marriage, counters that gay marriage is a cause even conservatives can support. Richard Cohen of The Washington Post and Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist's economics correspondent, join Tucker on this week's Plus 2 to discuss the politics and consequences of gay marriage. Americans are increasingly placing form over function, choosing style over substance. Carlson discusses with Virginia Postrel, author of The Substance of Style, this distinct trend. Postrel, a noted observer of American culture who writes the ""Economic Scene"" column for The New York Times, explores with Carlson the burning question: do we really need a designer toilet brush?
First Up the anonymous CIA official ""Mike"" criticizes the Clinton and Bush administrations for their dealings with Al Qaeda. In his book, Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror, ""Mike"" describes a White House eagerness to find a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, stating, ""They knew the answer [they wanted] before they asked the question."" Richard Cohen and Michelle Cottle join Tucker on the Plus 2 segment. The panel discusses the 9/11 Report and Sandy Berger, Clinton's National Security Advisor. Berger allegedly removed classified documents and handwritten notes from a National Archives screening room during preparations for his testimony before the 9/11 commission.
Tucker speaks with Ted Koppel, award-winning journalist and anchor of Nightline on ABC, about the newsworthiness of political conventions. Tucker and Koppel will also explore the frequent invocations of Senator John Kerry's Vietnam service. Next Tucker interviews Reverend Al Sharpton. From the streets of Harlem to center stage at the Democratic National Convention, Al Sharpton is living proof that there are second and even third acts in American politics. Tucker and Sharpton discuss the gap between the image being portrayed at the Democratic National Convention and the core Democratic party ideals. Tucker then speaks with Ana Marie Cox, editor and driving force behind the political news and gossip web site Wonkette. Cox is providing on-air and online coverage of the Democratic National Convention for MTV's Choose or Lose 2004 campaign on MTV and MTV.com.
First Up Carlson engages with New York Times columnist and Princeton Univeristy economics professor Paul Krugman, whose most recent collection of his work is entitled The Great Unraveling. Krugman has been particularly pointed in his criticisms of the Bush administration's policies - economic and otherwise. In this week's Plus 2 segment, Carlson is joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and Dan Flynn in a discussion of the state of the nation's economic fortunes and the latest developments in the presidential campaign. Author Franklin Foer has found a unique measure of globalization and its impacts: soccer. Carlson and the writer explore these views, expressed in the new work, How Soccer Explains the World, on the Back Page.
This week's edition is devoted to America's intensifying preoccupation with its weight. Now governments are joining the diet industry and the media in telling the country that it's too fat. But where Atkins and South Beach can only help through education and motivation, government has new regulations, new labels, and new taxes at its disposal. And the Bush administration recently joined the fray by expanding Medicare to cover obesity itself, rather than just its consequences. First Up this week is Michael Jacobson, the executive director of The Center for Science in the Public Interest, who has argued for extensive restaurant menu labeling, taxes on soft drinks, and restrictions on some types of advertising. Then Tucker speaks with Paul Campos, a University of Colorado law professor and the author of The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health. On the Back Page is Wendy Shanker. This New York comedian and the author of The Fat Girl's Guide to Life
First Up Tucker interviews author Michelle Malkin, who argues that racial profiling, while unpopular, is absolutely vital to the security of the United States. In the Plus 2 segment, Tucker discusses the week's most important topics with regular TCU panelists Deroy Murdock and Michelle Cottle. And on the Back Page Tucker interviews author Steven Rhoads, who argues that in the pursuit of gender equality, Americans don't take the biologicial gender differences seriously enough, resulting in unintended social consequences.
Tucker interviews Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Research, who argues that while the United States faces Islamic extremists specifically, all religions inevitably bring out the worst in their adherents. In the Plus 2 segment, Tucker is joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and Deroy Murdoch of Scripps Howard in a discussion of the latest political news, with a particular eye toward next week's Republican National Convention. And on the Back Page, Tucker engages Charles Noble, author of The Collapse of Liberalism: Why America Needs a New Left, who argues that Democrats continue to lose elections because they don't offer their voters more principled alternatives. Borrowing from Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, Noble contends that a successful left has to first believe in its own ideas.
Whatever happened to small government? The Republican presidential nominee, George W. Bush, has grown government spending dramatically in his first term. Newt Gingrich brought Republicans to power 10 years ago by promising a much smaller government in his ""Contract with America."" Ten years later, at the Republican National Convention, Gingrich was almost entirely out of sight. And that's exactly the reason Tucker begins his convention coverage with the former Speaker of the House. The Republicans put on an impressive television spectacle in the heart of Manhattan. Carlson discusses the glitz and the production with Richard Cohen of The Washington Post and Deroy Murdoch of the Scripps Howard News Service, both long-time New Yorkers. The segment was taped, naturally, in the heart of Manhattan's theatre district, at Sardi's restaurant, just steps away from Times Square. One of America's foremost observers of the intersection of culture and politics is New York Times columnist Frank Rich.
First Up Tucker interviews presidential candidate Ralph Nader in a discussion centered on the policies of a Nader administration - on Iraq, the war on terror, the economy and other critical issues. Joining Tucker will be Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and David Frum of The National Review and the American Enterprise Institute in a wide-ranging conversation to include Iraq and the presidential race. On our Back Page segment, Tucker talks with Christopher Hitchens of Vanity Fair about the writer's evolving attitudes about the nature of the terrorist threat.
The arc of the erosion of credibility in American institutions may have come full circle. Tucker explores the big picture raised by 30 years of credibility crises with President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, Walter Isaacson, former Time Magazine editor and CNN chairman. On our Plus 2 segment Tucker is joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and David Frum of The National Review to examine the ""60 Minutes II"" flap, Iraq and developments on the campaign trail. On the Back Page Tucker interviews John McWhorter, former Cal-Berkeley professor now with the Manhattan Institute, on re-defining contemporary black America in a richer, more nuanced manner.
First Up Tucker asks hostage rescue expert Kelly McCann of the Kroll Security firm if the policy of never negotiating is outdated, and whether the victims themselves bear some responsibility for going to work in Iraq in the face of ongoing terror. On our Plus 2 segment, Tucker is joined by Michelle Cottle of The New Republic and David Frum of The National Review and the American Enterprise Institute about security problems in Iraq and the close presidential race. And on our Back Page Tucker interviews Brad Stine, a comedian who ""came out"" as a Christian conservative. Tucker engages the Stine on Jesus jokes, profanity and humor, and why the Jewish people have produced so many funny performers.
With the arrival of this election's presidential debates, Pulitzer-Prize winner and Washington Post ""Style"" columnist Tom Shales dissects the presidential debate from a critic's point-of-view. Tucker is joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and Richard Cohen of The Washington Post on our Plus 2 segment. The panel discusses the debates and their possible impact on female and swing voters. On our Back Page Tucker speaks with Esquire senior editor A. J. Jacobs, who has recently read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in an attempt to become the ""smartest guy in the world.""
North Korea's enigmatic dictator, Kim Jong Il, has been getting plenty of attention recently. In the first presidential debate, Democratic candidate John Kerry accused the Bush administration of allowing North Korea to obtain nuclear weapons on their watch. The forthcoming film ""Team America: World Police,"" has Kim Jong Il in the lead bad-guy role. Tucker interviews former CIA psychological profiler Jerrold Post about the Kim Jong Il personality cult. Post spent several decades developing personality profiles for the Central Intelligence Agency. Among his recent books is: Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World: The Psychology of Political Behavior. Carlson is joined by Deroy Murdock of Scripps Howard News Service and Hilary Rosen of CNBC in a discussion of the latest in campaign developments, as well as further analysis of the situation vis-a-vis North Korea. On the eve of the election in Afghanistan, Carlson talks with Pamela Constable of The Washington Post. As The Post's c
The Bush presidency is acknowledged to be rooted in faith - the president's Christian moorings, as well as faith in the correctness of its decisions. In a preview of a piece he has written for this Sunday's edition of The New York Times Magazine, journalist and author Ron Suskind discusses his reporting on the ""faith-based administration."" Has religious conviction stifled reasoned debate in the Oval Office? On our Plus 2 segment, Tucker is joined by Richard Cohen of The Washington Post and David Horowitz of The Front Page Mag in a lively conversation on campaign developments and the fight for stability in Iraq. On our Back Page Tucker interviews Alexandra Pelosi, documentary filmmaker and chronicler of presidential campaigns past and present. Her latest film is ""Diary of a Political Tourist.""
A group of American reservists refuse to go on what they perceived to be a suicide mission in Iraq. Dereliction of duty, or honorable dissent? The war in Iraq is the top issue in the Presidential campaign and both sides have deployed retired generals to make their case. Polls show that military voters overwhelmingly support President Bush. Whatever happened to the apolitical soldier? Tucker interviews James Webb, author, Vietnam veteran and former Secretary of the Navy. If there's a team that's been more unlucky than the Boston Red Sox, it is the Chicago Cubs. And NPR's Scott Simon has been among the Cubs's most loyal, if long suffering, fans. Who better, then, to explain to the decidedly sports-challenged Tucker why baseball isn't only the American pastime, but the closest the country has to a state religion. Political satire comes in many forms, but among the best is Harry Shearer, whose voice millions of Americans have heard on The Simpsons. Who would Montgomery Burns vote for? Is S
This week Tucker engages the panel for an extended conversation on prominent issues as the election approaches: the Iraq War; the importance of women voters; and the mechanics of voting and potential for contested results. On the panel is The Economist's Zanny Minton Beddoes and David Frum of National Review and the American Enterprise Institute. On this week's Back Page segment, Tucker interviews The Washington Post's Joel Achenbach on his contention - not widely shared by partisans from either side - that the country will survive the election outcome, and that America will survive 'Pre-Election Anxiety Disorder.'
Whither the Democrats? Will the party become increasingly regional, and not a national organization at all? What do the Democrats offer the American heartland, in practical terms, that the Republicans do not? Will Tuesday's results lead Democrats to re-think their unflagging support for abortion rights and gay rights? Tucker discusses the Democratic future with Paul Begala, former Clinton White House official and long-time Democratic strategist. And on our Plus 2 segment are panelists Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and David Frum of National Review and the American Enterprise Institute. Tucker and the panel engage in a wide-ranging discussion analyzing the impact of the Bush victory on America at home and abroad. At home, are Evangelicals and gays the biggest winners and losers, respectively, from the election result? What's the future of Attorney General John Ashcroft and the Patriot Act? Abroad, will being freed from re-election worries change the Bush strategy in Iraq? What a
In our First Up segment, Tucker speaks with Amy Goodman, host of ""Democracy Now!"" on Pacifica Radio, and best-selling author of The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them. The two discuss the mainstream news media and corporate interests. Next Tucker engages Christopher Hitchens, contributing editor to Vanity Fair. The two discuss the death of Yasser Arafat and his Princess Diana treatment, as well as France's unilateral attack in Africa. And on our Back Page Tucker interviews Jeremy Rifkin, author of The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream. Rifkin tells Tucker that America's economic and cultural dominance is greatly affected by the growing integration of the European Union.
First Up Tucker speaks with Marjorie Harris, President of The Fields-Harris Group, and former Executive Director of The National Action Network. Harris is running for Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee. The two discuss the importance of the African-American vote to the Democratic Party and the 2004 re-alignment. In our Conversation segment Tucker talks with The Atlantic magazine's Mark Bowden about the Iraq War, the death of aid worker Margaret Hassan, and the media coverage of the marine shooting of wounded insurgent in Fallujah. And on our Back Page is Seth Mnookin, author of Hard News: The Scandals at The New York Times and Their Meaning For American Media. Mnookin tells Tucker about race relations, detective work, egos, and new details about the New York Times scandal and its aftermath.
Thanksgiving is all about friends, food and, of course, football. Our special Thanksgiving broadcast will be devoted to all three. For 25 years, Bob Edwards was there with millions of Americans as they sat in traffic during the morning rush hour, as the anchor of National Public Radio's ""Morning Edition."" Tucker catches up with Edwards in our First Up segment, who now works for XM Satellite Radio, in a wide-ranging interview. Edwards discusses leaving NPR and the state of public radio today, criticizes television host Larry King for being ""lazy,"" and argues that conservatives have been lying about liberal media bias. Ann Amernick is considered one of the country's top pastry chefs (top 10 in trade journals Pastry Art and Design and Chocolatier Magazine). The owner of Washington D.C.'s Palena restaurant, Amernick invited Tucker into her kitchen to make pumpkin pie and to talk about desserts, sex, and being a pastry chef in a carb-obsessed nation. This segment will replace our Plus 2 pan
The release of the new film ""Kinsey"" has inspired reflection on the genesis of the sexual revolution and what it has wrought. Has the shredding of sexual mores been good for men? Women? America? In our First Up segment, Tucker discusses the impact of Kinsey, the resultant rewriting of American sexual strictures and the aftermath with Patricia Ireland, former head of the National Organization for Women. On our Plus 2 segment, Tucker is joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and Richard Cohen of The Washington Post in a conversation touching on Social Security reform and President Bush's visit to Canada. And on our Back Page Tucker speaks with Christopher Buckley, a highly praised novelist who brings a sardonic wit and keen insight to his work. Buckley joins Tucker to talk about his latest work, Florence of Arabia, about a woman's attempt to drag her Muslim society into the modern world.
First Up this week, Tucker interviews Robert D. Kaplan. Kaplan argues that the American and global media are entirely disconnected from the soldiers they cover, not only by class and backgrounds, but also by a world view Kaplan characterizes as a ""wet blanket of sanctimony."" Many reporters are ""global cosmopolitans,"" rootless and dishonest. According to Kaplan, the military's morale is much stronger than commonly believed in the US. Kaplan argues that there's a difference between the usual complaining by soldiers, and the ""will to fight,"" which he describes as very strong. Kaplan describes compassionate soldiers from the ""red states"" who beg to be deployed in Iraq. Kaplan says the Pentagon planned brilliantly for the Iraq invasion, but hardly planned for the occupation. While he supports Rumsfeld's ""light and lethal"" transformed military, he says today's military needs conventional forces to deal with insurgencies, to perform relief work and on-the-ground diplomacy.
On an extended Plus 2 segment, Tucker is joined by Michelle Cottle of The New Republic and David Frum of National Review and the American Enterprise Institute in a wide-ranging discussion about imposing the death penalty based on circumstantial evidence, prompted by the Scott Petersen sentence. On our Back Page Tucker speaks with Army Major Bob Bateman, who has served years in the military, primarily as part of the policy and strategy makers in the Pentagon. He was at LAX Airport when an email notified him that he would shortly be shipping out for a year's tour in Iraq. How does he feel about this news? As a soldier? As a young family man? As someone whose 20- year career in the military was soon to end? Tucker engages Bateman, a personal friend, in a revealing conversation on his forthcoming assignment. And in his last show of 2004, Tucker adds a holiday touch in a chat with and performance by the Eric Felton Quartet, a Washington-based jazz combo.
President Bush has an ambitious plan to remake Social Security through the creation of personal retirement accounts. Can the nation afford his plan? Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill was forced out of the administration for opposing the tax cuts. First Up this week, Tucker conducts a rare interview with the dangerously plain-spoken O'Neill on the fiscal and economic implications of the Bush proposal. On our Plus 2 segment Tucker is joined by David Frum of National Review and the American Enterprise Institute and Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation in a discussion of the Social Security issue, the nomination of Alberto Gonzalez for U.S. Attorney General and other developments. Why did so many animals survive the South Asia tsunami? Numerous reports have suggested that sharper senses alerted animals - from elephants to snakes - to the impending disaster. But is that really the case? Do animals have a ""sixth sense?"" On our Back Page Tucker asks Dr. Michael Fay, who is a conservationist with
President Bush said this week that reforming America's immigration system is near the top of his second term agenda. The president is proposing a guest worker program to normalize the huge illegal alien workplace. Many in the president's own Republican party are against what they see as a de facto amnesty program for lawbreakers. But not John McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona. He is Tucker's ""First Up"" guest. And on our ""Plus 2"" segment, the conversation about America's schizophrenic relationship with its immigrants, legal and not, continues with two of our favorite immigrants and ""Unfiltered"" regulars: David Frum of National Review and the American Enterprise Institute (and a native of Canada) and Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist (and a native of Britain).
Conservative Christian voters were instrumental in re-electing George Bush. But will these so-called ""value voters"" get what they voted for in the president's second term? The president has already told The Washington Post that he won't pursue the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a key Evangelical priority. On our ""First Up"" segment, Tucker talks to Richard Land, the president and CEO of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, who has cautioned the president to keep his campaign promises. And on our ""Plus 2"" segment, Tucker is joined by Deroy Murdock, syndicated columnist for the Scripps Howard News Service and Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist magazine. The topic is the president's agenda of liberating and democratizing the world.
The controversy over free speech vs. political correctness on campus boiled over again recently, when Harvard president Lawrence Summers mused that more study was needed on the question of how gender differences correlate with the aptitude toward the hard sciences. Summers was forced to apologize repeatedly for what was seen as a decidedly insensitive observation. ""First Up"" Tucker interviews Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., about the on-going campus PC wars. And on our ""Plus 2"" segment the PC conversation continues as Tucker is joined by Richard Cohen, columnist for The Washington Post, and lecturer and writer Amy Richards, author of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future and a leading feminist thinker. Do liberals really believe in free speech? And have feminists, in the quest for true freedom and equality, also sought to become a protected class, sequestered from harmful or critical speech? How has the contemporary me
The status of U.S. relations with our traditional European allies was a hot topic during last year's presidential campaign, and the Bush administration has vowed to rebuild Atlantic alliances. Its first step comes with new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice journeying to Old Europe this weekend, followed by the president himself. ""First Up"" Tucker talks with Jean-David Levitte, the French ambassador to the U.S., about what seems to be a warming trend in the icy U.S. relationship with Europe, particularly in the glow of the aftermath of the Iraqi elections. And on our ""Back Page,"" Tucker has an hilarious and revealing conversation with Hispanic comedian Carlos Mencia, whose humor has a pronounced power today. Mencia takes a candid and comedic look at the immigrant experience in America, and his art embodies the source of all great humor: truth.
Tucker interviews Harold Ickes on Howard Dean assuming the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee this Saturday. Ickes was a former deputy chair of the DNC, a Clinton White House advisor, and currently heads Hillary Clinton's political action committee. Ickes considered seeking the DNC chairmanship, but is supporting Dean. Joining Tucker on our ""Plus 2"" segment is Jonah Goldberg of National Review and Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist for a conversation covering the president's budget and the soaring prescription drug benefit costs, the ""scandal"" in the White House press corps and the future political fortunes of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And on our ""Back Page"" segment, Tucker interviews Dr. Thomas Barnett, author of The Pentagon's New Map. Barnett says that some of American foreign policy's most basic and enduring tenets are just plain wrong. Barnett argues that the U.S. should just let Iran have nuclear weapons, let China have Taiwan, attack North Korea, and
President Bush nominated the nation's first Director of National Intelligence precisely at the moment that his administration is turning up the heat on two of Iraq's neighbors: Iran and Syria. Iran is suspected of seeking nuclear weapons, and Syria of assassinating the popular former Lebanese prime minister. But, after the WMD intelligence mess, can the Bush administration make a credible case for action against these two regimes? Tucker talks with former CIA director James Woolsey ""First Up"" this week. On our ""Plus 2"" segment Tucker is joined by Jonah Goldberg of National Review and Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist for additional discussion of the Lawrence Summers gender statements. Novel treatments and relentless ""prevention"" campaigns took AIDS/HIV in the United States off the front pages. New York health authorities suspect a new ""super"" strain of the HIV virus, while many in the young gay community practice unsafe, drug-fueled sex. AIDS is back and, in another development, it
Last year the artist Sarah Morris was granted unusual access to some of Hollywood's brightest lights as the town prepared for the Academy Awards. Her film, ""Los Angeles,"" is a telling and bizarre portrait of America's biggest company town. ""First Up"" on this Oscar weekend, Tucker interviews the painter and video artist on the town's true meaning. And on our ""Plus 2"" segment, Tucker is joined by David Frum of National Review and the American Enterprise Institute and Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist to continue the examination of the film industry and the Oscar culture. The question haunts every parent, teacher, counselor, etc.: how to communicate with boys and girls? What are the nuances in dealing with young males and females? On our ""Back Page"" Tucker interviews Susan Morris Shaffer, an expert on gender equity, on the age-old challenge of communicating with our kids.
Western European societies portray themselves as more open and welcoming than the United States, particularly to Islamic immigrants. But there is a growing backlash in many European countries against both the expanding size and radicalism of their Muslim populations. ""First Up"" this week Tucker interviews Christopher Caldwell, who has written extensively on Europe's gradual pulling up of the welcome mat for Islamic immigrants. On our ""Plus 2"" segment Tucker is joined by Richard Cohen of The Washington Post and commentator Cherylyn Harley LeBon in a discussion of the apparent spread of freedom in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East, and Martha Stewart's prison release. And Franz Wisner had a dream job and the dream fiancee. Then he was jilted at the altar. But he decided to have a honeymoon anyway - with his brother, Kurt. The two quit their jobs and traveled the world for two years, visiting 53 countries. Tucker interviews the Wisner brothers about their experiences and the book c
Are today's mothers guilty of over-parenting? Judith Warner thinks so. ""First Up"" this week Zanny interviews the author of Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety about her wildly successful argument that today's parents are overwhelmed with getting their kids into the best schools, enriching their minds, and shuttling them to every sort of extracurricular activity, all the while juggling a rigorous career. And joining Zanny on our ""Plus 2"" panel is Michelle Cottle of The New Republic and Jonah Goldberg of National Review for a discussion of the network news landscape following the departure of Dan Rather. President Bush has staked his second term - and perhaps his legacy - on revamping Social Security. But the response thus far as been tepid at best. The president and his surrogates have now set out on a 60-cities-in-60 day barnstorming tour to help sell the proposal for private accounts. Why has the public reaction to the concept of privatization been so resistant? On our ""
Gay marriage, a much-debated topic, is in the news again this week. A California court ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. Gay marriage is an important issue to American evangelicals, and is particularly important to Jay Sekulow, their most prominent attorney. ""First Up"" this week Tucker explores the legal aspects of gay marriage with Sekulow, and the two discuss where the issue will go from here. Jeff Gannon, a former member of the White House press corps, was ousted last month after it was discovered that he was working for a news Web site owned by a GOP activist. Critics asked how Gannon, whose real name is James Guckert, obtained White House press credentials. The former reporter for Talon News Service discusses what he perceives as the false distinction between real reporters and those working for a cause. Jill Connor Browne got her first public notice in Jackson, Mississippi's St. Patrick's Day parade. Browne has since authored a number of hugely popu
The entire country is watching as Terri Schiavo is dying. Schiavo has been in a vegetative state for 15 years, and last Friday the feeding tube keeping her alive was removed. Her husband says she would want to die, while her parents insist she should live. Now it's up to Congress to decide. Our program begins this week with an extended panel discussion with Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and Peter Beinart of The New Republic. They discuss the right to life and Congressional involvement in the matter. The tragic murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, the victim of a known pedophile, has raised the question of whether pedophilia is a treatable disease. Dr. Fred Berlin of Johns Hopkins University says yes. On our ""Back Page"" Tucker speaks with Dr. Berlin, founder of The Johns Hopkins Sexual Disorders Clinic, about the chemical, biological and mental factors that contribute to pedophilia and how it can be treated.
In-coming F.C.C. chairman Kevin Martin promises to toughen penalties for broadcasters who air indecent programming. Chairman Michael Powell levied a record number of fines for decency violations, and the broadcasters put forth the First Amendment. ""First Up"" this week Tucker talks with F.C.C. commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, one of two Democrats on the five-member panel. Tucker is joined by Jonah Goldberg of National Review and Shaun Waterman of UPI on our ""Plus 2"" segment. The panel discusses the Minuteman Project - a one month campout of American volunteers on the Arizona-Mexico border. And on our ""Back Page"" Tucker engages authors of The Facelift Diaries, Jill Scharff and Jaedene Levy. The friends and neighbors chronicled their experiences with cosmetic surgery, and speak with Tucker about the reasons for their transformations and our puritanical society.
There have been many disputes recently over the teaching of evolution vs. ""intelligent design"" in many of our school systems. Should ""intelligent design,"" a new term for creationism, be required curriculum? Tucker speaks with Dr. Francis Collins of the Human Genome Project, and Christian. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims have flocked to Rome to pay homage to the late Pope John Paul II. Many are from Western Europe, where church attendance is at historically low levels and citizens disagree with the Pope. Why this disconnect? Tucker is joined by Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and Stephen Hayes of The Weekly Standard on our ""Plus 2"" panel this week to examine the religious attitudes of modern Europe. The Vatican has dominated our TV sets for more than a week, but this city, which began as a humble graveyard, is now a maze of elaborate buildings, priceless art, and mystery. Much of it remains off limits to the public. The National Geographic Society was given unusually generous ac
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas has been fighting off a torrent of bad news: aides indicted, family members drawing huge salaries from his political action committee, international trips funded by lobbyists, and an investigation in his home state. Even the Wall Street Journal editorial page has been highly critical. Can ""The Hammer"" beat back the calls for him to resign? For a discussion of this, as well as reflections on the death of feminist Andrea Dworkin, Tucker is joined by Richard Cohen of The Washington Post and Jonah Goldberg of National Review. Bernard-Henri Levy is a French intellectual and philosopher and something of a celebrity in Europe. Levy was sent by The Atlantic to traverse the length and breadth of America in the mold of Alexis de Tocqueville, a fellow Frenchmen whose 1835 work Democracy in America is still assigned in university political science courses. Levy found a country of paradoxes and contradictions, whose people were warm, generous and ceaselessly
Tuesday, April 19th was just marked ""Equal Pay Day,"" by feminist organizations and Hillary Clinton in an effort ""to raise awareness about unfair pay for women."" ""First Up"" Tucker speaks with Warren Farrell, author of Why Men Earn More: The Startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap and What Women Can Do About It and a former member of the New York NOW board of directors. Farrell argues that conscious choices made by women, not sexism, explains the gender gap. ""Plus 2"" this week Tucker is joined by The National Review's Jonah Goldberg and The New Republic's Peter Beinart to discuss the legislative battle over the right of pharmacists to refuse to fill contraception prescriptions. Legislators in at least 12 states have introduced this ""conscience clause bill"" to allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraceptives if they have moral or religious objections. And to add to our currently anxious feelings about flying, the U.S. government announced this week that it may plan to force foreign airli
There is a battle on Capitol Hill over the filibuster, the filibuster that has allowed Democrats to block 10 of President Bush's appellate court nominees. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn) is fighting to ban the judicial filibuster, which has been called an attack on people of faith, but Conservatives may be split on the vote. On our extended ""Plus 2"" segment Tucker is joined by The Economist's Zanny Minton Beddoes and National Review's David Frum to discuss the many facets of this issue. In our post 9/11 society, many view Islam as the top threat to our national security. With over one billion Muslims in the world, Arabs comprise only 20% of them. Irshad Manji, a progressive Canadian Muslim and author of the recent bestseller, The Trouble of Islam Today, says Arab culture is defining Islam for the rest of the world. Manji, who has been called, ""a woman writer subject to death,"" speaks with Tucker about religious literalism, Islamic anti-Semitism, Arab culture's ""conquering of
Called the oracle of the Christian right, Focus on the Family chairman James Dobson calls the Senate's judicial nominee filibuster an attack on people of faith. In an extended ""First Up"" interview, Tucker questions Dobson on religion, politics, the filibuster and evangelism. And on our ""Back Page"" is bassist Phil Lesh of the music phenomenon, the Grateful Dead. Lesh recently wrote a memoir of his life with the band, Searching for the Sound. Tucker, a long-time fan, engages Lesh on his book, the Grateful Dead experience, Jerry Garcia and libertarianism.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting Chairman Ken Tomlinson says he is seeking balance and fairness in the news and public affairs programming on PBS, but some disagree. Tucker speaks with Tomlinson about the ideological divide in public broadcasting. Last December Army Major Robert Bateman, who was preparing to go to Iraq, joined Tucker to share his thoughts last December. On our ""Back Page"" we follow up with Major Bateman, this time ""in country"" in Iraq, where he and other U.S. forces are in the midst of increased insurgent attacks. With more than 400 dead in the last two weeks, what are Bateman's current feelings about his mission?
""First Up"" Tucker interviews talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning Thomas Friedman of The New York Times. Friedman has written on the Middle East with profound insight for years, and recently contrasted the violent reaction to the story of Americans desecrating the Koran to Arab silence over the many suicide bombings in Iraq. Friedman and Tucker discuss democracy in Iraq and Friedman's new book, The World is Flat. On our extended ""Plus 2"" segment, Peter Beinart of The New Republic and Jonah Goldberg of National Review join Tucker to discuss Mexican president Vicente Fox, the Newsweek controversy and racial issues in the immigration debate.
""First Up"" Tucker speaks with Dr. Sally Satel, a psychiatrist and a fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, and author of One Nation Under Therapy: How the Helping Culture is Eroding Self-Reliance. Joining Tucker next is Richard Cohen of The Washington Post. Tucker and Cohen discuss stem cell research, the filibuster, and John Bolton. And on our ""Back Page"" is Craig Shirley, best-selling author of Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All. The two discuss the 1976 Republican primaries and the current state of the Republican Party.
""First Up"" Tucker speaks with Andrew Sullivan, acclaimed conservative writer of The New Republic and andrewsullivan.com. Sullivan was diagnosed with HIV more than a decade ago, and he talks to Tucker about living with the disease and looking towards the future. Joining Tucker on our ""Plus 2"" panel segment is Zanny Minton Beddoes of The Economist and Joel Achenbach of The Washington Post. The panel discusses the recent identification of Watergate source Deep Throat, the New York Times, Vanity Fair and the Washington Post. And on our ""Back Page"" Tucker talks to Ronald Radosh, co-author of Red Star Over Hollywood, which takes a look at the history of Communism and the Red Scare in Hollywood.
""First Up"" Tucker is joined by the military expert and journalist Robert D. Kaplan. Kaplan's latest article in The Atlantic examines the future threat posed by a rising military in China and the economic competition with the U.S. Tucker speaks with Kaplan ""First Up"" this week. And just how conservative is the comedy cartoon ""South Park?"" Brian Anderson, author of the recent book South Park Conservatives: The Revolt Against Liberal Media Bias joins Tucker on our ""Back Page"" this week. The two discuss the new generation of conservatives that are political and have a sense of humor.
On his final episode of the series, host and moderator Tucker Carlson shows us the most insightful, the most agressive, and the most humorous moments of the past year of the program. We look at some of the segments that comprise each show, including the Unfiltered essay, the tease, and the ""First Up"" interview.