Pundit Review Radio

The stimulus was at the top of everyone’s mind tonight. My position, as a taxpayer I’m feeling insulted. The stimulus bill cannot be both the only thing standing between America and a Great Depression AND a pork laden orgy of liberal interest group payback spending. I feel like the permanent political class has largely created this mess and now they claim to have the answers. The way they are porking up this bill with non-stimulus waste is indefedsible. The way they are acting is literally obscene. It’s not the size of the bill that bothers me. I’d settle for a smart, responsible stimulating $840 billion instead of the mess we have now. I think we need something that size. The CBO, who has an awesome blog by the way, estimates, "…that the shortfall in the nation’s output relative to potential levels will be the largest– in duration and depth– since the Depression of the 1930s." Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodyseconomy.com, says Obama “will need to ask for another $350 billion down the road.” Obama

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. Tonight Bruce told us about SSG Brent R. Baldwin, "“When you hear these stories, ask yourself what would have happened if they had not done what they did,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Wagner, the commander of Army Special Operations Command, before pinning the medals on the two men. “People of lesser character would have stepped back, but they instinctively moved forward,” he told the audience gathered in an airplane hangar. The Silver Star is the nation’s third-highest award for valor." The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden's series at Blackfive. Bruce McQuain from QandO does an incredible job with the series every week. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media

On Inauguration Day, conservative commentator and author David Frum launched an exciting new venture called NewMajority.com, “a site dedicated to the reform and renewal of the Republican party and the conservative movement.” Good timing indeed. It was a real pleasure to speak with David, someone I’ve long admired for his thoughtful commentary. I like what NewMajority.com is doing by combining and opinion site with original news reporting. The model reminded me of what Josh Marshall has done with TPM. We talked about three areas of weakness right now for Republicans, demographics, leadership and most importantly in my opinion, communications and media relations. It was an interesting discussion with interesting calls. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called "groundbreaking" by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blo

Taking Chance is Marine Lieutenant Colonel Strobl's account of escorting the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps across country to his family and final resting place in Wyoming. I've never read anything that made me more proud to be American. The story has been made into an HBO movie that airs February 21. Tonight Bruce McQuain and I welcomed a very special guest, Gretchen Mack, the mother of Lcpl Chance Phelps. It was not an easy conversation for Gretchen and we were honored to have the opportunity to talk with her. We learned more about Chance, his childhood and motivation for joining the Marines. We talked about the incident in Iraq that took his life as well as his heroic actions that led to his posthumous Bronze Star with a V for Valor. Gretchen has seen the HBO movie and she is happy that they stayed true to Lt. Col. Strobl's original story. She also told us about the way the Marines have supported the family and how she now considers Lt. Col. Strobl a member of the family. She is a strong

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. Tonight Bruce used a lengthy article by Jeff Emanual titled "The Longest Morning" as the basis for telling us the story of SGT Christopher Hamel Corriveau and SGT Eric Alan Moser, "On May 22nd, 2008 in a ceremony at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, home of the 82nd Airborne Division, President George Bush pinned the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest award for bravery, on now SGT Christopher Hamel Corriveau and SGT Eric Alan Moser for conspicuous valor in the face of overwhelming odds, above and beyond the call of duty. Thanks to the strength, courage, discipline, and unwillingness of Chris Corriveau and Eric Moser to give up in the face of seemingly impossible odds, it was the Islamic State of Iraq which suffered the o

It is always a pleasure to welcome back to Pundit Review Radio retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters. Last night we talked about the myriad of foreign policy challenges facing soon-to-be President Obama. Some of the topics touched on in this 35 minute discussion include Israel-Hamas, the future of Iraq, Afghanistan and NATO, resurgent Russia and the one country that Obama will not be able to avoid a conflict with. You’ll be surprised to hear who it is. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 8-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. Tonight Bruce told us about Marine Corporal Jason S. Clairday, "the Marine Corps awarded the Navy Cross medal — the second-highest for valor in combat — to his widow during a Camp Pendleton ceremony as members of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, looked on. Clairday is the 17th Marine to receive the Navy Cross for his individual actions in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan, and he is the sixth member of 3/5 awarded the medal for Iraq — the most service crosses of any unit so far…" The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden's series at Blackfive. Bruce McQuain from QandO does an incredible job with the series every week. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new.

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. Tonight Bruce told about Cpl. Jonathan T. Yale, a rifleman with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden's series at Blackfive. Bruce McQuain from QandO does an incredible job with the series every week. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called "groundbreaking" by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 8-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston's Talk Station.

Jon Henke from The Next Right joined me tonight for a discussion about what Republicans should do with the Obama stimulus proposal in the short term, and what they need to do longer term to come back from the minority. We also discussed the next generation of GOP leaders and whether or not they had the critical media relations skills necessary to be effective today. Neither of us was very hopeful. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 8-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

One of Boston’s best blogs is Martin Solomon’s excellent blog Solomonia. He returned to Pundit Review Radio to discuss the situation in Gaza and the local protests in support of Hamas. Martin has some great photos and video from the Boston rally this weekend. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 8-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. Tonight Bruce told us how 10 Special Foces soldiers earned Silver Stars in a single battle. "About 100 Special Forces and Afghan soldiers each were carrying more than 60 pounds of equipment when they jumped from helicopters onto icy, jagged rocks and waist-deep running water in 30-degree temperatures on April 6 to assault a terrorist stronghold in Afghanistan. Seven hours later, the members of Special Forces A-Team 3336 would have encountered a tenacious enemy in the Shok Valley and earned 10 Silver Stars, the Army’s third highest award for combat valor. The award of a single Silver Star is considered a significant combat decoration. The 12-man A-team is the basic fighting unit of Special Forces. …“If you saw it in a movie, you’d shake you

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us the story of U.S. Marine Lieutenant Andrew Kinard, "Freedom Alliance is an educational-charitable foundation that, among other things, provides college scholarships to the offspring of U.S. military personnel killed in action. Every year, coincident with the Army-Navy Game, the organization presents its “Defender of Freedom Award” to an individual whose character, courage and selfless deeds inspire virtuous service from the rest of us. This year’s recipient, U.S. Marine Lieutenant Andrew Kinard unequivocally meets these criteria." The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce McQuain from QandO does an incredible job with the series every week. Wh

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us the story of Marines in Afghanistan, "In their previous war with the USSR, the Taliban fought dispirited Russian conscripts. They are discovering that the warriors they’re facing now are nothing like those they fought before. These are volunteers and they’re looking for a fight. They don’t cower, they don’t cut and run, they don’t avoid the enemy; they look for him and when they find him, they kill him. What was supposed to be an ambush turned the hunters into the hunted when the Marine platoon turned the tables on them and counter-attacked. They then maintained the momentum of their attack and defeated the Taliban killing 50 without losing a single Marine. That sort of bravery, that sort of skill and that sort of wil

James Pethokoukis is the money and politics blogger for U.S. News & World Report, where he writes the monthly Capital Commerce column. James returned to Pundit Review Radio tonight to discuss his list of The 10 Dopiest Business and Economy Leaders of 2008, What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week Kevin and Gregg give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Alice Schroeder has scored one of the most coveted assignments in financial journalism, writing the first authorized biography of the world’s greatest investor and one of its richest men, Warren Buffett. This is an incredible score, especially considering Schroeder is not a journalist but a noted insurance industry analyst and former managing director at Morgan Stanley. This is no fawning profile of a sainted figure. This is the warts and all story of a very complex human being. As much as there is to admire about Warren Buffett the investor, his personal life leaves a lot to be desired. This is a great book and one that I highly recommend. Alice was great and stayed for about 40 minutes. We started with the personal side of Buffett because that was most revealing in the book. Fifty odd books have been written about Buffett the businessman. Buffett may be the most written about individual in American business in the past 30 years. It is safe to say that nobody has ever had this kind of access to his friend

Even on the 67th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, FDR’s legacy is still being hotly debated. Another president whose administration was defined by their response to an attack on the homeland, President Bush, is in his final days and giving “exit interviews” to the likes of ABC’s Charlie Gibson. What is his legacy as he leaves office, and what should it be? How will it change over time, as happens to all presidents? What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’ss Talk Station.

Dick and Christine Moody founded Operation Troop Support in 2003 in order to serve deployed men and women in uniform from across the country. This weekend, Operation Troop Support put the Post Office in overdrive, sending an astounding 25,000 individually wrapped Christmas presents to the troops deployed overseas. That is amazing. You learn more about this great group by visitning their website. You can also contact them at Operation Troop Support c/o Dick and Christine Moody 16 Trinity Street Danvers, MA 01923 What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’ss Talk Station.

Bruce McQuain from QandO joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce is a veteran of the Vietnam war and spent 28 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us of a story he learned through blogger Bill Ardolino at INDC Journal. This is the story of 1LT Travis Manion, "A Naval Academy graduate and former nationally-ranked wrestler, he served with a Military Transition Team advising an Iraqi Army battalion and went on the raid I wrote about here. He was a friendly guy, and prior to the operation, I had a conversation with him about the war, wrestling and Annapolis. I can’t say I knew him well, but I did find it amazing at the time that we have guys like him, with such intellect, drive and options, who choose to put themselves in harm’s way and serve their country." The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Br

Patti Patton Bader, the founder of Soldiers Angels returned to Pundit Review Radio last evening. As you will see at the beginning of the interview, it has been a while. Joining Patti was Sergeant First Class Toby Nunn who was featured in the PBS documentary Bad Voodoos War. Toby is now working as part of Soldiers Angels and focusing on soldiers who return home with PTSD issues. I can think of no better cause to support this holiday season than the great people who make up Soldiers Angels. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Jay Fitzgerald of the Boston Herald and Hub Blog joined me last night to discuss the sorry state of Massachusetts politics. In addition to Deval, Diane and Chuck, we talked about the all powerful Hack-Progressive Alliance. What is Pundit Review Radio? Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to your radio every Sunday evening from 7-10 pm EST on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.