Pundit Review Radio

When it comes to the intersection of business and politics, we love to get Reuters Jim Pethokoukis o join us. He's a terrific writer and analyst, not to mention new media superstar with his blog and superb twitter feed. Tonight, the focus was on this week's healthcare summit. We talked about the political theater, the style and the substance. We also took a lot of calls from the great WRKO listeners. What is Pundit Review Radio? On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, 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 the radio every Sunday evening from 6-8pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about Spc. Aaron Davis, "With all my years in the Army, I have never pinned a Silver Star to a Soldier. This ceremony is a huge honor for me," said Brig. Gen. James Gilman, commander, Great Plains Regional Medical Command and Brooke Army Medical Center. Davlyn Davis, mother of Davis, emphasized the ceremony is not only about her son but also for the ones that perished from the fight. "They are the true heroes; I'm proud to be a mom of a Soldier. Every-one involved in this journey took extraordinary measures to ensure my son and my family was in good hands," added Mrs. Davis. The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States who are wounded by an instrument of war in the hands

I’ve enjoyed his Washington DC reporting and commentary for a long time and last night finally had the opportunity to welcome Matt Lewis of Politics Daily to Pundit Review Radio. Matt attended CPAC and I wanted to get his impressions of the event, from the speakers to the topics to the energy and optimism of the attendees. We took calls, including one from Boston Maggie about Admiral Lippold, who might be running against Harry Reid in NV. Go figure, a Navy question from Maggie! What is Pundit Review Radio? On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, 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 the radio every Sunday evening from 6-8pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

I love books that stand conventional wisdom on its head and ask the reader to think about old problems in new ways. That, in a nutshell, is what Lee Smith has done with The Strong Horse: Power, Politics, and the Clash of Arab Civilizations. I especially like the book blurb from Max Boot, "“The Strong Horse is hard to describe and even harder to put down. Lee Smith has concocted an addictive and original brew of reportage, memoir, and political analysis that casts the Middle East and its relations with the ‘Great Satan’ in a fresh and fascinating light. Writing about his meetings with everyone from Omar Sharif to Natan Sharansky, he delivers one shrewd insight after another. Anyone seeking to understand the world’s most volatile region should read this timely and entertaining book.” It was a pleasure to welcome Lee to the show, I only wish we had more time to discuss this because clearly, we were only able to scratch the surface. What is Pundit Review Radio? On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, P

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week he told us about Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, From Stars and Stripes, "In May 2007, Charlie Company of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment patrolled Adhamiyah, a Sunni enclave in northeast Baghdad that was arguably the most dangerous neighborhood in Iraq. No battalion has seen more soldiers fall in a single deployment since Vietnam, and Charlie, with 13 lost, was the hardest-hit company in the battalion. When Charlie was pulled from Adhamiyah a few months later, it was replaced with an entire battalion augmented by a company and specialty platoons." The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible jo

Producer Rob really out did himself with this one. He landed Dennis Miller tonight and he lived up to the billing. He was hilarious. We squeezed about three Miller Times segments out of him. He was incredibly gracious, spending a full half-hour with us. We covered a ton of ground, from Scott Brown to Obama, from Bill O'Reilly to George Bush and the war on terror. The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here. What is Pundit Review Radio? On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, 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 the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

What a great time with Dennis Miller tonight. I asked him if there was an expiration data on President Obama's blame Bush strategy. The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here. What is Pundit Review Radio? On Boston's Talk Station WRKO since 2005, 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 the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston's Talk Station.

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about Lance Cpl. Mina Salama. This is from Stars and Stripes, “They told me there were people inside,” said Salama, 22, a Jersey City, N.J., native. That was all he needed to hear. He immediately headed for a small gap in the rubble. ...In a deposition, Sgt. Shane R. Bertrand called it “one of the bravest and most unselfish acts I have witnessed in three combat deployments.” Once they pulled the Iraqi man out, Salama continued talking with bystanders to see if additional aid was needed. From them, he learned of a young girl injured in a nearby building and coordinated medical evacuation for her as well. For his actions, Salama, currently deployed to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit on Okinawa, received th

One of the most underappreciated aspects of the Scott Brown victory in deep blue Massachusetts was his vigorous, clear, no apologies defense of some of the most controversial aspects related to how we handle the war on terror, or whatever the Obama administration is calling it this week. War on man-made disasters is sooooo 2009! Scott Brown said quite clearly, the Christmas Eve crotch bomber was funded and trained by Al Qaeda and therefore, he should be treated as an enemy combatant within the military justice system. His opponent, Martha Coakley, agreed with the Obama administration that he should be read his rights, lawyered-up and put into our civilian court system where he will enjoy the same constitutional protections as you or I would. The choice for voters was crystal clear. I have never read a book that made me as angry as Courting Disaster. The Obama administration approach to the war on terror is as naïve as it is dangerous. The crotch bomber incident is the perfect example of how we no lon

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about Marine Corps Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr. Here is an account from Marine Corps Times, JACKSONVILLE, N.C. — These days, drill instructor Sgt. Aubrey McDade Jr. is making Marines to win battles, but two years ago he was saving Marines during battle. His actions on Nov. 11, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq, have earned him the Navy Cross, the Navy’s second highest award for valor. The medal was presented to him during a ceremony at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., during a recruit graduation ceremony Jan. 19. McDade, a drill instructor with Charlie Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, was a machine-gun squad leader with 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, in Iraq in 2004. On the n

Last night on WRKO I started by throwing the phone lines open so people could talk about Tuesday's thrilling election. We got a lot of great calls, from Coakley and Brown supporters. A call from a young man by the name of Sean from West Roxbury was especially impressive! I noted how impressed I was with the humility and grace that Scott Brown showed in the Wednesday morning press conference. I also mentioned the very gracious thank you note he sent me on Wednesday evening. This is one grounded individual who understands who he is going to Washngton to represent. What is Pundit Review Radio? On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, 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 the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about SFC Jose Rodriguez. From his Silver Star citation, "The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Jose R. Rodriguez, Sergeant First Class, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Platoon Sergeant with Company B, 3d Battalion, 69th Armor, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division, during combat operations in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, on 19 March 2007, in Iraq. On that date, Sergeant First Class Rodriguez rushed out of Forward Operating Base Hawas in a Bradley vehicle to help two of his platoon's Bradley vehicles that were on overwatch duty. They were attacked by an unknown number of insurgents who pinned the

We always have a good time when Red Mass Group editor Garrett Quinn joins us in studio, as he did last night. These are exciting times for political junkies like us. In our lifetimes, we may never have a greater opportunity to send a message to Washington than we do on january 19. We talked about the campaign, the candidates and the polls, including so-called “push polls” which have started within the past day or so. The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here. Follow Pundit Review on Twitter. What is Pundit Review Radio? On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, 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 the radio every Sunday evening from 8-10pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about Staff Sgt. Omar Hernandez, "Silver Star Medal and Purple Heart recipient Staff Sgt. Omar Hernandez showed extraordinary bravery on 6 June 2007, when his team was attacked by insurgents during a dismount patrol in Iraq. When the two members of the Iraqi National Police who he was mentoring were hit and wounded by enemy fire, he risked his life to pull them to safety despite his own injuries. Staff Sgt. Hernandez suffered a bullet wound to the leg which caused nerve damage and a 30% loss of muscle mass in his thigh. He was medically evacuated from the battlefield in Iraq to Germany and then back to Fort Bliss, Texas, where he underwent seven months of rehabilitation and physical therapy. Staff Sgt. Her

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about SSG Matthew Ritenour. From his Silver Star citation, "The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Matthew Ritenour, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving the 2d Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, during combat operations in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, on 4 September 2007, in Afghanistan. On that date Staff Sergeant Ritenour and his unit fought against 180 Taliban fighters who attacked Forward Operating Base (FOB) BAYLOUGH, in southern Afghanistan. Although he was shot in the head and partially paralyzed during the battle, Staff Sergeant Ritenour fought on,

Two of our favorite and most frequent guests over the years have been independent citizen journalist Michael Yon (michaelyon-online.com) and Bruce McQuain from QandO.net and the #1 milblog Blackfive.net. He's also the man behind the Someone You Should Know series (http://www.punditreview.com/category/someone-you-should-know/). When I have Michael on, I always invite Bruce because of his decades of experience in the Army. Tonight, when Michael made a comment about the reasons surrounding the rules of engagement, Bruce was there with an understanding of the implications for the soldiers carrying our those rules. We caught up with Michael in Hong Kong where he welcomed the New Year. He was heading to the airport for home to the U.S. for a little rest and recovery. Michael has spent the past five years covering the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq like no other. He estimated spending about half of that time reporting from the front lines both embedded with military units and freelance, on his own. (I would add

My brother-in-law is a professional cyclist and he has some custom, super high end bikes that he has accumulated over the years. He recently put one on eBay for sale for $6000. He began a correspondence with a gentlemen from San Diego who was interested in the bike. They established a nice rapport and shared stories about their love of cycling. The potential buyer was curious about the bike since it was custom made for my brother-in-law. He sent a photo along of his bike and in it, he is riding the bike with a prosthetic leg. My brother-in-law asked what had happened and the reply was "Iraq". At that moment, the auction was over, the price was cut in half and the bike was his. This is a great act of kindness by my brother-in-law. This is what the holiday season, and supporting the troops, is all about. As he learned more about this man, Roger Carlson, he learned that he is incredibly active through his job and his passion for cycling in helping fellow wounded warriors. He's involved with a great

Timothy P. Carney is the lobbying editor for the Washington Examiner and he joined me last night to talk about his thought provoking new book "Obamanomics". Before talking about the book, I had to ask Tim about his amazing experience as a young journalist in Washington DC, working as a protege of the legendary reporter and columnist Robert Novak. The book itself stands conventional wisdom on its head. Carney argues that Obamanomics is actually good for Big Business, at the expense of almost everybody else. "Just as President George W. Bush, with his bailouts, spending sprees, and new entitlements, abandoned the free market at the behest of Wall Street and drug makers, Barack Obama's vision of bigger government is also the dream of corporate lobbyists. Obama's healthcare reform, stimulus spending, global warming legislation, and auto industry bailouts are ambitious packages of regulations, taxes, mandates, and spending that benefit Big Business -- what corporation wouldn't welcome more taxpayer-funded sub

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about a day in the life for Marines in Iraq, through the experiences of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, " Bova and Tice say there have been tougher battles in Iraq in the last few years, and tougher battles being fought in Afghanistan now. If this had happened in 2006, it might not have attracted as much notice, Bova said. But their battle happened in 2008, a relatively quiet year in Iraq. And in the first four months of their seven-month deployment they had little interaction with the enemy, the two said. Stumbling on to an enemy cell like they did — and losing Ferschke — are what make this battle stand out, Tice and Bova said. But every servicemember knows that no matter how quiet it seems, it’s still a

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match. This week Bruce told us about Col. Lewis L. Millett, "Millet received the Medal of Honor for his actions Feb. 7, 1951. He led Company E, 27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, in a bayonet charge up Hill 180 near Soam-Ni, Korea. A captain at the time, Millet was leading his company in an attack against a strongly held position when he noticed that a platoon was pinned down by small-arms, automatic, and antitank fire. Millett placed himself at the head of two other platoons, ordered fixed bayonets, and led an assault up the fire-swept hill. In the fierce charge, Millett bayoneted two enemy soldiers and continued on, throwing grenades, clubbing and bayoneting the enemy, while urging his men forward by shouting encouragement, accordin