The Gabfest and the 5-4 MajorityListen to Slate's weekly political show.

Thursday, April 19, 2007
In an act of corporate synergy, I traveled across the Potomac River Wednesday to tape the political show Story Conference, hosted by Washingtonpost.com political reporter Chris Cillizza. Matt Mosk, who writes about money and politics for the Post, was also there. We discussed the politics of gun control, the Supreme Court abortion decision, and what we found interesting in the candidates' FEC filings. Click on the video player below to launch. Posted by John Dickerson at 4:30 p.m.

Monday, April 16, 2007
In my natterings last week, I mentioned a Newsweek article about the tribulations of Alberto Gonzales as he tries to ready himself for his Senate testimony tomorrow. Here's the link. Like Harriet Miers when she was preparing for her Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Gonzales apparently hasn't wowed the lawyers prepping him. Unlike Miers, he apparently isn't going to pull out before the public showdown. Posted by Emily Bazelon at 12:53 p.m.

Friday, April 13, 2007
To listen to the April 13 Gabfest, click here to download the MP3 file, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.

In the Gabfest this week we cited many things, and from now on we'll try to provide links to some of the things we discuss on this page. At left is a picture of John Edwards performing his day as a healthcare worker as a part of SEIU's Walk a Day in My Shoes project that I discussed in my Cocktail Chatter. The piece about Florida deciding to allow felons to vote can be found here (subscription required). The Los Angeles Times poll that has Fred Thompson up in the second spot can be found here, and a story about the MoveOn.org poll can be found here. An account of the Paul Wolfowitz business can be found here and includes pictures that do not disprove the idea that people who date start to look alike.

Since the gesticulation-filled Gabfest (see below), the issue of the lost e-mails has only grown. The White House says there may be as many as 5 million missing. The House of Representatives dumped a new batch of Justice Department documents late Friday that we're all still plowing through. This may affect the fate of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and so we've updated our Gonzo-Meter. Please keep the cards, letters, and chocolates coming. Posted by John Dickerson at 6:17 p.m.

I had the pleasure of producing this week's Gabfest in person (usually, the gabbers sit in Washington and I record them over an audio line in Los Angeles). I've actually never seen them while they do the show. My first impression: John is a great gesticulator. While you're just hearing his voice, he's waving his arms so energetically I'm afraid he might knock the microphone off the table.

The topics that got John so exercised this week: Some key GOP e-mails go missing, polls show surprises for presidential candidates in both parties, and Don Imus is fired. Twice. Posted by Andy Bowers at 11:34 a.m.

Friday, April 6, 2007
To listen to the April 6 mini-Gabfest, in which Jesse Thorn talks to John Dickerson about his whirlwind tour of New Hampshire, click here to download the MP3 file, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes by clicking here.

A couple of the Gabfesters are on vacation this week, so we couldn't gather David, Emily, and John in the D.C. conference room. Instead of the usual three-way conversation, this week's mini-Gabfest features John Dickerson in conversation with Jesse Thorn. They discuss John's travels in New Hampshire with presidential candidates John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Rudy Giuliani. Posted by June Thomas at 12:45 p.m.