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The Endless Afghanistan Gabfest Listen to Slate's review of the week in politics.

By Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David PlotzPosted Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, at 6:34 PM ET

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Listen to the Gabfest for Dec. 4 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes or through our RSS feed.

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Get your free 14-day trial membership of Gabfest sponsor Audible.com, which includes a credit for one free audiobook. Listener and Gabfest intern Amman Sood recommends Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Bourdain narrates the book himself and uses his trademark sarcastic wit to keep listeners engaged, even those who aren't huge fans of cooking. You'll find links to this and previous Gabfest recommendations on our new Audible RSS feed.

On this week's Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Obama's Afghanistan troop deployment plan, the controversy surrounding hacked e-mails from leading climate change researchers, and potential political problems for Mike Huckabee.

Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:

John's piece this week in Slate regarding President Obama's Afghanistan speech.
Fred Kaplan's article in Slate about his own ambivalence in relation to the Afghanistan war.
Emily's column in Slate about how she lost her child in the woods.
Juliet Lapidos' "Explainer" about how important the East Anglia Climate data are to the global warming case.
David chatters about the Onion AV Club's article on the top 50 movies of the decade.

John chatters about something that seems unthinkable: the White House and Dick Cheney landing on the same side of an argument.

Emily chatters about Elizabeth Weil's piece in the New York Times Magazine about her companionate marriage.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Dec. 4 by Amman Sood at 6:25 p.m.

Nov. 26, 2009

Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook. We post to the Facebook page throughout the week, so keep the conversation going by joining us there.

Listen to the Gabfest for Nov. 26 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes.

Sign up for an Audible.com 14-day free trial membership through the Gabfest, and you'll receive a credit for one free audiobook. This week, listener Jeffrey Cuvilier recommends the entire Stieg Larsson Millenium detective series.

On this week's Slate Political Gabfest, John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz discuss the Obama administration's upcoming decision on Afghanistan, the president's dropping approval ratings, and a few reflections on Thanksgiving.

Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:

President Obama's approval rating dips below 50 percent.

Emily chatters about a vote by the Baltimore City Council requiring crisis pregnancy centers to post signs stating they do not provide abortion services.

David talks about the Gabfest effort to collect the best Political Gabfest episodes of 2009 and asks for help from listeners on our Facebook page or via e-mail. He also chatters about Frances Trollope's "Domestic Manners of the Americans"

John chatters about a story by Politico on the unprecedented use by President Obama of the word unprecedented.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Nov. 27 by Amman Sood at 10:02 a.m.

Nov. 19, 2009

Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook. We post to the Facebook page throughout the week, so keep the conversation going by joining us there.

Listen to the Gabfest for Nov. 19 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can download the program here, or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes.

Gabfest sponsor Audible.com is offering a special Thanksgiving gift to Slate podcast listeners. If you aren't currently an Audible member, you can visit a special Web site between Nov. 22 and Nov. 26, 2009, and download a free audiobook with no credit card required. Visit Audible's Thanksgiving Free Audiobook Giveaway site for more details and a list of available free titles.

And if you'd like to sign up for a monthly membership, you can get your free 14-day Audible trial, which includes a credit for one free audiobook. This week, listener Alissa Perlman recommends Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. You'll find links to this and previous Gabfest recommendations on our new Audible RSS feed.

On this week's Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the planned trials of five terrorists in New York City; the confusing, conflicting new information about mammograms; and Sarah Palin's effort to turn a new page.

Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:

David Feige's piece in Slate on why civilian terrorist trials could set bad legal precedents.
Jake Tapper's ABC News article about President Obama's bow in Japan.
John Dickerson's piece in Slate about political deadlines.
Emily chatters about an article in the Wall Street Journal about Goldman Sachs' profiteering during the recession.
John references Eliot Spitzer's piece in Slate from March in which he details AIG's relationship to Goldman Sachs.
David chatters about the CALM Act, which requires commercials to be quieter than the programs during which they are aired.
John chatters about new hunger statistics.

The e-mail address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Nov. 20 by Amman Sood at 5:15 p.m.

Nov. 12, 2009

Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook. We post to the Facebook page throughout the week, so keep the conversation going by joining us there.

Listen to the Gabfest for Nov. 12 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes.

Get your free 14-day trial membership of Gabfest sponsor Audible.com, which includes a credit for one free audiobook. Listener Karen Iker gives us two recommendations this week. Her recommendation for children is Henry and Ribsy by Beverly Cleary, narrated by Neil Patrick Harris. Her other more adult-friendly recommendation is Michael Chabon's Manhood for Amateurs. You'll find links to this and previous Gabfest recommendations on our new Audible RSS feed.

On this week's live Slate Political Gabfest, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz dissect health care reform, the Obama presidency, and the shootings at Fort Hood.

Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:

Arianna Huffington's piece about David Plouffe's The Audacity To Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory.
Bob Herbert's column in the New York Times regarding President Obama's misplaced priorities.
President Obama's speech at Fort Hood.
David Brooks' column in the New York Times about the "shroud of political correctness" around the Fort Hood shooter.
Dorothy Rabinowitz's column in the Wall Street Journal about the Fort Hood shooter.
Emily chatters about the biography of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia by Joan Biskupic.
David chatters about a personal ethical dilemma. Listen in for more details.
John chatters about an interesting tidbit from David Plouffe's new book where it's revealed that the Obama campaign leaked news of John Edwards' $400 haircut to the press.