July 18 - Robert Kuttner: Save Obama from Himself; Afghanistan Now; Slowness as a Virtue

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Part 1	We begin with the economic hostage crisis situation in Washington, DC where Republicans are using the threat of economic collapse to extort concessions from a President who has to run for re-election on a weak economy they are weakening further. Former chief investigator for the US Senate Banking Committee and a 20 year columnist for Business Week, Robert Kuttner, joins us to discuss his latest article in the Huffington Post, “The End Game: Saving Obama From Himself.”
Part 2	With General Petraeus’ departure of from Afghanistan to head up the CIA, we look into whether or not the Petraeus surge was a success, since it depends on political stability and the quality of the Afghan army. Former Afghan Analyst at the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Marvin Weinbaum, joins us to discuss the recent series of assassinations including Karzai’s brother Wali, that indicate less stability and more success for the Taliban, as a drawdown of U.S. troops begins.
Part 3	We talk about the unexpected and unintended consequence of the so-called “Carmageddon” hysteria that predicted gridlock, but instead delivered a calm and clean Los Angeles, where you could hear the birds and not the traffic, where you could breathe fresh air and where Angelenos relaxed at home with their families. Maybe we should demolish freeway bridges more often. The godfather of the slow movement, Carl Honore', joins us. He is the author of In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed.