On today's AirTalk, we discuss the Petraeus resignation and what's next for the C.I.A. We'll consider the gains women, people of color, and the LGBT community are making in Congress and look forward at President Obama's future cabinet. We'll also check in on what's next for the Lakers, and speak with author Mark Bowden about his new book, ‘The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden.’
Petraeus resignation raises questions about security and the future of the C.I.A.
Former C.I.A. Director David Petraeus resigned on November 9, 2012, citing an extramarital affair. The general, renowned for the counterinsurgency techniques he implemented in Iraq and Afghanistan, handed in his resignation only 15 months after President Obama appointed him to head the Central Intelligence Agency. Petraeus publicly addressed the affair after the F.B.I. notified him of an investigation into threatening emails from his biographer Paula Broadwell to a friend of the Petraeus family.
Amidst the upheaval of Petraeus’s resignation and the changes in plan for upcoming testimony about recent events in Benghazi, some members of Congress have criticized the F.B.I. for hiding the Petraeus affair for so long. Others working in the intelligence agencies and government and wonder whether Petraeus’s relationship with Broadwell caused any breaches in security.
Was it appropriate for Petraeus to have resigned over his infidelity? Was the affair a security breach? What’s next for the C.I.A.?
Guest:
Tom Gjelten, NPR Correspondent specializing in Global Security issues
Women and minorities are gaining on Capitol Hill
Election Day this year didn’t just mark the beginning of President Obama’s second term, it also marked historic gains for women and continuing gains for minorities in Congress. Women, in a possible retaliation against the “War on Women” narrative which played out this year, got out the vote and came out victorious in numerous races across the country. Elizabeth Warren is now the first female Senator from Massachusetts, and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin is the country’s first openly lesbian Senator. Minorities played a huge role in the election of Barack Obama over Mitt Romney, and their growing influence at the ballot box is being felt in Congress as well.
Are these changes simply outliers in the political landscape, or are they more indicative of a new normal? Will this create a wave of future female and minority candidates to run for office? Will they be victorious? What does this mean for the Republican Party? Is the heterosexual white male prepared to be an endangered species?
Guests:
Suzi Parker, contributor to The Washington Post's “She The People” Blog, Reuters, Take Part, The Christian Science Monitor and The Economist; author of Sex in the South: Unbuckling the Bible Belt
Lynn Vavreck, Professor of Political Science, UCLA; co-author of the newly released e-book The Gamble: Choice & Chance in the 2012 Election
Doing the cabinet shuffle: who goes, who stays in Obama’s new administration?
The advent of Obama’s second term means it’s time to change partners in the White House square dance. Depending on how many spots open up, there could be a lot of new blood in the White House. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner have already announced their imminent departures; among others who may follow suit are Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Attorney General Eric Holder. This offers President Obama a chance to do some reshaping of his cabinet.
So who’s on the president’s short list? Speculation has circled around Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice and former Romney rival Jon Huntsman to fill the Secretary of State post. Names being bandied about for Geithner’s position include Chief of Staff Jack Lew and former Clinton chief Erskine Bowles (of Bowles-Simpson fame), or even former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, a Republican. Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, Defense, Undersecretary Ashton Carter and former Defense Undersecretary Michele Flournoy have shown up as possibilities for Defense Secretary. Some Californian names have come up as well: Howard Berman, newly ousted from his congressional seat, was suggested by one pundit for Energy Secretary if Steven Chu decides to step down, and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has done his best to keep his profile high in Washington, was said to be briefly in play for Transportation Secretary.
Who would you like to see in place during the next administration? Who should step down? With the fiscal cliff looming, threats to the economy here at home and abroad, and peaceful solutions still out of reach in the Middle East, what are the most crucial seats to be filled?
Guest:
Edward-Isaac Dovere, deputy White House editor, Politico
The drama continues as the Lakers hire Mike D’Antoni; pass on Phil Jackson
News broke this morning that the Los Angeles Lakers have tapped former Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni to pick up the pieces of the franchise’s 2012-13 season. That came as a surprise to fans, after rumors swarmed that the Lakers were courting former coach Phil Jackson to come out of retirement and coach the squad for a 3rd time in his illustrious career.
Despite the surprise pick, fans hope D’Antoni’s experience coaching two-time MVP/first-time Laker Steve Nash, and his personal relationships with both Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard will help ease the transition. The team is probably also happy to see the complicated Princeton offense, which former head coach Mike Brown implemented over the summer, replaced. The downside could be in the X’s and O’s; D’Antoni’s offense is a faster, uptempo form and sports analysts worry it might not fit well with an older starting five and untested bench players.
What do you think of this coaching change? Do you think the Lakers made a mistake by hiring D’Antoni over Jackson?
Guest:
A. Martinez, KPCC host; former host of ESPN LA's In the Zone and Laker Lines
Bestselling author Mark Bowden on ‘The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden’
After a decade-long international manhunt, United States military forces killed Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Locating and eliminating the al-Qaeda leader proved to be a difficult and tolling endeavor in part because the target was not an enemy nation, but a scattered group of terrorists.
Author Mark Bowden has provided one of the most extensive accounts of the long hunt for bin Laden in his new book “The Finish: The Killing of Osama bin Laden.” It is the first such publication written with the cooperation of President Barack Obama, who granted Bowden a lengthy exclusive interview for the book.
In “The Finish,” Bowden examines the challenges, lessons, and controversies surrounding the mission, including how torture was involved in gathering crucial information. Larry is joined by author Mark Bowden to discuss one of the most important military missions in history.
Guest:
Mark Bowden, author of the The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden (Atlantic Monthly Press)