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November 2001 Shows
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THURSDAY NOVEMBER
1ST
OPEN LINE
You the listeners are our guests for tonight. Milt will open the lines
to your questions and comments about the war and anything else on your
mind. Beware, though-only the best of your calls will get through. So
be ready!
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2ND
 NAIPAUL
AND COX
In a split show, we are visited by two prominent authors. In our first
hour, V.S. NAIPAUL, Nobel Prize winner for Literature in 2001, joins us,
with a unique look at the world of Islam. His latest novel is  Half
a Life, but our discussion will inevitably address the current crisis.
A different religious angle will be the subject of  our
second hour. HARVEY COX, a Christian and a renowned theologian in the
Harvard Divinity School, has published an account of his experiences as
part of an otherwise Jewish family:  Common
Prayers. Naipaul and Cox, beginning at 9:00pm.
MONDAY NOVEMBER
5TH
THE WAR ON TERRORISM
Tonight, another look at the progress of the war. Winter is fast approaching
in Afghanistan, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is just around the corner,
and both the coalition and the media seem nervous. U.S. air power continues
to strike Taliban military targets, but has refrained from all-out attacks
on the frontlines-much to some commentators' chagrin. The question remains:
what is to be done? How substantial should our ground involvement be?
What results can we expect? In what timetable? All of these will be addressed
this evening. Our three guests will include General DAVID GRANGE (U.S.
Army, ret.), the former commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division,
and others.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6TH
COPS
"Gentlemen, get the thing straight, once and for all. The policeman isn't
there to create disorder; the policeman is there to preserve disorder."
Mayor Richard J. Daley's famous stumble during the 1968 Democratic National
Convention forever stamped the Chicago Police Department, but in fact,
the police have been a pillar of strength and order in the city since
its founding. One longtime and proud officer, THOMAS CLINE, has published
a short memoir of his years on the beat: COP TALES! VOLUME 1. Cline, who
served for 30 years, joins us along with longtime officers BILL JACONETTI
and CHARLIE SMITH for a broad look at life in the Chicago P.D.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 7TH
HARDBALL, CHRIS MATTHEWS-STYLE
 All
cable television news fans know CHRIS MATTHEWS as the host of CNBC's and
MSNBC's Hardball. Over the years, Matthews has served as a speechwriter
for President Carter, top aid to Tip O'Neill, even as an historian covering
the rivalry of John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. Above all, he has been
and remains a political junkie. His newest book is  Now
Let Me Tell You What I Really Think: Playing Hardball with Chris Matthews.
He joins us for the full two hours tonight for an insider's look at the
state of politics in Washington.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 8TH
THE STATE OF AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION
Tonight, we are honored to be joined by three distinguished guests: HENRY
BIENEN, President of Northwestern University; JAMES STUKEL, President
of the University of Illinois; and STEPHEN SCHUTT, President of Lake Forest
College. Although we will focus broadly on the state of American higher
education, from the perspectives of large private university, large public
university, and liberal arts college, we will also look at the impact
of September 11 and how it has affected our students-or, conversely, how
university education has impacted our worldviews over the years. Join
us for a stimulating discussion at 9:00pm.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9TH
STALIN'S CRIMES: THE CONTINUING INVESTIGATION
 The
fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 led almost immediately to an invasion
of that dead empire by an army of eager historians. In the mere ten years
since, much has been uncovered about the mysteries and crimes of Soviet
Russia. Tonight, we continue our periodic look at a dark period in Russian
history: namely, the reign of Josef Stalin. JOSHUA RUBENSTEIN has edited
one of the latest volumes in Yale University Press's 'Annals of Communism'
series:  Stalin's
Secret Pogrom: The Postwar Inquisition of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee.
He joins us with others tonight at 9:00pm, for a broader look at a twentieth
century tyrant.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 12TH
 MAGNET
AND DALRYMPLE
Two visitors from one of Milt's favorite publications, City Journal, join
us tonight. MYRON MAGNET (American) and THEODORE DALRYMPLE (British),
both noted social commentators, are our guests tonight. Dalrymple's latest
book is 
Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass. The book
will be the focus of our discussion but, more broadly, we will address
larger questions of how leftist ideology undermines "human services"
in both the U.S. and U.K.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13TH
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF LINCOLN
 In
this time of national trial, we recall the central figure of our greatest
upheaval: Abraham Lincoln. Three knowledgeable guests join us for a journey
from the Great Railsplitter's modest youth (what he described as "the
short and simple annals of the poor") through his tragic presidency, to
the end at his Springfield grave. Two of our panelists, Chicago attorney
JAMES SWANSON and DANIEL WEINBERG, curator of the Abraham Lincoln Bookshop,
have written a new book:  Lincoln's
Assassins: Their Trial and Execution. They are joined by RUSSELL LEWIS,
director of collection and research at the Chicago Historical Society,
and a noted Lincoln scholar.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 14TH
 THE
ART OF THE INTERVIEW
Our guest tonight is CLAUDIA DREIFUS, award-winning interviewer from The
New York Times. In the past, she has published volumes of interviews
with world leaders and celebrities; her latest project has been tracking
the great scientists for the newspaper's 'Science Times' section. Her
thirty-eight interviews, ranging from Sir Martin Rees to Stephen Jay Gould,
are complied in  Scientific
Conversations: Interviews from the New York Times. We'll uncover the
lives of our greatest minds and learn the art of the interview, beginning
after the 7:00pm basketball game.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15TH
MATTHEW STEVENSON, WORLD TRAVELER
Thomas Beecham once uttered, "I have recently been all round the world
and have formed a very poor opinion of it." Like Beecham, tonight's guest
MATTHEW STEVENSON has recently traveled the globe. Stevenson, however,
has not sought rest and relaxation abroad, but has instead pursued history
and conflict, visiting such obscure and dangerous locales as Afghanistan,
Guadalcanal, Serbia, and Belfast. Politics has been intertwined in all
his journeys. His new Letters of Transit : Essays on Travel, History,
Politics, and Family Life Abroad recalls his travels, and will be
the basis for our discussion tonight, following the 8:00pm Northwestern
basketball game.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16TH
This post-basketball program remains under construction.
Check back for details.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 19TH
THE LBJ TAPES: VOLUME II
 Tonight,
the next installment of the Lyndon Johnson tapes. In his previous volume,
'Taking Charge', historian MICHAEL BESCHLOSS transcribed the 36th president's
phone conversations from the Kennedy assassination through his initial
plans for the Great Society, ending with the Gulf of Tonkin incident and
Johnson's nomination as Democratic candidate in 1964. The second volume
of this fasinating trilogy
Reaching for Glory: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1964-1965 covers
the period from his landslide 1964 election through his agonized decision
to intervene with massive U.S. ground forces in Vietnam the following
July--perhaps the most important period of Johnson's administration. Our
interview with Beschloss, recorded just this week, will include numerous
audio clips from these tapes, and begins immediately following the basketball
game.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 20TH
POETRY
 "What
is poetry?" John Ruskin once mused to himself. "The suggestion, by the
imagination, of noble grounds for the noble emotions." Tonight, we look
at the great poets and their works-and hear them in their own voices.
Chicago-based Source Books has published an audio and written anthology
 Poetry
Speaks: Hear Great Poets Read Their Work from Tennyson to Plath with CD
(Audio). Source Books editor DOMINIQUE RACCAH is joined by poetry
expert G.E. MURRAY, as well as Tennyson, Whitman, Yeats, and others, beginning
at 9:00pm.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 21ST
LIFE AT THE TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU
Many of our listeners know JIM WARREN from his many television stints,
including the McLaughlin Group. For many years, Warren served as head
of The Chicago Tribune's Washington Bureau. Although he
has returned home to bigger things in the Tribune Tower, his links to
Washington and the political scene remain strong. He joins us tonight
to discuss his years in Washington and provide his thoughts on the current
crisis.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 22ND
THANKSGIVING
Some of our best tapes from recent months will air tonight as we pause
to celebrate Thanksgiving.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23RD
OPEN LINE
As we draw closer to the end of the year on this holiday weekend, we again
open the phone lines to our listeners. Join us for a full program of those
listener calls that make the cut, and Milt's inevitable commentaries,
reactions, and provocations.
MONDAY NOVEMBER 26TH
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY, POST-SEPTEMBER 11
 The
attacks of September 11 have, one would assume, forever changed the conduct
of American foreign policy. But how? New dangers have clearly arisen,
but new opportunities as well. How will our relations with Russia change
with their support for our coalition? What role will the United States
continue to play in Europe and Asia over the long term? Have new, legitimate
opportunities opened for a comprehensive and stable peace in the Middle
East? How can we adjust our policies abroad to secure more security at
home? What adjustments need to be made in our military posture? The list
of questions is endless. We'll address as many as possible tonight with
our expert panel. One of our guests will be WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, a senior
fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of  Special
Providence: The Secret Strengths of American Foreign Policy. ED KOLODZIEJ
of the University of Illinois will also join in the discussion.
TUESDAY NOVEMBER 27TH
 PEGGY
NOONAN
Our guest tonight is PEGGY NOONAN, longtime speechwriter and adviser to
President Reagan, and active commentator on Washington politics. Her latest
book is  When
Character Was King , a look at the Reagan years from her insider's
perspective. But our focus this evening will remain on the current crisis:
how she views the conflict and how she rates the performance of the current
administration to date. Join Peggy Noonan for the full two hours, beginning
at 9:00pm.
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 28TH
Extension 720 takes the night off for the Northwestern basketball game
that begins at 8:30pm.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29TH
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 30TH
These programs remain under construction. Check back to wgnradio.com for
details.
Archive of previous show topics:
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