U.S. Presidency

Freelance journalist Stephen Dudley has been reporting from Colombia for five years for National Public Radio and Public Radio Internationals The World.

Political commentator David Frum. From January 2001 to February 2002 he was a special assistant to President Bush for economic speech-writing. He held the position during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and he's the man who put the axis in the oft-repeated Bush term "axis of evil." Frum is the author of the new book, The Right Man: The Surprise Presidency of George W. Bush, an inside account of the White House.

Colombian senator and presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. In a country controlled by drug cartels and corrupt government officials, she has spoken out against corruption. Her efforts have earned her and her family death threats. She travels with as many as a dozen body guards, and sent her children away. Betancourt grew up in Paris, the daughter of Colombia ambassador to Unesco. Her mother was a political activist. Betancourt book about her fight against corruption was a bestseller in France where it was first published.

Investigative journalist Bob Woodward is assistant managing editor of The Washington Post. He's the author of eight nonfiction bestsellers, including All the President's Men and The Final Days — both on Watergate and President Nixon — and The Brethren, about the Supreme Court. For his newest book, Bush at War, he had behind-the-scenes access to the Bush administration in the first 100 days after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss. His new book is The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1941-1945 (Simon & Schuster). In the book he reveals new information on how the Allies won World War II and the efforts behind the scenes of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin to ensure that post-war Germany would never produce another Hitler. Beschloss researched newly opened American, British and Soviet archives for the book.

His book Reaching for Glory: The Secret Lyndon Johnson Tapes, 1964-1965 (Simon & Schuster) is now out in paperback. It is Beschloss’s second volume on the LBJ tapes. Beschloss will talk about the tapes, and we will hear excerpts, including some recordings of conversations about Vietnam, Civil Rights, and with Jackie Kennedy. Beschloss has written 5 previous books on American presidents. He is also a regular contributor to The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

He reviews the political documentary, Journeys with George, a behind-the-scenes look at the 2000 presidential race.

President Clinton's former budget director and chief of staff Leon Panetta.

President Clinton's former campaign strategist and political advisor Paul Begala talks about life in the Clinton Whitehouse.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He's the author of a number of books including a memoir about his boyhood, An Hour Before Daylight His latest is a memoir, Christmas in Plains (Simon & Schuster). Carter and his family has spent the last 48 Christmases in Plains, through out his Navy career, his stint as Governor and his tenure as President. The only exception was 1979 when American hostages were being held in Iran.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss' second volume on the LBJ tapes is called Reaching for Glory: The Secret Lyndon Johnson Tapes, 1964-1965. Beschloss talks about the tapes and we hear excerpts — including recordings of conversations about Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement. We also hear Johnson speaking with Jackie Kennedy. Beschloss has written five previous books on American presidents and is a regular contributor to The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

Jeffrey Toobin, staff writer at the New Yorker. His new book is an investigation into the bush gore presidential recount. Its called, Too Close to Call : The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election (Random House). He also has a piece in the latest New Yorker, about the new anti-terrorism legislation. His last book, A Vast Conspiracy, was about the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. His book The Run of His Life was about the OJ Simpson Trial. Toobin is also a legal analyst for ABC news.

Will Ferrell is a regular cast member of Saturday Night Live. Last weekend the show began the new season in a somber tone, opening the show with Mayor Giuliani surrounded by a group of New York fire fighters, police and EMT workers. Ferrell has portrayed President George Bush on the show as well as Janet Reno, Alex Trebek and Robert Goulet; his other send-ups include musical middle school teacher Marty Culp, and Spartan cheerleader Craig.

Jay Winik's new book, a bestseller, is April 1865: The Month That Saved America (HarperCollins). He writes that April 1865 is a month that could have unraveled the American nation. Instead it saved it. During that month the war ended with Lee surrender, Lincoln was assassinated, and the rebuilding of the nation began. Winik is a senior scholar at the University of Maryland School of Public Affairs and a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal.

New York Times reporters David Barstow and Don Van Natta, Jr. went to Florida following the closest presidential election in history. During a six month investigation, the two journalists found –under intense pressure from the Republicans, Florida officials accepted hundreds of overseas absentee ballots that failed to comply with state election laws.— (NYT 7/15/01) However, the outcome of the investigation is inconclusive. If all invalid overseas ballots had been thrown out, Bush would have still maintained a narrow margin over Gore.

Ken Herman has been covering Texas politics for over 20 years and is currently in Washington, covering the first six months of President George W. Bushs administration. Hell talk about the differences between George W. Bush the governor and George W. Bush the President. Herman will also talk about President Bushs first few months in office- his new policies, the outcome of his campaign promises, and the press corps reaction to Bush.

This Friday, George W. Bush embarks on his first presidential trip outside the US. He will travel to Mexico to meet the new president of Mexico, Vincente Fox. We talk about Mexico with Journalist Sam Quinones. He has been covering Mexico for 7 years. His new book is called, True Tales from Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino, and the Bronx. Quinones work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, LA Weekly, and Ms Magazine.

Hes the bestselling author of Great Political Wit. His new book, called Great Presidential Wit (I Wish I was in the Book), is a collection of funny anecdotes and quotations by or about American Presidents. Dole was the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history. He is currently serving as the chairman of the World War II Memorial campaign and as chairman of the International Commission on Missing Persons in the Former Yugoslavia. Dole was also a commentator for Comedy Centrals Indecision 2000.

He held the post during Clintons impeachment trial.

He was press secretary when the Monica Lewinsky story first broke.