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On Demand

The Brian Lehrer Show

Wednesday, February 15, 2006
  • Were We Misled
    "Were We Misled?" a live forum at the Society for Ethical Culture. (WNYC.org/Bill Swersey)

    Were We Misled?

    The Bush Administration made the case for war in Iraq based mainly on the contention that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Three years later, the war continues, and there’s still no sign of WMDs. Did the administration get the intelligence wrong, or was America deliberately misled? Vanity Fair columnist Christopher Hitchens, former Senator Bob Graham, Nation writer David Corn, and legal scholar Ruth Wedgwood examine the question at the Society for Ethical Culture. Plus: listener calls on the debate.

Were We Misled? A Debate on Pre-War Intelligence

Christopher Hitchens, columnist for Vanity Fair and author of more than ten books, including, A Long Short War: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq (Plume, 2003)
and
Bob Graham, former US Senator (D-FL) and former Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee
and
David Corn, Washington editor of The Nation and author, The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception (Crown, 2003)
and
Ruth Wedgwood, professor of international law at Johns Hopkins University, member of the Pentagon’s Defense Policy Board, and former member of the committee for the liberation of Iraq
- debate the question of whether the administration misled the public, or simply got pre-war intelligence wrong?

» suggested readings on pre-war intelligence

Reaction to "Were We Misled?"

Listeners react to the debate

Uncommon Indicators

The Brian Lehrer Show

The Brian Lehrer Show wants to hear how the economy is affecting the little things in your daily life. Share your stories and photos of the downturn.

Just Launched! The Uncommon Economic Indicators Video Contest. All the details here!

The Rocky Road Ahead

The Brian Lehrer Show

Ray Young, the chief financial officer of General Motors, talks about GM’s bankruptcy.

Then, Damon Lester, president of the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, and Greg Williams, former owner of the recently closed Huntington Chevrolet in Huntington Station, NY., discusses the effect GM’s bankruptcy has had on dealerships and their employees.

Tweet If You Use Twitter

The Brian Lehrer Show

Farhad Manjoo, Slate's technology columnist and the author of True Enough: Learning To Live in a Post-Fact Society talks about what Twitter means and how different groups use it.

What's your take on Twitter? How do you use it? Comment below!

Don't Say That, Literally

The Brian Lehrer Show

John Flansburgh of the band They Might Be Giants discusses the running list the band keeps of "things we can no longer say." (a few examples: "my bad" "don't go there" "one hundred and ten percent" and "voted off the island")

What would be on your list of banned words or phrases? Comment below!

From Denmark with Love

The Brian Lehrer Show

Jesper Grunwald, senior managing editor with the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, talks about the Danish economy, biking to work, and why the Danes are allegedly the happiest people in the world.

Squatting, Then and Now

The Brian Lehrer Show

As former squats in the East Village make the transition to coops, making homes from abandoned housing is again an issue. Andrew Reicher executive director of Urban Homesteading Assistance Board, Frank Morales an Episcopal priest involved in East Village/Lower East Side squatting and homelessness activism since the late '70s, and Rob Robinson, a leader of the Housing Campaign of Picture the Homeless, discuss the return of squatting.

Video Picks

The Brian Lehrer Show

Check out some recent video clips of interviews with guests and Brian Lehrer's weekly Web video picks.