David Swanson, author of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union, discusses the myth of Constitutionally-derived presidential supremacy in foreign affairs, why Congress prefers acting like an executive advisory committee instead of a co-equal branch of government, the Tenth Amendment’s losing battle against the Commerce Clause, progress in civil and foreign court cases against Bush administration crimes that Obama steadfastly ignores, the neglected subpoena and impeachment powers of Congress and the public pressure that is the driving force behind the “Audit the Fed” amendment.

MP3 here. (56:28)

David Swanson is Co-Founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, creator of ProsecuteBushCheney.org, Washington Director of Democrats.com and a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, the Backbone Campaign, Voters for Peace and the Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution. He was the press secretary for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign, media coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and worked three years as communications coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

Michael Hastings, author of the article “Afghanistan: Does this make Obama a chickenhawk?” discusses MoveOn’s halfhearted criticism of Obama’s Afghanistan War escalation, how hawkish rhetoric fails to disassociate Democrats from their “mommy party” image, jargon-filled war policy discussions that ignore real-life suffering and why the seemingly mysterious motivations of U.S. occupation are best understood as a convergence of self-interested parties.

MP3 here. (36:06)

Michael Hastings is the author of I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story. In 2008, he covered the U.S. presidential elections for Newsweek, and before that he was the magazine’s Baghdad correspondent. His articles have appeared in GQ, Slate, Salon, Foreign Policy, the LA Times, and other publications. His blog The Hastings Report focuses on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other foreign policy topics.

Anthony Gregory, research analyst at the Independent Institute, discusses the DHS’s report’s (.pdf) overly broad characterization of right wing extremism, ideological profiling that debases individual rights, the conflation of anti-government sentiment with violent extremism and how the best way to prevent mass violence is to limit centralized government power.

MP3 here. (31:53)

Anthony Gregory is Editor-in-Chief at Campaign for Liberty and a Research Analyst at The Independent Institute. He earned his bachelor’s degree in American history from the University of California at Berkeley and gave the undergraduate history commencement speech in 2003. Mr. Gregory is also the recipient of the Ron Paul Liberty in Media Award for his Independent Institute article, “An Anniversary that We Must Never Forget.” His articles have appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune, East Valley Tribune (AZ), Contra Costa Times, The Star (Chicago, IL), Washington Times, Vacaville Reporter, Palo Verde Times, and other newspapers, and he regularly writes for numerous news and commentary web sites, including LewRockwell.com, Future of Freedom Foundation, Rational Review, etc. Mr. Gregory is currently writing an Independent Institute book on individual liberty and the writ of habeas corpus.

The Other Scott Horton, international human rights lawyer and contributing editor at Harper’s magazine, discusses the Justice Department’s release of post-9/11 Bush administration legal opinion memos, the assertion of executive supremacy over the first and fourth amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the possible scope of unknown Bush legal shenanigans and why blue-ribbon investigative committees aren’t always bipartisan cover-ups.

MP3 here. (31:13)

The Other Scott Horton (no relation) is a New York attorney known for his work in emerging markets and international law, especially human rights law and the law of armed conflict. He lectures at Columbia Law School.

Robert Dreyfuss, author of Devil’s Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam, discusses the Obama administration’s Iraq withdrawal plan, the survivability of Iraq’s central government without U.S. support, the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran and why the doctrine of preventive war left town with the Bush administration.

MP3 here. (29:01)

Robert Dreyfuss writes “The Dreyfuss Report” blog for The Nation. He is the author of Devil’s Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam.

Justin Raimondo, editorial director for Antiwar.com, discusses Vladimir Putin’s red-baiting of Soviet America, the U.S. military’s use of old Soviet supply lines into Afghanistan, how the incredible U.S./Russia role reversal confirms the existence of Bizarro World, why the crumbling U.S. economy won’t stop an Afghanistan surge or prevent new interventions in Africa and how the use of logical deduction in figuring out U.S. foreign policy goals only leads to wild speculation.

MP3 here. (37:24)

Justin Raimondo is the author of Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement and editorial director for Antiwar.com. His articles are archived at Antiwar.com/justin.

Gareth Porter, author of the article “Generals Seek to Reverse Obama Withdrawal Decision”, discusses the rift within the military on the issue of troop withdrawal from Iraq, the apparent attempt by Robert Gates and Generals Petraeus and Odierno to undermine Obama’s planned Iraq withdrawal timeline, the NIE Iran report and the Iranian nuclear hedging strategy and the fight over control of the foreign policy narrative and who ultimately is to blame for historical failure.

MP3 here. (55:29)

Gareth Porter is an independent historian and journalist and frequent contributor to the Inter Press Service News Agency (ipsnews.net). His articles can also be found at Antiwar.com/porter.

Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, discusses his recent article “Obama Gathering a Flock of Hawks to Oversee U.S. Foreign Policy,” the mixed-bag of appointments from holdover Bush Republicans to recycled Clinton-era staffers, the particularly terrible work history of Richard Holbrooke and the importance of organized political pressure in ensuring that Obama is the agent of change he claims to be.

MP3 here. (39:39)

Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he chairs the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He serves as a senior policy analyst for the Foreign Policy in Focus project of the Institute for Policy Studies, an associate editor of Peace Review, and chair of the academic advisory committee for the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. His website is stephenzunes.org.

Joshua Frank, contributor to Antiwar.com, Counterpunch and DissidentVoice, and co-editor (with Jeffery St. Clair) of Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland, discusses the continuing need for a political realignment against empire, the dangers associated with Obama’s stated intentions of saving it while many former antiwar voices are diluted by love for the new emperor.

MP3 here. (38:57)

Joshua Frank is a contributor to Antiwar.com, Counterpunch and DissidentVoice, and co-editor (with Jeffery St. Clair) of Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland.

Will Grigg, blogger and author of Liberty in Eclipse, discusses the origins and authoritarian tendencies of the Democratic and Republican parties, Alexander Hamilton’s role in quelling the Whiskey Rebellion and his legacy of centralized economic and military power, the carefully orchestrated packaging and branding of Barack Obama as an agent of peace and change, the U.S. Treasury Department’s usurpation of Congressional legislative authority and local law enforcement’s increasing role as tax collectors.

MP3 here. (1:09:37)

William Norman Grigg writes the blog Pro Libertate and is the author of the book Liberty in Eclipse: The War on Terror and the Rise of the Homeland Security State.