School Days

If you want to know the real story behind unfolding events, the easy way is ask the experts. That's what we do this week. To get the story behind the drama that is the Herman Cain campaign these days, we're joined by National Review's Washington reporter Robert Costa. Then, we head to the Middle East and call on the expert's expert on the entire region; Hoover's Fouad Ajami. The lesson of today's show? It's nice to have smart friends. 

We talk, you click. Thanks to the miracle of flash players, you may listen in right here:

Music from this week's episode: 

The direct link to this week's episode (great for mobile devices!). But please, subscribe! Not an iTunes devotee? Visit our Feedburner page for a number of other subscription options.

Thanks to EJHill for the graphic. 

The Ricochet Podcast is proudly sponsored by Encounter Books. This week's featured title is New Vichy Syndrome by Theodore Dalrymple,  now in paperback. Available at EncounterBooks.com and Amazon.com.

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Comments:


Butters
Joined
May '11
Ningrim
Blue Yeti
Ningrim: Fouad vs. Bebe · Nov 2 at 4:39pm

What a great clip!  Thanks. 


Joined
May '11
Steven Gerson

Forty is not XXXX, it is XL

Foxman
Joined
Dec '10
Foxman

 Hey Robinson

It's dodging street cars, not subways.

DrewInWisconsin
Joined
Aug '11
DrewInWisconsin

Just when I was feeling blue, along comes the Ricochet podcast, and my day ends spectacularly!

Blue Yeti
Steven Gerson: Forty is not XXXX, it is XL · Nov 2 at 5:06pm

You're right. That's what I get for not consulting the chart. A "M" lashes for me. 

James Lileks

My fault on the XXXX - should've caught that. I really should read the copy before, well, reading it.


Joined
Oct '11
Elizabeth Dunn

Blue Yeti

Ningrim: Fouad vs. Bebe

What a great clip!  Thanks. 

Indeed! [Be still, my heart...]

Peter Robinson

Foxman:  Hey Robinson

It's dodging street cars, not subways. · Nov 2 at 6:01pm

The Dodgers did indeed dodge streetcars, not subways.  (If they'd been dodging subways, they'd have been the Miners.)

That's what comes of recording these things first thing in the morning.

Ethan Safron
Bradley University
Ethan Safron
James Lileks: My fault on the XXXX - should've caught that. I really should read the copy before, well, reading it. · Nov 2 at 6:59pm

 

Peter Robinson

That's what comes of recording these things first thing in the morning. · Nov 2 at 8:42pm

Excuses, excuses.

James Gawron
Joined
Dec '10
James Gawron

What does it mean to scrimmage in the snow.  It means that the ground is hard and slippery.  It means that your whole body tightens up against the cold.  Of course, on every single play the object of the football player is to "hit somebody".  You launch your body directly at an opposing player.  If you are not alert you will get blind sided.

What it means to scrimmage in the snow is pain!!!  Every single play hurts.  I can remember standing as the snow lightly dusted the field and thinking "This is a game?  A game!!  If I ever get my hands on the guy who invented this game I'll..wham..I just got blind sided..groan."

It's sort of like this Presidential Campaign only no cheerleaders and Blitzer/Cooper make Cosell sound like Albert Einstein.  Where's the fun in that?

Blue Yeti

Ethan Safron

James Lileks: My fault on the XXXX - should've caught that. I really should read the copy before, well, reading it. · Nov 2 at 6:59pm

Peter Robinson

That's what comes of recording these things first thing in the morning. · Nov 2 at 8:42pm

Excuses, excuses. · Nov 2 at 9:05pm

Actually, this is all Rob's fault for starting this silly volume business in the first place (go back and listen). I'd love to kill it off once and for all. 

Stu In Tokyo
Joined
May '11
Stu In Tokyo

After listening to the first five minutes I had to stop what I was doing and get online and just say it....

Mr. Robinson, Peter, please tell you wonderful son to just suck it up! It's football for crying out loud! I say this with a smile on my face!

When I heard your reading of his text, my first thought was that your son was proud of himself and his team practicing in the snow. What the heck it is just cold and wet, you can deal with that for a few hours.

Not an attack on dear Peter or his wonderful son, just a comment, an observation, we played football in the snow in Canada too, meant you had to have a good ground game, as when the temps dropped and the snow flew you passing game alone would not do.

I'm sure your son will do well.

Snow, I miss it

Now back to work, and I'll listen to the rest of the podcast!

Domo

EJHill
Joined
May '10
EJHill
Rob Long Beef

I thought the "XXXX" designation meant that the podcast was filthier than "XXX" and a blatant attempt at boosting the ratings.

Yeah...ok.
Joined
Jan '11
Yeah...ok.

Excellent!

EJHill

I thought the "XXXX" designation meant that the podcast was filthier than "XXX" and a blatant attempt at boosting the ratings. · Nov 3 at 6:49am

Could you make an animated gif please.

EJHill
Joined
May '10
EJHill
Yeah...ok.: Could you make an animated gif please. · Nov 3 at 8:00am

Uh... no. Unless I decide that to quit Ricochet and go out in blaze of infamy.

Terry
Joined
Jun '11
Terry

Herman Cain didn't sing Amazing Grace to the tune of  Danny Boy. He sang He Looked Beyond My Faults.  This made it so much more interesting given the context of the story swirling around him.  By the way, he sang it quite well.

Terry
Joined
Jun '11
Terry

The lyrics to that gospel song:

Amazing Grace will always be my song of praise,
For it was grace that brought me liberty.
I do not know just why He came to love me so.
He looked beyond my faults and saw my need.

I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary
To view the cross where Jesus died for me.
How marvelous His grace that caught my falling soul.
He Looked beyond my faults and saw my need.

Don Tillman
Joined
May '10
Don Tillman

 Rob at 27:35:

I hate it, I hate it.  I just think the hypocrisy, the rank hypocrisy, that we now have to pretend this is a big deal.  [...]  You cannot now change the standard.  You may not like that, but you can not change the standard just because a black Republican is number one on the polls.

Sorry Rob, but my cynical self has to blurt in here:

I'll claim that you *can* change the standard.  It's a measure of strength and power that you can.  It's a declaration of who writes the rules.  And afterward you get to say, "Neener, neener, neener."  How cool is that? Quoth Mel Brooks, "It's good to be king!"

'Call it Strategic Hypocrisy.

Rob continues:

And the lack of shame of it.  They're not even ashamed of themselves.

And yes [nodding]; that would certainly follow.


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