Surprise visit yesterday from THE DUDE, the real one, not the character in The Big Lebowski....though that's who the character is based on--Jeff Dowd, the Dude. He dropped in to do KCRW's Guest DJ Project, and let me know he's a big fan of Left, Right and Center! Check the real DUDE out here: www.jeffdowd.com Meantime, today's show is: Guns and SCOTUS; North Korea and Nukes; Oil; Democratic Unity; Obamacons. Guest right is Jim Antle, Assoc. Editor of the conservative American Spectator Magazine. Here's today's show, some highlights below: KCRW's Left, Right and Centerwww.jeffdowd.com
Notable quotables:
Bob Scheer on Supreme Court and guns:
About Obama's lack of flag lapel pin:"Now they'll have to have a gun strapped on to show their patriotism."
Jim Antle on SCOTUS and guns:
"Activism is in the eye of the beholder. Democrats stand up for states rights in the more liberal states but are reluctant to challenge ingrained gun culture in conservative parts of the country."
Matt Miller on SCOTUS and spate of 5/4 decisions:
"As a lapsed legal mind myself, whoever thinks legal decisions are distinct from political ideals, that's really a fraud."
Bob Scheer on North Korean Nukes:
"I don't know why everyone is down on Bush for acting reasonably. I don't know why people are slamming Obama for wanting to negotiate with people. Why not negotiate with Iran? North Korea is going the way of Vietnam and China. Game is over for totalitarianism of that nature. I suspect Iran will go that way."
Jim Antle on North Korea:
When you take Iraq out of the equation, foreign policy support for Bush collapses. Bolton, Cheney disagreed with Bush on this. Realists are not happy, liberal internationalists are not happy, neocons are not happy. No wonder he's at 23% approval rating."
Arianna Huffington on Bush approval ratings:
"Who makes up the 23 percent?????"
Bob Scheer on Saudi Arabia:
"Those SOBs couldn't open the spigot...that could help us out in a time of crisis."
There's much more on the show.