Slate Political Gabfest Podcast

The Slate website, bastard child of the Washington Post, is an embarrassment of riches – but the best thing about it is their weekly political gabfest – forty minutes of inside-the-beltway discussion of politics and personalities. It works because of the chemistry with the panel. David Plotz, editor of Slate, is a contrarian Alpha-male – an “Eisenhower Republican” who has an old-fashioned reverence for the American Constitution.   He’s overly aggressive but always entertaining. Then there’s Emily Bazelon, head-spinningly clever legal correspondent; and their Washington Correspondent John Dickerson with a anorakish knowledge ofopinion polls – who they tease as if he’s a square younger brother. The final section “cocktail chatter” in which the panel talk about something they’ve discovered over the last week is essential listening. There’s a Slate Cultural Gabfest too which is okay, but nothing like as sparky as its sibling.