"Washington Unplugged" This Week
Republican Sen. Judd Gregg's withdrawal from consideration to become Commerce Secretary marks the fourth appointee of President Obama to have failed to cross the finish line. What really happened in the lead up to the announcement, and what is the White House's reaction? White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton will be on hand to explain.
And "Washington Unplugged" has a guest moderator this week: John Dickerson, Slate Magazine's chief political correspondent. Having covered the Bush White House and Capitol Hill, John will bring both energy and experience to the show.
After we get the story from the White House, Dickerson will turn to CBS News business correspondent Anthony Mason, who will give us the latest on the stimulus bill and the second round of TARP funds.
Some of Washington's most plugged-in will also join the conversation: CBS News congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes, CBS News director of political coverage Steve Chaggaris and Politico.com financial correspondent Eamon Javers.
Our experts will have a lively conversation about the Gregg announcement, the stimulus bill and the president's relentless public relations campaign on its behalf. They will also look at where the legislation stands as it heads to a vote in the House of Representatives.
Finally, Dickerson will hear from author Thomas Ricks of The Washington Post, who has just released a riveting book about Iraq and America's military campaign called "The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq 2006-2008."
Once again it's been a wild week in Washington, and "Washington Unplugged" will be there to make sense of the never slowing story.