LISTEN ONLINE TO THIS SHOW HERE
Obama and Afghanistan: the speech he should have given, starting “We have no partner in Afghanistan,” and ending “our troops will be brought home.”  TOM ENGELHARDT explains — he edits the indispensable blog TomDispatch.

Plus: KPFK Sports! Soviet sports, that is: BOB EDELMAN talks about soccer under Stalin and how it provided “a small way of saying no.” Bob teaches history at UCSD; his new book is Spartak Moscow: A History of the People’s Team in the Worker’s State.

And: The great ELMORE LEONARD presents his rules for writing dialogue. He’ll be honored by PEN, the writers’ organization, tonight. (originally broadcast 2-5-2003).

Also – the rise, and fall, of democracy – SUSAN GRIFFIN will comment. Her book Wrestling with the Angel of Democracy: On Being an American Citizen is out now in paperback.