. >> since you go to cicero, et cetera, is there anything peculiar about your approach to history and art that makes you such a fantastic sparkling with all sorts of things? >> i paid her to say that. [laughter] >> awe, shucks. i tell you, what's your name? [laughter] >> what's your telephone number? [laughter] >> i'm joking. i'm joking. yeah. i always -- you know, it i was laughed out. i wrote out reviews when my friend john gray started to introduce nonbook reviews and he knew i was doing this weird analysis. when i wanted to write a book about daily life in holland, about the culture being the richest and mightiest place in the world for brief generations. this is a kind of culture that is absolutely engorged on images, on tiles, engraved glasses, wall paper, stamped leather. you cannot do it without understanding the purchase and power of images of all kind, not just high art images. and then as the years went by and i mentioned that of course i very happily and greatly taught at hear varmint i came to think that on the one hand art history can't be taught without understanding th

i went through a bout of reading about ancient rome and i read anthony effort's two books, cicero and augustus, two incredible characters in ancient rome and the adrian goldsmith on the biography of julius caesar, i went to carson mccullough's novel on julius caesar, and bob harris's book, imperium, and i couldn't get enough of ancient rome and read every novel and short story steven saylor has done and created the fictional character but the history behind it is accurate, and it is just a mystery detective in ancient rome during the time period, especially during the time of julius caesar and augustus. so, i have had a lot of fun reading about history, and even going to fiction, to further inform me about that great time period in terms of ancient rome. i think in the -- this time of barack obama, one must read for everybody, doris kearns good win's book, i team of rives, the great story of how abraham lincoln not only bested his rivals but had the intestinal fortitude to bring all of them into his cabinet, each of whom thought he was smarter than lincoln and each of whom thought he

the cicero who said, i regret to say practitioner jar rised a bit by jefferson and limp -- lincoln, they know not whence they came, and whatever we can say about the 44th president, that's not a problem for him and win the new campaign to abolish social studies a whole new life of american history lies before us. we know what is in store for the american future. not the end of one particular story but the beginning of a new and i'm confident to say, spirited and noble chapter. thanks. [applause] >> thank you. [applause] >> thank you. >> i think most of you now how this works. please raise your hand. we will get a microphone to you who would like to start us off? a gentlemen at the back, andy. >> all the way in the back there. >> would you share a few of your thoughts about the outcome that you see with regard to the tension with regard to building the economy and protecting the environment. >> um, a small subject you asked me about. [laughter] >> this is going to be tough. the chapter called american plenty is about america's expectations, really, and again it's right to say this in the

i went through a bout of reading about ancient rome, so i read anthony everett's two books, cicero andthe gases. i custis. and julius caesar which was so good. a novel on julius caesar which is also a great read. and then i couldn't get enough of ancient rome so i read every novel in every short story steven sailer has done. he created this fictional character but the history behind it is all accurate. it's sort of an mystery of ancient rome during that time. so i've had a lot of fun reading about history and even going to fiction to further inform me about that great time period in terms of ancient rome. i think in this time of barack obama, one must read team of rivals which is a great story about abraham lincoln not only bested his rivals, but then had the intestinal fortitude to bring all those rivals into his cabinet, each of whom thought he was smarter and each of whom thought he should be in that swivel chair, not abraham lincoln. it's a great story and it really illuminates a lot on american history. another book i read in the last year or so, i've read a number of military his

it was cicero who said, i regret to say plagiarized it from jefferson and lincoln, know not whether they can go because they know not whence they came. and i think whatever we can say about the 44th president that's not a problem for him and with our new campaign to abolish social studies, hey, a whole new light in american history. life before us. at any rate, we know whatever is in store for the american future. it is certain that the end of one particular story, but the beginning of a new and i'm confident to say spirited and noble chapter. thanks. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. >> i think most of you know how this works. please raise your hand. we will get a microphone to you, and who would like to start us off? >> this gentleman at the back. >> okay. all the way in the back there. >> would you share a few of your thoughts about the outcome that you see with regard to the tension with regard to building the economy and protecting the environment? >> that's a small subject you asked me. [laughter] >> this is going to be tough. you know, the chapter in called american plenty is ab

you go to place we don't understand the language but there is later universality as going back to cicero that only 24 hours in a day, there is only one way to tell a story you're talking about the universal elements of campaign and then we will talk about the impediments, the cultural impediments that i'm sure cause. >> there's lots of impediments. you know, not having the first language, you have translation and things like that. so you always have local partners who are native. you are always working with research organizations that are from the country. so there's always a collaboration. it's never americans coming in and displacing what's happening in the country. again, any campaign has to have -- is a successful campaign has to be focused. >> host: there is at. gas mac has to have clarity. in my view the strongest, successful campaign, you know, pose a clear choice. in the title of this book, the war room of the clinton campaign, war room of the clinton campaign. >> host: often imitated but never duplicated. >> guest: but there is a common need to get everybody onto the same page,