>> in you, i think you are. >> the only one i can think of is gore vidal. >> gore vidal is one of thet successful and distinguished writers. >> we are all prostitutes ethically, if not sexually. >> i am a happy warrior. i am in battle and enjoying it. >> everything was going tomorrow. >> these were two visions of america clashing. >> each that the other was quite genius. >> all the security makes it nervous. it's necessary, i guess. >> if buckley were to get out his ideas would take down a nation. >> it was almost as if they were matter and antimatter. >> freedom breeds inequality. say that a third time. >> no. >> always to the right and almost always in the right. anything obligated confuses mr. witt all -- mr. vidal. >> they really do despise one another. >> listen, you are right. >> stop calling me a cryptonaiz. -- cryptonazi. >> this is william f buckley in new york. good. charlie: morgan neville and robert gordon are the directors of the film. thank you for being here. so smart and so articulate in the command of language. the retort was so good that it was a perfect extra. >> wh

." >> gore vidal is one of america's most successful and distinguished writers. >> we are all prostitutese way or another, ethically if not sexually. >> for buckley, vidal was the devil. >> i'm a happy warrior in battle. i'm enjoying it. >> he represented everything that was going to moral hell. >> these were two visions of america clashing. >> each thought the other was quite dangerous. >> all this security makes me very nervous. it's necessary, apparently. >> if buckley were not taken out, his ideas would take down the nation. >> the country-- >> it's almost as if they were matter and antimatter. >> freedom breeds inequality. >> he's always to the right and almost also alzheimer's in the right. >> the fact that anything complicated confuses mr. vidal. >> somehow-- >> balderdash. >> shut up. >> they really do despise him. >> stop calling me a crypto-nazi. >> let's stop calling names. >> you stay plastered. >> this is william f. buckley jr. in new york. perfect. >> rose: oh, my goodness. i am pleased to have the directors at this table for the first time welcome. >> thank you very much. >

but gore vidal" was to gore vidal.on't think they expect it had sparks. i think they expected sparks and not a forest fire. and they certainly got a slow burning very hot forest fire. >> all right the most famous moment, probably also the lowest but we'll play a clip, everyone listen to this exchange. it's great. >> as far as i'm concerned the only pro crypto nazi i can think of is yourself. failing that -- >> let's not call names. >> listen you [ bleep ]. >> stop calling me a crypto nazi or i'll sock you in the [ bleep ] face and you'll stay plastered. let's go back to his pornography and stop making illusions to somebody who was in the infantry in the last war. >> you were not in the infantry you did not fight. >> yikes. i mean, that is a moment it really brought their feud down a base level. you had vidal calling buckley a crypto nazi. then him firing back talking about his sexuality. i'm curious about the reaction when people were watching. >> i think that there was -- this was not -- as common as this is now, that

buckley junior and gore vidal were frequent guests at this table. their debates became legendary. re nadal: -- gore nadal: >> you must realize that some of the political issues are here. people in the united states happen to believe that the united states policy is wrong in vietnam and the viet cong are correct and wanting to organize their country and own way politically. this is in agreement in western europe. it is a novelty in chicago that is too bad, but i assume that the point of american democracy -- william as you can express any kind of -- gore: shut up. norman: the answer is they were well treated by those who ostracize them. i am for ostracizing people for egging on people to shoot american marines. >> the only crypto- nazi i can think of is yourself. >> stop calling me a cryptonazi. have him go back to his pornography and stop making allusions -- >> i was at three of the last four -- >> you're distorting your own military record. charlie: a new documentary "best of enemies," looks at the impact they had on the role of political debate. here is the trailer for the film.

>> gore vidal and william buckley represented the polar opposites-- the left and the right-- at a timeamerica was kinda coming apart at the seams a little bit. this is 1968. there's rioting in the streets and they're representing those poles there on national tv, but what i think what makes it such a dramatic story for us is that it was deeply personal, it was under the veneer of politics, but i think they saw in the other person somebody who could detect their own insecurities and expose those to the world. >> brown: you presented, i mean, you followed ten debates, right? it's like a heavyweight, a heavyweight fight, right? you even have the round one, round two, debate one, two, three. what happened, what did you see happening over the course of the fight, so to speak? >> it was an ever-growing attack. we saw in the raw footage within two minutes of the first debate, these high-minded guys take the low road. it becomes very personal. >> brown: right away. >> right away. >> brown: you saw that. >> this big blow-up was inevitable, although it's a slow fuse. and you don't get that now.

gore vidal's piece. both of you had that opportunity. me, avasky: he was, to great writer and a lot of fun and a troublemaker. he agreed right away to join our board because he had a lot of " inration for "the nation years past. i had known him a little bit. in correspondence. i used to put out a satire magazine, and he was an admirer of it. so he agreed to join our board on the one hand. on the other hand, you could suggest assignments to him, but he also had his own things that he wanted to say. the first article he published " was an article -- i forget what it was called, making thebasically argument that the jewish should besuit the -- supportive of gay rights, and he made it in a gore event all -- a gore vidalian way. he was a lot of fun to be with, but he was not someone who you somete or assigned to editor to say, "we want you to put the beginning at the end or do end in the middle" and things that editors do, often for purposes of clarification. the thing was that was one half because of his tem

i want to go back to the question on the panel about gore vidal. i believe we should go back and read corporate dolls essays. congressman edwards, you were in congress i believe during the insanity of the nixon reagan drug war and now we have got the biggest myths in our history. what would you suggest on how to get her way out of this? it's just absolutely ridiculous things going on for 70 years. >> guest: first of all i wasn't there during the nixon years but i was there during the reagan years. i think there is a movement away from

buckley and gore vidal called "best of enemies." >> they're not just fighting about 1968.re fighting about the republic, and both of them had such an understanding not only of the american republic but republics going back to ancient times. i mean there were such scholars in that way that the stakes for them couldn't have been higher. >> rose: and we conclude this

john: gore vidal wrote one. lin: his burr is a lot craftier than mine.earned about him burr was a early feminist. , his daughter received an education greater than any man of that era. he was close with his wife and his daughter. he was on a few main mission with alexander hamilton for the abolition of slaves in new york state. there are redeeming characteristics to this guy. i had to find my way into that. every biography is either insanely defensive of him, or vilified him. charlie: but you know better man anybody. on the one hand, aaron burr was amazingly cautious, careful, laid-back, and alexander hamilton wanted to charge forward at every move. lin: hamilton left behind seven -- volumes of written work. 27 burr left behind less than 2. that tells you how much everything you need to know. burr reserved his right to change his mind on any particular point. the tragedy of the show is, at the moment when burr is finally reckless and lets go and hamilton is cautious, one kills the other. and that is how they are remembered forever. charlie: have you thou

buckley and gore vidal.s. it got funny. >> jimmy: it's fantastic. >> it is. it's a pisser as my aunt used to say. [ light laughter ] >> jimmy: i love your aunt. >> aunt ester always said that. >> jimmy: now you see -- people see people fighting on tv all the time, now. you know, reality shows and whatnot. >> jimmy -- >> jimmy: this was at a time when no one was doing that. >> this is where it was born. it's never lived up to this again. and here is a moment that shows how they feel about each other, i think you could say. and it's -- the operative word is in this sentence, call me a a crypto nazi. watch for that. it's right at the top. >> jimmy: here's a clip from "best of enemies." take a look. >> i know you don't -- >> as far as i'm concerned, the only crypto nazi i can think of is yourself. feeling that -- >> listen, you -- >> stop calling me a crypto nazi. let's stop calling names. let's stay plastered. >> gentlemen, let's go. >> go back to his pornography and stop making any illusions of -- >> i beg you

on the right, gore vidal. enemies the new documentary looks back at this ivy league slugfest. the other networks were running gavel to gavel coverage inside the convention hall. abc couldn't afford to in 1968. >> they needed to make money by running their shows like bewitched and batman and the flying nun, instead. >> reporter: we spoke with the filmmakers it's strange to watch these two guys, both of them speaking like thurston howell iii. >> it's another era. having two lek chuls like this who were so good on tv. >> if you did it today, you would have, you know, you could also do it on mute. >> reporter: the real fireworks came the night the night chicago police cracked down on the anti-war protesters. he insults vi s buckley. buckley erupts. by outi ining vidal on televisi >> they hated each other, didn't they? >> it was not a frenemy relationship. that hate didn't end when that red light turned off. >> i think they were not fighting about 1968 they were fighting for the sole of the republic. >> reporter: i

buckley, i could use a few terms that he used with gore vidal. would you like me to mention a few? >> you know, i think it is important, obviously rich is exactly right. he has changed on these things and he should get attacked by the other candidates and let the american voters decide which is more trustworthy. voters are very good at that. >> i would say buckley was even more politically correct than trump. >> coming up, just when you thought iranian nuclear deal couldn't get any worse, wait until you hear what we heard today. then tonight -- >> you have criminals, you have black racialists, you have cop haters and anarchists have now put together this bold movement. >> he called out the black lives matter movement. what if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer? sfx: crunch what if one push up could prevent heart disease? [man grunts] one wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease-pneumococcal pneumonia. one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you from pneumococcal pneumonia. an illness that can c

i want to go back to the question on the panel about gore vidal. i believe we should go back and read corporate dolls essays. congressman edwards, you were in congress i believe during the insanity of the nixon reagan drug war and now we have got the biggest myths in our history. what would you suggest on how to get her way out of this? it's just absolutely ridiculous things going on for 70 years. >> guest: first of all i wasn't there during the nixon years but i was there during the reagan years. i think there is a movement away from having criminal penalties. not just colorado and d.c. is doing it. i think there is a movement towards more openness either by making whatever drug is penalties there are much less or it legalizing it as in colorado. i am kind of libertarian. the idea that the federal government is going to tell us where state government everything we can and cannot do is appalling to me and we have really run up the cost of government by putting people in jail, prisons for what should be a minor offense. i would be all in favor of pe

this is the kind of thing that buckley and mailer and gore vidal and james baldwin were able to speak on all the subjects. i think there has been a decline and i don't think we are less really and now than they wear them but i do think there has been a decline. i think part of the reason is because we now have 114 channels to choose from so everyone can go to their own corner and listen to the voices that they want to hear. at night -- back in the 1960s and 70s there were three networks and very few outlets for people so you are almost networks if a large platform. >> somebody must have thought the way to draw viewers is to have two people who disagree debate each other as a post today having five people all of whom agree with each other have a joint conversation about the things they agree about. have we lost the capacity to tolerate opinions that don't conform precisely to our own? >> no of course not. maybe on tv we have but as human beings i don't think that at all. another thing that has happened is that changes that especially mailer on the left in the 1960s were advocating have

on the left, gore vidal.st of enemies," a new documentary looks back at this ivy league slugfest. >> take a look at the leading warmonger in the united states. >> reporter: the other networks were running gavel to gavel coverage inside the convention hall. but abc couldn't afford to in 1968. >> they needed to make money by running their shows like "bewitched" and "batman" and the flying nun, instead. >> reporter: we spoke with the filmmakers. it's strange to watch these two guys, both of them speaking like thurston howell iii. >> hello, my dear. >> it's another era. having two elect intellectuals like this who were so good on television and given so much time. >> if you did it today, you would have, you know, you could also do it on mute. you know the talking points. >> reporter: the real fireworks came the night the night chicago police cracked down on the anti-war protesters. as the debate heats up, vidal insults buckley. calling him a fascist. buckley erupts. outing vidal on national television. >> listen,

to what he wanted to do, and you could say no, and it's not for us, and but i like to say grow gore vidal. >> i was going to speak of someone else in the protradition of great writers and essayists contributing to the nation. tony cushner, who i brought on to the editorial board, he in 1994 was so incensed by andrew sullivan's piece on the case for gay marriage because it was in a very participatory aroundal capitalist, militaristic framework and we talked about it and he wanted to reply. i knew as victor has done brilliantly over the years he wanted to put tony cushner with any copkind, who had, who was really someone who came to the nation with a sensibility the nation had not had and did the first issue on gay rights called "the gay moment" when victor was editor, but in that piece, tony finally produced called the socialism of the skin it's an extraordinary piece about liberation and the project of liberation, and also about the importance of utopia and not losi losing sight, the left not losing sight of utopian vision, even as it's grounded in today. now tony in some ways doesn't ful

to what he wanted to do, and you could say no, and it's not for us, and but i like to say grow gore vidal. >> i was going to speak of someone else in the protradition of great writers and essayists contributing to the nation. tony cushner, who i brought on to the editorial board, he in 1994 was so incensed by andrew sullivan's piece on the case for gay marriage because it was in a very participatory aroundal capitalist, militaristic framework and we talked about it and he wanted to reply. i knew as victor has done brilliantly over the years he wanted to put tony cushner with any copkind, who had, who was really someone who came to the nation with a sensibility the nation had not had and did the first issue on gay rights called "the gay moment" when victor was editor, but in that piece, tony finally produced called the socialism of the skin it's an extraordinary piece about liberation and the project of liberation, and also about the importance of utopia and not losi losing sight, the left not losing sight of utopian vision, even as it's grounded in today. now tony in some ways doesn't ful

i was watching a documentary about the famous debate between gore vidal and bill buckley.hey talked about at the time the media was the most respected institution in the country. they really trusted the media to give them information. now we are at the very bottom when it comes to institutions that are trusted. i think it is a real problem. people are mad at the media. host: when you write for usa today, what is the process? where do you get your ideas? how long does it take? guest: it's different for every piece. some i will spend a full week reporting on. kids thatece on the were coming across the border and i went and met with some of them. something like that will take a lot of time. another one might take a day. it just depends on the situation. the ideas are all my ideas. it is just what i am feeling interested in that week. have always been very supportive of anything i wanted to write about. the hard ones are the abortion columns. i have written a couple on planned parenthood. it is a hard topic. i am pro-life and i think our needs to have a real debate on abortion