i enjoyed by linda gasparello, and i promised you -- i am joined by linda gasparello, and i promised you robert merry. i know him quite well as a journalist and as an historian. there are not many who cross that line, but those who do tend to do it quite well because they write in a way that people can read, not in an academic way. i think your book on -- you're wonderful book about american journalism was seminal, about a decade ago. then he wrote an excellent book about the troubles in europe, the disintegration of yugoslavia, america's role there, and now you have come out with this book, "a country of vast designs: james k. polk, the mexican war, and the conquest of the amecan continent." and here we are, that book that i fail to remember the name of was a "sands of empire." i learned more than i had known before on the balkans. >> two chapters on the balkans. >> and very complete. tell me, why should i be interested in james k. polk? >> by calculation was that james capel collides in the black hole of america's consciousness. that james k. polk collide -- resides in the black ho

i am joined by co-host linda gasparello, and columnistob franken. if you want to see us, you can see us on whchronicle.com. back to o issues of health. l's moven. what other contentiou issues have a loteople on both sides -- >> there are none. everybody is happy as can be. well, theres afghanistan. >> of urse. >> what are we goingo d? as an oldoliceman, i got into a ratr heated discussion th other day that i did not plan on. in the 1900's, there used to be a saying ithe british paiament that we cannot be the wod's policeman. i was told at we had be becauswe are the world's superpower. >> my feeling is that we nee a gional security apparatus. it is a regionalroblem that e region is not ting responsibility for. we need more interest by china. china has a lot to lose with and afghanistan and falls apartr a pakistanhat falls apart. >>r iia. >> india has a huge thi to lose. we are fighting th battle for them. it is our blood and it their treasure, d we should take more of an interest in the are >> what do you feel out being iranian enrichmentf uranium? e