thespiff

Of course not! Gotta say though, my favorite panelist is Martha Raddatz. The depth of her firsthand knowledge of the Middle East blows me away every time. At this point in her career I'm sure she would have no trouble avoiding putting her feet on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan if she didn't want to. But she clearly feels it is her responsibility to speak from firsthand experience. Much respect.

How do you fill your excellent panels for Washington Week? Your regular cast of panelists is very familiar to viewers of the show, but most of those folks aren't often seen on TV away from your desk. Also, I've noticed that most weeks women outnumber men on your panel, which is not typical in other venues. Is this a conscious effort you make to make sure female voices are get their fair time on the air?

Hi Gwen,

Big fan, I've been watching your show every week for many years. My question(s) for you are related to Edward Snowden. How would you characterize the newsworthiness of Snowden's leaks? Are there any particular revelations you feel go far beyond the type of spying that the government had already admitted to back as far as 2006? What about the current political climate do you think has given this story so much more traction with the general public recently than its had previously?

Thanks!

Well you do an excellent job of that.

I'm a big fan of the blues and I'm wondering if there's any particular artist you'd recommend who you feel hasn't really gotten their due for their contributions to the genre? Also, who does Derek Trucks look to for inspiration in his playing style?