Checks and Balances

The panelists talked about the concepts of checks and balances and balance of power. The federal government is designed in a manner that prevents one branch from overpowering the other two branches. The panelists talked about the breakdown of these checks in the modern system. They also talked about the role of the mainstream media in political discourse. After their remarks, they answered questions from the audience.

Joe Conason is the author of It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush, published by St. Martin’s Griffin. Philip Shenon is the author of The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation, published by Twelve. Susan Jacoby is the author of The Age of American Unreason, published by Vintage. Tim Weiner is the author of Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, published by Anchor. Barry Siegel is the author of Claim of Privilege: A Mysterious Plane Crash, a Landmark Supreme Court Case, and the Rise of State Secrets, published by close