Paul Rahe holds the Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in Western Heritage at Hillsdale College and is the author most recently of Soft Despotism, Democracy’s Drift. He discusses past republics, the administrative state, our place in history, and the 2012 election. Recorded live at Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI. (50:30)

A former federal prosecutor and federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Michael Chertoff was Secretary of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009. He is also the founder of the Chertoff Group, a security and risk-management firm, and the author of Homeland Security: Assessing the First Five Years.

Prime Minister Howard offers insights into Australia’s own “special relationship” with the United States beginning with why Australia’s participation in the Iraq war was in his nation’s best interest. Echoing parallels with the United States, he offers his views on multiculturalism—which he calls “a very confused credo”—and Australia’s role in the “Anglosphere,” particularly as it relates to China, its largest and most powerful Asian neighbor. He speaks of the current financial crisis and the need to remain confident in the market and the dangers of overregulation. Finally, he answers “What should Americans know about Australia that we don’t?” (39:35 ) Video transcript

The Constitution “is not living, but dead.” With these words Associate Justice Scalia sums up how he believes we should think about the Constitution – a way of thinking that underpins the theory of “originalism” which guides his approach to cases that come before the Supreme Court. In expounding on originalism, Scalia takes the Court to task on past decisions, including Roe v. Wade, and measures just how far the Court can and should go in reversing these mistakes. (37:24 ) Video transcript