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gabfest.

Hello and welcome to the Slate Political Gab Fest for August 24th, 2012.

The Legitimate, I mean the forcible Gab Fest edition.

I'm David Plotz, the editor of Slate, back from two weeks in Spain, where I learned that left turns are an abomination.

Vegetarian food includes ham and that it's hard to explain topless

speeches to three-year-olds, so better not to try. I'm joined by John Dickerson, Slate's

chief political correspondent and political director of CBS News, who is on a grapefruit and vitamin

diet to prepare himself for two weeks of political convention going.

Emily Bazelon is on vacation, sadness, tears, despair.

But joining in her stead wide, toothy grin is double-x editor and Atlantic senior editor,

author of the forthcoming end of men, and also my wife, Hannah Rosen.

Hello, Hannah.

Hi. Do I not have a toothy grin? Is my grin not toothy? No, my grin is toothy. I was being toothy.

Gotcha. And with delight that you're here. Thank you. My teeth are still sheathed behind my lips, just for those who are drawing a representation of this at home.

The big news this week, after seven years of podcasting, the Gab Fest is now going on the radio. Starting this week, Slate and New York's

public radio station, WNYC, are teaming up to turn the political Gab Fest and the culture

gab fest into a radio show that will be broadcast on weekends to the New York audience. And soon,

...