Mark Steyn, James Lileks and the Young Guns Mary Katharine Ham andGuy Benson anchor Thursday’s show as usual –which makes it the favorite show of the week for most– and the audio of former Vice President Cheney and a visit from California Congressional candidate David Harmer –a special election looms for a traditionally Democratic seat that Harmer is within shouting distance of— add to the mix.

Hour three is devoted to one of my regular conversations with Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower, still the first book anyone serious about al Qaeda ought to read. For the latest on how al Qaeda is faring around the globe and on the choice facing America in Afghanistan, be sure to listen to the last hour.