The "What Was He Thinking?" Gabfest

Listen to Slate's review of the week in politics.

Become a fan of the Political Gabfest on Facebook. We post to the Facebook page throughout the week, so keep the conversation going by joining us there.

Listen to the Gabfest for Feb. 11 by clicking the arrow on the audio player below:

You can download the program here or you can subscribe to the weekly Gabfest podcast feed in iTunes or directly with our RSS feed.

The Slate Political Gabfest is coming to West Lafayette, Ind., and you're invited! We'll be taping a live show at University Church near Purdue University on Thursday, Apr. 7, 2011. Register for FREE tickets at http://www.slate.com/indiana.

On this week's Slate Political Gabfest (recorded before Hosni Mubarak's resignation), Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Mubarak's nonresignation speech, Rep. Christopher Lee's lightning-quick sex scandal, and the Huffington Post-AOL merger.

Here are some of the links and references mentioned during this week's show:

The Gawker piece that broke the story of married New York Rep. Christopher Lee's Craigslist flirting.

A Politico piece on Rep. Lee's quick decision to resign.

A New York Times piece on turmoil in the ranks of House Republicans.

A Washington Post piece on AOL's decision to buy the Huffington Post for $315 million.

A Slate piece on the Huffington Post's weak spot: the future of search engine optimization.

David had two chatters this week. First is a rumination on what judgments you can make about someone simply by seeing their email address. Please send your rude, vicious, and unfounded stereotypes to .

David's second chatter is actually more of a promise. In an effort to end his verbal tics, David will make a $1 donation to a "pro-panda charity" every time he says "you know" or "sort of" on the show. Send your ideas for a charity to .

Emily chatters on a study by Robert Faris from the University of California-Davis that examines the relationship between the number of friends you have in middle and high school and your level of aggression. Apparently the moderately popular kids are the real jerks.

John also has two chatters this week. His first is Newt Gingrich's grandiose entrance at this week's CPAC conference, which included a trek through the crowd as "Eye of the Tiger" blared in the background. His second chatter is on a new exhibit on handmade guitars at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The email address for the Political Gabfest is . (E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Posted on Feb. 11 by John Griffith at 12:06 p.m.

Like Slate on Facebook. Follow the Gabfest on Twitter.

Also in Slate

Would U.N. Recognition Allow Palestinians To Prosecute Israeli Officials?
Cameron Crowe's Pearl Jam Documentary Is Cloyingly Sweet
Does the Internet Make It Easier or Harder To Pay Attention?
Violent Riots Have Swept Europe and the Middle East. Could They Happen Here?

• The Fending Off Total Disaster Gabfest
  Listen to Slate's show about Obama's debt plan, a new, unflattering book about the Obama White House, and the execution of Troy Davis.
  Emily Bazelon | Sept. 23, 2011
• The Gremlin Ankle-Biter Gabfest
  Listen to Slate's show about the latest Republican presidential debate, a Democratic loss in New York, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis tapes.
  Emily Bazelon | Sept. 16, 2011
• The He's Got Your Back Gabfest
  Listen to Slate's show about the president's jobs speech, the Republican presidential debate, and the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
  Emily Bazelon | Sept. 9, 2011
• Search for more Gabfest articles
• Subscribe to the Gabfest RSS feed
• View our complete Gabfest archive