Saddam Hussein Audio

As Commander in Chief, the President of the United States controls the Army, Navy, Air Force, and state militias. On this month’s Political Projections , we look at how Hollywood has taken on this specific function of the President. Robert Sklar is Professor of Cinema in the Department of Cinema Studies at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Geoffrey Perret is an award-winning author of books on military history and presidential biographies, most recently Commander in Chief: How Truman, Johnson, and Bush Turned a Presidential Power into a Threat to America's Future . You can watch the films we’ve selected and weigh in on the conversation by posting your reactions below. We may incorporate your comments into the on-air discussion. Films we’ll discuss: “Fail-Safe” (1964): Sidney Lumet directed this Cold War thriller about the President’s efforts to avert nuclear war with the Soviet Union. "Seven Days in May" (1964): John Frankenheimer directed this docudrama about one general’s plot to militarily takeover the US government. "Air Force One" (1997): Wolfgang Petersen directed this action drama about the hijacking of Air Force One and the President’s attempt to stop the terrorists while on board the plane. "Thirteen Days" (2000): Roger Donaldson directed this thriller based on the actual events surrounding the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, taking place during the thirteen days wherein the US and Soviet Union nearly engaged in full-scale nuclear war.

It was probably Lucy Wainwright Roche’s destiny to be a songwriter. Both her parents and half siblings are from famous musical families. But instead, Lucy became...an elementary school teacher. At first. Now, after singing backing vocals on tour with her brother Rufus, she has released her solo EP. She joins us for an in-studio performance. Lucy Wainwright Roche performs at Living Room on Jul. 22 at 8pm.

Barbara Ehrenreich says that the U.S. is being scarred by a deepening divide between the rich and poor. When she traveled throughout the U.S. to get a feel for how Americans are doing, she found that the last few years have been the worst in recent memory, and the wealth gap is growing wide every day. Her new book is This Land is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation . Event : Barbara Ehrenreich will be speaking and signing books Wednesday, June 25 at 7 pm Barnes & Noble Union Square 33 East 17th Street

According to Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier , the period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 fundamentally shaped the world we live in today. Their new book, America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11 , argues that the post-Cold War world we live in is chaotic and complex; filled with challenges posed by globalization, nonstate actors, weapons of mass destruction, and inefficient international institutions. Event : Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier will be speaking and signing books Tuesday, June 24 at 7 pm Barnes & Noble Upper West Side 2289 Broadway (at 82nd Street)

Obama recently announced he will opt out of federal campaign financing. In other political news, John McCain is calling to lift the ban on offshore drilling and is advocating for the construction of 45 nuclear reactors by 2020. Politico senior editor David Mark and analyst Michael Fauntroy bring us up to speed on the facts.

Prominent Jordanian diplomat Marwan Muasher talks about the promises and problems of the middle road approach to reform in the Middle East. His new book is The Arab Center: The Promise of Moderation .

In Isabel Allende ’s second memoir, The Sum of Our Days , she writes about love, marriage, the writing life, her close family relationships, and the difficulties of dealing with her daughter Paula’s death.

There are 25 million Kurds throughout the world; they’re the world’s largest ethnic group without a nation. Quil Lawrence writes about the long Kurdish struggle for statehood and its place in Middle Eastern politics in Invisible Nation: How the Kurds' Quest for Statehood Is Shaping Iraq and the Middle East.

Richard Engel , NBC News's award-winning Middle East Bureau Chief, describes what it was like to cover the first 5 years of war in Iraq, from IED attacks to surviving kidnapping attempts. His new book is War Journal .

The proposed sale of a chunk of the Chrysler Building has prompted the question: Who owns the New York skyline? Alex Frangos , Wall Street Journal reporter, and Scott Latham , executive vice president of the real estate firm Cushman Wakefield , discuss.