The Seymour Hersh and David Remnick conversation—and this was the definition of conversation between rational, impassioned, frustrated, symbiotic people—had no relatonship to the predictable literary back-patting that Jacobs conjured up in her recent case against the New Yorker Festival. The subjects, debates, predictions, revelations, and suggested solutions in this talk were among the most vital in the world, for all of us alive on the planet now and for however long we’ll permit ourselves to remain. This is an event that should be transcribed, put on YouTube [it’s now on newyorker.com], and seen by anyone who cares about Iraq, Iran, the state of journalism, the value and health of the military, and the morality of the global decisions made by our administration.

2008 ticket of choice at the next table over (they were at the Hersh talk, too) at the 56th St. Starbucks: Gore and Obama.