While traveling the West Coast this week to talk about “This Moment On Earth,” John and Teresa Heinz Kerry spent some time in the studios with well-known talk show host Tavis Smiley.

With his late-night television talk show “Tavis Smiley” on PBS, and his radio show “The Tavis Smiley Show” on PRI, Smiley is the first American ever to simultaneously host signature talk shows on both public television and public radio.

“Time” selected Smiley as one of America’s 50 most promising young leaders. “Newsweek” profiled him as one of the “20 people changing how Americans get their news” and dubbed him one of the nation’s “captains of the airwaves.”

From his celebrated conversations with world figures, to his work to inspire the next generation of leaders, as a broadcaster, author, advocate and philanthropist, Smiley continues to be an outstanding voice for change.

Both John and Teresa Kerry have spent time discussing the issues of the day with Tavis Smiley in the past. They’re always happy to appear on his shows, because he’s a well-informed and thoughtful interviewer who gives his guests time to develop their ideas fully rather than cutting them up into brief soundbites.

The interviews they recorded with him this past week in Los Angeles were no exception. While JK and THK were primarily there to talk about TMOE, Smiley himself noted that it would be hard to have well-known public figure like John Kerry on the show without asking him some political questions as well. <!-more-> So the television interview for PBS started off with questions about current events and political figures such as the ongoing war in Iraq, John McCain, and former Bush administration adviser Matthew Dowd’s recent op-ed piece in the New York Times in which he admitted that JK had been right in calling for a withdrawal of our troops from Iraq.

TS: Is it just me or are you like the most vindicated man in America right now?

JK: Well, that’s up for other people to decide, not me… I think it’s just inappropriate for me to be running around talking vindication, but I am concerned about getting the policy right in Iraq and this administration is still on the wrong track. And, I’m deeply concerned about as you know, Teresa and I about the lack of adequate response on a host of domestic issues, environment, healthcare, education and others… We’re going backwards my friend.

While the bulk of the interview did focus on the environmental issues discussed in the book, Smiley also asked THK to comment on the perception that environmentalism was a “white, liberal movement.” Her answer was just what you’d expect from her, as illuminative as it was intelligent and as measured as it was meaningful, and you can see and hear it for yourself in a video clip featured on Smiley’s PBS website here.

An audio stream of the entire PBS interview is available at that link as well. But the Kerrys were also interviewed separately by Smiley for his PRI radio talk show, and the audio stream for that separate interview is available as a podcast on his own website here.

We’ll also be posting a more extended version of the PBS show’s video along with text transcripts of the interviews here for the johnkerry.com community to enjoy. We’ll update this post with the links for those as soon as they’re uploaded to the site.

In the meanwhile, JK and THK are back in Washington for the weekend and they’ll be appearing on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” tomorrow morning. Local air times for the show vary, so you’ll want to check your local ABC affiliate’s schedule for details. We’ll be live-blogging that ‘This Week” interview here during the morning, so be sure to drop by and add your comments on what JK and THK have to say Sunday on the air with George.

We continue our series of dispatches from the road with this report from JK blogger democrafty who was present at last night’s event at San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, where John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry appeared as part of the KQED/NPR “City Arts & Lectures” series in which celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values in front of a live audience. She was able to spend some time backstage talking with JK and THK prior to the interview/Q&A session as well, and this is her take on the evening’s events.

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A lot has happened since 2004, according to John Kerry.

While in San Francisco to promote their new book, “This Moment On Earth,” Senator Kerry and his wife and co-author, Teresa Heinz Kerry, had a lot to say, and not just about environmental issues.

When asked about Speaker Pelosi’s recent trip to Syria, Kerry told an enthusiastic audience at the historic Herbst Theater that while George Bush may be president of the United States, he doesn’t represent the majority opinion when it comes to diplomacy. The “fear and smear” tactics that were so effective for the Bush administration at one time no longer resonate. “The American people are listening in a different way,” said JK. “We’ve gone beyond the fears.”

On Iraq, the Senator said he believes that if the Iraqis are to end sectarian violence and put a structured government in place, we have an obligation to train their army and make the Iraqi people secure. At the moment, however, the US is in Iraq in ways that make it an occupier instead of aiding its people.

And why does John Kerry think the President is so stubborn? He doesn’t know, he said, but he did admit, ‘I’ve thought about it a lot, because it does perplex me.”

But it wasn’t just the serious questions that JK answered candidly. When he tried to tell a story (which he never got to finish!) about technological innovation and how it related to the Volkswagen Beetle he drove in college, host Scott Shafer interrupted with an incredulous, “You could get into a Bug?” <!-more-> Senator Kerry assured Shafer, “I’m very bendy and rubbery.” When Shafer asked Mrs. Heinz Kerry to comment on that statement, she declined. But when Scott Shafer asked her why she decided to write a book with her husband, she delighted everyone by declaring, “I didn’t!”

Her description of the writing process, though, was quite serious, and very interesting. Worn out by a lot of family illness, THK said she had a hard time getting into the TMOE project at first, but that the research was interesting, and, over time, she developed a real desire to help people find a course of action in addressing environmental concerns. She described herself as a storyteller who was able to add lots of anecdotal elements to the finished book, and called her husband a poet, who writes rigorously and well (and who maybe errs toward too much beautiful prose!)

JK added that after a series of 2004 campaign events in states like Iowa, Minnesota, and Louisiana, he was frustrated that he couldn’t follow up on many of the initiatives he would have implemented as president. (These could have included engaging other countries in a global monitoring system to help reduce overfishing in our oceans, and the addition of a Department of Environmental Justice within the Justice Department.)

“This Moment On Earth” grew partly out of that frustration, and out of what he observed on the campaign trail -– local initiatives that really showed people understood what impact the environment was having on their lives. JK also pointed out that in ‘04, the environment wasn’t talked about in the media the way it is now, and he credited those local initiatives, as well as Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” with waking people up.

When asked about the backward nature of American innovation when it comes to green technology, JK did not mince words, and blamed the “myopic, lazy, bad marketing” practices of some US corporations. He was careful to add, though, that not all corporations are the enemy, and that several, including the Dell Corporation, are doing a lot to advance green technology and make it available to consumers. And when Wal-Mart came up in the conversation, JK did not excoriate the chain, but credited them for “making a commitment” to providing greener products “when a commitment is what we need.”

After conversing with Scott Shafer, JK and THK took questions from the audience, and that portion of the evening turned out to be full of surprises. When a teenager rose to ask how young people could get involved with the Kerrys’ latest “campaign,” THK immediately recognized her as Ilana Wexler, the founder of Kids for Kerry.

JK pointed out that young people had actually started the environmental movement years ago, and are now revitalizing it through their work on the internet and blogs. While said he didn’t feel that young people were activists on a national level, as they had been in the 1960s when they faced impending realities like the draft, he credited college students for being local activists, and said they were an example of how increased awareness of environmental issues and the impact they can have is really bubbling up. He advised Ms. Wexler to hold candidates accountable for their stance on environmental issues, and to work to elect the right kind of candidates. “Young people,” he concluded, “need to tap into their own power.”

THK added that she would like to work with toxicologists on providing a list of what people of any age can do in their own homes to eliminate toxins, and to help figure out what impact the products they use might be having.

Another great question came from Randy Hayes of the Rainforest Action Network, who thanked Senator Kerry and Mrs. Heinz Kerry for campaigning on the environment in 2004, regardless of whether the media reported it or not, and asked, “What can we do about the death of our oceans?”

JK explained that saving our oceans would require a global effort to stop things like drift-net fishing and overfishing. Overfishing has been a problem, in part, because no country has wanted to put the funds or effort into monitoring the activities of fishermen. However, JK stated, the issue is so important that fishermen should be monitored much in the same way that the building of nuclear weapons has been. And because changing life cycles of fish, and disruptions of the food chain in turn, are two great threats to the health of our oceans, JK also affirmed his commitment to reducing the pollution causing high levels of acidity in the oceans.

With time running out, JK concluded the conversation by alluding to two quotes that remind us of the importance of the ocean. The first was President Kennedy’s: “We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came.” The second was Rachel Carson’s: “For all at last returns to the sea - to Oceanus, the ocean river, like the everflowing stream of time, the beginning and the end.”

JK and THK then proceeded to the lobby, where they signed quite a few books and posed for pictures. Prior to the event, they were kind enough to spend a few minutes with JK bloggers Vektor and Nikko, the Democracy Cell Project’s Fe Bongolan, and my husband and myself. (Many, many thanks to JK staffer Vince Morris for helping to make that happen!) We were able to chat for a bit about the book, thank the senator for saving baseball, get our own books signed, and just generally have a lovely time.

Naturally, we were sure to pass along the good wishes of the johnkerry.com community to Senator Kerry and Mrs. Heinz Kerry, and they sent some back to all of us here:

“We really appreciate how hard everyone has been working to promote the book, and everything you have been doing for us, all your support. It really does make a difference, and it is having an impact—thank you so much.”

The following dispatch from the TMOE Tour comes to us courtesy of writer Pamela Leavey, founder of The Democratic Daily website where it was posted earlier today. She’s been blogging about JK as long as anyone has, and her site is a steady source of news and analysis of what he and THK are doing to make things better for all of us. Be sure to check the Dem Daily for more in her series of field reports about JK’s and THK’s activities on the West Coast this week.

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On Wednesday afternoon I spent some time chatting with John Kerry in the Green Room on the set of the Tavis Smiley Show. I wish I could regale my readers with a great interview with the Senator, but I can’t. Instead I have story about the time spent with Kerry that wasn’t all talk of politics and the issues.

I didn’t go armed with questions about the Kerry’s new book, “This Moment On Earth.” I didn’t have a list of queries on the issues. Instead, I sat with my 17 year old daughter and John Kerry and we talked about little about the ‘08 election, a little about Massachusetts (my home state) and a little about life.

Four years ago June, when I first met John Kerry at an early election ‘04 event here in Los Angeles, I never dreamed I’d be sitting on a set in Hollywood a few years later discussing my daughter’s future with the Senator. But that is where I found myself yesterday, as we waited for the taping to begin of the Tavis Smiley interview with Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry that will be aired tonight. To all who have pegged John Kerry as stiff and aloof, elitist and insensitive to the average person, I’m here to tell you about a different John Kerry. <!-more-> When Juliet and I arrived in the Green Room, we were greeted by Kerry, his new Communications Director Vince Morris and Whitney Peeling, the Kerry’s publicist. The lovely Mrs. Heinz Kerry was busy in the make-up preparing for the interview and my daughter and I settled in to chat with Senator.

Kerry and I talked briefly about the news from the Obama camp yesterday, that Obama had out raised Hillary in the first quarter. The stunning news sets the field at this point and for all intents and purposes, it does appear we’re looking at a tight duel between two candidates, Obama and Clinton. Did Kerry muse on either? He did. But the Senator has said he’s not backing any of the candidates at this point. I’ll leave it at that. I think that Kerry has some strong feelings about all the players on the field, but my conversation with Kerry was off the record and there it will stay.

We talked a little about his decision to not run in ‘08 and how freeing it is to be able to now focus on the issues that he feels are most pressing at this time, like Iraq and the environment. We’re at a place in time where so many issues are so important, and I feel that Kerry is an unique position to help shape the debate on those issues.

My daughter had attended many campaign events with me during the ‘04 election cycle and and had met both the Senator and his wife on many occasions. Yesterday’s visit with John Kerry in Green Room at the Tavis Smiley Show, was a treat for my young scholar who is preparing to make a decision on which University of CA to attend in the fall. Kerry inquired about her plans for the future, which colleges she had been accepted to and what she planned to major in. He listened with true interest as she explained her choices which include UCSB, UCSC and UCSD, and then proceeded to tell her why he felt UCSD was a good choice. Having spent time in San Diego when he was in the Navy, Kerry and my daughter discussed the area and the many wonderful things to do there. They talked about her plans to major in Anthropology, and he shared with us that his daughter Alexandra had also majored in Anthropology.

Juliet told John Kerry that many of her high school friends, who will vote for the first time in the ‘08 election were sad that he had chosen not to run again. “They all really like you,” she said, and “wanted to be able to vote for you in ‘08.” He asked about who she thought she would vote for and Juliet explained with clarity and depth why she felt that she would choose Obama. He listened with rapt interest as she explained that “we have had good presidents in the past who didn’t have a long political resume,” much like Obama. It was clear that he was impressed with her grasp on the field of Democratic candidates and her reasoning. They talked about the importance of grassroots activism and the example I have set for my daughter as a blogger.

To say that John Kerry might have had more pressing things to attend to yesterday before the Tavis Smiley Show tapping is an understatement. Always on the go, the Senator took the time to sit and talk with a 17 year old about her future and it provided both my daughter and I a look at a man who we both admire, that many will never see. There have been many times since the ‘04 election that I have felt that America missed out on a chance for a great president. Yesterday, was yet another one of those times. In sharing my story, I hope I can impress upon readers, that John Kerry is not the man he’s painted to be by the media. He deeply cares about the people in this country, kids and their future, education, the environment, healthcare and all the issues we face in America today.

After the taping of the Tavis Smiley Show, Juliet and I had a few moments to speak with Teresa Heinz Kerry who also took an interest in Juliet’s future plans. Like the Senator, Teresa expressed that she felt UCSD was the best choice and was pleased to hear that Juliet had been accepted to John Muir College at UCSD.

I urge everyone to watch the Tavis Smiley Show tonight. It’s one of the best interviews I have seen with the Kerry’s since they embarked on their book tour a couple of weeks ago. Because the show has not aired yet, I’m not able to write about it here, but the scope of the interview was wide-ranging and covered not only the Kerry’s new book, “This Moment On Earth,” but other timely issues. I think Tavis Smiley could have gone on with the Kerry’s for a couple of hours, had time permitted, but the Kerry’s had other interviews scheduled and a book event here in Los Angeles, that I will post about later in the day.

Finally, I want to thank the Kerry’s, their staff, their publicists and the producers of the Tavis Smiley Show for the invitation to join the Kerry’s on the set of the Tavis Smiley Show, yesterday. I wish all of our readers could have been there with us. Originally from Massachusetts, I have long admired and respected Senator Kerry, since his early days in politics in MA. As the influence of the political blogosphere continues to grow, I think that stories like this, about politicians like Senator Kerry, will add a new dimension to the discussion and give people the sense that our elected officials are real people just like the rest of us. I think it’s important to step out of the box of political discourse sometimes, in the blogosphere and share the human interest side of politics. The time my daughter and I spent with the Senator and his wife yesterday was one of those moments that might be rare for a blogger, but I’m happy to be able to share the experience here.

—Pamela Leavey, 4/5/07

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JK and THK continue traveling the West Coast this week to talk to people about environmental issues and discuss “This Moment on Earth” with them in small gatherings, in auditoriums, and on the air. Veteran JK blogger DiAnne Grieser caught up with them in Seattle last night and filed this report.

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As a John Kerry supporter prior to the last election, I was fortunate to become involved in his campaign so early that I was once given a “4JKB4IA” button as a gift. I wore that button last night when I heard John and Teresa talk about their book, “This Moment on Earth,” and John recognized it immediately.

During the course of the campaign, I heard John and Teresa speak on the waterfront, at the Sheraton, at the Westin, in Tacoma, in Everett, in Boston, and after the election, once again at Daybreak Star Indian Center and at Town Hall, where I heard them once again today. During the last election, the senseless violence in the middle east caused such a distraction that many missed the message of the Kerrys.

For it is clear that our dependence on fossil fuels and our wasteful way of life are intimately related to the geopolitical instability on this planet. People failed to capitalize on environmentally aware candidates in 2000 and again in 2004. John Kerry is a veteran of the original Earth Day and has been involved with creating and working for enforcement of earth and health-protecting laws for years. Teresa Heinz Kerry has spearheaded futuristic “green” projects.

Their time has come and we are ready for them in the Pacific Northwest, where we love our waters, mountains, forests and wildlife. They always seem glad to be in Seattle, the “Emerald City” and to eat at the Wild Ginger, then meet with their many long-time friends here. We met some of them last night—researchers and innovators in our own area who are admired and championed by the Kerrys, such as Ed Miles from the University of Washington, and Dennis Hays, who has worked with for the environment since he knew John 37 years ago. <!-more-> I was able to participate in a conference call the day before they arrived, in which I asked a question about the increase in the incidence of autism, since I work with autistic children. The verdict is still not in as to the effect of toxins and components of vaccines on certain vulnerable children. Last night there was a reception before the talk, and I continued to meet people who were asking similar questions—about cancer, about poisoned rivers, about the current administrations failure to show a commitment to answering these questions.

Teresa is always stunning and brilliant and has amassed a lot of admirers here. I remember watching over time as she would come here to speak and people would walk away amazed and impressed with the depth, breadth and originality that she represents. John was the most animated and comfortable I’ve ever seen him, as he told why he “is not in the 2008 mix,” about the influence of fear in our society and the willingness of some to exploit lies.

They described the tipping point we face, with 44 states where it’s not really safe to fish or swim and where pollution levels have increased under the Orwellian “Clean Air” act. They told us amazing stories about real people. John and Teresa not only know all about the hog farms I’ve been reading about that are so filthy that I hesitate to eat pork any more, but they know what has to be done about them. They have seen too how escalators in Germany move when they are in use and stop when they are not, while ours run continuously, and again, they know what we need to be doing differently.

Teresa grew up in Africa and her father was a physician and this informs her work. I have noticed that when she comes to Seattle, she will visit a Cancer Center or other place where research is going on and has friends there. It has never been a PR stunt and it’s clear today that she does not consider caring for the environment a partisan issue. “This is life … this precious moment in time.”

The question/answer period was animated, particularly John’s rebuttal to the woman I’d seen at an anti-Gore stand outside who wanted to argue that global warming is a hoax. “Larouche is nuts,” said John, and I just came full circle, remembering how I started to support him when I heard him say, “We need to start making some friends on this planet.”

It was stunning to hear of the Supreme Court decision re the Clean Air Act on the same day that the Kerrys came to Seattle. It is clear that the environment needs to be front and center in 2008. It is not a fringe issue but the fundamental one. I don’t think I will ever find a couple of people that I would so desire to see in the White House, but I am certainly willing to hold the current crop of candidates’ feet to the fire on the issue of the environment. It is personal.

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And don’t forget today’s broadcast appearances by JK and THK, too:

JK & THK will be doing an interview with Michael Krasny this morning and taking questions from callers during his 10 am (PT) radio show on NPR affiliate station KQED. Those outside the Bay Area can tune in via the Listen Live button on KQED’s website.

JK and THK will be the featured guests on the Tavis Smiley television show this evening. Check your local PBS affiliates for air time.

Senator John Kerry and his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry are currently traveling on the West Coast and discussing their best-selling book “This Moment On Earth”. Our friend and long-time Kerry blogger sandnsea was there at the Bagdad Theatre in Portland, Oregon on Monday night when JK and THK stopped by to talk about the environmental issues raised in their book. This is Sandy’s report of their encounter there, as posted in her inimitable style to the progressive political blog Light Up the Darkness:  

The historic 1927 Bagdad Theatre was the setting for John & Teresa Heinz Kerry to talk about their book, “This Moment On Earth”. It was a packed house and the audience was reflective of the people introduced in the Kerry book, a cross section of America, dressed in everything from baseball caps to business attire. The Kerry’s took the stage to a standing ovation, the crowd clapping and cheering for several minutes. A Kerry-Edwards sign was spotted, a little worn around the edges, but waved as proudly as if it were August 2004 again.

He spoke with passion and intensity and was also, dare I say, funny. I don’t suppose I’ll ever forget him joking that the alteration of sexual characteristics of fish is going to present a real challenge to the right if two male fish ever mate. (My husband thinks that’s a great way to get the assistance of the NASCAR crowd –- scare them all into thinking they’re going to “go gay”!)

As the Senator turned to the more serious topics of the evening, a hush overtook the room and was often so silent you could hear the proverbial pin drop. He is clearly a man on a mission, laying out issue after issue -– fuel-cell cars, acid rain, livestock waste, big ag subsidies, green architecture, corporate influence, dying fisheries -– and the looming data presented by NASA scientists James Hansen, the possibility that we have only a ten year window to get this right.

In that regard, he also emphasized the importance of voting and elections, while praising Oregonians for being “advanced” in our selection of a mail-in system—including a paper trail. (Which we all cheered, by the way) He spoke of the Dirty Dozen targeted in the 70’s and the wake-up call members of Congress get whenever a large number are voted out over a specific issue. The 2006 LCV Dirty Dozen list included the likes of Katherine Harris, Richard Pombo, Bob Ney, J.D. Hayworth, Conrad Burns, Rick Santorum and Jim Talent. The proof of what we can do when we stand together.

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Teresa was lovely as ever, in her gentle, earnest and heartfelt manner. She delved into the difficult topics of environmental toxins and explained how she had come to this through her Heinz Foundation philanthropic endeavors after the death of her first husband. Pittsburgh found itself decimated by the first round of manufacturer closings in the 70’s and 80’s, with its only legacy being some of the worst air and water in the country. Recovering from both recession and what has been described as “environmental rot” would require innovation and determination. The city plunged into green technology with the energy and drive that had developed the steel and iron industries of the past. It is now a leader in green building and innovative technologies, a prime example of the economic sensibility of transitioning to an alternative energy economy. As the Senator said, “The Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones and the Oil Age won’t end because we run out of oil.”

As a natural extension of her work in assisting Pittsburgh revive itself from a stew of toxic sludge, Teresa took up the cause of Women’s Health and the Environment, convening the first conference on the subject in 1996. I found myself grateful for so many bloggers keeping us all up to date on the latest environmental news, the depth of Teresa’s knowledge on toxins and health could leave a novice feeling they’d just walked into a grad course on environmental toxicology. Teresa easily moved from the technical aspects of progestin and progesterone, for instance, to the simpler guidance to never microwave in plastic containers. She emphasized her approach to the issue is to believe that nobody meant to do wrong, otherwise she’d be so mad “people would just have to disappear”.

She is especially engaging and appealing when talking about children. It is a compelling argument that a key component to reducing health care costs is to stop poisoning ourselves. There are common sense rules of nature that must be followed, or, for example, you truly could end up eaten by a crocodile. We must apply those rules to the modern environment, as it only makes sense to prevent illness through actions you can control. Everything we know of the natural world around us tells us that the common sense thing to do is clean the planet. As Senator Kerry said, the worst thing that can happen (paraphrased) is we prevent disease, clean the air and water, and launch a new era of innovation and economic growth.

The moderator then opened it up to questions, and as was observed in Iowa and New Hampshire town halls, hands popped up across the room as the crowd sensed they had a receptive and responsive ear. Ideas and concerns poured out as Portland lived up to its activist reputation with an array of questions—ranging from the wisdom of relying solely on bio-fuels to a proposal for a block by block campaign for change to the advisory of proposed Oregon legislation banning phthalates, a chemical linked to breast cancer.

The time just flew by; it is incredible the amount of information packed into this 2 hour event. There was also time to introduce a few of the amazing heroes in the book including Helen Reddout, Charlie Tebbutt, and members of Portland’s Office of Sustainable Development. We even had the opportunity to meet the young entrepreneur behind gDiapers, the first flushable diaper which has the potential of eliminating 1/3 of our landfills. We were left with a few final thoughts, the most important being the necessity for each of us to “reclaim our future” and envision a new kind of lifestyle where energy efficiency guides our choices and purchases. We can make this change, “with a heart full of resolute hope”, in the words of Teresa, and I believe it can be as exciting as moving from coal oil to electricity.

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And speaking of appearances by Senator John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry, here’s an update of their schedule for the next few days.

On Thursday morning, San Francisco area people should tune into NPR Affiliate KQED at 10 am where JK & THK will be doing an interview with Michael Krasny. The show is a live call-in show as well. Those not so lucky as to live in the area can tune via the Listen Live button at the website.

JK and THK will be joining Tavis Smiley on his show on Thursday evening. Check your local PBS affiliate for air time.

Portland area people may want to keep their radios tuned to the “Oregon Territory” show on the local NPR station, KOPB Radio, on Friday, 4/6. There’s a “Listen Live” button on the left sidebar of the webpage for those outside the broadcast area.

Finally, be sure to have This Week with George Stephanopoulos on your calendar for next Sunday, April 8th when JK & THK talk with George. Check your local ABC affiliate for the time. And watch the blog… I’m sure it will be another live-blogging event.

Catch up on what’s already happened this week

We live-blogged JK & THK’s appearance on MSNBC’s ‘Hardball’ with Chris Matthews last night. It was a terrific interview—if you missed seeing it live, you can check the streaming video of their appearance here.

We also live-blogged JK & THK’s appearance on The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly Tuesday night. If you missed it, you can catch up on it here.

JK chatted with Charles Brennan on KMOX Talk Radio in St. Louis on Tuesday. You can listen in on that one as well. Look for the item titled: “Charles Brennan (04/02/07): U. S. Senator John Kerry” in the right sidebar.

UPDATE @ 4:53 pm ET: Get ready to liveblog JK & THK on Hardball at 5 pm ET.

JK and THK have a guest op-ed in the Seattle Times today.

It was 1987 when we first started talking about climate change, but Washington turned its back on hard realities and great possibilities — on renewables, efficiency breakthroughs and clean technologies. We could have created millions of new jobs and vast new markets, slowed global warming, saved taxpayers money, earned the world’s respect, and significantly strengthened our long-term outlook. Instead, the effort in Washington — both Democrat and Republican — too often has been rhetorical, not real.

Americans have had enough. People across this country are grasping the scientific reality that we are in the middle of a crisis. The Earth’s poles and virtually all points in between are heating up at a frightening and potentially catastrophic pace. Recently, the most comprehensive study to date confirmed that manmade global warming is real — and underscored the danger we all face from it.

... The good news is that America has overcome such challenges in the past and can surely do so again. Simply put, we have no choice.

It is time to do away once and for all with the myth that fixing the environment is bad for business. In the long run, the opposite is true. General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz recently told Business Week, “Being known as the technology laggard is not conducive to selling automobiles.”

Government needs to help America’s automakers create cars with higher gas mileage — and to help America maintain its edge in dozens of new “green” markets that will inevitably spring up to meet this challenge. Why shouldn’t these new businesses be American businesses?

Each of us can do something, and we need to insist on leaders who will. We wouldn’t elect someone who said terrorism wasn’t a threat, but for too long we’ve tolerated those who treat the threat of energy insecurity and the truth of global climate change as inconvenient myths. Well, from now on, every American who walks into a polling place can and should vote to kick out anyone standing in the way of energy independence. ... The truth is, it’s late already. But it’s not too late if we get serious about tackling global climate change. No more cheap talk. No more dodging the issue.

The time has come for America to show its mettle and face down the greatest challenge this planet faces in the 21st century.

Absolutely right. We’re the nation that put a man on the moon. We should be the nation that leads in developing solutions to the climate change crisis. What happened to the good old American can-do inventiveness?

Consider this your call to be an innovator in your own home and community.

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And onto other business—here’s an update of this week’s schedule. Note the addition of the Tavis Smiley show on Thursday. <!-more-> Seattle-area people will want to have their radios tuned to KUOW Radio on Tuesday morning at 9 PT. JK & THK will be on the Weekday show, a live call-in show from 9 – 10 am. Those outside the broadcast area can listen in at the website’s Listen Live page.

For those with MSNBC, tune into Hardball at 5 pm or 7 pm ET Tuesday evening to see JK and THK talking Chris Matthews. Definitely more liveblogging at 5 pm ET today so plan on being here.

Los Angeles-area people: check out NPR Affiliate KPCC Radio on Wednesday morning at 11 am for the “Airtalk with Larry Mantle” show. JK and THK will talking with Larry and taking calls. For those not in the LA Area, there is a “Listen Live” option at the website—check it out.

On Thursday morning, San Francisco area people should tune into NPR Affiliate KQED at 10 am where JK & THK will be doing an interview with Michael Krasny. The show is a live call-in show as well. Those not so lucky as to live in the area can tune via the Listen Live button at the website.

JK and THK will be joining Tavis Smiley on his show on Thursday evening. Check your local PBS affiliate for air time.

Portland area people may want to keep their radios tuned to the “Oregon Territory” show on the local NPR station, KOPB Radio, on Friday, 4/6. There’s a “Listen Live” button on the left sidebar of the webpage for those outside the broadcast area.

Finally, be sure to have This Week with George Stephanopoulos on your calendar for next Sunday, April 8th when JK & THK talk with George. Check your local ABC affiliate for the time. And watch the blog… I’m sure it will be another live-blogging event.

Catch up on what’s already happened

We “live-blogged” JK & THK’s appearance on The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly last night. If you missed it, you can check it out here.

JK chatted with Charles Brennan on KMOX Talk Radio in St. Louis yesterday. You can listen in on that one as well. Look for the item titled: “Charles Brennan (04/02/07): U. S. Senator John Kerry” in the right sidebar.

And once again, please join us here for liveblogging Hardball tonight at 5 pm ET and if you can’t make it then, come back at 7 pm ET for the repeat.

See you there!

 

JK and THK are off on their book tour this week and starting off in Portland today.

Tonight those with access to Fox News, will be able to see JK on The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly, which airs at 8 pm and 11 pm ET per the website. Join us back here for liveblogging at 8 pm ET. We’ll see what Bill serves up.

Those in the St. Louis area can tune into the Charles Brennan Show on KMOX Talk Radio at 9:35 am CT today to hear JK chat with Charles for about 20 minutes. Those not in St. Louis can listen in via the website. (Look for the Listen Live button in the right sidebar.)

Seattle-area people will want to have their radios tuned to KUOW Radio on Tuesday morning at 9 PT. JK & THK will be on the Weekday show, a live call-in show from 9 – 10 am. Those outside the broadcast area can listen in at the website’s Listen Live page.

For those with MSNBC, tune into Hardball at 5 pm or 7 pm ET Tuesday evening to see JK and THK talking Chris Matthews. Definitely more liveblogging at 5 pm ET tomorrow so plan on being here.

Los Angeles-area people: check out NPR Affiliate KPCC Radio on Wednesday morning at 11 am for the “Airtalk with Larry Mantle” show. JK and THK will talking with Larry and taking calls. For those not in the LA Area, there is a “Listen Live” option at the website—check it out.

On Thursday morning, San Francisco area people should tune into NPR Affiliate KQED at 10 am where JK & THK will be doing an interview with Michael Krasny. The show is a live call-in show as well. Those not so lucky as to live in the area can tune via the Listen Live button at the website.

Portland area people may want to keep their radios tuned to the “Oregon Territory” show on the local NPR station, KOPB Radio, on Friday, 4/6. There’s a “Listen Live” button on the left sidebar of the webpage for those outside the broadcast area.

Finally, be sure to have This Week with George Stephanopoulos on your calendar for next Sunday, April 8th when JK & THK talk with George. Check your local ABC affiliate for the time. And watch the blog… I’m sure it will be another live-blogging event. <!-more-> JK and THK also had an interview on Amazon’s Amazon Wire Podcast which you can listen to here or download here. The interview notes that an extended version of the interview is available by emailing podcastfeedback@amazon.com and requesting it.

And last for those who have already had a chance to read the book, here’s a youtube by JK community blogger Island Blue, inspired by her reading of the book.

Thanks, Island Blue.

See you all back here later ready to live blog the O’Reilly Factor.