It might seem like ancient political history to younger readers, but once upon a time there was a Republican Speaker of the House named Newt Gingrich and a Democratic President named Bill Clinton. A new book by Steven Gillon, The Pact, claims that the two ostensibly bitter enemies made a promising but ultimately abortive attempt to reform Social Security and Medicare.

As one who has contributed modestly to that quixotic quest (here, most recently), I was fascinated by this interview with Gillon as he talks about the main subject of his book.