Today, on the Ed Morrissey Show (3 pm ET), Andrew Malcolm of the Los Angeles Times’ Top of the Ticket blog returns for our hour-long look at media and politics. We’ll talk a bit about the Weigel kerfuffle, but focus more on Joe Biden’s “smartass” moment, McChrystal’s decision to retire and what that might mean for the future, and the uniform code of dress for Supreme Court nominees.

In bonus minutes today, we welcome author Brad Thor, whose new novel Foreign Influence is sailing to the top of Amazon’s bestseller charts. We’ll ask the national-security expert about his experiences in service to the nation, the process he uses for transforming those into fiction, and discuss vital national-security issues as well.

The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page — be sure to join us!