Week in the News

It's been a week for the history books. A black man at the top of an American presidential ticket, and a woman right on his heels — and maybe, still, at his side.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton met secretly in Washington yesterday for a conversation the rest of the country can only imagine — after months of sometimes bitter campaigning that the country knew only too well.

On Saturday, Clinton stands to announce her intentions. But the big match is now set. Barack Obama — John McCain. And one of them, on to the White House.

This hour, On Point: Our weekly roundtable goes behind the headlines.Guests:

Patricia J. Williams, professor of law at Columbia University and a longtime columnist for The Nation magazine.

Margaret Carlson, columnist for Bloomberg News and former White House correspondent for Time magazine.

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst and senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.