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Dick Cheney, John Boehner, Tim Geithner, Eric Schmidt Join Us Next Week

Washington Ideas Forum gathers the biggest names in politics, business, and foreign affairs

By Jay Lauf
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The work of the 46th Vice President Dick Cheney and Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, could not be more different. However, they will come together along with other star-studded global newsmakers and thought leaders for the Washington Ideas Forum next week.

The Atlantic and our partners the Aspen Institute and the Newseum once again gather an outstanding roster for this annual event. In addition to Cheney and Schultz, below is a short list of a few of the confirmed speakers, who'll appear on stage in one-on-one interview pairings, but there are many others I cannot reveal just yet.

  • James Bennet, Editor, The Atlantic 
  • John Boehner, Speaker, United States House of Representatives
  • Tom Brokaw, Special Correspondent, NBC Nightly News
  • Ronald Brownstein, Editorial Director, National Journal Group
  • Katie Couric, Journalist and Host, ABC News
  • Tim Geithner, Secretary, United States Department of the Treasury
  • Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama
  • Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary, United States Department of State
  • Pervez Musharraf, Former President of Pakistan
  • Marco Rubio, Junior United States Senator from Florida 
  • Paul Ryan, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, United States House of Representatives
  • Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google Inc. 
  • Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO, Exxon Mobil Corporation
  • Brian Williams, Anchor and Managing Editor, NBC Nightly News
The 2012 presidential season is bound to be an integral part of the conversation. Last year, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave us one early glimpse into 2012 when he said that he "can't win" the White House.

"Mayors never go on to anything else because they make decisions," Bloomberg said. "Every time you make a decision you alienate those who are against it. ... After five decisions in a row, it's pretty much me and my mother."

Find out what our speakers will be saying about the upcoming election season by watching our livestream video of all mainstage events on TheAtlantic.com or by following participants' tweets using #IdeasFourm on October 5 & 6.

And thank you to our presenting underwriters without whose support this kind of programming would not be possible:
  • Allstate
  • Bank of America
  • Comcast
  • ExxonMobil
  • Siemens
  • Thomas Reuters
  • United Technologies Corporation
WIF 2.jpg

Bennet interviews Schmidt at WIF 2010