Joe Schwarz, former U.S. congressman for Michigan's 7th Congressional District and ear, nose and throat specialist from Battle Creek, joins DEADLINE NOW host Jack Lessenberry for an in-depth conversation about the current political climate in Michigan and the nation. Since leaving Congress, Schwarz was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to serve on an independent panel to investigate conditions at Walter Reed Hospital. Schwarz is also on the faculty at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. This episode of Deadline Now originally aired on October 19, 2007.