In our latest Need to Know, Mona and I have a guest, Arthur Brooks, who heads the American Enterprise Institute. He is a scholar and a musician. And a gentleman. He is the author of the newly released The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America. Everything he says, I believe, and so does Mona. And Mr. Brooks says it so, so well.

Mona and I then discuss a couple of issues, starting with Planned Parenthood and abortion. Fun, fun, I know. We move on to Scott Walker — a little funner. Although is he really trying to fool the rubes in Iowa, by portraying himself as a right-winger, while planning to skip to the “center” later on?

We then turn to the topic of the hour, Iran, welcoming for this purpose another guest, Omri Ceren. Mr. Ceren is an expert on the negotiations just concluded. Does he give us cause for hope? Does he let us know that the deal is not as bad, as catastrophic, as it sounds? Uh, no. But it’s better to have the straight dope than to be deceived.

Mona and I wonder, “Is this Munich?” Over the years, people like us have muttered the word “Munich” a lot. Maybe too frequently and loosely. But the word seems apt — terribly apt — this week.

My first thought was to close out the program with Barber’s Adagio for Strings, that musical totem of mourning. But then I thought, “Hell, no” — and opted for The Star-Spangled Banner, because we need our chins up. We have faced worse, heaven knows. Much worse.