A regular guest on newsy talk shows and talky news shows, Arianna Huffington is known for her keen interest in politics and her glamorous affability. Born in Greece, educated in England and a U.S resident for 30 years, Huffington, 60, has covered plenty of unpredictable ground. She has written books about Pablo Picasso and Maria Callas. In the 1990s, she was a conservative commentator. In 2003, she ran for governor of California in a recall race. And in 2005, she co-founded the Huffington Post, a progressive news website. Her provocatively titled new book is Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream. Q: You have a strong Houston connection, is that right? A: I married Michael Huffington, a Houstonian. We're divorced, but we're great friends. We have two half-Houstonian, half-Greek children. Q: America has become your adopted country. What would you say it means to be 'American?' A: This is the country of the dream: You work hard, and you can make your dream happen. I have always felt that America has the power to turn things around. I'm congenitally optimistic, and America is a congenitally optimistic country. Q: But your new book outlines your sense of alarm at what's happening to the middle class. A: If we don't do something, this will be a Third World America, a country without a middle class. Q: You quote Elizabeth Warren, chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel, saying, 'One in five Americans is unemployed, underemployed or just plain out of work.' What other statistics jump out at you? A: One in nine families can't pay the limit on their credit cards. One in eight Americans is on food stamps. But I want to put flesh and blood on the struggle. That is why the book is filled with people's stories. Q: You offer suggestions for ways to save the middle class. Among them, public financing of political campaigns and slicing the fat from the Department of Defense. If you could make one change tomorrow, what would it be? A: The government has to prioritize creating jobs. We're never going to be able to deal with our debt if we don't get the economy going. We can't do that if we don't create jobs in ways that encourage innovation and new industry. The government needs to step in, like the 1930s and the WPA. Q: Huffingtonpost.com has a section devoted to steps people can take to save the middle class. What are they? A: Sharing your story. Tapping into your own resilience. Gaining financial literacy. Moving your money to a small bank in your community. Giving back. Holding our leaders accountable. And working together. Q: What did you make of President Obama's recent Oval Office address, in which he declared the war in Iraq was over? A: It wasn't enough in two ways: It was not a correct reckoning of how much continuing investment this country is making in Iraq; look at the private contractors that are involved. And it didn't account for the fact that this was an unnecessary war, a loss of lives and treasures. Q: You quote Sebastian Junger's book 'War' and the 'necessariness' that soldiers feel in combat. Have Americans in general lost that feeling? A: He describes the soldiers in foxholes who, despite incredible hardship, miss that interconnectedness when they're away from combat. In our lives we're often missing that sense of purpose larger than ourselves. When people give back, even in hard times, they feel empowered. They see themselves as more than victims. Q: You have pledged allegiance, at different times, to conservatives and progressives. Have your political views shifted over the years? A: I was always a social moderate - on abortion, gun control, how we deal with drugs. As a Republican and as a progressive, my priority has been looking at what we are doing in our communities. But I recognize our problems have become so major that we can't solve them without government. Now, a lot of my solutions are beyond left and right. XXX - End of Story3D 