Fresh Air, Charles Lewis and Joe Simpson

Author Charles Lewis, and climber and author Joe Simpson on this edition of Fresh Air. Charles Lewis and a team of researchers at the Center for Public Integrity have investigated the financing of all of this year's presidential contenders in the new book The Buying of the President 2004: Who's Really Bankrolling Bush and His Democratic Challengers - and What They Expect in Return.

Joe Simpson wrote the book Touching the Void about his ill-fated climb of Siula Grande mountain in Peru with his climbing partner Simon Yates. Now there's a movie adaptation of the book. During the climb, Simpson fell and broke several bones in his leg, crippling him. His friend, determined to find a way to get Simpson home, tied their two lengths of rope together (each was 150 feet) and lowered his friend down the mountain 300 feet at a time. When Simspon failed to respond to Yate's signal to retie the rope, Yates made the agonizing decision to cut the rope. (Broadcast Date: January 27, 2004)

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