I echo Horace's plug for the current team. It is precisely the joking asides and personal tidbits that make Gabfest unique. I find most political talk shows (and I'm not an afficianado) are either too fast-paced and too dry (MacGlachlin group) or else emphasize satire such that the show may be funny, but it's not stimulating or challenging (Stewart, Colbert, etc).

I feel like I walk to work with friends, who happen to be better versed in politics than I am but don't quite talk over my head (the August team spoke over my head more frequently, which was my biggest complaint though that is obviously a personal preference).

One other unique factor is that the Gabfesters are, first and foremost, writers, and they talk like writers --- humble and sometimes overly verbose, you can tell they want to do the subjects being discussed justice, by articulating everything just so. I sympathize, and its very endearing.