By John Flood
Appearing before a nearly sold-out Celebrity Forum audience Nov. 3, former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Tom Daschle and Bob Dole traded serious political viewpoints and humorous one-liners about a range of topics, including the Nov. 7 elections and the 2008 presidential election.
The event, hosted by Foothill-De Anza Community College District, was held at Flint Center on the De Anza campus.
Dole, 83, is a Republican from Kansas who retired from politics after losing the 1996 presidential election to Bill Clinton. He is a public speaker and an author of several best-selling books.
Daschle, 59, is a Democrat from South Dakota. He retired from politics after he was defeated in a senate re-election bid in 2004. He continues to be active in Democratic Party activities.
Each man spoke for 20 minutes, followed by a 40-minute question-and-answer session in which each fielded preselected questions from the audience.
Daschle spoke first, commenting about the importance of every vote by citing his close election to U.S. Congress by 14 votes in 1978.
Framing his ideas in the context of the Nov. 7 elections, Daschle discussed what he believed are the most important issues facing the nation: the war in Iraq, the situation in Afghanistan and what he called the U.S. loss of moral authority because of the treatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons.
“This has clouded American confidence about us abroad,” he said. “As I travel across the country this year, I sense that people are feeling that we’re on the wrong track. The war in Iraq is the dominant question,” for the voter.
He listed what he believed are important domestic issues, including the cost of health care, the federal deficit and the nation’s reliance on foreign sources of oil.
Dole spoke to the need for politicians to “be responsible.”
“My hero was (former General and President) Dwight Eisenhower,” Dole said. “He made tough decisions.”
Referring to Eisenhower’s sole decision as the supreme allied commander to launch the invasion at Normandy on June 6, 1944, Dole said that Eisenhower was fully prepared to accept responsibility if the invasion failed.
“If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone,” Dole said, quoting a private note that Eisenhower had written. “Eisenhower understood that you make a decision, you suffer the consequences. He understood basic values,” he said.
During his speech, Dole took a moment to ask the audience to recognize veterans from World War II who were sitting in the audience. Dole, a soldier in World War II, was seriously wounded in combat, losing the use of his right arm.
Dole said that even though the economy and the stock market are strong, these aren’t the main issues in the November election.
“The economy has taken second place,” Dole said. “The next Congress will have to deal with this very serious problem in Iraq.”
Dole’s deadpan humor also drew laughs.
When Dole was asked if smoking should be banned in outdoor public places, he said, “I don’t think you can smoke outdoors in California.”
When asked who will be the most electable candidate in the 2008 presidential election, Daschle said, “(U.S. Senator) Barak Obama is a fresh, charismatic face.”
“Hillary will make a great candidate,” Dole said.
