2008 Woodie Awards
Hardball comes to the Hilltop
Max Rosenthal
Issue date: 1/29/03 Section: News
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by Max Rosenthal
For many students, last Wednesday's live showing of the "Hardball College Tour" from Gaston Hall was a chance to see a well-known political commentator in action, and with any luck be seen on national television. For Hardball host and author Chris Matthews, however, the stop at Georgetown was another opportunity to educate Americans on a vitally important issue of the day.
"I try to rally people to think, to make up their minds," Matthews said. Describing his show, he painted a picture of Hardball as a serious forum for exchanging ideas and influencing opinion. "I am a color commentator, like in sports. I think I encourage people's interests. I think after they hear our show they're more interested than when they started."
Interest, whether in the topic of an upcoming war with Iraq or in hearing Matthews himself, was evident on campus well before the show started. In the days leading up to the live broadcast, a lottery to select students to sit on stage during the show generated massive interest, as did a second drawing to select one lucky Hoya to represent Georgetown in the "Hardball Hotseat." On the day of the show itself, a buzzing line of eager students snaked through Healy Hall for much of the evening, with the most ambitious students beginning their wait almost four hours before the 9:00 p.m. airtime.
The episode itself featured the "Road to War Panel," a distinguished foursome offering their opinions on the possibility of war with Saddam Hussein's regime. Two of the guests, former U.S. Army generals Barry McCaffrey and Wayne Downing, played decisive roles in American military operations during Operation Desert Storm in 1991: McCaffrey served as commander of the 24th Mechanized Infantry division; and Downing commanded the Central Command's Joint Special Operations Task Force, the command which oversaw Gulf War crowd-pleasers such as the Navy SEALs and U.S. Army Rangers.
Though both former military officers, McCaffrey and Downing offered different perspectives on what they agreed to be an almost inevitable war. Where McCaffrey was hopeful that Saddam Hussein might be overthrown in a military coup, Downing disagreed emphatically. "I think he's got them, as he's always had. He's got them under an iron grip," he said. Towards the end of the show, the pair also disagreed on the necessity of gaining United Nations support for a war. "I say we are going to go no matter what," said Downing, while McCaffrey countered, "It would be a huge mistaken ... to not have the legitimacy of the United Nations behind us when we go to war." He then added, however, that the U.N. would never ultimately veto a U.S. request for war. In the end, nevertheless, the two military men agreed on the outcome of any upcoming war: a quick, decisive American victory.
For many students, last Wednesday's live showing of the "Hardball College Tour" from Gaston Hall was a chance to see a well-known political commentator in action, and with any luck be seen on national television. For Hardball host and author Chris Matthews, however, the stop at Georgetown was another opportunity to educate Americans on a vitally important issue of the day.
"I try to rally people to think, to make up their minds," Matthews said. Describing his show, he painted a picture of Hardball as a serious forum for exchanging ideas and influencing opinion. "I am a color commentator, like in sports. I think I encourage people's interests. I think after they hear our show they're more interested than when they started."
Interest, whether in the topic of an upcoming war with Iraq or in hearing Matthews himself, was evident on campus well before the show started. In the days leading up to the live broadcast, a lottery to select students to sit on stage during the show generated massive interest, as did a second drawing to select one lucky Hoya to represent Georgetown in the "Hardball Hotseat." On the day of the show itself, a buzzing line of eager students snaked through Healy Hall for much of the evening, with the most ambitious students beginning their wait almost four hours before the 9:00 p.m. airtime.
The episode itself featured the "Road to War Panel," a distinguished foursome offering their opinions on the possibility of war with Saddam Hussein's regime. Two of the guests, former U.S. Army generals Barry McCaffrey and Wayne Downing, played decisive roles in American military operations during Operation Desert Storm in 1991: McCaffrey served as commander of the 24th Mechanized Infantry division; and Downing commanded the Central Command's Joint Special Operations Task Force, the command which oversaw Gulf War crowd-pleasers such as the Navy SEALs and U.S. Army Rangers.
Though both former military officers, McCaffrey and Downing offered different perspectives on what they agreed to be an almost inevitable war. Where McCaffrey was hopeful that Saddam Hussein might be overthrown in a military coup, Downing disagreed emphatically. "I think he's got them, as he's always had. He's got them under an iron grip," he said. Towards the end of the show, the pair also disagreed on the necessity of gaining United Nations support for a war. "I say we are going to go no matter what," said Downing, while McCaffrey countered, "It would be a huge mistaken ... to not have the legitimacy of the United Nations behind us when we go to war." He then added, however, that the U.N. would never ultimately veto a U.S. request for war. In the end, nevertheless, the two military men agreed on the outcome of any upcoming war: a quick, decisive American victory.