2008 Woodie Awards
Presidential candidate addresses Gaston
Katie Andriulli
Issue date: 1/29/03 Section: News
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by Katie Andriulli
When a senator comes to speak at Georgetown, it is not uncommon to see the bottom of Gaston Hall filled with interested students, faculty and press, but the occupation of the upper tier of the room by onlookers denotes a speech with a broader appeal, a speech for which students are likely to skip class and for which professors might be willing to let them. It was, after all, a speech about foreign policy given by the man who may turn out to be President Bush's most viable competitor in the 2004 race for the White House. Last Thursday afternoon, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) took the stage to resounding applause from an audience predominantly populated by students eager to get a glimpse of the man who would challenge Bush.
Before he began his speech, Kerry was given a warm welcome by School of Foreign Service Dean Robert Gallucci, who provided the audience with some background on Kerry's political career. After graduating from Yale, Kerry joined the armed forces, serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He went on to be awarded several medals for his service in combat, including three Purple Hearts. Like many returning veterans , Kerry began to question his country's involvement in the conflict. He became both a spokesman for Vietnam Veterans Against the War and a co-founder of Vietnam Veterans of America. In 1984 he was elected to the Senate and over the years he has been a powerful adovate for campaign finance reform, veterans' rights, and environmental protection.
When Kerry took the stage, his commanding presence was immediately apparent. After thanking Dean Gallucci, he expressed his gratitude for the turnout he received, eliciting laughter with his comment that he was unaware that he was speaking from the "lucky podium" that then-Governor Bill Clinton had used to give a major foreign policy address ten years ago. The anticipation of Kerry's presidential run seemed to fill the audience with a sense of heightened expectation and was undoubtedly a large factor in the high turnout that afternoon. Before the speech began, the audience was not sure whether they would be hearing a candidate's platform or a senator's opinion about the most pressing issues of the day. What they were treated to was a satisfying mix of the two.
When a senator comes to speak at Georgetown, it is not uncommon to see the bottom of Gaston Hall filled with interested students, faculty and press, but the occupation of the upper tier of the room by onlookers denotes a speech with a broader appeal, a speech for which students are likely to skip class and for which professors might be willing to let them. It was, after all, a speech about foreign policy given by the man who may turn out to be President Bush's most viable competitor in the 2004 race for the White House. Last Thursday afternoon, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) took the stage to resounding applause from an audience predominantly populated by students eager to get a glimpse of the man who would challenge Bush.
Before he began his speech, Kerry was given a warm welcome by School of Foreign Service Dean Robert Gallucci, who provided the audience with some background on Kerry's political career. After graduating from Yale, Kerry joined the armed forces, serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He went on to be awarded several medals for his service in combat, including three Purple Hearts. Like many returning veterans , Kerry began to question his country's involvement in the conflict. He became both a spokesman for Vietnam Veterans Against the War and a co-founder of Vietnam Veterans of America. In 1984 he was elected to the Senate and over the years he has been a powerful adovate for campaign finance reform, veterans' rights, and environmental protection.
When Kerry took the stage, his commanding presence was immediately apparent. After thanking Dean Gallucci, he expressed his gratitude for the turnout he received, eliciting laughter with his comment that he was unaware that he was speaking from the "lucky podium" that then-Governor Bill Clinton had used to give a major foreign policy address ten years ago. The anticipation of Kerry's presidential run seemed to fill the audience with a sense of heightened expectation and was undoubtedly a large factor in the high turnout that afternoon. Before the speech began, the audience was not sure whether they would be hearing a candidate's platform or a senator's opinion about the most pressing issues of the day. What they were treated to was a satisfying mix of the two.