The Choice: George W. Bush vs. John F. Kerry

Submitted by Judith Kleinfeld
Phone: (907) 474-5266
10/14/04

The presidential election is just three weeks away. What is different about this presidential campaign? Does this election mark a turning point in American politics?

Bruce Buchanan, professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, will raise those questions during a nonpartisan presentation, "The Choice: George W. Bush vs. John F. Kerry," Monday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. in Schaible Auditorium on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

With election day near, this presentation raises questions about both the choice facing voters and America’s future. What must the next president do to resolve the crisis in Iraq and win the war on terror? What needs to be done to revitalize the economy? What can the president do to reunite a bitterly divided nation?

A well-known commentator on American presidential politics, Buchanan is the author of The State of the Presidency, Presidential Campaign Quality and The Policy Partnership. He holds an undergraduate degree from Stanford and a Ph.D from Yale. The lecture is sponsored by the UA Center for Democracy and the northern studies leadership and civic engagement program at UAF. The lecture will also mark the launch of a new minor in leadership and civic engagement offered through northern studies at UAF beginning next spring.

"The Buchanan lecture on the presidential campaigns is a terrific way to launch our new minor," said Judith Kleinfeld, professor of northern studies. "These are just the kinds of questions that civic-minded students would ask. It’s important for our students to have the knowledge needed to play important roles in civic life in Alaska and across the nation."

Northern studies is a program within UAF’s College of Liberal Arts.

Note to editors: Buchanan will be speaking to UAF classes Monday and may also be available for interviews.

CONTACT: Judith Kleinfeld, professor of northern studies at (907) 474-5266 for more information.