Event Coverage Article

Tim Russert, moderator of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” spoke last night in Burruss Hall auditorium as part of the Cutchins Distinguished Lecture Series, sponsored by the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Center for Leader Development. Russert’s lecture, titled “A View from Washington,” opened with a joke at the Democratic Party’s expense, but afterward quickly turned to more serious issues, mainly that of the nation’s pending war in Iraq.

Russert continually stressed that it was important for the public to look at the facts when forming their opinions about what President Bush decides to do, citing the U.N. Resolution 1441 and weapons inspector reports.

“The question is: is Saddam Hussein an imminent threat to America? And the president thinks he is,” Russert said. “This doesn’t make dissenters of the president right or wrong, but there is only one commander-in-chief. We must support his decision.”

Russert also stressed the need for bipartisan support of the armed forces despite their political leadership, should the U.S. take military action against Iraq, which evoked a supportive reaction in the audience.

Russert expressed confidence in the nation’s ability to handle a war in Iraq and told the audience to never underestimate the power of their country. However, he admitted that hard times were ahead before opening it up to questions from the audience.

“This is life and death and the survival of our democracy and the way we know it to be. It is going to be an extremely difficult period,” Russert said.

One audience member, Megan Boler, professor of teaching and learning and interim director of women studies, argued that Russert had not been objective and began listing him facts about the anti-war movement that he had failed to address. Boler’s questions provoked an intense negative reaction from the largely cadet audience. Though she continued to speak amidst loud booing from the audience, Russert cut in, telling her to get her facts straight and that he had been objective.

“One of the many things that upset me [about the speech] was that he failed to mention that this is the largest anti-war movement in history, bigger than that of Vietnam,” Boler said. “He presented information from both sides, but he definitely had a pro-war stance.”

Boler agreed with Russert that people should look at the facts when forming opinions, but also noted that all the facts were not always given to the public, alluding to the difference between the way news is reported within the U.S. and in other nations.

Boler wasn’t the only audience member that felt that Russert had not been objective.

“Russert has obviously had a lot of practice in public speaking, but anyone who listened carefully would have been able to recognize that he presented a pro-war stance,” said sophomore architecture student, Terra Caussin. “I was looking for him to shed new light on the situation with Iraq, but instead it felt like it was a regurgitation of a lot of the things I’ve heard from the president.”

After questions, Russert appealed to the audience once more for bipartisan support, admitting that ultimately everyone’s view would be different.

“Everybody sees things through their own prism,” Russert said.