“The Most Interesting Place in the World Is Where You Are Right Now” – A Talk with Stephen Kinzer

By Olivia O’Sullivan

Stephen Kinzer did not like the lectern. Occasionally he would lean against it, casually, as if relating a story among friends, but mostly he walked around, away from, to the side of it – anywhere but neatly in front of it. Similarly, his hands didn’t want to stay still either, gesturing to the sunny outside world as part of a point about journalism, miming gun-shots while telling an anecdote from his time as a foreign correspondent, twirling near his head to demonstrate American policymakers’ mental cogs slowly turning. Instead of delivering a prepared speech, he spoke energetically and extemporaneously to the assembled Oxy students as part of an engaging addition to this semester’s Diplomacy and World Affairslecture series.

In contrast to the lively, staccato nature of his delivery, though, his arguments and stories counselled, above all, patience and thoughtfulness. Threaded through tales from his career was an emphasis on the need to take the long, historical view of world events, viewing and engaging other countries with empathy, commitment and honest interest. Kinzer related what he had learned from his professor, Howard Zinn as a student – history is not static, but an ever-changing narrative, as much about who we are now as what was happening then.

He took this engaged and questioning approach into his career as an aspirant foreign correspondent, seeking the untold story by travelling to Central America before Sandinistas, civil wars and the policies of Ronald Reagan made that region front-page material. His genuine interest paid off – soon the New York Times recruited him as one of only two journalists in the country with the requisite familiarity, for their new Central American bureau.

He advised the audience to act along these lines when thinking about their futures – find a gap where people aren’t telling the interesting story. Never believe the newspaper you’re reading has a monopoly on what’s important or useful – go out and find it. Posted to Europe after Central America, he ultimately decided the Times needed an Istanbul bureau. Rather than accepting the current list, and he duly pushed to get one opened. From this vantage point he related covering the ex-Soviet states such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and even reaching beyond his remit to develop an interest in Iran, about which he would eventually write All the Shah’s Men, on the American and British sponsored-coup of 1953.

In explaining how he covered all these places, Kinzer emphasised his passion for taking the historical view – his favourite question always being “how did this country get this way?”. Answering questions both on policy and getting to understand Iran and other countries, he returned time and again to the theme of context and empathy – highlighting the importance of Pakistan’s historical anxiety about India in answering today’s policy questions and explaining the links between Iran’s nuclear ambitions and their thwarted bid to nationalise the oil industry in 1953. On today’s major policy dilemmas, he was optimistic about the democracy movement in Iran, suggesting Iran as a future major American ally, and insistent that American policy could and should be thoughtful and historically informed.

Tellingly, he explained that he avoided trying to learn about countries he visited from US diplomats – America, he said, always has an agenda for the country its in – a script to stick to.  This kind of short-term strategic thinking about the rest of the world clearly isn’t Kinzer’s style. As well as pointing out the problems this approach has caused us over the years, he explained that it’s no fun, either. The talk, and discussion afterwards, was a welcome and passionate argument for considering other peoples not merely in relation to their value for American interests, but as ends in themselves – for viewing other countries with the novel and the conversation as guiding constellations, not the CIA World fact book.

The talk was an invigorating survey as well as something of a gift to the anxious senior. Kinzer called for asking questions, getting interested – for sincere curiosity and simple questions. One sensed a man who views the world as not a scary place awaiting the graduating student, but somewhere filled with interest and detail and surprise.

Stephen Kinzer is a veteran New York Times foreign correspondent who has written extensively on foreign policy and history, covering US-sponsored coups in Guatemala and elsewhere, the rebuilding of Rwanda after the genocide, the Iranian coup in 1953, and the war in Nicaragua. His forthcoming book is ‘Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America’s Future’.

Olivia O’Sullivan is a recent graduate of Cambridge University. She is currently studying at Occidental College through a scholarship Pembroke College at Cambridge University. She can be contacted at osullivan@oxy.edu.

Witnessing History in the Making

By Kera Bartlett ‘09

Lines of hundreds of portapotties could be seen in all directions, along with little green and blue huts with white roofs standing at attention. First aid and security tents were being erected on the grass and the distant sirens of a motorcade could be heard across the Mall. The wind that whipped around the Washington Monument was devastatingly cold, leaving my face frozen and a static overtone on the home video I was recording. It was three days before the Inauguration and I stood directly under the giant white obelisk looking towards the Capital dome in the distance, trying to imagine the million people that would soon fill the space. I walked around and looked back at the Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pool, imagining this space being filled with hundreds of thousands of people for the free public kick-off concert the next day and the overflow for Inauguration a few days after. But for now, it was quiet and all I could do was pray it wasn’t this cold for the big day. 

The next afternoon I went through the first of many security lines to attend the kick-off concert at the Lincoln Memorial, broadcast live on HBO for the world to see. It seemed all of Hollywood had turned out for the event as entertainers young and old did their part to celebrate America and its new beginning with President-Elect Obama. I was quickly caught up with the energy of the crowd and jumped and sang along to U2, Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks and Stevie Wonder as the Jumbotron caught a candid shot of Barack Obama dancing in his chair next to his family. After the concert, my friend and I moved up to the VIP section against the flow of people, passing newsmakers like Senator John Kerry, Madeline Albright and Steven Chu as we made our way to the stage. Jack Black was making funny faces at the bald eagle that had been featured in the ceremonies as its handler and the nearby crowd laughed. But what we were really looking for didn’t come for about ten minutes. Barack Obama walked back on stage through a sea of black overcoats herding his entourage back to the motorcade. Being only 30 feet from the next President of the United States was thrilling and a once in a lifetime experience. I left feeling energized and ‘hopeful’ for the events of the historic days ahead.

Having already secured one of the coveted “golden tickets” for the Inauguration (mine was literally yellow but didn’t come in a chocolate bar), I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to begin my journey from Georgetown to the Capitol for the main event. I must have had a guardian angel that morning, because I made it there in record time despite the large crowds already forming in the subway stations. After securing some food and much needed hand warmers I put back on all my layers on and returned to the early morning cold.

The gates didn’t open until 8 a.m., so I had plenty of time to stand in line and watch it grow behind me as thousands of people poured out of Union Station by the minute. Vendors and journalists walked the lines as we stood shivering, watching the sunrise over the capitol dome. Once we made it through security and into our section, my new group of friends and I strategized to predict the best view once the section became filled with people, as it inevitably would. Having found a small knoll under a tree and having nothing else to do, I plopped onto the dusty grass, curled into a ball and tried to conserve heat. I was just one person, huddled under a tree with the realization pumping through me that everything was changing, and that amazingly enough, I was there. I felt small yet huge. Three hours to go.

After watching the sections slowly fill in from my low vantage point and feeling the warmth from the emerging sun, I stood up as the jumbotron screens blinked on. At first they showed only the empty stadium seating of the capitol steps, but the choirs soon began, filling the cold atmosphere with the music of the future. The arrival of many familiar politicians began to fill the screens speaking of their experiences and excitement to the growing crowd. My group looked at each other with shock when Joe Lieberman was loudly booed, but Colin Powell was cheered. We wondered aloud if Senator Lieberman was booed, what reception would President Bush get? Luckily for him, “Hail to the Chief” blared over the speaker system during his arrival, drowning out any discernable reaction from the crowd. As Senator Dianne Feinstein finished the introductions with, “You may now be seated” a ripple of laugher was heard through the millions standing in mall, huddled together for warmth. 

Over one million people had traveled hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles, endured hours of below freezing temperatures, to see a man recite a few timeless sentences. Granted, this didn’t go entirely according to plan, prompting sympathy from the crowd as the President to be and Chief Justice fumbled over the pledge. It reminded me of a nervous priest presiding over his first marriage ceremony, with the groom equally eager to get on with it. But soon after, President Obama returned to his calm and collected baseline and prepared to deliver the speech of his career.

The speech conveyed the harsh realities of the burdens he and the country faced, but maintained the hope that as Americans, no task was too great. Several moments stuck out, and I often caught myself not breathing as I listened to his words. In my little section of the crowd, his inclusion of “non-believers” in his survey of American religious diversity prompted soft cheers at being so publicly acknowledged. I see secularism as one of the rarely referenced last barriers in American politics, which given the not one but two benedictions at the Inaugural event, has a long way to go before being accepted in the mainstream.

Amid a flashing of cell phone cameras, the deed had been done, and a new President began presiding over the United States of America. Soon after, we watched as President Bush flew over the crowd in a helicopter, prompting gestures from many that remained in the Mall. I pushed against the flow of people to stand in the middle of the Mall for pictures, wanting to capture the moment, the ‘feeling’ and the enormity of what I had just shared with so many other Americans. I watched two national guardswomen, in full uniform, fall into a bear hug as one exclaimed, “We have a new boss… One that really understands us.”

Anticipating the bottleneck at every metro station for miles, I milled around the grounds and surveyed the vendors carrying a cup of much needed hot tea. When I finally did make it home, my housemates were watching the parade on the news when a newscaster made a comment that struck me. With over one million people, all crammed into a freezing outdoor place, there were no arrests or incidents of unrest. There were no protesters. There were no injuries reported, no security threats that caused alarm to the crowd. It reminded me of the feeling I had when I left Invesco Field after Barack Obama’s DNC speech. There was no pushing, no anxiousness, just calm at knowing that we were all experiencing history. Again I hoped that this calm, this feeling of being a part of something so much bigger than any one of us, would continue to be inspired by the President as he faced the immense task of putting this country back on track.

I flew back to Occidental the next morning. The plane ride headed west was clearly full of people who had come into Washington for the Inauguration. As we all passed out from shear exhaustion for the first three hours of the flight in our Obama t-shirts and beanie hats, I’m sure we all had the same sense of hopeful anticipation flowing through us. As my row woke up an hour before we were set to land, we smiled at each other and shared pictures and stories of our experiences, relishing this common bond we felt from a moment of historical significance. When we dispersed through the airport, Obama t-shirts going every which direction, it was bittersweet to know that my experience had ended, and yet somewhere within me, I knew, that it has only just begun.

 

This is the view looking back at the Washington Monument during the concert on Sunday. Hundreds of Thousands of people showed up to this free showcase, which was broadcast on HBO.

Here

This is a scene during the Inauguration when we were all watching the President, with the Capitol dome in the background. I alternated between watching the screen and using binoculars to watch up-close from my vantage point.

Here I am, cold and tired but happy, looking back at the mall after the Inauguration.

After the ceremony, this was the Capitol Dome where it had all happened.

A view of the Green Ball in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington.

The amazing Google party the night after the Inauguration.

 

 

Kera Bartlett is a senior Diplomacy and World Affairs Major. She can be reached at kbartlett@oxy.edu.

SYRIA: Former U.S. diplomat’s ‘mission improbable’ — healing rift

SYRIA: Former U.S. diplomat’s ‘mission improbable’ — healing rift

When former ambassador and Occidental College international policy professor Derek Shearer, right, first told colleagues he was going to Syria as a speaker on behalf of the State Department, he was sure that even if the authorities didn’t shut down his appearances, people would boycott, maybe even hold demonstrations. 
But that’s not what happened, not by a long shot. 
Despite frosty relations between Damascus and Washington, he was treated more like a celebrity than a graying envoy of a hostile state. He was interviewed by half a dozen Syrian media outlets, delivered six lectures to packed audiences and appeared on the front page of Syrian newspapers. 
“Nobody protested my talk at the American Cultural Center, nobody broke up my meetings, nothing was canceled, and the turnout of people was always more than we expected,” said Shearer, who teaches public diplomacy at Occidental in Los Angeles. 
In a lengthy interview with the Los Angeles Times, Shearer said he wasn’t sure why Syria allowed his visit. Only three years ago, after the imposition of U.S. sanctions on Syria. Damascus stopped permitting American-sponsored cultural activities, boycotted U.S. Embassy receptions and neglected demands for entry visas. 
But relations between the two countries appear to warming. The U.S. Embassy in Damascus sponsored a well-attended jazz concert a few weeks ago and gave permission for Shearer’s goodwill tour, paid for by the American government. 
During his visit he spoke his mind about the Bush administration, to which he’s hostile, and the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. 
Among his speaking engagements was the government-sponsored Syrian Public Relations Assn. and the Syrian Young Entrepreneurs Assn., where he told the aspiring businesspeople that their government needs to give them freer Internet access, let their country join the World Trade Organization and increase relations with the outside world. 
Los Angeles Times: What brought you to Damascus? 
SHEARER: You know, there is this natural tendency to think that whenever an American comes, especially sponsored by the State Department, that someone sent him with a secret agenda. I can tell you that my dear classmate, President Bush, didn’t send me because as you have heard, I’m very critical of him. although I’m personally friendly. 
There is a general message in that America would send people who disagree with the president around the world even if the president wouldn’t like to hear what they have to say. The fact is I am part of the circle of Democratic Party thinkers… 
Plus, I have a list of cities I wanted to visit before I die and always wanted to go to the best chocolate shops, and I’ve done that.

LAT: What have been some of your most interesting experiences here? 
SHEARER: What I’m excited about is to see a country that has such great potential for doing well in this era of globalization. We went out to dinner once at Narenj Restaurant and we got introduced to jallab juice, and what I thought that there are some men I know that made a fortune by mixing good American juices with sparkling water and selling them and I thought there could be great Syrian healthy juices if you add some sparkling water to jallab and a few others we don’t have in America … 
At my lecture at the American culture center, five or six Americans came up to me and said, “I just told my university I am taking the year off to study Arabic,” and at first their parents said: “You will be killed. It’s not safe.” And it’s safe and they are having great time. 
LAT: You spoke before a number of Syrian institutions, many of which are official or government financed. What was that like? 
SHEARER: I spoke at Damascus University at the school of political science… I was the only American speaker allowed on campus in three years and was told that the minister of higher education had said that any member of the university faculty that meets with an American will be fired. 
But when I was in Washington I met with Syrian Ambassador Imad Mostapha… My advice was: Stop winding up the Bush administration because they are winding down. Think ahead and start making whatever signs you want to make and that you are going to be a bit more open because you don’t want to wait until January. You want to start the process … so when the new administration comes in you can move more quickly. So I was allowed to speak … 
LAT: Do you feel that there is a a gap between how Syrians see American policy and how Americans see it? 
SHEARER: I think most Syrians I met understand that the last few years have been very difficult and part of it is Bush’s fault and part of it is the Syrians’ fault. It’s a vicious circle. I mean remember [former U.S. Secretary of State] Madeleine Albright came for [President Bashar] Assad’s inauguration in 2000. But when 9/11 hit, and Bush responded the way he did, in dividing the world into us and them, and made bad guys out of people, the Syrians responded by saying if we are the bad guys we will do bad things. It spun out of control… 
One guy asked me a question today: … did whether I thought the policy of the U.S. was “creative chaos.” Actually, the chaos is the result of bad policies which mean having the bad guys with guns killing a lot of people, women and children and others… 
There is a great potential for improving the relations between Syria and the U.S … and if we don’t try the worst-case scenario is really bad, and it’s worse for the people who live here than it is for us. I mean we can retreat to the United States and nobody in the world has the ability to destroy our society, but chaos in the Middle East…you see already. You have a million Iraqi refugees in your country.

LAT: What ties could be built? 
SHEARER: I met with Honey Sayed and “Al-Madina” FM radio team. They are young people, not political, but they want the freedom to create a very exciting business and want to have their radio station connected up to satellite radio, so that if I am driving across the country in the U.S., one of my choices would be Syrian FM radio. Right now we can’t do that, but we should be able to. 
There should be music festivals, where our rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop groups could come here… There is a hunger among younger smart professional people for that… 
There are all these personal ties between Syria and Americans … so at the level of people to people we are natural friends and have a lot in common. So there is no reason why, if we could get past a lot of the government problems, bad behavior on our part or your part, we could be real allies. This is where I’d like things to end up. It’s not going to happen overnight but I feel pretty strongly that a new administration headed by Democrats is more capable of making that a reality than another version of the Bush administration. 
LAT: Do you think that public diplomacy efforts are working? 
SHEARER: No, not working, because they have been doing it with their hands tied behind their back. Because of Bush’s policy and things like Abu Ghraib and others have just made it hard…The actual good public diplomacy on both sides is hindered by the guys on the top. 
LAT: Did you meet with any dissidents in your visit? 
SHEARER: I don’t know. What’s a dissident? And I am not going to name names if I did. But what I know is there is a new generation, and what they have learned to do is to operate in Syria without being put in prison and still maintain dialog with the government and foreigners. 
I met with the Syrian Public Relations Assn. and it’s a government-sponsored group and their issue is: “How do we re-brand Syria in the world? How do you get people to see Syria as a wonderful, historic and normal nation?” 
Well they have the same problem we have in the United States. Bush would do something like Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo and destroys the general image. No amount of public diplomacy can counteract the pictures of Abu Ghraib. 
LAT: What should America’s policy be toward the ongoing indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel? 
SHEARER: If we are talking about the current administration, I don’t think it will actively encourage or actively undermine. And if [peace] happens, Bush would be smart enough to celebrate it and take some credit and say, “See, being tough in Iraq got us results,” and spin it. And if it doesn’t happen on Bush’s watch … then it’s a low-hanging fruit for the new president. “See we can check that box. We got one problem out of the way so we … can engage and talk about other things” 
LAT: And if it doesn’t happen? 
SHEARER: It will be different if it’s McCain or Obama, because the Republicans … are still going to be skeptical of Syria. I think Obama and the Democrats will be realists and be more willing to engage, because they have people that have dealt in the past with Syria. Obama will be able to deal with more confidence with Assad, and won’t have to fight with his advisors…. 
I think that having the permanent unresolved state of war is not in Israel’s interest or in Syria’s interest, and that Syria and Israel are not natural enemies.

‘Mile High City’ Gears Up for the DNC

By Kera Bartlett

Arriving in Denver the week before the highly anticipated Democratic National Convention, one would expect to find the calm before the storm. Instead I was greeted with the storm before the storm, in the form of torrential rain, flash flood and tornado warnings. Even snow in the higher elevations. The ‘Mile High City’ sure knows how to send out the welcome wagon. 

In less than a week, this friendly and beautiful city will be turned upside down with the invasion of tens of thousands of delegates and their families, over 15,000 members of the media and the Democratic political elite. Signs for the DNC are plastered and hung every fifteen feet in the downtown area. Official merchandise shops have begun popping up in empty mall units in anticipation of the eager visitors. Hotel rooms have been sold out within a ten-mile radius during the week of the Convention for over a year. Seeing opportunity in the high demand for housing, many clever locals have put their apartments and homes up for rent for up to four thousand dollars a night. 

I came to Denver on a research grant from Occidental College with the intent to study the foreign media coverage of the Convention events. I am also promoting the “Rebranding America” report that fellow students and I created this spring addressing the next administration’s potential foreign policy. Securing a reasonably priced sublet for the month, I have been able to explore this city and see many of its sites and attractions before it is overrun next week. From the intriguing Denver Art Museum to the Cowboy Lounge where western hats, jeans and boots are the official dress code, Denver has the Rocky Mountain spirit that the Democrats are hoping to capture in the upcoming election. 

A week ago, I spent a full day volunteering for the Obama campaign in Denver, hoping to gauge the city’s enthusiasm for the young Chicago politician and possibly earn a ticket to the Obama Convention speech. I met many residents hard at work answering phones, entering voter data into computers and going out in shifts to canvas neighborhoods, all hoping to contribute to the campaign that is breaking many of the rules of Presidential politics. Their enthusiasm is mirrored by the tens of thousands of Colorado residents that applied for tickets to Senator Obama’s speech at Invesco Field the final night of the convention. With only half of the available “public seats” allotted for Colorado residents, the demand for tickets was overwhelming. Last Thursday, I was answering phones when the Convention Committee sent out a mass email alerting tens of thousands of hopeful residents that they had not received tickets. Within minutes, we received several angry phone calls from rejected potential attendees. Luckily for the campaign, I had also received such an email, and could sympathize with the callers. After learning that I was committed enough to volunteer for the campaign after being denied admission for the speech, their anger quickly subsided and we bonded over our shared enthusiasm for the campaign. 

In the coming week, the city will temporarily become the center of US politics and the world’s attention will turn to the events in Denver. Each day will be full of panel discussions, meetings and inner-party debates. Each night will feature primetime speakers, fabulous parties, celebrity appearances and fund raisers. In the end, the Candidate and the Party hope to have inspired a nation and gain momentum for the home stretch of this epic presidential election process. Check back next week, when I will be reporting on the events and surprises that make up the Democratic National Convention.

Kera Bartlett is a senior Diplomacy and World Affairs major. She can be reached at kbartlett@oxy.edu

DNC Part 2: The Grand Finale

By Kera Bartlett

A warm breeze blew through Invesco Field as the sun set on August 28, stirring the tens of thousands of American flags that filled the stadium. As I looked down from the 1st tier balcony in the northwest portion of the seats, the blue carpeted acropolis-like stage stood out among the sea of delegates and media. All 87,000 of us, and the estimated 38 million watching from home, sat with bated breath, waiting for the historic acceptance speech of the politician with a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas. 

Stepping back two days, where I last left off, I had obtained a pass for the Pepsi center to experience the first day of the convention, culminating in Michelle Obama’s speech. The next day, I attended several panels on the media and foreign policy and emailed anyone I could think of to try to obtain a pass to get into the Pepsi center (my daily struggle during the DNC). While no one seemed to have a pass, a reporter from Feature Story News Network offered to show me around the foreign media press tent. Inside this massive, bustling tent (complete with a host bar) scurried hundreds of journalists, tech crews and cameramen, all transmitting the events of the day to the world. I was amazed at the breadth and depth of the foreign coverage; some of the correspondents had been following the candidates for over a year. 

After spying on the news anchors from around the world and occasionally being roped into holding a light or microphone boom, I made my way to the State Department’s Foreign Press Center. Settling into an empty seat in the large room, I engaged everyone from the Economist to Brazilian television before we all turned our attention to the plasma screen TVs to watch the live feed of Senator Hillary Clinton’s speech. While it wasn’t as glamorous as being inside the arena, watching the foreign journalists watch Senator Clinton and discuss the implications of her address provided a visual for the international interest in the election I’d been reading about all summer. 

Wednesday brought more panels, meetings and exploration of Denver, as well as my continued quest for a ticket for the evening’s events. Luckily, one of the journalists I’d met the night before gave me a “perimeter press pass” so I could at least get back into the foreign press tent if I couldn’t find a ticket for the arena. At four pm, my housemate called to say she had two extra passes for the Pepsi Center, so my classmate and I rushed over to collect them and join the large line to get though security. I was not only excited at the opportunity to return to the Pepsi center for another night of cheering and sign waving, but the chance to see my former boss, President Bill Clinton, speak again. 

The evening’s speakers were more forceful and aggressive than the nights before. President Clinton and Senator John Kerry were especially strong, and unfortunately Senator Kerry’s speech wasn’t broadcast, even though I thought it had the strongest lines against Senator McCain. After an introduction from his son Beau, who is about to go to Iraq, Senator Biden accepted the nomination for Vice Presidential candidate and spoke through the exuberant cheers and sign waving. His touching and inspiring life story was shared with the audience before he assumed his new role as an attack dog for the Obama camp. During Senator Biden’s speech, CNN reported that Senator Obama was in the building and would make an appearance. While this was not announced to the audience, I would guess that about half the crowd, myself included, had been informed by friends and relatives through text messages. The “surprise” appearance of Senator Obama signaled the transition to Senator Obama’s portion of the DNC and the culmination of the Pepsi Center events. 

I spent the rest of the evening with the lively Irish delegation and watched Governor O’Malley of Maryland and Governor Kaine of Virginina’s rousing rendition of Irish folksongs at a local bar. Proudly sporting my green shamrock Obama pin, I traded business cards with attendees and strained to understand the thick accents above the gubernatorial band. Despite my ardent efforts, I still didn’t have a ticket for the Invesco field speech the following night. 

The next day I renewed my search for an Invesco ticket, but figured I would fall back on my press pass if necessary and just take my chances standing. The train downtown that afternoon resembled a can of sardines and I exited to find line that wound for miles towards Invesco Field. And it was only three o’clock! I began walking downtown when I miraculously received a call that I had a ticket. I rushed towards the city center and wondered if I would even make it into the stadium through such an epic line. Luckily, I passed the Pepsi Center on my way to retrieving my ticket and saw press busses lining up to transport the media. With my coveted ticket and press pass, I boarded a bus and bypassed the line, going instead to the much smaller media entrance. Daily Show correspondents teased the security line and I played along with some Dutch filmmakers as they conducted their own fake interviews. Standing in the heat, we all cringed when Tom Brokaw and Anderson Cooper bypassed the line we were baking in. I couldn’t even image how miserable the tens of thousands of people waiting in the regular line must have been. We snaked closer to the entrance and I went through my last security checkpoint of the convention. I made my way to my seat with anticipation. 

The musical guests and speakers entertained the crowd for hours, knowing we were all waiting for 8:15 and the appearance of our chosen leader. By eight, the sun had set and the lights dimmed, making the crowd go wild. A video montage of the major events in Senator Obama’s life played on the jumbotron and the crowd sat in silence. When it ended, there he was, a small figure in the distance for most of us, and the crowd roared, jumped, and waved their flags and signs. It was finally here! The speech we’d all been waiting for, for days if not months. His speech began like most of his others and wound through his story, his policies and his values with elegance and inspiration. When he described the broken politics of Washington and told the crowd that he got it, why it was hard for some people to believe in hope and change, that was a connecting moment and a twinkle of understanding shone from my eyes and so many others around me. The collectiveness of that forty-five minutes, how we all knew we were part of something much bigger than ourselves, was powerful and the memories of that feeling will stay with me always. 

The events of the Democratic National Convention were inspiring, massive and historic. How historic most likely depends on whether or not Senator Obama is successful in the fall. With the addition of Gov. Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket, the issues of race, gender, change and reform are guaranteed to be major in the next sixty days. I hope that in the coming weeks, as the election gets more intense and most likely more brutal, that we can remember the feeling so many had when they heard Senator Obama’s speech. As I heard in passing, if he can accomplish half the things he spoke about there, he’ll be one of the best presidents America has ever seen. 

As I walked out of Invesco field with thousands of others, the smoke still in the air from the celebratory fireworks, I tried to reflect on what we had all just experienced. We weren’t pushing or yelling to get out, but a state of relative calm characterized the crowd. It was almost as if we didn’t want to leave, we didn’t want the moment to fade or be over. Here’s hoping that the rest of the campaign, and the next administration, can capture some of the excitement, passion and hope for the future we all felt that night.

Kera Bartlett is a senior Diplomacy and World Affairs major. She can be reached at kbartlett@oxy.edu

DNC Part 1: Learning the Ropes

By Kera Bartlett

The Democratic National Convention kicked off with a bang, but not the type that the army of law enforcement was afraid of. Last Saturday night, the City of Denver welcomed its increasing swarm of guests with a fireworks display, the culmination of the Media Welcoming Celebration I was fortunate enough to attend. 

While the concept of inviting thousands of members of the media to a Six Flags theme park may seem a little odd, the event turned out very well, as business cards were exchanged between roller coaster rides, concerts, free food and free games. It was here that I learned two important DNC lessons: you can get almost everything for free, and with a smile, identification and some gumption, you can get into almost anything. 

Case in point: The next morning I was sitting in a ballroom in the elegant Brown Palace Hotel having brunch with some Harvard alumni and prominent members of the media before listening to a panel featuring Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer and George Stephanopoulos. After listening to these distinguished journalists share their observations on campaign coverage thus far, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell came out of the audience to declare that the coverage of Senator Obama had been embarrassing and proceeded to chastise the panel in front of the whole audience. In spite of their differing views, the men left the stage with smiles on their faces, shook hands and took pictures as they made their way out. 

Sunday also showed me that an outgoing personality can be a major asset at an event of this magnitude. Standing on the street corner, I approached prominent journalist and former gubernatorial candidate Arianna Huffington, who promptly invited me to her Oasis at the DNC. Within five minutes, I helped a prominent Washington D.C. lawyer find his way to the convention center before learning that he is a personal friend of Senator George Mitchell. The connection? I have applied for a scholarship to the Mitchell Foundation, so you never know.

That evening, after I returned to my temporary home in the Washington Park area, my housemate declared that she had extra tickets to a free Sheryl Crow/Dave Matthews concert at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater. Going to sleep that night, I was afraid I’d already peaked in my DNC experience, but Monday proved me wrong. 

Opening day excitement

Having scoured the Internet for political panels and events in the weeks before, I had learned that politico.com and the Denver Post were hosting breakfast speaker panels every morning of the convention. Convinced that it was worth the early morning start, an Occidental classmate and I attended the panel. Completely underestimating the event, we found that it featured some of the most prominent scholars and figures in black politics and was being broadcast on C-SPAN. 

We then progressed to another event, this time on philanthropy, featuring panelists such as Ted Turner and a former President of Ireland. While listening to them, I received a call telling me that I had received a pass for the Convention this evening, the purple ticket I’d been praying for all weekend. 

My first observation of the filled Pepsi Center was that it wasn’t as large as I expected. Appearing smaller than the Oracle Arena, the delegates filled the floor and first level while the media and guests (including many actors and celebrities) occupied the boxes and upper levels. Having been somehow categorized as an “honored guest,” I was able to squeeze into one of the side box areas just as Senator Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, was attesting to her brother’s character and ability to inspire. 
Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., who had been featured on the panel I had attended that morning, was next at the podium, and showed signs of his father’s oratory skills. Inspiring phrases were frequent (“Freedom in America has never wrung from a higher mountain top than it does today”). 

Ted Kennedy accolades

Transitioning to another purpose of the evening, a celebration of Sen. Ted Kennedy, his niece, Caroline Kennedy, spoke next. Her voice was soft and her cadence relaxed. She spoke of her admiration of both Obama and “Uncle Teddy” as Kennedy campaign signs waved throughout the crowd. After a short video introduction, Kennedy appeared to overwhelming cheers and excitement. His labored steps and a stool hidden behind the podium reminded us of his recent health problems. In a strong voice, he declared he would be there next January when Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. 

The other Obama

The real purpose of the evening was to show the party and America the real Michelle Obama, wife of Sen. Obama. After a powerful and heartfelt introduction by her brother, Craig Robinson, and a video compilation sharing her life story, the lady of the hour arrived on stage. 

Dressed in a classic teal dress and beaming at the chanting crowd, Michelle didn’t waste any time getting personal. With a voice filled with emotion, she discussed her family, her father’s illness and the values that she, Barack and all Americans share. Stressing her “American Story” and patriotism, she sought to quell the influence of her now infamous “pride in America” moment. 
She also reached out to Senator Clinton, and congratulated her for putting 18 million cracks in the “glass ceiling” of the White House. Both comments sent the crowd wild and the audience seemed to recognize her motivations, giving her encouragement. She concluded her speech by discussing her husband and why he’s running for President, again on a very personal level, and encouraged America to listen to their hopes instead of their fears, to stop doubting and start dreaming.

As I left the Pepsi Center, filled with the excitement of the crowd and the speeches, I wondered what the reaction would be in the morning. As I walked down the 16tht Street Mall towards the train, I passed people from all over the country, from all over the world, all talking about the same event with excitement. During the rest of the convention, I anticipate that the excitement that was sparked 18 months ago will build into a dazzling nomination speech. 
Now if I could only get a ticket!

Kera Bartlett is a senior Diplomacy and World Affairs major. She can be reached at kbartlett@oxy.edu