Authoritative, Engaging, Provocative
President Clinton gives the "road rules" for what presidents and other leaders should do in timely ways to prevent catastrophic events, all in a 44 minute speech without pause. He exhibits what he is best known for: a casual conversation about complex issues based on his ability to digest hundreds of facts and to synthesize them in a cogent manner.
He believes presidents should never allow politics to substitute for competence, nor allow ideology to overshadow facts; work collaboratively; and take small steps to avert disasters if big steps can't be taken. He applies these rules to re-think the reduction of greenhouse gases, American healthcare, Katrina, resource depletions and population explosions. As he begins, it seems as if he is taking his digs at the Bush administration, but then he talks about the American public's responsibility in preventing bad circumstances from happening. Following his own rule of not allowing ideology to overshadow facts, he praises Bush for what he is doing right.
After his speech he takes questions from the audience, but the questioners are not miked. This is raw audio of a speech and program directors would be wise to edit out the Q&A for quality and continuity sake. I smiled as I listened to the first question, but all you can hear is Clinton popping a soda can open--a diet Coke perhaps?
The speech is worth setting up and running because of the importance of potential global catastrophes and hearing Clinton's nimble mind at work.
Yolette Garcia
June 17, 2007
raw audio from Clinton keynote address at 2007 Kennedy School Spring Conference, 'The Looming Crisis; Can We Act in Time' Cambridge Mass. May 4, 2007
