By: Hwa Chung (Jessica) Nam
Friday, March 7, 2008

Pultizer Prize winning author and historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin, joined George Mason University along with Pace and the University of Denver yesterday afternoon. In an hour-long C-SPAN video conference session Goodwin described the difference between the role that history plays in today’s politics as well as from the past.

Goodwin started off the session by talking about her love for Abraham Lincoln and the reason for her book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

“I wanted to live with him,” said Goodwin.

Briefly did she talk about her love for President Lincoln and how she found him so fascinating.

It was not until the topic of today’s role of history in politics versus politics in the past  that the session started to get interesting. She spoke her mind about the September 11th incident, her view on the world as well as the Presidential candidates today.

“9-11 in particular. I wish we learned from FDR. I’m not sure if we learned from FDR like we should’ve,” said Goodwin. “My hope is that the crisis of 9-11 will be learned.”

Goodwin’s response to the war was genuine. She spoke about how because of this war on terrorism,  our image of the world was lessened. She spoke of the past, of history, as if it were truly hers.

She not only spoke of past mistakes but a student raised a question about her thoughts on the current presidential candidates.

“They are all classy people, which you can't always say,” said Goodwin. “It's little wonder why the country is so excited about this race.”

When talking about the 2008 presidential candidates she did not go into much detail about each of them. She did not have anything bad to say about any of them either. Instead she ended with great composure and left the students with an unbiased remark about one if not the most important matter for America.

“We always think that the next candidacy is worse than the other,” said Goodwin. “But that’s really not true. I think we’re doing OK.”

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