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Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and author of presidential histories including Team of Rivals, spoke Thursday with students of George Mason University, Pace University, and the University of Denver about her perspective on politics as a presidential historian.

The interview was part of the distance learning series hosted by Steve Scully and broadcast on C-SPAN3 as well as streamed online. This interview series utilizes a broadband feed from C-SPAN's studios to digital classrooms to allow students to interact in real time with guests.

Kearns Goodwin offered a historical perspective to today's presidential race and discussed the lessons we have learned, or should have learned, from previous presidents. She described McCain, Obama, and Clinton as "classy people," and aknowledged the potential for a history-making "first" in the 2008 election -- depending on the Democratic nomination, either the first African American president or the first woman president could potentially be elected.

Kearns Goodwin responded to comparisons between Hilary Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln.

She said that the comparison between Roosevelt and Clinton is appropriate, particularly since they faced similar turning points in their marriages. In both cases, the decision to remain with an unfaithful spouse opened them up to take greater political roles.

However, she said that the comparison between Obama and Lincoln is less valid. While Obama and Lincoln have similarly "thin resumes," she said, the strengths Obama could bring to office in terms of oratorical ability and inspiring the youth of the country are closer to those of John Kennedy.

She spoke about the short memory that people show when it comes to political history. Each new election cycle, people seem to be convinced the campaign is the dirtiest yet. However, in campaigns such as McKinley versus Bryan in 1896, she said, McKinley didn't hesitate to put mailers in workers' envelopes suggesting the election of his opponent would prevent them from getting jobs.

She said that there were lessons learned in World War II that would have benefited our nation in the challenges faced following 9/11. "When World War II came up on the horizon, FDR realized he had to become a bipartisan president," Kearns Goodwin said.

She said that there are several "what ifs" that often cross her mind that would have resulted in a more successful response to the threat of terrorism. In a time of unexpected national vulnerability, she said:

• The president should reach out across party lines to unify the nation behind him.
• The nation should sponsor a "Manhattan Project" to meet challenges such as the need for alternative energy.
• People of the nation should be asked to make sacrifices-- in this case, spending the money to obtain fuel efficient vehicles.
• More volunteers should be brought into the armed forces to avoid using national guard.
• Civilians should be unified behind the war.

In essence, she said, the president did not realize the importance of mobilizing people behind the cause of the Iraq war, leaving it to be fought by the soldiers alone.

History as Storytelling

Kearns Goodwin spoke about the childhood experiences that led her to become interested in storytelling. As a young child, she would recount Dodgers games to her father when he came home from work. She learned that the best way to tell the stories was to take it slow and give all the details, rather than giving away the ending before she started and destroying the suspense.

"It makes you think there's something magic about history to keep your father's attention," Kearns Goodwin said.

As she grew older, her education confirmed what she had already learned as a child-- that as a narrative historian, the only way to keep a reader with you throughout the whole story is never to give away the ending -- even if it's history the reader already "knows."

The best way to create an engaging account of history, she said, is to learn to immerse yourself in the time you want to write about. In order to do this, she uses memoirs and letters to try to imagine the way people thought about their friends, family, enemies, and contemporary issues that seem distant to us today.

"Without those kinds of primary documents, I think it's hard to create a vital set of characters."

You can watch the video conference here.

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