Theodore Sorensen, JFK's Speechwriter, Passes Away

Ted Sorensen, author of some of the most famous presidential speeches of the mid-20th century, died today at the age of 82.

You can listen to the audio of his May 17, 2010, Commonwealth Club program here, or you can watch the video of the event below:

Why Is President Obama Reading Ben Sherwood's "The Survivor's Club"?

President Barack Obama was recently photographed carrying a copy of Ben Sherwood's book The Survivor's Club. (To see the full photo, click here and scroll almost to the bottom of the page.)

You can find out what interested the president so much yourself on October 13, when Sherwood will be speaking at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. All are welcome to attend.

Even presidents.

John Yoo vs. Garry Wills: The Debate over Presidential Authority

One of the most heated debates in recent years has been over the expansion of presidential authority -- to interpret laws as he or she thinks best, to make and prosecute wars, to establish rules for treatment of foreign terrorists in custody. Commonwealth Club members recently got a close-up look at this debate when two well-known constitutional experts visited the Club, separately, within two weeks of each other.

John Yoo, a law professor at UC Berkeley, came to discuss the evolution of presidential authority and to respond to audience questions about his controversial role in formulating policies toward the use of torture during the Bush administration. Then, historian and journalist Garry Wills visited to talk about how presidential authority has expanded over the years, beyond the intent of the writers of the Constitution. Asked about Yoo's theories, Wills gave a withering response.

Watch the two programs in high-definition video from the Commonwealth Club's YouTube channel, and post your responses below.

John Yoo:


Garry Wills:

David Letterman and the Commonwealth Club

(Image from CBS TV online video.)

Last night, President Barack Obama became the first sitting president to appear as a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman. (Obama had previously appeared numerous times while a senator and presidential candidate.) The appearance was part of the president's campaign to make his argument for his policies, chiefly health-care reform.

The appearance is getting a great deal of press attention, as you'd expect. But one throw-away line from the night was of particular interest to us here at The Commonwealth Club, and it made us wonder if Letterman and his staff are Club aficionados.

During the Top Ten List, the host read out the top 10 "reasons President Obama agreed to appear on The Late Show." The reasons ranged from the odd ("Heard the lady with the heart-shaped potato was going to be here" -- long story) to the political. But one of them resonated with us: Reason Number Seven: "Every president since Teddy Roosevelt has been here."

Well, we all know that the place that has hosted every president since Teddy Roosevelt is The Commonwealth Club of California, don't we? Roosevelt kicked it off by making the case in his Club speech for federal involvement in protection of common lands. Republican and Democrat, they've made their appearance here before our Bay Area audiences and -- through our national radio and internet arms -- before the whole country. So naturally we're looking forward to hosting a speech by President Barack Obama, and he's welcome to bring the jokes.

Obama’s Order a Stem-Cell a Cure-All for the Controversy?

“Today, with the Executive Order I am about to sign, we will bring the change that so many scientists and researchers; doctors and innovators; patients and loved ones have hoped for, and fought for, these past eight years: we will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research.”

With these words and the stroke of a pen (well, six pens, technically), President Obama today made good on a much-anticipated campaign promise to lift restrictions on research that could yield new treatments for patients with spinal injuries, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and other life-threatening conditions.

Before Obama’s executive order, limits imposed in 2001 by President Bush blocked federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and restricted it to the use of existing lines. He twice vetoed congressional attempts to overturn the ban -- which many critics saw as an attempt to placate the most conservative segment of his supporters. By way of explanation, Bush said at the time, “It crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect.”

Obama dismissed that approach as offering “a false choice between sound science and moral values.” And support for his decision, while predictably enthusiastic among patient-advocate groups and research institutions, also comes from some less likely corners: A Boston Globe roundup of standpoints from assorted religious leaders lends credence to Obama’s that while at times demands of faith and science must strike a “difficult and delicate balance,” the two are “not inconsistent.”

But even setting aside criticism from those like Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner -- who says Obama has “rolled back important protections for innocent life” -- assorted other challenges to the success of the research remain. The Christian Science Monitor cites one market analyst who predicts the executive order will have little immediate effect on the industry, which is currently geared toward less controversial adult stem cell research.

Additional obstacles -- from the minefield of intellectual property law to the shortage of capital in tough economic times -- may further delay realization of the field’s much-lauded potential. On Wednesday, March 18, you can get the latest outlook for stem cell research from one of its leading advocates, Bernard Siegel of the Genetics Policy Institute. Join him for “Stem Cell Advocacy 2.0: The Role of the Stem Cell Consumer Movement in the Obama Era” at noon in the club office. (For more information, check Club web site.)

--By Alia Salim

Obama Names George Mitchell Special Mideast Envoy

Former Sen. George Mitchell was named President Obama's special envoy to the Middle East earlier today, as the new president moves quickly to make that region of the world a high priority of his administration's from day one.

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have both been criticized for taking on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict late in their terms in office, when even a full-court press often failed to produce results that could survive the entrenched security concerns of the participants. Obama's moves are a marked contrast. Yesterday, on his first full day in office, Obama called four Middle Eastern leaders.

Mitchell, who served as special envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process starting in 1995, will now take his considerable experience and contacts from a life in diplomacy, legislative bodies, and private business to his newest posting. You can get a sense of his approach to the world (and his theories about how America should engage the world) in his October 22, 2008, appearance at The Commonwealth Club, in which he and Club President/CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy discussed the U.S. role in the world [see video player above].

Can George Mitchell achieve in the Middle East what has eluded previous American peace efforts? What will challenge him the most? Post a comment and join the discussion!

Dr. Gloria Duffy blogs on Huffington Post

Commonwealth Club President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy's recent posting on this blog about the nomination of Leon Panetta to be CIA director is getting an even wider audience. Today's Huffington Post includes the article by Dr. Duffy. You can read it here.

Bill Richardson Steps Back from Commerce Role

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) withdrew his nomination as President-Elect Barack Obama's commerce secretary today, attributing it to a desire to avoid letting a corruption investigation interfere with the launch of the new administration.

The fact that the corruption charges were no out-of-the-blue occurrence did not go unnoticed by some.

Richardson, who spoke at The Commonwealth Club June 12, 2007, during his short-lived presidential campaign [listen to audio of his program or watch video], was reportedly "stunned" by the Obama camp's move to have him withdraw, according to CNN. Apparently, the ongoing farce occurring in Illinois state government, with the arrest and impending doom of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has made the incoming president's team quick to pull the trigger to do away with unwanted ethics problems.

Dr. Gloria Duffy to Discuss Obama's Transition on "Bay Area Vista," January 4

On KNTV/NBC Bay Area on January 4, 2009, at 10:00 a.m.:

Gloria Duffy, president and CEO of The Commonwealth Club, will be featured on the January 4 edition of "Bay Area Vista," airing at 10:00 a.m., on NBC Bay Area. Dr. Duffy, who served as U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense and special coordinator for cooperative threat during the Clinton administration, will offer her perspective on the choices made by President-Elect Obama in fulfilling his major cabinet positions. Tune in for an insider’s perspective on what to anticipate with the new administration and why she believes that President-Elect Obama inspires many throughout the nation.

This episode will also feature a panel discussion with James Taylor, Ph.D., USF professor of race and politics; Ron Takaki, Ph.D., UC-Berkeley professor of rthnic studies; and Dawn-Elissa Fischer, Ph.D., SFU professor of Africana studies. This show will also feature Pat Mitchell, Peter Ortiz and Catherine Ortiz, who are all involved with the educational program known as Silicon Valley Faces.

Anchored and produced by NBC Bay Area Community Relations Director Janice Edwards, "Bay Area Vista" began in November 2002 with the goal of covering the compelling personal stories of people who are making a difference in the Bay Area community.

Tom Vilsack to Head Agriculture

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack is reportedly President-Elect Barack Obama's pick to head the Department of Agriculture.

Vilsack (pictured above at his Feb. 13, 2007, speech to The Commonwealth Club of California) was, very briefly, a competitor of Obama's for the Democratic presidential nomination, but he withdrew early in the contest and threw his support behind New York's junior senator, Hillary Clinton. For those of you keeping score, that means Vilsack joins former candidates Clinton, Bill Richardson, and Joe Biden as Obama administration officials. Can Mike Gravel still get a position?

Dr. Gloria Duffy on KGO Radio's Ronn Owens Program Friday at 10 am

Commonwealth Club President and CEO -- and veteran of the Washington presidential transitions process -- Dr. Gloria C. Duffy will discuss the Obama transition during an appearance this Friday on the Ronn Owens show.

The live program will air this Friday, December 5, at 10 am Pacific time, on KGO Newstalk AM 810.

Owens has also had our next president as a guest on his program; listen to that audio.

Presidential Transitions

As President-Elect Barack Obama moves with unusual speed to select and present the cabinet for his incoming administration, a great deal of attention is being focused on his possible and actual choices.

Today, Obama presented his economic team to the country. In coming days, we expect to hear about his foreign and domestic policy teams. Clues about the team and its goals can be found at the transition team's web site.

To provide some perspective on transitions past and present, we present Commonwealth Club President and CEO Dr. Gloria C. Duffy's most recent "InSight" column from The Commonwealth magazine. The column, called "Transitions," explains why a slow transition can present a danger to the nation. For a full-sized image of the column, click on the picture to the right of this posting.

The Global Election?

The front cover of the new issue of the British libertarian news magazine, The Economist, features a stark shot of Barack Obama under the words, "It's time." Inside is an endorsement.

It's only the latest in an avalanche of endorsements of both major candidates; it is, after all, the waning days of the seemingly never-ending presidential election. But this election and the endorsements reflect something new, in terms of a global interest in the U.S. presidential election that experts say is far higher than normal levels of interest.

Our friends over at CBS 5 have posted an interesting new report on this global election, and it's worth checking out. Columinist Frank Viviano (photo above) writes about this extraordinary interest, and notes that international polls "confirm an astounding level of overseas support – exceeding 70 percent in most nations – invested in Barack Obama, crossing all lines of race, ethnicity, history, religion and ideology."

Read more here.

Commonwealth Club members recently got a taste of international opinion about the United States when Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, spoke at The Club. Despite all of the talk lately about how America's reputation has suffered in the world, he found that majorities in every country surveyed did not see the United States as an enemy and did not expect a confrontation with it.

Will Americans agree with the international verdict in this election or will they go their own way? Find out on Tuesday ...

Meg Whitman: Could She Save the Finance System?

Reacting to the ongoing struggle between Wall Street, Main Street, and the federal government, Republican presidential candidate John McCain recently mentioned that he would consider appointing investor extraordinaire Warren Buffett and former eBay president Meg Whitman to senior financial posts in his administration, if he is elected.

Whitman spoke to The Commonwealth Club on September 23, 2008, and in the video above you can get a sense of what her priorities and approaches might be if she were to be appointed Treasury secretary or some other economic post.

A side note, to all voters who watched last night's vice presidential debate in St. Louis between Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and Democratic Sen. Joe Biden: Meg Whitman was on McCain's short list for vice presidential candidates. How would she have performed in the debate if she had been chosen? Only she knows, but you can get an idea from her speech in the above video.

Whitman's speech was part of Orrick's A-ha Speaker Series at The Commonwealth Club, generously underwritten by Orrick.

Ralph Nader: Obama Banned Me from Debates

Just two days before Republican Sarah Palin squares off against Democrat Joe Biden -- and only days after the tops of the tickets had their own debate -- five-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader spoke to The Commonwealth Club of California's Inforum about his own exclusion from the presidential debates.

Nader blamed Sen. Barack Obama for excluding him from the debates, saying that the Illinois senator refused to participate in the debates if Nader was present. Though Nader has a negligible presence in the presidential polls, he warned that the failure to include him in the debates was a significant reason why the issues Nader champions are not being exposed to the voting public.