Representative Lee Hamilton visited campus tonight and gave the inaugural Lamar Conerly Honors Lecture Series. The event was held in the recently renovated Lee Hall Auditorium.

Hamilton, former US House of Representatives member from Indiana, and co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group and vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission delivered an excellent talk entitled “A Balanced View of American Power”. He made some interesting points about the use of American power in the world and said the goals of the Bush Administration were appropriate. I can’t say he agreed with the methods employed in Iraq however.

One point he made is that the US should intervene at he appropriate time but he did not say what time was the appropriate time. Before the 9/11 the World Trade Towers had been attacked twice, we had the bombing in Beirut, we had the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, and others. In retrospect it is easy to see the connections but the problem was seeing them at the time. Was the appropriate time after the first attack on the WTC or after the USS Cole? It is a tough question but it is also an important question.

At the reception following I was able to get both my 9/11 Commission Report and my Iraq Study Group books signed.

I also have to admit that the questions asked by our students were also excellent. This was a great experience and I only wish more students could have been there to hear what was said.