Hobart and William Smith Colleges

20 November 2009 Presidents Forum Presents Paul Begala

Paul Begala, political consultant and commentator for CNN and former adviser to President Bill Clinton, will join the 2009 Presidents Forum Series, rounding out the fall lineup, which included Dr. Cornel West and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend.

On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the Democratic strategist and political contributor will give a lecture, titled American Politics: Too Important to be Left to the Politicians, at 7:30 p.m. in Albright Auditorium.

Appearing frequently on CNNs The Situation Room and formerly co-host of Crossfire, Begala entered the national political scene after the consulting firm he and fellow Democratic strategist James Carville started, Carville & Begala, helped Bill Clinton win the presidential election in 1992. Serving in the Clinton administration as counselor to the president, he was a close adviser to Clinton and helped define and defend the administrations agenda, serving as a principal public spokesman.

After leaving the Clinton administration, Begala joined Georgetown University as a research professor of government and public policy. In 2007, he served as Carl E. Sanders Political Leadership Scholar at the University of Georgia School of Law. He is currently an affiliated professor of public policy at Georgetown Universitys Public Policy Institute. Begala is not a paid political consultant for any politicians or candidates for office.

Carville & Begalas other well-known electoral successes include the 1986 gubernatorial victory of Bob Casey Sr., in Pennsylvania; the 1991 Senate victory of Harris Wofford, also in Pennsylvania; the 1990 gubernatorial victory of Georgias Zell Miller; and the 1998 re-election of Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey. In 2006, he served as a senior strategist for the U.S. Senate campaign of Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) who defeated Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.).

Begala is the author of several best-selling books, including Is Our Children Learning?: The Case Against George W. Bush, and Its Still the Economy, Stupid. He also co-authored the best-seller Buck Up, Suck Up and Come Back When You Foul Up with Carville, as well as Take it Back: Our Party, Our Country, Our Future. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Third Term: Why George W. Bush Loves John McCain. Begala helped John F. Kennedy Jr. launch George magazine, where he served as a contributing editor and wrote the Capital Hillbilly column. He has also written articles and opinion pieces for numerous other publications.

Begala earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Texas, where he taught before his work at the White House.

The Presidents Forum Series, established in the winter of 2000 by President Mark D. Gearan, is designed to bring a variety of speakers to campus to share their knowledge and ideas with students, faculty, staff of the Colleges, as well as with interested community members. Presidents Forum events are open the public; all are encouraged to attend.