Fmr. Clinton aide set to speak on campus

George Stephanopoulos, now a political analyst for ABC, will come to Penn on March 28 as Connaissance's spring speaker. White House aide-turned-TV pundit George Stephanopoulos will speak at Penn this month just days before the Pennsylvania presidential primaries, Connaissance announced yesterday. Scheduled to talk to the Penn community about his career and the state of American politics, Stephanopoulos will deliver an address entitled "Politics: The Art of the Impossible -- A View From Washington," March 28 at 7 p.m. in Irvine Auditorium. "The big draw of Stephanopoulos this year is that this year is an election year," said Connaissance Co-director Nishchay Maskay, a College junior. "With the Pennsylvania presidential primaries coming up just one week later, I believe his speech with have some bearing on the Republican side as well," Connaissance co-director Theo LeCompte added. Stephanopoulos worked as deputy campaign manager for President Clinton's first presidential campaign in 1992 and acted as senior advisor for policy and strategy during the Clinton administration. He left the White House in 1996 for a career as a political pundit. Since leaving politics, Stephanopoulos has been a critic of the president, especially on his conduct during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Currently on the faculty of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, Stephanopoulos also acts as an analyst for ABC News. He has also written a book about his years with Clinton. Connaissance, which hosts two speakers each academic year, usually chooses one politically based guest and one from a different field. Past guests have included author Gloria Steinem, talk show host Conan O'Brien and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. This year is an exception to that standard, however. After hosting former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the fall, the group chose to invite yet another political figure in light of the upcoming elections. "They are different enough political figures that it provides a good mix," Maskay said. Students reactions to Stephanopoulos' impending visit were generally positive. "It is more interesting to hear a political figure speak than a comedian or actor," College senior Josh Karetny said. "They generally have more important things to say." And Patrick Ruffini, a College senior, said, "Penn is very good at getting a lot of world leaders and not as many people from the American political scene." Tickets for the event are $3 each and available only to PennCard holders. There is a limit of two tickets per PennCard. They will be for sale on Locust Walk Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23.

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