Politicians prepare for panel discussion

Politicians prepare for panel discussion

By Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
Mon January 7, 2008

NORMAN — Today's panel discussion featuring several prominent national figures is aimed to get presidential candidates to focus on issues important to the country and is not intended to be a launching pad for a third party, although one of the participants is a possible independent candidate, one of the event's key organizers said Sunday night.

"I don't think this meeting has anything to do with that,” former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., said of a possible candidate. "It's not impossible, but that's not what this meeting's all about.”

All 17 invited participants — including organizers Nunn and University of Oklahoma President David Boren — were scheduled to attend, said Blake Rambo, Boren's press secretary and special assistant, on Sunday.

About 1,000 are expected to show up for the event, scheduled for 11 a.m. today at the Catlett Music Center on the OU campus, he said.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been mentioned as a possible independent candidate for president, was among the participants who arrived Sunday evening for dinner at the Boyd House, the residence of the OU president. He and several others were scheduled to spend the night at Boren's residence.

Each participant is contributing to the cost of holding the event, Rambo said. Boren, not OU, is paying his share, Rambo said.

The event — sandwiched between last week's Iowa caucuses and Tuesday night's New Hampshire primary — is intended to fuel discussion to challenge presidential candidates to focus on serious issues. Oklahoma holds its presidential primary Feb. 5.

Today's discussion is expected to include ways to end divisive partisan polarization, create bipartisanship and to end the gridlock that has gripped Washington.

The discussion could add to the strong message sent by Iowa voters last week. The two candidates who most talked about change and idealism — U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Republican contender Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas — came out as victors.

The panel discussion, which will conclude with a news conference, is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Catlett Music Center on the southwest corner of Boyd Street and Elm Avenue.

The event is open to the public. Ticketing or advance reservations are not required.

Boren said earlier the session's intent is to also send a message to Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to talk about substantial issues or risk the possibility of an independent candidate entering the race.

Those issues, according to Boren and Nunn, include the nation's fiscal challenges, education, energy, the environment and national security.

Others planning to attend include former U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, D-Va.; Bill Brock, former Republican Party chairman and former Tennessee U.S. senator; former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa; and former Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart, who also served in the U.S. Senate.

Former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., and U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who had considered a 2008 Republican presidential bid, also were seen arriving Sunday night.

Two participants were added late Friday: former Texas Gov. Mark White, a Democrat, and Angus King, an independent former governor of Maine.