Albright stumps for Obama

She left the room the same way she entered it – to thunderous applause.

Barack Obama supporters turned out in droves to listen to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright speak in the Indiana Memorial Union Alumni Hall on Friday.

The room, filled to capacity with only standing room available, hung on Albright’s every word as she outlined what challenges face the 44th president of the United States.

“I’ve never seen the world in such a mess,” Albright said. “That’s a diplomatic term.”
Though Albright did not define or expand on Obama’s policies, she frequently professed why she believes he is the better candidate.

Throughout the speech, Albright continued to stress the importance of the Hoosier vote in the election. With 11 electoral votes at stake, Albright confidently said there is a strong chance the fate of the election will come down to Indiana.

“There’s a lot of movement here,” Albright said during an interview. “The people of Indiana, the Hoosiers, are really seeing that things are not as they want them to be. People are smart. I think hard-working Americans should never be underestimated. They look at the fact that John McCain is just more of the same and they have a very big choice at the moment. They’re listening.”

At the same time, Albright made her views clear on Republican nominee John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Without naming Palin specifically, Albright still took her shots saying, “The job of president in the 21st century is very hard, and you need somebody as your partner that has wisdom and judgment.”

On the other hand, she said, Obama made a strong selection in Sen. Joe Biden because of his experience and strong track record.

An expert on foreign policy, Albright spent a substantial portion of her speech discussing what difficulties lay ahead.

The next president needs to discover a new way to fight terrorism, restore the name of democracy and manage globalization issues, she said.

But Albright especially made a point on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Listing the ongoing problems in Iraq, Albright went so far as to say the American people will look back at the war as exponentially worse than Vietnam.

“I think it is that Iraq will go down in history as the greatest disaster in American foreign policy,” Albright said.

Albright spoke right to the point most of the afternoon, and her speech struck a chord with her audience.

“The way she communicates,” said senior Bryce Wininger, “it’s not so simplistic that you can’t really take it seriously but it’s also not terribly complex and out of touch with the audience. It’s really nice to know that someone with a decent head on their shoulders is out there having the right conversations and that we’re not completely in the hands of the current administration.”

Senior Libby Hill said she was motivated to vote in the election before the speech but said she thinks Albright “really resonates with the people here.”

Freshman Janna Fuller also expressed her passion and said the speech made her realize she has to be a more ardent supporter of Obama.

The enthusiasm for Obama was overwhelming at the IMU. Students for Barack Obama had applications on hand to make everyone at the speech eligible to vote. Chants of “Yes we can” reigned supreme before Albright took the stage of the packed room.

“We advertised like no other,” said Faz Mahmud, a member of the executive board for IU Students for Barack Obama. “We made sure IU knew about it.”