Pundits and Politicians Take the Stage

A number of high-profile speakers presented at the Institute’s spring council meeting prior to council members’ visits to the Hill. Karl Rove, deputy chief of staff and senior adviser to President Bush; Terry McAuliffe, former chair of the Democratic National Committee and chair of the Hillary Clinton for President Exploratory Committee; Ed Gillespie, former chair of the Republican National Committee and founder and co-chair of Quinn Gillespie & Associates; Paul Begala, CNN political analyst and former aide to President Clinton; George F. Will, columnist for The Washington Post and Newsweek; Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D.; Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif.; Rep. Jim McCrery, R-La.; and Erik Peterson, senior vice president at CSIS and director of the Global Strategy Institute.