By Samuel Rubenfeld
Before students returned to campus for the Spring 2008 semester, the University hosted a forum by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) for the presidential campaigns to present their positions on issues concerning civil liberties.
The member audience heard from aides to Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and John Edwards (D-N.C.), and from Reps. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) and Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).
The Paul campaign was the only Republican one to even respond to requests for an appearance, said Tara Keenan-Thompson, the executive director for the Nassau Chapter of the NYCLU.
Audience members asked questions, and the aides responded by quoting their candidates’ plans to address the issue. Questions asked included concerns about warrantless wiretapping, monetary policy, the Iraq war, Guantanamo Bay prison, gun control and other major issues.
When asked about how the candidates would handle the classification of government records, a small back-and-forth clash ensued between the aides to Obama and Edwards who went after Clinton for having taken too long to release documents from her time as First Lady.
Keenan-Thompson was somewhat satisfied with the performance of the aides. “I think they answered truthfully,” she said. “Did I agree with everything that was said? Certainly not.”