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AU in the News

Showcasing AU programs, professors, students and alumni in the news
Week of May 10 - 16

Fighting For First Dibs
After President Bush issued an order to give the White House more authority over rules on health and safety issues, a heated battle began between the Bush administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress over control of writing the rules, the Washington Post reports. “This strikes me as an inter-branch conflict,” said Cornelius Kerwin, president of American University and an expert on the regulatory process. “If it doesn't appear the intent is management but policy direction, then that's where the struggle ensues.” (5/11/08)

West Virginia Doesn’t Count?
Although Sen. Hillary Clinton won by a decisive margin in West Virginia, it does not carry much weight toward the Democratic nomination, reports Bloomberg News. “Obama has the nomination,'' said James Thurber, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University in Washington. The only way he could falter is if ``he completely loses his message discipline or an unanticipated scandal occurs.'' (5/14/08)

The Reagan Influence
The appeals court judges appointed by President Reagan in the 1980s--known for upholding of the Second Amendment and ruling against affirmative action--represent a president's power in shaping the law. Their influence is evident in today’s presidential race, according USA Today. American University law professor Herman Schwartz, who has done extensive research on Reagan's judges, said that with Reagan's sophisticated selection process, many good candidates were rejected due to their conflicting ideals. (5/12/08)

An Unconventional Running Mate
Should Sen. Barack Obama become the Democratic nominee, it would be in his favor to choose someone non-conventional as a running mate such as Sen. Hillary Clinton, wrote AU professor Allan Lichtman in an opinion piece for the Gazette newspaper in Maryland. “Likewise, if Clinton should pull off an improbable upset and gain the nomination, she should choose Obama as her running mate,” he wrote. “A ticket that includes both Obama and Clinton would help sustain this momentum and likely produce a record Democratic turnout in November.” (5/9/08)

Soft on Crime?
The Republicans are preparing their defense against Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race by targeting his perceived weaknesses, including a few of his positions during his tenure in the Illinois State legislature. Strategists are currently attacking Obama's stance on the decriminalization of marijuana and opposition of a death penalty extension for gang members, reports the Waterbury Republican-American. “They're trying to use the old Republican trick of law and order and crime as code words for race,” said Leonard Steinhorn, a political communications expert at American University in Washington. “If it's going to succeed with any cohort it's the cohort of older Americans because they're the ones who have the most outdated racial attitudes.” (5/15/08)

AU in the News Archives