[CLICK FOR THE AUDIO VERSION OF THIS INTRODUCTION: (Nov182005.mp3--00:01:14)]
This is News-Geek.com with a digital audio update:
Senator John McCain (R-Ariz) began his two-day stint and the University of Mississippi yesterday with a press conference for less than ten journalists from across the region. As you can hear in the audio file linked below, the conference was brief, yet informative.
Speaking at the beginning of the recording is Senator Trent Lott (R-Miss), who provided his own insights on issues brought up during the conference.
As you will hear, the first question is a strong one–it points to that morning’s newspaper reports of democrat and Pennsylvania Representative Jack Murtha’s call for Congress, the military and President Bush to bring United States troops home from Iraq.
McCain says both he and Lott, “respectfully disagree” with Murtha’s demands, and then goes on to explain why it is unfeasible to bring the troops home so soon.
Both McCain and Lott then go on to answer other questions on topics such as the high stakes war on terror, as well as on Bush’s nomination of conservative judge Sam Alito for the United States Supreme Court.
McCain ends the conference with a discussion of blogs, as well as one of his favorite topics–internet fundraising.
And in sports news, News-Geek’s sympathies go out to Senators Lott and McCain, as it looks as though Ole Miss football has seen yet another defeat this season. Thanks a lot, LSU.
[CLICK FOR THE PRESS CONFERENCE: (Nov182005pressc.mp3--00:14:48)]
John McCain is the man to watch in 2005 and beyond. While he never admitted to a possible presidential bid for 2008, he more importantly did not deny the possibility that he might run. A moderate who calls himself a republican, McCain is beloved by many on the right, the left and in between as a statesman and leader.
His record on most issues is mixed. For example, while he did not support same-sex marriages in 2000, he did say that he would be comfortable with a homosexual president in office. Likewise, while he did not support the Kyoto Accord on international emissions standards, he also voted no on drilling at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and in Alaska. Moreover, he voted yes on developing 100,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles by 2010, and 2.5 million of these by 2020 (Bill S.14; vote number 2003-212 on June 10th, 2003).
A republican with the political blood of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt coursing through his veins, McCain is unafraid of working against party lines, as could also be seen last year when he was one of 58 senators to sign a letter to President Bush, urging him to work with Congress and researchers in the realm of embryonic stem cell research. The letter requested that all 78 lines be made available to researchers, as they only have 19 to work with right now. All 19 are contaminated with mouse feeder cells (Letter to the President 04-SEN8, June 4th 2004).
Soon after this press conference, Sen. McCain, along with Sen. Lott and Chancellor Robert Khayat, made the short journey to the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, also on the University of Mississippi campus. During this time, he delved further into the war in Iraq, as well as a number of other topics (as can be seen here and here).
I had planned initially to bring you, my dear reader(s), recordings of both this conference and Sen. McCain’s address to the public, which followed directly.
However, before I explain what happened, let me share with you a brief morality tale on the pros and cons of technology.
Unfortunately, while the digital age has been a godsend in terms of saving time and bringing the public at large information through multiple media, such technological advancements do come at a cost.
That is, while a man who uses a ballpoint to write his Pulitzer-worthy masterpiece has no reason to panic when his pen runs out of ink upon his work’s completion, even the most prideful of today’s tech-savvy journalists have the all-too-real fear of data loss lingering in the backs of their minds.
Hardly a pride-filled reporter, myself, this fear is a constant for me. But, hey–technical accidents happen. My much beloved iRiver H320 lost a bit of data last night thanks to a power issue. Lost in transit were my recordings of Sen. McCain’s main speech and, more regrettably (as I have no backups for this) a set of interviews I’d recorded for News-Geek.
Keep an eye out for Sen. McCain’s address to the public at the University of Mississippi, as I should soon be able to obtain a backup copy of his speech (and the question and answer session that followed thereafter). Thank goodness for fallback plans.
Rima Chaddha Mycynek is a writer, reporter, editor, photographer, videographer, former talk show host, and all-around journalism nerd. She currently teaches multimedia journalism at Boston University. [
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