Senator Paul Sarbanes '54 (D-Md.) spoke about the importance of civil discourse and the open exchange of ideas to a democratic society at a banquet Friday.
Speaking to members of Whig-Clio, the senator, a former Wilson School major, praised Whig-Clio for its dedication to these principles.
Currently serving a fifth term, he is Maryland's longest-serving senator; he plans to retire this year. He is noted for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, designed to restore confidence in the markets after the Enron failure of 2001.
Sarbanes addressed several political positions in his speech. The senator expressed the importance of multilateral approaches and organizations to U.S. foreign policy and criticized the controversial nomination of John Bolton, an outspoken critic of the United Nations, to represent the United States at that organization.
Sarbanes was vocal in criticizing President Bush, saying, "I don't see [the Bush administration] as a conservative administration ... I see this as a radical administration. There's not a lot of governance. There's a lot of photo opportunity, but not a lot of governance."
His disagreement with many of these policies was evident in his speech, in which he addressed his sense of the failure of the Bush administration's foreign policy and the dangers of the currently proposed Social Security reforms.
But Sarbanes expressed respect for President Tilghman, saying, "I am a great admirer of our president — our University president."
Sarbanes held a lengthy question-and-answer session after speaking, during which some students lauded his positions while others criticized them.
At times, the discussion became quite tense. Several students attacked the Senator's support for farm subsidies at the expense, they asserted, of the economic health of developing nations.
In a private interview after his remarks, Sarbanes spoke of the effect Princeton had on his life. "Princeton had a powerful influence on me. I came from a small high school in a small town ... Princeton for me was a transforming experience."
The event was organized by Whig-Clio. "We were very happy to get [Senator] Sarbanes," said Jonathan Elist '07, director of speakers of Whig-Clio. "He's probably one of the best alumni out there in government. It's really great to have him."
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