Campaign 2008: Is it Time for Issues?

The political conventions are still to come, but with Barack Obama now the presumptive nominee of the Democrats and John McCain the standard bearer for the Republicans, emphasis is beginning to shift toward the issues at stake in the general election.

With that in mind, it's worth taking another look at CNN commentator and former Clinton administration adviser Paul Begala's comments at the most recent public policy breakfast co-sponsored by Public Agenda and Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Beyond the tactics of the campaign, Begala zeroed in on the candidates' positions on the looming fiscal crisis and the importance of moving energy independence and security to a higher spot on the national agenda. You can click here to see the video of Begala's remarks. And for more on the budget crisis and the debate on what to do about it, check out these books by Public Agenda staffers: Forgive Us Our Debts: The Intergenerational Dangers of Fiscal Irrresponsibility by Andrew L. Yarrow, and Where Does The Money Go? Your Guided Tour to the Federal Budget Crisis by Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson.