April 16, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D., Ind.), who served as vice chairman of the
9/11 Commission, told the recent Constitution Center gathering that
television producers regularly tell him they can't book him because his
views are too nuanced or moderate. Combat makes better television than
discussion does," writes David Eisner in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Eisner, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, recaps a March 26 event in Philadelphia in which Hamilton, a 1952 graduate of DePauw University, joined with other leaders to discuss civility in America.
The "deterioration of our political dialogue," as seen in the ongoing debate over the federal budget, has occurred over time, Eisner writes. But he sees "glimmers of hope. Citizens in nine countries, including Pakistan,
Kuwait, India, Croatia, and Poland, tuned in 
to the recent forum on
civility. The same week, Obama and former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill
Clinton, and George W. Bush honored George H.W. Bush's legacy of
service at a Kennedy Center tribute. To a standing ovation, Clinton
said his relationship with the elder Bush reminded him 'all over again
how much energy we waste fighting with each other over things that
don't matter.'" (at right: Hamilton, seated with his wife Nancy (Nelson) Hamilton '52, talks with political science students at DePauw last month)
His editorial concludes, "The media tend to diminish the friendship that's
grown between Presidents Clinton and Bush as a nice little side story.
But wouldn't it be interesting if it were actually big news? It could
be regarded as the beginning of a new way for political adversaries to
talk, compromise, and ultimately solve important problems together -- much as our founders created the road map for a democracy that welcomes
the many voices of its people." 
Access the complete essay at the newspaper's website.
Lee H. Hamilton is a Democrat who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and co-chaired the 9/11 Commission and Iraq Study Group. He is currently director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University.
On March 15 he returned to DePauw to address "The U.S. Role in the World After Afghanistan and Iraq" in a Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture. A summary including video clips can be accessed here.
Thursday, Hamilton spoke at Indiana's Manchester College and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. The event was covered by Fort Wayne ABC affiliate WPTA and was previewed in this report.