By Sheri McWhirter
CNHI News Service
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- President Barack Obama has a "heavy agenda" both inside the United States and abroad, said a veteran reporter who for decades covered and commented on top national stories.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post political correspondent David Broder will be in Michigan Thursday to discuss U.S. foreign policy under Obama's administration.
"I'll make the point that in the first three, four, five months of his presidency, public opinion and public agenda was focused on the economy and that bumped issues back on the foreign policy side," Broder said.
But there are significant issues between the United States and the rest of the world that can't long be ignored, he said. There's the question of defensive missles in Eastern Europe that are opposed by Russia, plus tariffs on Chinese imports balked at by that nation.
And not the least of concerns: wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the most prominent foreign policy cliffhanger, Broder said.
"The No. 1 topic will be what in the hell are we going to do about Iran?" he said.
Broder, 80, writes a regular column about American political life, carried globally by more than 300 newspapers.
Broder has been described as the most influential political journalist in the country.
Among those excited to hear Broder speak is John Zachman, who teaches political science at Northwestern Michigan College. Broder's history of political reporting can benefit today's students, Zachman said.
"He's a very thoughtful political commentator," he said. "He really knows his stuff and backs up his positions with data. He's a model for how to approach political analysis and political problem-solving for students."
Sheri McWhirter writes for The Record-Eagle in Traverse City, Mich.
