Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig visited the College of William and Mary on Wednesday to speak in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Hosted by the College Young Democrats, the lecture gave all students the opportunity to learn more about the campaign and the upcoming election.
In addition to serving as Navy secretary, Danzig has taught law at Stanford and Harvard Universities and has worked in the office of the Secretary of Defense.
An advisor to Obama on foreign policy issues, Danzig was introduced by retired Air Force General John Douglass, who has known Danzig as a boss, colleague and friend.
“The secretary is a unique person, with a very, very keen intellect,” Douglass said.
Danzig began by discussing his personal reasons for endorsing Obama. He believes Obama has sound character and strong reasoning abilities, both which have been continually tried and validated throughout his experience in the Senate.
Danzig also focused on Obama’s qualifications on a larger scale. For the most part, he said, these lie in the unifying force Obama encompasses.
“Senator Obama has the ability to bring us together,” Danzig said. “This is a result of his philosophy. There are no red states, there are no blue states; there are just the United States.”
He stressed how relevant this was to students here at the College.
“Obama is really bringing this election home to Virginia,” he said. “Even though this state has been historically republican, he has continually campaigned here.”
Although Danzig did not speak about specific national security issues, he did present arguments in favor of the Democratic nominee’s policies.
“Senator Obama believes that we share a basic humanity,” Danzig said. “We need to work together to produce a better world. [Obama] is trying to engage people, because we will not succeed as a nation if everyone just takes care of themselves.”
Danzig urged voters not to disregard national security issues as the current economic crisis is weighing heavily on their minds.
“In previous elections, and even earlier in this campaign, people voted based on national security, but now everyone’s personal economic futures are at stake,” Danzig said. “I find it remarkable how the second reason brings more people out.”
