KU News Release

Political writer to take part in question and answer session at Dole Institute

Charlie Cook

LAWRENCE — The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas will host Charlie Cook, publisher of “The Cook Political Report,” for an evening of conversation and questions. The event is part of the institute’s Presidential Lecture Series.

Cook will speak at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21. The program is free and open to the public.

“Charlie Cook stands among the most respected and influential political analysts in the country,” said Bill Lacy, director of the Dole Institute. “ ‘The Cook Political Report’ is equally well-regarded and read by both Republicans and Democrats, and Charlie’s insights are sought out by the major television and radio networks, newspapers and news magazines.”

The program, titled “An Evening with Charlie Cook: Handicapping the 2008 Presidential Campaign,” is entirely question and answer, said Lacy.

“This format has been very popular, where we start with questions from a moderator and then move to Q and A from the audience,” said Lacy. “As a result, our speakers don’t have to feel they need to give a prepared speech, and the audience gets to sit in on a highly informative but relaxed conversation.”

In addition to publishing “The Cook Political Report,” Cook writes weekly for National Journal magazine and CongressDailyAM. He also writes a regular column for the Washington Quarterly and is a political analyst for NBC News. Before joining the National Journal Group in 1998, he wrote for 12 years a twice-weekly column in Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill. He has was an election night analyst for CBS in 1990 and 1992, and for NBC since 1994.

Cook is the third of four programs in the Dole Institute’s annual Presidential Lecture Series, which will conclude Feb. 28 with a program titled “Winning the Nomination.” It will feature national Republican political strategist Tom Rath, Democratic political strategist Jonathan Epstein and David Yepsen, veteran political reporter for the Des Moines Register, who will discuss the 2008 presidential campaigns in their earliest stages.

For more information, visit the Dole Institute Web site or call (785) 864-4900. The Dole Institute also has an online blog.

The Dole Institute is dedicated to the mission of promoting civic involvement, public service and politics. It is located on KU’s west campus, next to the Lied Center.

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