U.Va. Center for Politics to Host Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham

September 4, 2009 — The University of Virginia's Center for Politics will host a discussion with former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), an expert in counterterrorism and intelligence and author of a new book "America, The Owner's Manual: Making Government Work for You."

Graham will speak Thursday at 6 p.m. in Jefferson Hall (Hotel C) on the West Range. The event is free and open to the public.

Graham, who will speak on the eve of the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 2001-02. Among his signature legislative achievements was co-sponsoring the bill that created the position of director of national intelligence.

Since 9/11, he has been a vocal advocate for reform within the intelligence community, writing "Intelligence Matters" in 2004, which provides a revealing look at the intelligence failures leading to 9/11.

In "America, The Owner's Manual," Graham tackles civic engagement with a novel hands-on approach, encouraging citizens to get involved in politics and their government. The book goes beyond the typical theoretical treatment of politics, imploring students to take on the issues that are important to them, with "America, The Owner's Manual" serving as a roadmap to guide them along the way.

Graham was governor of Florida for two terms before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, where he served for 18 years. In 2003, he launched an unsuccessful campaign for president, before becoming one of the top candidates for the Democratic vice presidential nomination.

Since retiring from public service in 2005, Graham has taught at Harvard University and now chairs the board of the University of Florida's Graham Center for Public Service.

About the University of Virginia's Center for Politics


Founded in 1998 by political analyst and politics professor Larry J. Sabato, the University of Virginia Center for Politics is a non-partisan institute that seeks to promote the value of politics, improve civics education and increase civic participation through comprehensive research, pragmatic analysis and innovative educational programs.

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