As a White House aide under former President George W. Bush, McMarlin witnessed the direct aftermath of 9/11. He underscored the sense of catastrophe felt throughout the United States and the world, stating that “the planes crashed, not into buildings, but into our collective consciousness.”

McMarlin recounted multiple critical decisions made in the days that followed the crisis, culminating with Bush standing atop a pile of rubble in New York City, megaphone in hand, delivering what McMarlin considers to be one of the defining speeches of the Bush presidency. During that speech, a man interrupted and said he could not hear. Bush responded: 鈥淚 can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people 鈥� and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!鈥�

McMarlin stressed the importance of elected officials鈥� personal character. We need leaders who are 鈥渨illing to take the hard hits, and not worry about the electoral results,鈥� he said. While comparing controversial election outcomes, such as the Nixon-Kennedy competition in 1960 and the Bush-Gore race in 2000, McMarlin emphasized the differences in personal character that come to define peoples鈥� perceptions of the candidates, inside and outside the U.S.聽

Globalization is one force, he said, that has not only morphed the types of crises that affect the United States and its leaders, but also the nature of the response. Referencing former U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill’s quote, “All politics is local,” McMarlin quipped that in today鈥檚 world, “all politics is social,” emphasizing the growing effects of social media on the political landscape.

When asked his opinion on the Bush administration’s involvement in Iraq, McMarlin stated that the actions were rooted strongly in values and morals. 鈥淲hether the decision was right or wrong,鈥� he said, 鈥渢he former president truly believed in his actions.鈥�

Jason Recher, another political strategist and past White House insider who had planned to join McMarlin at 麻豆原创, had to cancel because of recent storm flooding in New Orleans.聽

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners of the program included 麻豆原创 College Republicans, the 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, the 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, 麻豆原创 LIFE, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, the 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2013 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center and the Global Connections Foundation.

McMarlin and Recher will give a presentation entitled “In the Face of Crisis: Lessons for Political Leaders” at 3 p.m. in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the Student Union. The event, organized by the 麻豆原创 Global Perspectives Office, is part of the 2012-2013 theme of “The Changing Face of Freedom in Today鈥檚 Turbulent Times.” It is free and open to the public.

McMarlin and Recher have served as advisors to many of the nation’s most prominent officials, including President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain and Sarah Palin. Together, the two operate NorthStar Strategies, LLC, where they work to create major media and political strategy campaigns, implement national best-selling tours and perform other functions.聽聽

In 2008, Recher was named a senior advisor to then-Gov. Palin of Alaska and took a leave of absence from the White House to join the McCain for President Campaign. McMarlin also served as a senior advisor to the former governor and SarahPAC during the 2010 mid-term elections.

Together, Recher and McMarlin were responsible for the public rollout for the two top-selling nonfiction books for 2009 and 2010: Going Rogue: An American Life, by Palin, and Decision Points, by Bush. Both books reached the top three on the New York Times Bestseller List.

In addition to the Global Perspectives Office, sponsors and partners include 麻豆原创 College Republicans, 麻豆原创 Diplomacy Program, 麻豆原创 Political Science Department, 麻豆原创 LIFE, Lawrence J. Chastang and the Chastang Foundation, 麻豆原创 Book Festival 2013 in association with the Morgridge International Reading Center and the Global Connections Foundation.

For further information contact the Global Perspectives office at 407-823-0688, or聽, or visit their website at聽.

The presentations are part of the office鈥檚 mission to sharpen 麻豆原创鈥檚 international focus. Global Perspectives recently celebrated 10 years of advancing global initiatives at the university and is entering its second decade with a robust programming schedule.

Each event connects to the office鈥檚 annual theme for 2012-2013, 鈥淭he Changing Face of Freedom in Today鈥檚 Turbulent Times.鈥� The theme is a natural development from last year鈥檚: 鈥淧eople Power, Politics and Global Change.鈥�

Kicking off the season are two speakers who soften serious observations about political crises with a bit of humor. Doug McMarlin and Jason Recher will share their experiences as conservative political strategists and former White House aides. Drawing from their inside look at how the White House handles national and global crises, the duo will discuss lessons for political leaders.

The event will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 聽4, in the Cape Florida Ballroom of the 麻豆原创 Student Union.

This semester鈥檚 other highlights, which are free and open to the public, include:

For a full list of upcoming events or to learn more about the Global Perspectives Office, visit .