Richard Goodwin, former speechwriter for presidential candidates McCarthy and Kennedy, urged students last night to take the political course in changing society. "To me, it's the only realistic one--the only one that has any chance of succeeding," he said.

Speaking before a crowd of 150 in Kirkland House, Goodwin recommended that liberals form an ideological basis for the political future. "The trouble is that all the intellectual ideas are coming out of the far right or the New Left and not the traditional sources of power," he said.

Political Priorities

High on the list of political priorities, according to Goodwin, are the decentralization of power and formulation of a foreign policy. He said that institutions have become more rigid, people have lost a sense of their own value, and, more than ever, people have lost their freedom of choice.

As to foreign policy, Goodwin said that America has none except the "containment of Russia and China, and the survival of Israel." He added that Americans need something to look to larger than themselves and that this could be provided by their finding a role in the world.

Problems Met Easily

Goodwin was optimistic about the possibilities for political change in America. He said that the people respond to ideological and personal leadership. "The feeling is in the country; the job now is one of organization," he added.

Goodwin said that the immediate problems of race and war could be met rather easily, adding "The solution is essentially using money with good sense."