The standing-room-only forum was packed with many enthusiastic Kerry partisans, and was ringed with cameras, flat panel screens and production crew members who bustled through the crowd during the taping.

As the eager crowd waited for Kerry to appear, Director of the Institute of Politics Dan R. Glickman introduced the senator—and a “Hardball” stage manager told the audience how to behave on camera.

She told them to give Matthews a “rock-star walk-on” and advised them not to chew gum in case the camera zoomed in on them.

In the minutes leading up to the show, Matthews quizzed audience members on political trivia, at times stumping them.

“Are we at Parsons College or where the hell are we?” he asked. “This is a bleak night for the Crimson—you’ve established your regularness tonight.”

Kerry, who spoke with students in the Kirkland Junior Common Room before his “Hardball” taping (see story, front page), entered to Matthews’ accidental introduction of Kerry as “Senator John Kennedy.”

Taking a Stand

For the bulk of the interview, Kerry criticized the war on Iraq, arguing that war should only be a “last resort.”

He said Bush failed to pursue diplomatic avenues that might have led to a multilateral solution, but also that it is important for the U.S. to be tough on Iraq and monitor its weapons of mass destruction.

“The president of the United States should not go to war because we want to, we should go to war because we have to,” he said.

He defended his mixed record on Iraq. He voted for the original Iraq resolution authorizing the use of force, but has opposed Bush’s prosecution of the war and voted last week against Bush’s request for $87 billion to fund the reconstruction of Iraq.

“Some times in foreign policy, certain things are complicated—life is complicated,” he said.

Kerry also accused the Bush administration of “miserably, abysmally” failing to contain the nuclear threats of North Korea and Iraq.

“This has been one of the greatest abdications of foreign policy responsibility that I’ve seen in all the years I’ve been in the Senate,” he said.

Although Glickman said he feels Kerry gave straight answers to Matthews’ questions, he said Kerry would better connect with voters by shortening his answers.