WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Bush gives USC commencement address

Bush gives USC commencement address

(Columbia) May 9, 2003 - President Bush congratulated USC graduates and their friends Friday at the Carolina Center. The president delivered the school's commencement address.

He also took time to promote peace in the Middle East and spoke of the ongoing effort against terror.

The president's plane, Air Force One, landed at Columbia Metropolitan Airport Friday afternoon around 2:15pm. He was met with a number of South Carolina dignitaries, including Governor Mark Sanford and First Lady Jenny Sanford, plus Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, House Speaker David Wilkins and USC President Andrew Sorensen.

President Bush took the stage at the Carolina Center at just after 3:00pm. At around 3:15 he accepted an honorary doctor of laws degree from Dr. Sorensen.

President Bush, whose chief of staff, Andy Card, graduated from USC in 1971, congratulated the graduates and their family. He joked with the 11,000 some person crowd about hearing a man outside the Carolina Center say, "We're honored to have the president speaking with use today. It's almost as good as last year when we had Coach Lou Holtz."

The president maintains it's a "hopeful" moment for Arab-Israeli peace-making, and he's dispatching Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region this weekend in hopes of seizing the opportunity.

Bush's South Carolina stop kicks off a five-day trip that includes a Mother's Day stay with the first lady in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He'll also visit Nebraska and Indiana.

Protesters arrived early to check out their location for the day just across from the center. Gerald Rudolph says he is very pleased with the location, but he says he doesn't think protesters would have gotten the prime location without a lawsuit filed against the US Secret Service.

A federal judge in Columbia on Thursday refused to issue an injunction to allow a prime location after the Secret Service said it already planned to provide one. Rudolph says protesters do not want to disrupt the graduation. He says protesters will get out of the way if people want to take pictures near the building.

The speech was open to the public, but everyone participating in the ceremony, including graduates, their family members and members of the USC faculty, were required to have a ticket and a picture ID to be admitted to the Carolina Center for the Friday commencement.

While most students were excited by the prospect of hearing the Commander-in-Chief speak, some were upset they were only allowed to bring six friends and family members. Some have told WIS News 10 they invited between 35 and 75 people to their graduations.

USC made an additional 1000 tickets available on Friday morning.

Jack Valenti president and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America will speak at USC's second commencement on Saturday, May 10th, at 10:30am in the Carolina Center. No tickets will be required for Saturday's commencement.

Bush is the second serving US president to speak at a USC commencement. In May 1990, his father, George H.W. Bush, addressed USC's graduates. In 1957, John F. Kennedy spoke at USC's commencement while he was still a US senator. The current President Bush was last in Columbia for in October for a gubernatorial fundraiser.

Updated 10:04pm by BrettWitt with AP