Joshua Sharp (B.A. communication, '09) interviewed former President Bill Clinton in New Orleans on March 16 (see one of his questions here). The Daily Trojan reporter and columnist from Corcoran, Calif. was one of four college journalists selected for the debut of mtvU's "College Editorial Board" series.
Among other issues, the students asked about race issues on the '08 campaign trail, drug use in presidential candidates' pasts and the new Clinton Global Initiative University.
Clinton was at times assertive toward the student journalists, particularly when Sharp asked him about Clinton's ties to lobbyist money.
"Let me finish. I'm going to answer this. But I have a right to answer this," Clinton said.
"You can't let [Obama] posit a choice that doesn't exist," he added, saying Sen. Obama has unresolved ethics issues of his own.
In the interview, Clinton also asserted he isn't a Washington insider: "How anyone can say that I'm a Washington insider when I live in New York and am not in politics anymore?"
The series premieres on the mtvU cable network on Wednesday, March 26. A sneak peek is available now at mtvU.com.
After the experience, Sharp (pictured with veteran news anchor Tom Brokaw during a campus visit) said:
"Growing up in Corcoran, I never expected to be on TV – though I've always wanted to question Bill Clinton. It was very humbling to be selected, and I just hope that I represented college journalists well.
The professors and staff at USC have been huge in my development, both personal and academic. That's why I want to return to Corcoran and tell students there about the advantages of higher education. Without that exposure, they're selling themselves short."
On the interview:
"We [the student panel] knew going in that Bill Clinton is a very talented debater. The challenge for us was to keep him on topic and challenge him when he tried to spin answers. Considering his abilities, I think we held our own.
College students are paying attention to politics this year in ways I haven't seen before. My advice to the audience: critically evaluate the President's answers. He may have responded, but that doesn't mean he answered every question."
Sharp is spending the spring semester abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland, interning with a Member of the Scottish Parliament. He aspires to be a political speechwriter in Sacramento or Washington, D.C.
