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ELECTION 2004

QUOTABLE QUOTES

"Catholics are a receptive audience for [President Bush], not a captive one," says SMU's Matt Wilson [an expert on the Catholic vote]. "They are torn in two different directions."

-- On Catholic voters' division between moral and social issues, The Dallas Morning News, August 10, 2004

"Her job was always about protecting the man as well as the image," said Rita Whillock, a specialist in political communication and image-building who teaches at Southern Methodist University. "With his illness, she raised the visibility of these issues which families face. She was private about his suffering, but willing to talk about the ravages of the disease if it meant more understanding."

-- On Nancy Reagan's ability to protect the image of Ronald Reagan after he left office, The Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2004

"Clearly what I'm hearing is a sense of religious calling, and not even around the mission or goal of the country," said Robin Lovin, a Southern Methodist University ethics professor and former dean of the university's divinty school. "But a sense of religious calling for the politics of the president."

-- On how President Bush's faith drives his foreign policy, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 21, 2004

"Having started this ball rolling, he needs to get something accomplished," said Southern Methodist University political science professor Cal Jillson. "If not, there will be more blood in the water that attracts (Comptroller Carole Keeton) Strayhorn and a possible (re-election) challenge in 2006."

-- On Gov. Rick Perry and the end of the special legislative session, The Houston Chronicle, May 17, 2004

"They are slapping each other silly. That's almost an invitation to someone to play the role of the adult and restore order."

-- SMU Political Scientist Cal Jillson on the feud between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn and the possibility of U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison running for governor in 2006, The Dallas Morning News, May 3, 2004

Check here to find out where SMU's experts have been making headlines this campaign season: