Jon Stewart gave this outstanding commencement address at William & Mary over the weekend. Why couldn't Georgetown have gotten someone like him for my graduation in 1996? I went to several ceremonies that day, and the best speaker the University had was Richard Holbrooke, who addressed the School of Foreign Service graduates about his role in the negotiation of the Dayton Peace Accords for Bosnia. My school, the College of Arts and Sciences, listened to a speech from Louis Dupre (whoever he is), and all I can remember about the address was that halfway through I lost track of what he was talking about and instead watched where he put his water glass each time he took a drink. I doubt many of the SFS graduates from that day remember Holbrooke or his speech, but at least I remember who was there and what he talked about. I'm sure many of the William & Mary grads will remember Jon Stewart's speech many years from now.
I think it's safe for me to say that Georgetown will NEVER ask me to speak at commencement. I cannot imagine what might happen in my life that would make me worthy of addressing a graduating class. Although I'm sure that when Jon Stewart was 30, he didn't think William & Mary would ever ask him to give a commencement address.
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