Born and raised in Milwaukee, George Kennan went on to become one of the preeminent diplomats of the Cold War era. He is credited with being the architect of the American policy of containment toward the Soviet Union. Now the story of his profound influence and his complicated life has been told in a book written by John Lewis Gaddis, the noted historian of the Cold War who is the Robert A. Lovett Professor of History and Political Science and Distinguished Fellow in Grand Strategy at Yale. Professor Gaddis knew Kennan for decades, and was granted full access to his personal papers. He has produced a remarkable biography praised by critics and diplomats alike. Henry Kissinger has called it “magisterial” and “seminal.” Professor Gaddis will reveal the Kennan he came to know during this appearance in his subject’s hometown.

Congresswoman Baldwin has represented Wisconsin’s Second Congressional District since 1999. Now, she’s trying to make history. Running as the lone Democrat in the race to replace retiring U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, Baldwin is seeking to become the first woman elected to the Senate in Wisconsin. Baldwin is a University of Wisconsin Law School graduate. She’ll address the major issues in this year’s campaign during her visit to Eckstein Hall.

Vice Admiral Houck is the principal military legal counsel to the secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations. He leads the attorneys, enlisted legalmen, and civilian employees of the worldwide Navy JAG Corps community. Houck will discuss what he calls the Navy’s “global law firm” and the issues it faces today, including the handling of detainees, piracy on the high seas, and meeting the legal needs of sailors stationed around the world. Houck is a graduate of the Naval Academy and the University of Michigan Law School. He later earned a Masters of Laws from the Georgetown University Law Center.

One week from the state’s presidential primary, Marquette Law School will release the latest results from its yearlong survey of voter attitudes in Wisconsin. What do people here think of the Republican presidential field, and how would the GOP candidates fare against President Obama? Mike Gousha and the director of the polling project, visiting professor of law and public policy Charles Franklin, will go inside the numbers in this historic election year.

Hall is a prominent civil rights attorney in Milwaukee. Now in his second year at the helm of the NAACP, he is leading the organization’s new initiative, One MKE, which seeks to make the city less segregated, better educated, and more prosperous. Hall, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, will discuss the serious challenges facing Milwaukee and the opportunities to create positive change in the community.

Falk is one of two declared candidates in a potential race against Governor Scott Walker. She announced her intentions just days after more than one million recall signatures were filed with the Government Accountability Board. Falk is the former Dane County Executive, a post to which she was elected four times. She is also a former assistant attorney general and public intervenor in the Wisconsin Department of Justice. In 2002, Falk became the first major party female candidate for Governor in Wisconsin.

Join us for results and analysis as the Law School releases its second poll of the 2012 election cycle. Under the direction of Charles Franklin, visiting professor of law and public policy and a national expert in political polling, the poll will track voter attitudes toward candidates and issues in this historic election year in Wisconsin.

A former La Crosse County prosecutor, Congressman Kind is now one of the most prominent Democrats in Wisconsin. He has represented the Third Congressional District since 1996, and is a member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, Medicare, Social Security, and international trade. Kind is a graduate of Harvard University, the London School of Economics, and the University of Minnesota Law School. He’ll discuss the challenges facing the nation and his career in public service during this appearance at Eckstein Hall.

Running for president is a long, tough, even strange journey. Nobody knows that better than Mark Block, Herman Cain’s top advisor. A longtime Wisconsin political operative, Block will share his stories from the campaign trail; the rise and fall of the Cain candidacy; and Block’s starring role in a low-budget campaign ad that went viral (remember the cigarette?). Block will also discuss the state of the GOP nomination battle and his role in Cain’s latest political project.

He was elected Governor of Wisconsin an unprecedented four times. He was Health and Human Services Secretary in the administration of President George W. Bush. Now, after a stint in the private sector, Tommy Thompson is running for public office again. What’s driving his decision, and what does he think about the current political climate in Washington and Wisconsin? Find out when the former Governor and current candidate joins us at the Law School.