ISU students were featured on national television over the weekend as participants in “Washington Week in Review,” a political program rooted in Washington, D.C.

This was the first show in “Washington Week” history to incorporate an audience question-and-answer period.

The weekly public affairs program drew four nationally known political journalists to Stephens Auditorium Friday afternoon.

Gwen Ifill, former political reporter for The New York Times and NBC News, is moderator of the program. She was joined by David Broder, national political reporter for The Washington Post, Gloria Borger, contributing editor and political columnist for U.S. News and World Report and CBS News analyst, and Elizabeth Arnold, correspondent for National Public Radio’s Washington Bureau.

The first 15 minutes of the 30-minute show consisted of conversation among the four journalists. The latter half of the show allowed the audience to address questions to the panel.

A common topic of roundtable discussion revolved around the significance of tonight’s Iowa caucuses. Due to a number of reasons, two of the four journalists said the Iowa caucuses are different this year.

Because of the Iowa Straw Poll held in August, this year’s Iowa caucuses have a less significant part in narrowing down the candidates, Broder said.

“Iowa historically has served the function of being the first test where you weed out people. Actually, that first test came here in Iowa, but it was last August’s Straw Poll,” he said. “There’s a sort of sense, this time around, there’s been an anticlimax after the Straw Poll.”

Borger said this year’s Iowa caucuses are untypical, based on her observations of voters. She has noticed a different voter appeal than in previous elections.

“Voters that I’ve talked to seem to be looking not so much about ideology, but they’re looking about which candidates are authentic, which candidates have integrity, which candidates have the character to be President of the United States,” she said.

Above all, voters are looking to support a candidate they can visualize on the inaugural platform next January, Broder said.

Broder’s assessment of the Democratic race for president included a win by Vice President Al Gore.

“All the indications, polling and conversations that I’ve had this past week suggest that the vice president has put the caucuses together pretty well,” he said. “It’s a combination of things — strong performances in the debates last week and the mobilization on his behalf by organized labor and the teachers.”

In the Republican race, Arnold predicted a hands-down win by Texas Gov. George W. Bush tonight.

“I don’t think there are going to be any great shock waves in the Republican race on Monday,” she said. “Gov. Bush of Texas has established a comfortable lead, and his main rival, [Arizona] Sen. John McCain has decided, ‘No, I’m going to skip Iowa altogether and head up to New Hampshire.'”

The traditional 30-minute show was broadcast on National Public Television, and in addition, an extended 30-minute question and answer session was live-streamed over the PBS Web site.

The appearance of “Washington Week in Review” was sponsored by the ISU Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.