71,000 to Greet Obama Today in Arizona

President Barack Obama returns to Arizona State University today to rally graduates sobered by bleak job prospects and tout the value of higher education and public service.

Obama will deliver the commencement address during what has evolved into a Sun Devil Stadium extravaganza that will pit his trademark soaring oratory against the Valley's soaring temperatures. Many of the 71,000 people expected for the speech will wait for hours in searing triple-digit heat to hear a speech that will last about 20 minutes.

The president is expected to "discuss the amazing opportunity that graduates have, the challenging world that they enter into," said Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary. As he has done before, he is likely to talk about the importance of "the choices that you make leaving college, about being involved in your community and serving a purpose higher than yourself."

Later this month, Obama will deliver commencement addresses at the University of Notre Dame and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Obama, who visited the Tempe campus in October 2007 as a presidential candidate and views Arizona as a key swing state for his 2012 re-election, comes to ASU as his administration readies a major education-reform push. The White House has hinted that, unlike Obama's Feb. 18 announcement in Mesa of his administration's housing-mortgage rescue plan, today's address will focus less on policy and more on traditional, forward-looking inspirational rhetoric.

Still, observers doubt Obama can ignore the economic uncertainty and anxiety that they say is "palpable" among the ASU student body.

"One of the things he can do is help recalibrate some expectations," said Kelly McDonald, an assistant professor of communication at ASU's School of Letters and Sciences who plans to attend today's ceremony. "Because where two, three, four years ago, most of the graduates sitting in the audience would have jobs lined up, across the board that's not happening."

Obama spent the days immediately after his Jan. 20 inauguration almost singularly focused on the ailing economy. A massive $787 billion economic-stimulus package passed in February. This week, Obama launched his No. 1 domestic legislative priority: health-care reform. And his $3.4 trillion fiscal 2010 budget also puts a new emphasis on education, particularly higher education.

Among other higher-education goals, Obama's budget aims to provide more federal money for Pell Grants, reform college- and university-funding formulas, simplify student-aid programs, triple the graduate fellowships in science, forge a partnership with states to bolster college completion, and make permanent the pro-college American Opportunity Tax Credit created by the economic-stimulus legislation.

Rep. Harry Mitchell, D-Ariz., a former longtime Tempe mayor whose district includes ASU's main campus, is hoping Obama delivers an optimistic message to the outgoing students.

"While economic times are difficult now, the future is bright. No school better prepares its students to enter the workforce than Arizona State University," said Mitchell, a former high-school teacher and ASU adjunct professor. "The students graduating this year will be our leaders in the next generation, and, if we all make the right decisions, they will see extraordinary prosperity in this country."

Political speechwriters said they would not be surprised if Obama acknowledged the tough work environment facing his crowd.

"Does he have to? No. Should he? Probably," said Matt Latimer, a former spokesman for Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who later wrote speeches, including commencement addresses, for President George W. Bush and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and is the author of the forthcoming book "Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivor."

"He's pretty smart, so I bet he will," Latimer said.

Mark Salter, who has written many commencement speeches for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Obama's presidential-campaign opponent, predicted Obama will stay upbeat if he broaches the economy.

"If he does, it'll be something like, 'We're in a rough patch, obviously, but we'll come out of it. We've come out of worse, it's a great country and there's still a lot of opportunity in the country,' " Salter said.

The hot weather could influence the scope and length of Obama's speech.

"Sometimes, (presidential commencement addresses) put out a policy initiative, but sometimes, they just talk about public service or community," said Latimer, whose boss delivered 23 commencement addresses. "But the president I worked for always wanted it short. He thought about people sitting in an audience on a hot day who don't want to hear someone drone on for 45 minutes, so our instructions were 'short and funny.' We didn't always accomplish 'funny,' but we usually accomplished 'short.' "