Colin Powell, former secretary of state and best-selling author, will speak today about challenges facing the United States.

Doors will open at 3 p.m. in Catlett Music Center’s Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall, and the event begins at 4 p.m. Two additional venues, Rupel Jones Theater and Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center, will simulcast the event for the crowd, which is expected to overflow.

Powell plans to speak about “Challenges Facing America.” The Daily asked OU students, faculty and staff for their opinions about the challenges facing America, as well as what they wanted to ask Powell.

Norman Mayor Cindy Rosenthal, also a political science professor at OU, said there are many challenges facing the nation. She said America’s greatest domestic challenge is to make sure the “American dream” remains affordable to the working and middle classes.

“The working class and middle class are under tremendous strain, whether it’s health care, putting their kids through college [or[ finding affordable housing,” Rosenthal said. “All of those things that we assumed would be within our grasp for the American dream are increasingly difficult for [them] to get.”

Rosenthal said the country’s greatest international challenge would be to regain “our role as the most trusted leader of the free world.”

She said she respects Powell because of his policy expertise and would ask him for his best advice on how to deal with the crisis in Iraq.

Charles Kenney, political science professor, expressed similar concerns about America’s international reputation. He said America needs to accept the limitations of its power and work in greater collaboration with other countries. He also said he would ask Powell to explain the decision-making process that led to the invasion of Iraq.

Guilherme Ngafino, petroleum engineering junior, said America’s biggest problem is a lack of communication about the real reasons for going to war. He said the U.S. focused on nuclear weapons as a reason to launch a pre-emptive strike, and the world now wants to know why Americans are still in Iraq if nothing was found.

He said he would ask Powell why the U.S. felt the need to invade Iraq.

“Why didn’t they wait, talk with them and see if we can solve problems in a peaceful way?” Ngafino said. “Why did [America] have to fight?”

Not everyone focused on the Iraq war. Ivan Pierce, Housing and Food Services staff member, said the nation’s biggest problem is the “left-wing” media’s influence on politics. He said that the media are too negative, particularly about the government and the war on terrorism.

“How come they can’t report on the good things going on, the positive aspects of life?” he asked. “News is supposed to make you feel good, not make you feel more depressed after you watch it.”

Powell has been active the past few months, crossing the country and speaking to various media outlets and hundreds of thousands of people about the nation’s future as well as the Iraq war.

The GQ magazine published on its Web site this week an interview with Powell in which the former general apologized for presenting flawed intelligence to the United Nations and examined why the Iraq war turned out poorly.

In the interview, Powell said Iraq is in a “total civil war” and the surge cannot stop it. He also said terrorism is not a threat to America’s survival.

“The only thing that can really destroy us is us,” Powell said in the GQ interview. “We shouldn’t do it to ourselves, and we shouldn’t use fear for political purposes — scaring people to death so they will vote for you, or scaring people to death so that we create a terror-industrial complex.”

Powell said the nation needs to restore its image as a kind, generous nation that welcomes immigrants and promotes freedom, according to GQ.