Democrat Clark Outlines Vision for America
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By Greg Frost
MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark (news - web sites) deviated from his standard campaign stump speech on Saturday, outlining a lofty, long-term vision for humanity in an address to college students.
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Slideshow: Wesley Clark
Rather than specifically addressing the standard campaign fare of health care, jobs, taxes and rising tuition costs, Clark's 45-minute oration touched on everything from AIDS (news - web sites) in Africa to global warming and chaos theory.
"We should be an America not puffed up by pride in our own power, but rather an America humbled by the recognition of our common humanity," Clark said.
Clark's remarks at a convention of politically active college students from across the country came as polls show him gaining ground in New Hampshire, home to the first presidential primary of the 2004 White House campaign.
Lindsey Caine, a junior at Colorado College, said afterward that the speech was long on rhetoric but short on real solutions to problems that concern her.
"I want to know what a candidate will do in the next four or eight years. A hundred years is too idealistic for me," said Caine, 21. "It's nice and it's appealing, but it doesn't give me a reason to vote for him."
CLARK CHIDES AMERICA
Most of Clark's rivals for the Democratic nomination have appeared on the same stage in recent days, using the forum to tout their specific economic and foreign policy initiatives.
Clark, a Rhodes scholar who graduated first in his class at West Point, instead pitched his big-picture vision for the next few decades, challenging America to do more to help the rest of the world.
Citing AIDS mortality rates in southern Africa and the fact that more than 1 billion adults on the planet cannot read, Clark chided the United States for failing to "live up to its awesome responsibilities on the world stage."
"We are the richest nation in education, health care, science, and bottom line dollar wealth. Yet, more often than not, we turn a blind eye to developing nations around the world, those which desperately need our help," he said. "More often than not we put the bottom line first."
Mo Elleithee, Clark's New Hampshire communications director, said the speech marked a conscious effort to differ from traditional campaign oratory.
But several listeners said they were puzzled by the tone of the former NATO (news - web sites) commander's remarks, with some giving him high marks for his vision but others saying the speech sounded more like one given to graduating high school students rather than eager voters shopping for a candidate.
"I don't think he was explaining his policies at all -- certainly not as well as the other candidates have," said Brett Jordan, a student at George Mason University in Virginia. |
