Wesley Clark speaks at Clinton Day Dinner
Originally published in the Siftings Herald
Wesley Clark speaks at Clinton Day Dinner
By Donna Hilton
Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark called Bill Clinton a "great commander-in-chief" of the nation's military during his keynote address at the 10th annual Clinton Day Dinner, sponsored by the Clark County Democratic Party Saturday night at Henderson State University.
Clark said he agreed to be the speaker for the event because it honored Clinton's dedication to the people of this country.
Clinton, Clark said, would "never send our men and women into combat unless it was the last, last, last resort."
Saying he was "very concerned" about the troops in Iraq, Clark said there were far too many losses and that the conflict could be endless. "Nobody's got a very good answer" to finding the end of the war, he said. "It's a conflict we should not have gotten into."
The biggest problem in Iraq, Clark said, is that the country has gone from having one Islamic party in power to another. "They don't like each other.
"We've got to start talking to countries surrounding Iraq" to solve the problem," he said.
When Bill Clinton was president, Clark said, diplomacy would be used before troops were sent in, while the troops were there and after the troops left.
"Our president is not doing his job," Clark said. Instead of talking to help diffuse the situation, "he's put all the burden on the men and women in uniform."
The war in Iraq is a "struggle for the soul of America," Clark said. One good thing that has resulted is the impact it has had on some to get involved. "Of all the things that surprised me was how committed ordinary citizens were to give of themselves in order to get the right people in public office."
The struggle, he said, was to find out what America, and Americans, stand for. "What do we believe as a nation? What's important to us?"
As Americans, and as Democrats, we start with a sense of conviction for all mankind, Clark said. "We stand for equal opportunities. We believe in bringing people together and being all we can be."
That's what Democrats believe in, he said, where family values, decent wages, education and health care for every American is "not just an opportunity, but a right."
Clark urged those in attendance to get involved. "Make your voice heard. Let's have a loud voice, go to Washington, and get Bush to do his job."
Before Clark's speech, Claudia Riley and state Sen. Percy Malone presented the award for the "Bob Riley" Clark County Democrat of the Year award. This year's winner was Joyce Palla.
The award is named for Claudia Riley's late husband, who was a professor at Ouachita Baptist University and served the state as lieutenant governor from 1971-1975. Bob Riley also served as governor for 10 days when then Gov. Dale Bumpers was elected to the U.S. Senate.
The evening's activities included a silent auction to raise funds for the party, and a live auction conducted by Susan McDougal.
All local and state officials in attendance were asked to introduce themselves, as were all candidates for local and state office.
Attorney General Mike Beebe introduced Clark to the crowd.
Clark County Sheriff Troy Tucker served as chairman of the event, and explained how easy it was to get Clark as the guest speaker.
"All we had to do was name the county after him," Tucker said.
