Retired Gen. Wesley Clark chose Orangeburg -- which is grieving over the loss of three native sons in the war in Iraq -- to deliver a stinging rebuke of President Bush's foreign policy Thursday.

But first the retired four-star Army general, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. European Command and now a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination stopped at a modest manufactured home in a working-class neighborhood about five miles outside town.

"This afternoon I visited with the family of Darius Jennings, a courageous young man who gave his life this week in Iraq," Clark said.

"He is the third graduate of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School to give his life for our country in Iraq. It's clear that Darius was a caring man who loved his family and his country. We are all grateful for his service and we should honor it," Clark said.

"I was overwhelmed," said Harriet Johnson, Jennings' mother. "He came not because he's running for president, but on a more personal basis because he's a retired Army man himself."

"My first time meeting him, my spirit agreed with him," Johnson said. "He's a nice person. He shares the way I feel because he was at war and he came back alive (although injured) and my son was at war and he came back dead."

Jennings was one of 15 American soldiers who were killed when a helicopter crashed outside Baghdad. News reports say it was shot down by a missile.

"I saw that helicopter on television when I woke up Sunday morning and I looked at it and I just knew ..." Clark said, his voice trailing off.

"I've spent a lot of time dealing with tragedy in the United States armed forces and I know what it looks like and what it feels like," Clark said.

"I've seen and been with so many families who are grieving and it just breaks my heart. ... My heart goes out to them."

Another 27 soldiers were injured when the helicopter was brought down, adding to the number of wounded who are sometimes forgotten. But not by Clark.

"You go through Walter Reed (Army Hospital) and you look at these kids that have lost arms and legs and been injured and so forth, and you talk to them and talk to their families that are up there, and it'll give you a real determination to have a strategy that's successful and not just ask for more money," Clark said.

The absence of a post-war strategy in Iraq -- or at best, the Bush administration's refusal or inability to articulate it -- was one of Clark's major themes as he delivered what was billed as his first major policy speech on Iraq.

He addressed a capacity audience in the Barbara A. Vaughn Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Building at South Carolina State University.

Visiting Orangeburg to send Clark's words to far-flung corners of the world were representatives of Japan's NHK television; CBS, NBC, CNBC and Fox; The Associated Press; the Daily Telegraph in London; the Washington Post; the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; the Charlotte Observer and several South Carolina media.

"We made the decision several weeks ago that we would have a national security speech and that it would be on this day ... in South Carolina," Clark said. "We looked for the appropriate place to do it and I think this is a very appropriate place."

S.C. State's ROTC program has produced more than 1,900 commissioned officers, including more minority officers than any other school in the country, Clark noted; "you ought to be very proud."

With "the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq increasing at an alarming rate," Clark outlined "a strategy that will make it possible for our soldiers to come home with both Iraq and America standing strong ... to leave Iraq but not to abandon it."

Iraq's former dictator posed a "challenge" to neighboring countries and the world, "but it was clear then and it is even clearer today that Saddam Hussein posed no imminent threat to the United States or to the region," Clark said.

"Our focus should have been on winning the war on terrorism," Clark said; "track down the terrorists" and "rip out the roots of radical terror."

The best place to start is to secure "tons of loosely guarded nuclear bomb-making material and bio-weapons in Russia," Clark said, but "the Bush administration did not, and has not made that a priority."

Instead, Bush came up with the "axis of evil." Clark called that "the worst single formulation of American foreign policy in a half century."

Compounding the problems, "the notion of pre-emption" if the nation is in "imminent danger" morphed into "preventive war."

"These actions made no strategic sense," Clark said.

In dealing with Iraq, "Bush made a series of strategic mistakes," Clark said. The administration did not exhaust all diplomatic options, gain the support of other countries, create a "realistic post-war plan" or "level with the American people."

"Instead of basing life-and-death decisions on hard-headed realism, they were guided by wishful thinking," Clark said. "Seven months after the fall of Saddam, violence is growing and the enemy's morale and momentum are increasing."

"Iraq has become a magnet for every jihadist in the Middle East who wants to take a shot at an American soldier," Clark said.

"President Bush keeps telling us we should stay the course. But what we really must do is change course," he said.

A quick exit from Iraq would mean "retreat or defeat" -- neither of which is acceptable, Clark said. America must make sure Iraq can stand on its own, can practice representative government and will not become "a breeding ground" for terrorists, Clark said.

Clark called for turning the military operation over to NATO, opening up the rebuilding effort to other nations and allowing Iraqis to select their own representatives who will build a new Iraqi national government. "Consent of the governed" is "the essence of democracy," he said.

"Iraqis need to come out and see the rest of the world," Clark said. He proposed exchange programs that would bring Iraqis to many places -- perhaps even to South Carolina State University.

"The world is waiting for real American leadership ... a president with ideals, not radical ideologies. ... You can't be a leader if nobody else comes along," Clark said.

It "took decades to build" the belief in other nations that America was "on their side," Clark said. Other nations accepted America's leadership, "not because we compelled them, but because we convinced them."

By issuing "wrong and foolish" ultimatums like "you're either with us or against us," Bush has damaged those carefully nurtured relationships, Clark said.

He proposes "a new Atlantic charter" to strengthen our traditional cooperative ties with European nations.

As president, Clark said he would uphold the "sacred moral standard" that force should be used "only as an absolute last resort." he pledged never to lead the U.S. into a "long hard slog" that "wastes the lives of young men and women."

"The speech was great," said Laures Henry, a senior at SCSU from Miami. "Being a cadet (in ROTC), I liked it. It was great. It was the first time that somebody came down and really paid attention to South Carolina State. Personally, being an African-American, I appreciate that, especially him being a former military officer, and recognizing what South Carolina State has done for the military."

Dr. James Arrington, SCSU vice president for academic affairs, said the visit by a man "of his stature is very good for our students and very good for our community. We were very pleased."

"We look forward to trying to expose our students to as much of these kinds of things as we can, especially considering what's going on the political arena and what's going on in the country today," Arrington added.

There were some concerns about having little time to spread the word on campus about Clark's visit and explain who he is, Arrington said, but "we had a packed house. I think people were interested. I think the general made some very, very good remarks that people here were looking to hear. I think it worked out good."

John Weinbach came all the way from near Raleigh, N.C., hoping the general would autograph a copy of his book.

"It's an excellent book. It's very balanced. I'm impressed with his observations," Weinbach said. "It points out the strength of the military and at the same time the lack of planning for what was to happen afterward (in Iraq), which is especially crucial if you're going to wage a war, especially without the support of other nations."

"I liked (what Clark said about) Iraq but I thought he should have talked more about the economy. We really have to think about America and its future before we go about rebuilding another country," said George Crouch, a SCSU student from the Bronx, N.Y.

A few minutes later, this reporter mentioned Crouch's remark to Clark, who replied with a quick summary of his economic platform that he had outlined in previous speeches.

Basically it involves reining in the national budget deficit and rolling back $2 trillion of President Bush's tax cuts. In return, Clark proposes to spend $700 billion on a guaranteed health plan for everyone age 22 and under, $100 billion into job creation endeavors, $40 billion to improve homeland security, $40 billion to return to states for vital services such as education and emergency services and $20 billion to small businesses in tax credits to stimulate job creation.

A Rhodes scholar with a master's degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University, Clark has been a banker and the owner of a consulting firm.

And his 34 years in the military have given him experience in dealing with "all the issues that are important in everyday living," from schools to wages to small businesses to health care. "It's the whole range of issues that are important to Americans," he said.

And with all of the rhetoric following rival candidate Howard Dean's remark about owners of pickup trucks with Confederate flags, a television reporter asked Clark to weigh in on that subject.

"The flag I care about is the American flag," Clark said. "It's the flag I was proud to serve under... . It's the flag I brag about all over the world."

"We've got to emphasize what in America pulls us together. We have so much in common. ... People are struggling in this country. They're struggling for jobs, for health care and for good education for our kids."

"We've got to stop worrying about symbols. Let the old pass. Let's look at the future. It's ripe with promise. We just have to move in and grab it. We're the greatest country in the world. It's all there for every man and woman in America to have. We just have to work for it."

T&D Staff Writer Lee Hendren can be reached by e-mail at lhendren@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5552.

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