Some media pundits are claiming this race is over. John Kerry is the winner, everybody should give up and go home.
I don't think so.
http://clark04.com/speeches/040/
Wesley K. Clark
Tennessee True Values Tour Remarks
Jackson, TN
February 4, 2004
Last night, Democrats across America went to the polls. And the message they sent couldn't be clearer - the American people don't want another four years of George W. Bush. And they don't want another four years of politics as usual. They want a higher standard of leadership.
They don't want another Washington insider, who never plays it straight.
They don't want a follower who makes decisions by sticking his thumb in the wind.
The American people want a real leader, not another conventional politician.
They want someone who will stand up for them, not look out for themselves.
That's why I'm running for President. I'm an outsider, not another insider.
I'm part of the solution, not part of the problem. I spent my life in the military, acting and doing - not in the halls of Congress, talking and debating. I call it like I see it and let the chips fall where they may.
I haven't made my career in the halls of Congress, but on bases and battlefields.
I haven't just debated whether to send troops to battle, I've sent them. I haven't just debated whether to go to war, I led it.
You know, my opponents on the inside have said that the American people shouldn't hold them responsible for everything that happens because we don't understand how things work in Washington.
They're right. I don't understand how Washington politicians can say one thing and then do another.
Take education. I don't understand how John Kerry and John Edwards can criticize the No Child Left Behind Act. They voted for it.
I don't understand how John Kerry and John Edwards can claim to defend civil liberties and criticize the Patriot Act. They voted for it.
I don't understand how John Kerry and John Edwards can criticize the war in Iraq, when they voted to give George W. Bush a blank check to go to war.
So I guess John Kerry and John Edwards are right. The American people don't understand Washington or Washington politicians.
And that's why I'm running for president. Because I believe in open, honest government, where we hold our leaders accountable. I believe in putting the national interests over the special interests. I believe in putting principle above politics. The bottom line: I believe we can do better. I believe we must do better. And if the system's broke - fix it.
We can do better than 3 million lost jobs. We can do better than 44 million uninsured Americans. We can do better than sky-rocketing insurance costs and exploding deficits.
That's not the American dream I was raised to believe in. And that's not the America we should settle on. We need a change from the same old Washington insiders who got us into this mess.
It's time we brought Democratic values back to America.
It's time we reclaimed the mantle for a better America.
It's time we built a better America.
Let me tell you about the America I want to build, and why I'm the best qualified to do it.
First, I'm just a boy from the heartland, who never had much. I know what it's like to struggle to make ends meet - and to watch every penny you have. My dad died when I was four, and he left us with less than a few months' rent. And my mom took a job as a secretary just to pay the bills. So as President, I will never, ever forget where I'm from and who I'm for -- America's working families.
Second, I haven't been stuck in the smoke-filled rooms of Washington. I know what the values are that built this country.
An America where we don't just talk about family values, but where we actually value families. And where a job, an education, and health care aren't just luxuries for the chosen few, but the meaning of family values.
An America where we don't just preach our faith - we practice it. And those that have the most reach out to those with the least.
An America where everyone has a shot at the American dream, no matter where they're from, or what their background. And where we include everyone, recognizing that our diversity is our greatest strength.
An America where we understand that debate and dissent - that questioning your leaders and holding them accountable - is the highest form of patriotism. And where being patriotic means using force only as a last resort, not as a political tool.
An America where we look up to our leaders, and trust our commander-in-chief.
And where the national interests, not the special interests, rule the day.
These are the values we must champion. That is the America we can build.
And that is why I ran for President.
Finally, let me say this: if you are happy with the direction of our country, you should support the politicians who are running it. But if you think we can build a better America, and you want someone who is part of the solution, then I am your candidate.
And I ask for your support.
Thank you.
