President Bush is a risk to Americans' safety, the former Army general tells Kerry supporters in Tampa.
By BRADY DENNIS
Published October 12, 2004
TAMPA - From a distance, the scene could have been mistaken for a funeral.
About 50 people gathered inside a white tent at Ballast Point Park on Monday, while others stood outside under umbrellas.
The rain poured down.
Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark took the stage and brought a gloomy vision that matched the gloomy afternoon.
"If a man misleads the country that bad, if his judgment is that bad," Clark said, talking about President Bush's management of the war in Iraq, "what will he do the next four years?
"He's a risk to our safety in the United States of America."
The event, which lasted about half an hour, marked another push from a presidential campaign to rally voters in Florida, considered a critical swing state in the November election.
Clark, who had battled John Kerry for the Democratic nomination, now stumps for him regularly.
On Monday, he was joined by U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, and Del Sandusky, who served with Kerry in Vietnam.
The three preached to a choir of Kerry supporters (though several wore "Clark for President" buttons).
They didn't keep the message entirely somber. At times, it felt more like a tent revival - clapping, shouting, cheering - than a political event.
"John Kerry is a warrior and Bush is not," Sandusky said, his voice rising. "John Kerry is the solution; Bush is the problem. It ain't going to get any better with Bush. It's going to get worse."
They covered topics such as health care and the economy, but the main subject was Iraq. Clark insisted Kerry would be stronger on national security than Bush.
"John Kerry is a tough-minded guy. He will keep America safe," Clark said. "When George Bush was a cheerleader, John Kerry was playing hockey."
The Democratic crowd loved that line.
No one was cheering harder than Joe Pilley, a 49-year-old loan officer who came dressed as Christopher Columbus in honor of Columbus Day. He had spent the morning standing at intersections in Tampa and holding a sign that read: "Keep the World Around - Columbus for Kerry/Edwards."
At the rally, he was welcomed.
On the streets, he said, he sees a lot of supporters, but plenty of thumbs down and middle fingers up.
"It's still 50-50 out there," Pilley said, as Clark signed autographs and posed for pictures. "You can tell it's going to be close."
