Rocky Mount Telegram, Rocky Mount NC

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“And that’s the way it is in America,” Clark said. “A lot of people get a lot of glory out of this country and get a lot of attention, but the real work is done at the bottom. That’s why, given my military experience, I can’t support Republican ideals.”

Clark was one of the leading voices in 2003 opposing the war in Iraq, saying at the time that it was a mistake to launch a preemptive war. Obama, too, understood that invading Iraq was the wrong decision, Clark said.

“Sen. Obama has the temperament and the mind we need as president,” Clark said. “He studies, he works, he listens, he learns, he grows, he makes good decisions. He’s a person who has got a great heart and a lot of compassion. And he understands that, for national security, you only use the military as a last resort.”

Clark was joined by retired Marine Corps officer Jonathan Kuniholm, a Durham resident who opened the stage at Invesco Field in Denver during the final night of the Democratic National Convention. Kuniholm, a Duke biomedical engineering graduate student who lost his right arm in Iraq, has spoken out against the war and in support of Obama.

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Clark, prior to leaving for another campaign stop, skirted a question about rumors of Obama potentially asking him to serve as U.S. secretary of defense, should the Democrat win on Nov. 4.

“Any time a president would ask you to do something, to serve, you have to seriously consider it,” Clark said. “That’s what Colin Powell said, and I think that’s the right answer. But I’m out here because, for me, this is the public service. It’s going out and helping Americans make the right decision on who should be the next president.”