Former Gen. Clark pitches for Clinton on Veterans Day

WATERLOO - Retired four-star Gen. Wesley Clark said he'd studied the military, national strategies and the U.S. armed forces the way Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has studied America.

Though the former NATO supreme allied commander in Europe was traveling Iowa on Veterans Day in praise of Clinton's recently laid-out plans to address veterans issues, Clark spent much of his time during a Waterloo stop talking about Clinton's readiness to be commander in chief and president.

'She's got everything, but it's her character that I love,” Clark told more than two dozen gathered at the UAW 838 Hall in Waterloo.

'She is rock-solid dependable. There is nobody like Hillary Clinton in either party, and we've got to get her started from Iowa in the right way.”

Clark was the second supporter in two days to visit the Cedar Valley to make the case for Clinton. Stephanie Schriock, the president of the political action committee Emily's List, which helps to elect abortion rights-supporting Democratic women to office, visited the University of Northern Iowa on Tuesday to engage mostly young women.

Schriock talked about the way Clinton's policies would be good for women and families, while Clark explained why Clinton is best suited to help veterans and keep a strong military.

'I believe that Hillary Clinton will have the proper balance in terms of support of allies and judicious, proper employment of the United States armed forces; in other words, war should be the last, last, last resort … and I'm confident Hillary Clinton understands that,” Clark said.

Clark called it 'partisan hogwash” the way Republicans in Tuesday's debate tried to paint Clinton as someone who would weaken the United States military. GOP presidential hopeful Jeb Bush criticized Clinton and Democratic President Barack Obama as not believing the United States 'has a leadership role to play” in foreign affairs that are affecting this country.

Despite the advocacy of those speaking on behalf of the campaign, Schriock and Clark said it will take the work of supporters in Iowa to get Clinton to be the nominee and to win the presidency.

The Rev. Edward Loggins, a veteran, made clear he's more than ready for Clinton after Schriock spoke Tuesday.

'Now, you stand at the door to open it up for the first female in the history of the U.S.A. This is historical,” Loggins said. 'We're standing at the door, people. It shouldn't be anymore knocking. It should be kicking down the door.”