Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Bill & Hillary stump in Iowa City
By Christopher Patton
The Daily Iowan (U. Iowa)
07/05/2007

(U-WIRE) IOWA CITY, Iowa — A gargantuan American flag served as the backdrop for a stage, which was girded by eight smaller flags and surrounded by a crowd that braved the sweltering heat to hear Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., make the case that she should be the 44th president of the United States.

After students performed the "Iowa Fight Song" on two trumpets and a trombone, the loudspeakers blared "You and I," by Celine Dion, then Rodham Clinton, accompanied by her husband, former President Bill Clinton and Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, took center stage.

"We've got to put this country back on the right path," Loebsack said. "For the last six-and-a-half years, it's been going the wrong way, with the wrong president and the wrong Congress."

Loebsack spoke only briefly before passing the microphone to Clinton, who introduced his wife.

"We've changed roles now," he said. "For years, I was in politics, and she was a public servant without public office."

There are numerous challenges awaiting the next president, Clinton said, then described Rodham Clinton as the most qualified non-incumbent to run for president in his 40 years of voting.

After the former president finished introducing and endorsing his wife, Rodham Clinton addressed the crowd.

"One thing we can thank Bush and Cheney for is that they have shown us that politics does matter, that who we elect makes a real difference in the lives of Americans," she said.

She then asked the audience members a series of questions, such as whether they supported universal health coverage for all Americans, whether they were ready for an energy policy that addresses global warming, and whether they wanted a Department of Justice and a White House that respect the Constitution. Those present answered each question with a resounding "yes."

Rodham Clinton went on to discuss how her parents influenced her worldview.

"My dad taught by example about hard work, that the world didn't owe me a living and that I had to work hard and take responsibility for myself," she said.

The former first lady said her mother raised herself and began working at age 13, adding that she has adopted her mother's belief that education is the passport to opportunity.

Rodham Clinton said she is optimistic about the future despite the numerous problems she believes the United States must address in coming years. "I believe we could do anything we set our minds to as Americans," she said. "I want to be a president who sets goals again, because I know we can, working together, meet those goals."

The New York senator also criticized President Bush for ignoring the problems facing ordinary Americans.

"I met a young Marine in Sioux Center who had been injured in Iraq. He keeps running into obstacle after obstacle in getting the care he needs," she said. "He served his country, but as far as he could tell, he's invisible to his president."

But she said she's not only concerned about veterans' health care.

"You're twice as likely to die if you go into the hospital without insurance," she said. "This is a moral issue. We must do all we can to provide health insurance to everyone."

Insurance companies have no incentive to cover preventive care, she said, saying the U.S. health system covers sickness but doesn't promote wellness. She suggested changes that would immediately create a system that pays for prevention.

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