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Hundreds of HIV positive fathers, mothers and children surrounded him in the middle of an African tribe, and he didn’t see statistics, he saw people, Major General J. Scott Gration said.

Gration spoke of Sen. Barack Obama to a packed UNF theater Sept. 23, commenting on his ability to listen, get insight, judge what the right thing to do is and then have the courage to act – qualities he saw in Obama during their trip to Africa in 2006, he said.

He said these same traits are needed in a Commander in Chief.

Gration joined Senior Advisor Richard Clarke in the first “Change we need” foreign policy campaign, which will be touring across Florida until Sept. 25.

In addition to discussing Obama’s foreign trips, Gration told the UNF community Obama was the only candidate who could restore America to what the founding fathers wanted.

“Who will use military forces in the right way? Who will use them as a last resort to keep America safe? That’s Barack Obama,” Gration said. “Who understands this complex world? Who sees the world in nuances? That’s Barack Obama. Who’s going to inspire the next generation to serve? There is only one person running for office who’s going to inspire us into service. That’s Barack Obama. He’s the leader we can trust.”

Clarke, who has served the last three presidents as senior White House adviser, agreed with Gration, focusing his discussion on Obama’s judgment.

“It’s not about experience in Washington – if it is we could just leave Bush in,” Clarke said. “It’s about judgment, and Obama has it.”

Clarke cited five examples of Obama’s judgment calls including resisting the war in Iraq, sending more troops to the Afghanistan war and choosing Biden as his vice president.

“Barack chose a vice president on the basis of what is good for our country, not on the basis of politics,” Clarke said. “Biden knows more about foreign affairs than almost anyone else in Washington. That’s good judgment.”

The tour continued with stops at eight other colleges and universities including the University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Gulf Coastal University, Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami.

OPEN FORUM
The speakers allowed for an open forum with students and members of the community.

What is Obama going to do with the Russia and Georgia conflict?

“McCain announced he wants to throw Russia out of the G8. You can’t negotiate with someone after throwing them out,” Clarke said.

Obama is set on change in Washington and Biden is deeply rooted in Washington. How does that affect his plan?

“Obama is about change, not about throwing everyone out,” Clarke said.

E-mail Holli Welch at editor@unfspinnaker.com.