Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark said 20 Honors students could change the world.

Before Clark took to the podium at his speech Monday night, he participated in a private Honors Program forum Monday in Powers 138.

Clark opened the forum by asking for the students’ names, majors and interests.

“I’d like to figure out who you are and what you’re interested in,” he said.

After introducing himself, Fraser senior Ryan Kostanecki asked Clark to distinguish an issue of national security from a presidential secret.

“There are some things that have to be kept secret,” Clark responded.

But Clark said the line between secret and security fluctuates based on the conception of executive privilege.

Politics are about power, he said.

“In the pursuit of power, all concepts can be used,” he said. “National security is one of them.”

Clark said the Bush administration has used national security to its advantage, using patriotism to silence any opposition.

He described the USA PATRIOT Act as a “grab bag” of public desires after Sept. 11, 2001.

The act’s measures are often absurd in their suspicion and violation of privacy, Clark said.

“Mostly, I don’t like the whole idea of the secret access of information,” he said. “People get carried away with what they’re asking for.”

Clark said supporters of the act prevented its re-examination by accusing critics of endorsing terrorists’ rights over citizens’ rights.

He said the defense’s judgmental phrasing delays necessary re-examination.

Goodrich senior Emily Doerr asked Clark about the effectiveness of building impoverished nations.

“I don’t know if it can be done,” Clark said.

He said injecting cultural values is impossible, though powerful countries still can help small nations develop.

The remedy lies in injecting expertise into their societies, Clark said. People need lawyers and accountants who can bolster their economic and social understanding, he said.

“We don’t have any means of doing that, but we need to have that means,” he said.

Clark said combating atrocities in Darfur requires communication with the government in Sudan, requiring its support for international intervention.

“We need to hold accountable through war trials the people who commit war crimes,” he said.

Michael Zeig, Sterling Heights senior and Student Government Association president-elect, said the forum was a interesting glimpse into an influential figure’s personality.

“I thought he was real genuine and personable in his answers,” he said.

Jeff Scott, Kansas senior and ROTC military civil appointment officer, said meeting Clark was amazing.

“It’s inspiring to see someone who’s succeeded and cared so much for his nation,” he said.

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