Clinton urges international cooperation at fund-raiser

Trenton talk benefits Greenwood House.

By: Jennifer Potash
   TRENTON — Former President Bill Clinton called for greater cooperation and partnerships among world nations as a means of fostering peace during a visit to the state capital on Sunday.
   Mr. Clinton spoke before an audience of 1,800 in The War Memorial’s Patriot Theater as part of a fund-raiser for Greenwood House, a nonprofit nursing home and assisted-living complex for the Jewish aged in Ewing.
   The gala honored the contributions and service of the Siegel family — Martin and Denise Siegel of Princeton Township and their son and daughter-in-law, Hank and Lisette Siegel of Princeton Borough — to Greenwood House.
   The term "globalization," which connotes trade and economics, should be dropped in favor of "integration," a word suggesting how the world is connected by immigration, information and technology, Mr. Clinton said.
   He said pursuing "integration" will counter another force that is more successfully tying countries together — the threat of terrorism.
   The United States should set an example for the world, as it did in the post-World War II era, in building partnerships and cooperation among the nations of the world, he said.
   "A child who goes to school, a young man who has a job, is not going to want to blow up American targets," Mr. Clinton said.
   The elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, from Iraq and North Korea should be a key goal of U.S. national security, the former president said. "It is a prudent thing for us to do," he said.
   The greatest challenge will be in North Korea, which the former president called the "most curious country."
   The communist nation cannot "bring in a rice crop but it can grow bombs and missiles," Mr. Clinton noted.
   Diplomacy, not conflict, will prevail in the conflict with North Korea over nuclear weapons, he contended.
   "North Korea wants to not be another East Germany," he said. "They don’t want to disappear from history’s stage."
   Mr. Clinton criticized what he said was the increasing unilateral foreign policy of the Bush administration as well as the president’s economic stimulus package.
   "I think this tax cut’s nuts," he said.
   He also took a moment to chide Americans for all the recent French-bashing, noting French soldiers serve alongside their American counterparts in Afghanistan.
   Mr. Clinton sympathized with some of the decisions President Bush had to make with regard to Iraq.
   A president cannot ignore intelligence data indicating the presence of weapons of mass destruction "and hope it all turns out lovely," he said.
   But he lashed out at those in the Bush administration who questioned the patriotism of dissenters over the Iraq war. And he urged citizens not only to form their own opinions but to speak out against cuts in social programs such as after-school programs or more police officers.
   "If you check your brain at the door, then you’ve given the terrorists a victory," he said.
   The speech resonated with the capacity crowd — the president was interrupted by applause several times and he received two standing ovations.
   One man in the mezzanine shouted, "Bill Clinton for president," and drew thanks from the former two-term president.
   Gov. James E. McGreevey introduced Mr. Clinton, noting, "I believe at the end of a long day that William Jefferson Clinton will be marked as one of our great presidents."
   Mr. Clinton’s appearance was not the sole item on his calendar Sunday. Earlier, the former president spoke at the commencement at Tougaloo College, a historically black college in Jackson, Miss.
   The Mercer County gala, which included a dinner for corporate and other major donors prior to the speech, grossed about $500,000, which exceeded expectations, said Mindy Cohen, a spokeswoman for the event. Organizers declined to reveal Mr. Clinton’s speaking fee, but it can range from $100,000 to $450,000, according to press accounts.
   U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12), state Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence) and Mercer County Freeholder Brian Hughes attended the fund-raiser.