The last time retired U.S. Gen. Wesley K. Clark made a significant public appearance, he started a major controversy by questioning Sen. John McCain’s qualifications. Not this time.

Speaking at Owen L. Coon Auditorium Monday night in an event sponsored by College Democrats, Clark did acknowledge his recent flap, but primarily discussed the current administration.

Clark, a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, did not explicitly encourage the audience to vote for Sen. Barack Obama, but he did not shy away from using Obama’s buzzwords. “We need new ideas and new leadership in Washington,” Clark said.

Clark identified the problems of the current establishment and talked about the need for change. He compared the effects of major crises of the last eight years — Sept.11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Katrina and the current financial slowdown — to the impact of the Vietnam War. However, he warned against taking a partisan approach to debating those issues.

“It’s tempting to just say ‘This is all Bush’s fault,’” he said. “But you have to reach a deeper level of understanding and realize that these aren’t things you can solve with partisanship.”

Clark discussed the issues of foreign policy and the economy, saying that the country’s current problems had deeper roots in the general attitude of Washington. He disapproved of the idea of the “invisible hand” and people’s reliance on the government as the responsible party. In his closing words, he encouraged the crowd to take action.

“You’re the educated leaders of tomorrow,” he said. “You’re here at this time, so listen to the debate. Ask yourself if we’re really getting to the ideas that put us at this impasse or are we just talking about lipstick on pigs.”

Answering questions from the audience, Clark addressed his feelings about the response to his comments about John McCain on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” During the show he questioned whether McCain’s military service qualified him to lead the country. He was criticized from both campaigns for the comments.

“It’s just politics,” Clark said. “The Obama campaign could have said they agreed with me. Go ask them why they didn’t stand up for me.”