COLUMBIA, S.C. - Retired Gen. Wesley Clark made his first stop in Columbia as a presidential candidate Friday, talking about the universal health care plan he unveiled Tuesday and how President Bush erred by going to war in Iraq.

Clark spoke for about 45 minutes in a University of South Carolina Law School classroom packed with a standing-room-only crowd of about 250.

It was Clark's second visit to the home of the first-in-the-South Democratic presidential primary since he declared his candidacy in September. His other visit was to The Citadel military college in Charleston.

The former NATO commander had little to say about his campaign's big news of the day: a new poll that shows him leading the Democratic pack - including surging ahead of U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, a Seneca native.

When pressed, all Clark would say about the poll was, "I feel good about the reception I'm getting in South Carolina, that's what I feel good about."

The American Research Group poll of 600 likely primary voters put Clark ahead of Edwards, 17 percent to 10 percent, with 36 percent of the voters undecided. The poll had a margin of sampling error of 4 percentage points.

Jenni Engebretsen, Edwards' South Carolina spokeswoman, wasn't concerned about the new polling numbers, which she said sharply diverge from the campaign's internal polls. "We feel very confident about where things stand here," she said.

Clark told the crowd he never thought he'd run for president, but "I never thought the country would be in the shape that it's in today."

Clark says his $772 billion health care plan provides coverage to nearly 32 million of the nation's 40 million uninsured and create a new program to make sure everyone receives preventive health screenings. Part of the plan's cost would be offset by wringing more efficiency from the administration of health services and prescription drugs.

For the most part, Clark talked about the war in Iraq and Bush's role in it.

"I'm against wars that don't have to be fought," Clark said. Bush's approach to starting that conflict "was reckless and it was wrong."

As Clark spoke, Jeff Brockelsby listened to his new favorite candidate. "I want to hear where he stands on the issues and what kind of speaker he is," he said.

Clark "has the best chance to beat Bush," said Brockelsby, 41, of Columbia.

Before Clark stepped into the fray in September, Brockelsby had pulled for another veteran: U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

Among the nine candidates, Kerry trailed in the new poll, garnering just 4 percent, followed only by Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who came in with 1 percent.