Following his speech, Perry fielded about a dozen questions touching on a variety of topics.
One Kennedy School of Government student asked Perry whether he thought ties between the government and the defense and energy industries were dangerous.
“[The] defense industry has far less of an influence today than it did during President Eisenhower’s administration,” Perry responded.
Another student asked Perry how Democrats should respond to Republican dominance of national security as a campaign issues.
Perry argued that the Democrats must field a candidate strong on national security. Perry threw his weight behind Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., but added that retired Gen. Wesley Clark or Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., were good alternatives.
Audience member David M. Kaden ’06, called Perry’s speech impressive but “very scary.”
“If what he said was true, we live in a dangerous world,” he said.