Wesley Clark to run for President

[clk]

http://www.newsday.com/news/politic...,3086108.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

From what I've seen of Clark on television, he seems to be an extremely smart person and more sincere than the other Democratic candidates.

Clark has a resume that unnerves potential rivals -- Rhodes scholar, first in his 1966 class at West Point, White House fellow, head of the U.S. Southern Command and NATO commander during the 1999 campaign in Kosovo.

Would you vote for him over Kerry, Dean, and the others?

 

[arcticpenguin]

http://www.theemailactivist.org/impeach.htm

On the June 15 edition of NBC's Meet the Press, former General Wesley Clark admitted to anchor Tim Russert that Bush administration officials had engaged in a campaign to frame Saddam Hussein for the September 11 attacks—beginning on September 11! Clark said that he was called by the White House that very day and urged to claim that Baghdad was connected to the terror attacks, but he refused to do so due to a complete lack of evidence.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

Bye-bye, W. Enjoy your retirement!

 

[arcticpenguin]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2003-09-11-clark-candidacy_x.htm

Clark has a resume that unnerves potential rivals — Rhodes scholar, first in his 1966 class at West Point, White House fellow, head of the U.S. Southern Command and NATO commander during the 1999 campaign in Kosovo.

A Clark White House bid would grab the political spotlight and undercut the strengths of several in the nine-way Democratic race.

Dean's effort to solidify his front-runner status might suffer from the distraction of a Clark candidacy. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts would no longer be the race's only decorated combat veteran. Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina and Bob Graham of Florida would face another Southerner.
...
Clark believes his four-star military service would counter Bush's political advantage as a wartime commander in chief, associates say. The retired general has been critical of the Iraq war and Bush's postwar efforts, positions that would put him alongside Dean, Graham and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio as the most vocal anti-war candidates.

I honestly don't know much about the guy. Any potential skeletons in his closet?

 

[clk]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/2003-09-11-clark-candidacy_x.htm


I honestly don't know much about the guy. Any potential skeletons in his closet?

I doubt it. From listening to him talk, he seems like a very sincere person. But who knows?
Here is a website that displays his stance on the issues:
http://meetclark.com/faq/index.asp

On the war on Iraq:

“We went into Iraq under false pretenses. There was…deceptive advertising; you'd be taking [President Bush] to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq. [W]e're taking casualties. We haven't made America safer by this. We've made America more engaged, more vulnerable, more committed, less able to respond. We've loss a tremendous amount of goodwill around the world by our actions and our continuing refusal to bring in international institutions.”

On the separation of church and state:

“I grew up believing that…one of the basic principles in our country is that we would keep church and state separate. And this is because everyone is entitled to freedom of religion, and that is why people came to America in the first place. And we learned that in order to have freedom of religion, you’ve got to protect the state from the church…I think that it is a wonderful thing for people to have-values and religious, their religious faith, and I certainly have mine. But I think that it is better for our democracy and better for our religion if we keep the two separate.”

On education:

“[Clark] decried the lack of funding for the No Child Left Behind Act, saying ‘we should stop beating teachers over the head and start supporting them.’"

On the economy:

“In this economy, right now, today - it’s about two things. Number one: security. And I think that Americans today understand that national security is personal security. We need to devote the resources and the attention necessary, not only to attack Al Qaeda abroad, but to ensure that citizens in our cities, in New York, in Washington, DC, are safe and protected.

And number two: we need to put the right kind of demand stimulus back into the economy. A stimulus that’s efficient in terms of how much it costs us, in terms of the deficit. A stimulus that’s fair in terms of rewarding the people who need it the most, not the wealthy. And a stimulus that’s long term, fiscally responsible in terms of not creating huge deficits that our children have to deal with or that we have to deal with ten years out.”

There's more information on that website.

edited to add: Clark is going to officially announce his decision next week at the University of Iowa.

In a dig at President Bush's flight-suited landing on an aircraft carrier, Clark rejected suggestions he announce near his alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. "I don't want to politicize the armed forces," he says. "Should I run, my patriotism will be a function of what I've done, not wrapping myself in the military."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2003-09-10-clark-usat_x.htm

 

[arcticpenguin]

“I grew up believing that…one of the basic principles in our country is that we would keep church and state separate...

Yowza! That's one of my personal hot button issues. It's refreshing to find a candidate who would actually state that publicly. Too many feel bound to pander to the religious right.

 

[Clancie]

From Christian Science Monitor

On social issues, Clark supports abortion rights, affirmative action, and gays in the military. On the economy, Bush's Achilles heel in polls, Clark is also critical: He opposed Bush's tax cuts, calling them unfair and inefficient as a stimulus for creating jobs. He also criticizes Bush for allowing the budget deficit to skyrocket.

For Clark boosters, the gold-plated résumé makes them stand and salute: first in his class at West Point, Rhodes scholar, 34 years in the military, Vietnam combat veteran, NATO commander.

He's also an investment banker and an author - his second book, "Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire," comes out in September.

Wesley Clark....if only.....

 

[corplinx]

sooo, how is he different than any other democrat except that he was a general in the military?

I think the whole Wesley Clark hope is people realizing that most of the current dem candidates stink and they want to bring Clark in as a ringer.

 

[arcticpenguin]

Does anyone have a good link for an issue-by-issue comparison of the Democratic candidates? There are too many for me to keep track of.

 

[Cleon]

The amusing thing about a Clark presidency would be watching the conservatives try to call him "anti-military."

 

[arcticpenguin]

sooo, how is he different than any other democrat except that he was a general in the military?

I think the whole Wesley Clark hope is people realizing that most of the current dem candidates stink and they want to bring Clark in as a ringer.

Could be. I certainly have problems with some of the candidates (e.g. Lieberman). Some I just don't know much about yet. Since I'm not a Democrat I could just until after the primaries and concentrate on the nominee.

 

[clk]

sooo, how is he different than any other democrat except that he was a general in the military?

He doesn't seem to be a dirt-slinging politician like the other candidates. I think he says what he believes, unlike some of the other candidates, who only say things that will give them a better shot at getting elected. But of course, you have to play the game if you are going to run for President, so I may be proven wrong, though I doubt it.

 

[Clancie]

Posted by corplinx

sooo, how is he different than any other democrat except that he was a general in the military?

Well, that's a big one in itself, isn't it. Especially when we've got an incumbent President starting wars abroad and making photo ops in a military flight suit.

Clark is more socially progressive domestically and also more critical of the war in Iraq than some of the Dems (like Lieberman).

And, let's face it. The Democratic candidates are not exactly brimming with charisma. Clark has it--and is great on television. He's obviously highly intelligent and, with the addition of the military background (and understanding of separation of church and state AP mentioned, as well as other Constitutional issues--like civil liberties) it has the makings of a fascinating debate between Clark and Bush.

 

[arcticpenguin]

I expect Bush would avoid any debates, unless his poll numbers sunk pretty far.

 

[Zep]

From what little I've seen of him, and the stuff above makes up a fair bit of that!, he does seem to have his head screwed on properly regarding important issues. So I would be interested to see if his stances on other domestic issues are well received by mainstream America.

Of course, it seems amply demonstrated that he has a sharp brain, so perhaps politics is going to be tough for him!

 

[Reager]

Clark was on Real Time with Bill Maher last Friday. In addition to being exeptionally eloquent and intelligent, he was not afraid to describe himself as a liberal. While that certainly makes him a prime target for right-wing hatemongers, it was nice to see he had the guts to say it. There is nothing wrong with beng a liberal...we need to take back our word!!

Mike

 

[Landis]

I signed up to support Wesley Clark on the Draft Wesley Clark website over two months ago. I think he's a brilliant man who only desires to steer the United States in the right direction.

His only fault is that he's not a carreer politician. That would be a plus except for the fact that "Politics" is a dirty business and career politicians on both the right and the left will not easily tolerate an outsider in the White House.

 

[Clancie]

Posted by Landis

His only fault is that he's not a carreer politician. That would be a plus except for the fact that "Politics" is a dirty business and career politicians on both the right and the left will not easily tolerate an outsider in the White House.

True, but what about Dick Gephardt as his VP? (Although being from Arkansas, I suppose Clark would need someone from a Western or Northern state, not another Southerner ).

 

[corplinx]

I think Clark is playing the democratic base like a fiddle. Dean has pulled the rest of the candidates into mud slinging which could let Clark slip in late and steal the nomination. He probably knows that if he had been on a podium at the last debate he would have looked just like the other candidates.

On the issues, he seems to be no different than Kucinich. The difference being that Kucinich is going about the nomination process the regular way instead of orchestrating a "movement" to bring himself in to save the party.

 

[arcticpenguin]

True, but what about Dick Gephardt as his VP? (Although being from Arkansas, I suppose Clark would need someone from a Western or Northern state, not another Southerner ). [/B]

I would not like to see Gephardt in either the P or VP position. I do not care for his protectionist slant on foreign trade.