All these Clark threads have me giggling like a titmouse [View All]

[WilliamPitt]

Tee hee hee hee...

Evidently, Clark sucks because he hasn't chosen to join the race yet. News flash: By not jumping in yet, by creating a buzz, he is insuring maximum splash when he does join (and yeah, I think it's certain he will run, and not take a VP slot unless he loses a bunch of primaries).

I also think these threads demonstrate a deserved level of fear within the ranks of the Taliban supporters for other candidates. You should be scared. Clark will hit this campaign like a goddam tornado. Why? Because he is a General, and because he is a known and oft-televised CNN guy. He's their boy, a bona fide media darling, and they will give him the full measure of air time immediately out of the gate.

Kerry supporters: Clark will tap into those who would vote Kerry for his war record.

Dean supporters: Clark will tap into those who think someone with 'foreign policy experience' (and you can say "He doesn't have any!" and be right, to a degree, but a lot of people will see 'General' and think otherwise) should be President.

In general: The mainstream media will play him up because he is a Pentagon guy, as much a symbol of the status quo as a dollar bill, and therefore will be a golden boy in the eyes of those who want surface change instead of real change.

I'm just getting a big kick out of watching the General Discussion flailings. I've gone from getting angry about the way we butcher our allies here to being genuinely amused. It's like going to a freak show and seeing a two-headed seal who tells better jokes than Chris Rock. Hilarious. Pathetic, but genuinely funny.

But why vote for him? Besides the fact that he could very well win? Let's see:

On the 'War on Terra':

"Terrorism is a multilateral problem. You cannot defeat it in one nation. You need international police work, teamwork, international harmonization of laws against terror, a whole series of things. You act unilaterally; you lose the commitment of your allies to make it work. That's the one thing that will kill you in the war on terrorism."

"Much of the terrorist network draws support and resources from within countries friendly or allied with us. And here there are very real limitations to the use of American military force. What we really need are closer alignments... Through greater legal, judicial, and police harmonization, we need to make the international environment more seamless for us than it is for the international terrorists we seek."

On the PATRIOT Act:

"One of the things about the war on terror that I am disturbed about is that we've essentially suspended habeas corpus, which is something that's only been done once in American history and then only for a very brief period. When I go back and think about the atmosphere in which the PATRIOT Act was passed, it begs for a reconsideration and review. And it should be done."

On the environment:

"Human beings do affect the environment and all you have to do is fly along the Andes and look at the disappearing glaciers down there and you recognize that there is something called global warming and it's just getting started as China and India modernize."

(Big deal? Find anyone in the current administration to say, "there is something called global warming and it's just getting started")

Economic policy and the tax cuts:

"I would not have supported . They were not efficient in terms of stimulating the kind of demand we need to move the economy back into a recovery mode, a strong recovery and a recovery that provides jobs. There are more effective ways of using the resources. Secondly, the tax cuts weren’t fair. I mean, the people that need the money and deserve the money are the people who are paying less, not the people who are paying more. I thought this country was founded on a principle of progressive taxation. In other words, it’s not only that the more you make, the more you give, but proportionately more because when you don’t have very much money, you need to spend it on the necessities of life. When you have more money, you have room for the luxuries and you should—one of the luxuries and one of the privileges we enjoy is living in this great country. So I think that the tax cuts were unfair. And, finally, I mean, you look at the long-run health of the country and the size of the deficit that we’ve incurred and a substantial part of that deficit is result of the tax cuts. You have to ask: ‘Is this wise, long-run policy?’ I think the answer is no."

On affirmative action:

"I’m in favor of the principle of affirmative action. Whether is the right plan or not, and whether that should be 10 points, not 20 points, whether it should be, let’s say, an income level cutoff there at which you don’t get the points if you’re above a certain income, you can tool with the plan. But what you can’t have is you can’t have a society in which we’re not acknowledging that there is a problem in this society with racial discrimination. There is, there has been and the reason so many of us filed is we saw the benefits of affirmative action in the United States armed forces. It was essential in restoring the integrity and the effectiveness of the armed forces."

P.S. Clark told Michael Tomasky of the American Prospect in an interview that he favors both abortion rights.

(source for all this: http://www.draftclark2004.com/issues.asp)

So let's put to bed all this nonsense about "I know nothing about Clark," because now you do, and you also have the wherewithal to find out more. Clark sounds like a Democrat straight out of central casting to me on a lot of very important issues. There will be plenty to disagree with, I'm sure, but read his own words and know that, well, now you know.

The best argument I've heard against Clark came today when I found myself, surprisingly, on the phone with Dennis Kucinich. He said, "Why on earth would we want someone from the Pentagon in the White House?" Food for thought there.

But hey. What do I know? Nothing, that's what. Please continue with your fun and games. I'll be here giggling, and waiting for another guy from Little Rock to, possibly, surprise the shit out of everyone.