Reply #17: It's the biggest issue I disagree with Clark on [View All]

[Tom Rinaldo]

I posted my opposition to that position on his web site at the time it was announced. However Clark still has my strong support. I saw him answer a question about his stand at a dinner I attended. He said he was asked by a questioner elsewhere how he stood on the flag amendment to which he said he replied "If that is something that the American people want, I will support it" or something to that effect. He did have the courage of his convictions to add that his personal opinion is in favor of such an amendment, but he left the clear impression that it is not a high priority issue for him or one that he would push or campaign in favor of.

I still am a strong Clark supporter for several reasons. I have had no real difficulty with any other position he has taken and I am wildly supportive of many positions he has taken. I think he is the best man to lead our nation at this time, and I think he is the Democrat most likely to defeat Bush.

But returning to flag question for a second, I also otherwise feel Clark is incredibly strong on the issues of civil liberties and free speech. Read his position paper defining his "New American Patriotism" for examples. Clark was defending Michael Moore's right to make his anti Iraq war statement at the Oscar ceremony live on TV during coveratge of the Iraq invasion within days of that controversy. Clark is also a strong critic of the Patriot Act. He believes dissent is what enables the people of a Democracy to arrive at informed opinions, and that it is our essential liberties that define us as a nation and can't be sacrificed in defence of this nation when it is under attack. Clark thinks of dissent as an obligation, not a right. He also rebuked Alexander Haige's comments that were made moments before Clark's own appearance on the Scarborough Country MSNBC show, this too during the war. Haige was claiming the old "protesters give comfort to the enemy line" and Clark strongly disagreed. He said (among other things) are we supposed to suspend our Democracy when we are at war? Suppose it goes on for a long time, should we postpone elections?

So why on earth does Clark oppoose flag burning? For one thing Clark firmly believes that the flag belongs to all Americans, even the most radical among us. It is not an Establishment symbol to him. He thinks opponents of U.S. policies can proudly wave the flag, and I suspect he would prefer it if we did while we were denouncing this country's policies. Clark said, when I saw him, that he thinks it is important that a diverse nation such as America have a unifying symbol that is above the partisan fray. I think that is the intellectual underpinnings for his stance, but I suspect to a large part it is personal to him. Clark commented on the fact that he had fought under that flag, seen men die fighting under that flag, and had buried men under that flag. He mentioned also handing that flag to the grieving families of soldiers who had died fighting for their country. I think it is just very personal to Clark. He knows how much comfort the American flag has been to people who were proud of their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, for serving and dieing in the Armed Forces. For those people it is painful to see the American Flag "desecrated" and Clark literally feels their pain, he's been there to share it.

So I still oppose his position, but I understand it, and I do believe Clark is strong on civil liberties. In his mind, that is what he was in the military defending, what he spent his life in service to. You really need to listen to Clark speek on that sometime. It's pretty powerful stuff, and I'm convinced of his sincerity.