Someone in the Clark campaign PLEASE READ THIS!

[CShine]

That right-wing hack Matt Drudge has published something HE THINKS will hurt Clark. He could not be more wrong.

Here's the lowdown from his little story.

GENERAL CLARK PRAISED CONDI, POWELL, RUMSFELD AND BUSH: 'WE NEED THEM THERE'

**World Exclusive**

Democratic presidential hopeful General Wesley Clark offered lavish praise for the Bush Administration and its key players in a speech to Republicans -- just two years ago, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal!

MORE

During extended remarks delivered at the Pulaski County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 11, 2001, General Clark declared: "And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice... people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We need them there." A video of Clark making the comments has surfaced, DRUDGE can reveal.

MORE

Clark praised Reagan for improving the military: "We were really helped when President Ronald Reagan came in. I remember non-commissioned officers who were going to retire and they re-enlisted because they believed in President Reagan." Clark continued: "That's the kind of President Ronald Reagan was. He helped our country win the Cold War. He put it behind us in a way no one ever believed would be possible. He was truly a great American leader. And those of us in the Armed Forces loved him, respected him, and tremendously admired him for his great leadership."

Clark on President George Bush: "President George Bush had the courage and the vision... and we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and statesmanship."

http://www.drudgereport.com/clark.htm


OK, here's my take.


Drudge seems to be missing the obvious advantage this story gives to Clark.

If he's smart, here's how Clark will respond....

1) He'll say, "Look, way back in May of 2001 I loved the President's support for the military."

2) He'll still say, "I continue to believe that Bush made the wrong choices about going to war with Iraq. That happened AFTER my comments in 2001."


In all their glee over this supposed bombshell, Republicans seem to have missed the fact that Clark has always been a vocal supporter of a strong military, but he disagreed with the specific choices made by Bush regarding Iraq.

No other Democrat has taken this stance. No other Democratic Presidential candidate can say that his public stance before 9/11 was always for a strong military, but that he STILL believes that Bush simply botched it on Iraq. This story BACKS UP that position. This plays directly to the sentiments of a great many Americans who think we SHOULD maintain a strong military, but who also think that our postwar Iraq policies have been failures. This is potentially the biggest opening for Clark so far. It can allow him to separate from the Democratic pack. It can allow him to show with 100% certainty that he has ALWAYS been for a strong defense, but having a record of strong support for defense does NOT mean that he thinks Bush has handled postwar Iraq in a competent manner.

This is a GOOD thing for Clark. If he and his political team recognize the opportunity here, it can be used to really separate him from the other Democratic Presidential candidates. It will show that he is the ONLY Democratic candidate with a history of strong support for defense. The fact that these statements came WELL BEFORE 9/11 means that he can still stand by his statements of strong criticism for Bush's Iraq policy and also show that he has always had strong pro-defense bonafides.

Take it for what it's worth.

[virtualobserver]

1. I have to agree with you.....

He can say that he trusted them and they betrayed that trust.

Sadly....he was wrong about them, he thought that they were interested in supporting the military.

I'm sure that a lot of military people would have agreed with Clark in May 2001, but now are very angry with Bush.

This is a plus for Clark.

[boxster]

2. I agree, especially

after how he handled the "you're suddenly a Democrat" issue in the debate.

[Egnever]

3. You've got to be kiding me

This is a pluss for clark? Just saw the video on CNN of him saying this stuff and I dont see this as a pluss in any way. Quite frankly it makes me wonder WTF is going on.

Clark is begining to reak of being a designer candidate put up by the power brokers in order to steal the next election to maintain the status quo.

This guy is begining to scare me.

How any Dem can see this as a positive is beyond belief to me. I want to like this guy but all I am is scared of him at this point.

[Upfront]

4. Separate's Him From Democrats

Yep, it separate's him alright. I consider myself part of the base and it makes me very leery of this boy. He looks like the stop Dean, status quo, keep us at the trough, candidate, for the DLC crew. I am not buying it. Of course, I did not like Ike either. Dean has got them all panicked because he will change things in ways they won't like, but for the good of the average American. I trust Dean to do what is right for America. I also trust Bob Graham and hope to see him as Dean's VP.

[maha]

5. This issue came up in the debate yesterday.

It was in the first question; he handled it very well. From the debate transcript:

Without further delay, we should probably get into the questioning, and this is that moderator discretion we talked about earlier. General Clark, we're going to begin with you.

A few moments ago on live television, the political editor of the Wall Street Journal called you the hot story here at this debate before we had even started.

The American people are certainly anxious to learn more about you and anxious to know things like allegiance. And we want to clear something up.

On May 11th of 2001, as reported in US News and World Report, you addressed at the Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner in Arkansas, expressed your support for the leadership of Ronald Reagan, for that matter, the leadership of our current president, George W. Bush, his immediate staff and Cabinet, and indicated they were needed in place.

Did you believe it then? Do you believe it now?

CLARK: I think it's been an incredible journey for me and for this country since early 2001.

We elected a president we thought was a compassionate conservative. Instead we got neither conservatism or compassion. We got a man who recklessly cut taxes. We got a man who recklessly took us into war with Iraq.

I was never partisan in the military. I served under Democratic presidents, I served under Republican presidents. But as I looked at this country and looked which way we were headed, I knew that I needed to speak out. And when I needed to speak out, there was only party to come to.

I am pro-choice, I am pro-affirmative action, I'm pro-environment, pro-health. I believe the United States should engage with allies. We should be a good player in the international community. And we should use force only as a last resort. That's why I'm proud to be a Democrat.

The VRWC is still working this to discredit Clark. So print this out and carry it with you, and any time anyone brings it up, just read Clark's statement to them.

[EagleEye]

6. Clark's statement makes no sense...

If he is "pro-choice, I am pro-affirmative action, I'm pro-environment, pro-health" then he could have never praised Bush-Co. They have never been for any of these.

[maha]

7. He wasn't planning to run for President in 2001

Are you saying Clark is some kind of stealth candidate?

[2cents]

9. "We elected a president..."

Who's "we", and what does he mean by "elected"?

Was "Theft 2000" all-good for Wes? - sounds like it was.

Has he since had a revelation and morphed, ala Brock?

For me, Clark has alot more 'splainin to do.

[Kahuna]

8. Proves he knows when he's been duped...

He trusted them as many Americans including democrats did and now he doesn't. What's the big deal? He's running because he knows how dangerous they are to our country and the world.

[maha]

16. They can't say he's a knee-jerk Bush hater.

Looks like a plus to me.

[jayfish]

10. . Tweety Said Somthing Very Insightful Last Night To Peggy

Noonan in reference to Clarks speech. This is paraphrased; "If George Bush* looses this election it will be because of people like Gen. Clark. People who changed their minds." Would you throw away a vote from a former Bush* voter?

Jay

-On Edit-
The question is not directed to you CShine, but to the group as a whole. Since this thread is duped in GD, I thought I would dupe this.

[maha]

12. It is not possible

For Tweety to say anyting insightful. Bush WILL lose in 2004, and he will do so because he's an absolute abomination as a president, and enough people are finally seeing the truth.

[jayfish]

13. Not Even Once?

;-). That fact remains, truth or not, someone who voted for Bush* will have to change their mind to vote for the Dem. nominee.

Jay

[maha]

15. Nah, if Tweety said it

... it has to be stupid. ;)

Lots of people who voted for W never had minds to change, you know. Keep in mind that the majority voted for Gore, and of the Bush supporters probably a large percentage were undecided until close to election day. Their votes for Bush were not made with deep conviction.

I suspect a lot people who've been propping up Bush's approval rating (until recently) enjoy the feel-good, whup-ass jinogism he represents. But now they're noticing that the feel-food, whup-ass jingoism comes with a price tag attached to it. And the war isn't fun to watch any more.

[dennis4868]

11. I liked Clark but....

saying how great the thugs in the white house are makes me a little sick to the stomach. I knew from the beginning (even before the Iraq invasion) that the pResident and his people wwere all thugs and criminals and selfish! Anyone who praised them even before the war is an idiot!

[Red_Storm]

14. I've been leaning towards Clark for the nomination but

that video footage of him praising the Bush junta that was shown last night was really, really, really, disturbing.....

[Nancy Waterman]

17. I totally agree - very disturbing

In March 2001, Bush pulled us out of the Kyoto protocol, wanted to add arsenic to the drinking water, and had reinstituted the gag rule. By May he announced he was going ahead with his missile plan and therefore pulling out of the nuclear treaty with the Russians in 6 months. Jeffords quit the party in late May 2001 because the Rethugs were so disgusting. There was plenty of evidence already that Bush was an abomination and anti-abortion, anti-environment and anti- collaboration with allies.

I was waiting to see Clark last night before I decided who to support. I have decided on Kerry after last night's debate.

[clspector]

18. That statement was about George HW Bush, not Whistle-Ass

>>Clark on President George Bush: "President George Bush had the courage and the vision... and we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and statesmanship."<<

From MediaWhoresOnline:

Tucker Lies to Crossfire Audience
States Clark Comments Referred to "George W. Bush"

Tucker Carlson, Crossfire (9/26):

CARLSON: General Wesley Clark gave a speech in Arkansas to a Republican group in which he came out for Ronald Reagan, attacked Old Europe, and then said this, and I'm quoting now, this is about president George W. Bush: "And President George Bush had the courage and the vision...And we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and statesmanship." He goes on but I don't want to torture you. Can he now claim to be a partisan Democrat with any kind of credibility?

CNN showed a graphic of the quote as Tucker read it, with ellipsis. When the same quote with the same redaction was published at the Drudge Report yesterday, MWO wondered what had been omitted, and suggested it was probably information that would prove Clark was referring to Poppy, not the Unelected Fraud.

Not surprisingly, that did turn out to be the case. Tucker Carlson told a bald-faced lie to CNN's audience - making a point to say "this is about George W. Bush" before reading the quote that contained the name of "George Bush" twice.

Here is the entire quote:

We couldn't quite believe it. I mean Desert Storm was wonderful; we whipped Saddam Hussein and all that sort of thing. But the Cold War was over, the Berlin Wall was down. And President George Bush had the courage and the vision to push our European allies to take the risk to tell the Russians to leave, and to set up the conditions so all of Germany and later many nations of Eastern Europe could become part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, part of the West with us. And we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and statesmanship.

Full Text of Speech

(Was this information also deliberately left out when Republicans sent out this information to reporters before yesterday's debate?)

[Nancy Waterman]

19. There was also a bit about the current George Bush

He said how great Bush, Condi, Powell, and the whole team was.

From one of the articles:

"During extended remarks delivered at the Pulaski County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 11, 2001, General Clark declared: "And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice... people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We need them there."