General Clark’s Battles - (article in The New Yorker 11-17-03)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

Required reading for anyone considering Clark.

"... many Democrats were eager to be convinced that Wesley Clark was what Bill Clinton had reportedly declared him to be—the only Democrat besides Hillary Clinton who qualified as a true political “star.” He was the anointed choice of many in the Clinton wing of the Party, the stop-Dean candidate charged with keeping Democrats tethered to the center. When Clark finally announced his candidacy, in Little Rock on September 17th, he was surrounded by old Clinton hands and the national press; a loudspeaker played the theme music from the movie “The Natural.”

It quickly became apparent, however, that Clark, in terms of his oratorical prowess or personal magnetism, was not a natural at all. He required heavy handling on the campaign trail, where, as a political novice, he was prone to gaffes, such as his opening-week assertion that he “probably” would have voted for the congressional resolution authorizing the war in Iraq. One of his press representatives described the misstep as “devastating, a huge mistake”; the mood among Democratic activists is unambiguously antiwar, and Clark’s subsequent attempts to amend his position have made him seem confused on the subject. (He eventually declared that he didn’t know the full content of the resolution.) ..."

http://newyorker.com/fact/content/?031117fa_fact

I came away a bit apprehensive of the General.

[Brucey]

1. Me too.

[xultar]

2. I know he has made devastating mistakes...all candidates will

There are things that make me apprehensive of all candidates. I guess what my take away is from this article is that I need to prioritize what is important to me and focus on that. If a mistake is made on something that is not high on my list. For me it is a non issue. If a mistake is made on something high on my list then I'll have to reevaluate.

My list
Affirmative Action
Pro Choice
Civilized candidate, no attacking it is a turn off to me & is RWingnut behavior
Centrist on financial issues
Getting US back on track with foreign policy...Coalition building repairing our relations with other countries no first strike mentality (Edit - Clark is against the use of force unless it is the last resort. That takes care of the Iraq ? for me. At least we know there won't be another Iraq under his watch)
Gays in the Military Gay Rights and civil liberties because I have a lot of Gay friends.
Health Care
Education (I don't have kids but it is still important)

[annxburns]

3. I saw this too ....

... and it is pretty much a hatchet job. The guy who wrote it Boyer HATED Gore. Wrote about Gore growing up as a poor little rich boy in a Washington hotel - the characterization stuck to Gore through the rest of the campaign.

It didn't make me any more apprehensive - but I don't think the media is going to let Clark gain any traction - he got in too late and he is a newbie politician running for the toughest office in the land. That wouldn't just take a great, natural politican and candidate - it would take a miracle.

Frankly, and this is only MHO, I think Clark decided to answer the call and take his best shot. I think he may end up as the nominee's VP, but I'm not sure if he could carry a state, or he will end up a cabinet officer. I would love to see him as Sec of Defense because, man, that would piss off the Bushie a**-kissers in the Pentagon.

Just my opinion, mind you ...

[annxburns]

4. Sorry ...

.. meant to say, help the nominee carry a state.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. Didn't know this about Boyer

also, I guess the fact Clinton is more or less behind him is as good an endorsement as any- "Hoodwinked" (or "hornswoggled") about his removal or not. (I had actually heard that Clinton WAS pissed about Clark getting too politically involved in Kosovo.)

[xultar]

6. Clinton also didn't like that Clark wanted to send troops to Rawanda

As a Black female I see that all of our administation goes out to help where there is oil, they bend over backwards for the Cubans.
But when Haitians try to come over here they send them back.

over 100,000 africans died in Rawanda. Clintion did nothing. Should I turn against him on that one issue alone.

Clark wanted to help the Africans...A WHITE MAN wanting to help AFRICANS is fucking RARE.

That is how CLARK won my political support...

Have none of you read AL Franken's book?

COME on people..

[Lefta Dissenter]

7. so full of cr@p

If you have reservations about Clark, go to his website, www.clark04.com , read his policy statements and speeches, and decide if he will be leading this country in the direction that you want to see it headed. You might also want to consider www.clarkmyths.com

That New Yorker column is just a continuation of the repugs wanting to push Dean to the top, so they can smash him to smithereens in November 04 (which WILL happen, if he gets the nomination). Why do you think they're always falling all over themselves trying to compliment Dean??? I am so sick of seeing the same crap repeated over and over by the right wing, because they are PETRIFIED that Clark will get the nomination and kick the Royal George's ass.

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[CertainKindOfFool]

11. Dean

Why does everyone rip on Dean so bad. Even some democrats are afraid of him becuase he is changing the political landscape of our country so drastically. I am convinced that Dean is the ONLY person who can beat Bush because he offers a real alternative many voters are looking for. Who can argue with a grassroots campaign or the number of people he has gotten involved who wouldn't otherwise be? Who can argue with REAL campaign finance reform not just as a law but as a practice! Even a lot of moderate Republicans would be happy to see an end to special interest money in our government.

The reason so many Americans are so apathetic to politics is becuase they don't think their voice matters! Dean is changing this. Too many Democrats (aka Clark supporters) are so afraid of Bush that they are blinded by that fact that Dean is evangalizing our entire party into action and in the process empowering people who thought that democracy was dead. Only 51% of voters voted in 2000 and that is a problem that Dean is intent on fixing. The Clark supporters have given up on fixing our broken political system and just assume that Bush will use it to clobber us. He will be able to use it too clobber us if we don't do something to change it!! That is why I support Dean.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi CertainKindOfFool!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Rowdyboy]

8. General rehashing of the whole Clark story

with absolutely nothing new that I could find.

[Myra]

9. Aren't people here hip to the media whores after all these years?

They will attack our best candidates and prop up
our worst ones. We've been expecting it since
General Clark entered the race; it's happening
consistently; no surprise.

There are very few media sources I trust anymore.
The New Yorker isn't one.

[xultar]

10. A voice of reason and sanity in DA house! Go Myra Go Myra

[NewYorkerfromMass]

12. New Yorker publishes Seymour Hersch

a rather lionized writer here at DU, so don't try to paint the New Yorker as some kind of RW hovel.