Clark Information Thread.

[jayfish]

Since Gen. Wesley Clarks entry into the race for the Democratic Presidential Nomination is nearly a done deal, I thought I would start this thread as a one-stop shopping area for information about him. Please add to this thread if you come across additional information about the General. (Positive or Negative)



Women For Clark

"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."

"I am pro-choice."

"When I was in the military, I took an oath to support and uphold the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution is a constitution about freedom and liberty. It doesn't say that it's okay to mislead people, it doesn't say the end justified the means."

This site also has links to several transcripts from recent media appearances as well as user forums and General information.


Draft Wesley Clark

“I’m in favor of the principle of affirmative action… 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.” Meet The Press

"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." (source – speech at the Council on Foreign Relations)

"I grew up in an armed forces that treated everyone as a valued member of the team. Everyone got healthcare, and the army cared about the education of everyone's family members. It wasn't the attitude that you find in some places, where people are fending for themselves and the safety net doesn't work." (Source: Waging Modern War)

This is an issue and news oriented site


Draft Clark

Tons of Wesley Clark Links On This Site.
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These are three good sites to start off with.

Here is my favorite Clark quote

-On Dubyas Vulnerability in 04’-

“Well, I guess the conventional answer is, people would look at polls. But what I look at are the realities. And I think the American people will begin to see the reality.

Number one, Iraq is not -- if it is the centerpiece of the war on terror, it shouldn't be. We went into Iraq under false pretenses. There was, you call it deceptive advertising, you'd be taking him to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq.

We're there now. We're totally committed to this. We have got more than half the deployable strength of the U.S. Army there. We'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. “
(LATE EDITION WITH WOLF BLITZER August 17, 2003)

Good luck general, we need your help.

Jay

[Larkspur]

1. He doesn't have any civilian political experience to back up his rhetoric

When applying for a job, experience tells more about a candidate than rhetoric. Clark has never been tested in the civilian political realm, like the others.

I'm suspicious of generals trying to enter the civilian political world, especially for the Presidency of the United States, as if their military record alone and political rhetoric is enough of a qualification. The President is a civilian head, not a military one.

If Clark was running for governor of Arkansas, won, managed the state's affairs successfully, and then ran for President, then I would be intrigued and more open minded about his Presidential hopes.

[OKNancy]

2. small vit about Vietnam and war injuries

Clark's Army service began during the Vietnam War. In an ambush with the Viet Cong, he received four gunshot wounds to his leg and hand, but still managed to direct a counterattack and lead his platoon to safety, earning a Silver Star and Purple Heart.

Through a year of intense physical therapy, Clark taught himself to walk again, although a quarter of his calf muscle was gone. He also mastered a firm handshake, despite the missing muscle around his right thumb.


http://www.gomemphis.com/mca/nation_and_world/article/0,1426,MCA_454_2259791,00.html