Oh, the excitement! Our savior has come at last!
This column reads like a "how-to" for a job interview. "What is your biggest weakness, General Clark?" Well, I'm almost perfect sir.. Let's count the pluses:
*4-star general
*1st in class at West Point
*Rhodes scholar
*former NATO "Supreme Allied Commander"
*Purple Heart
*Silver Star
*brilliant
*"in theory, almost perfect"
*severely wounded in combat in Vietnam
*led successful operation in Kosovo
*instincts bridge-building and cooperative efforts
*less angry than Dean
*more personable than Kerry
*more mature than Edwards
*more telegenic than Lieberman (oh, so that's Joe's problem!)
*quick and endearing smile
*optimism
*quiet sense of strength
*ability to read (contrasting with Bush?? ;) ) and reflect the national mood
*potential to energize and the minuses ... ummm, zero..well, maybe two: the comparison of Clark to Eisenhower is "overblown at this point" and "welcome him not as a savior".
The mere hint that the incredibly bloated Pentagon budget might get reduced in the future would make stock in Lockheed Martin, Carlyle, etc. plummet, wouldn't it? And all other plans for future empire put on hold? The elites -- both left and right -- might suffer, and perhaps we along with them.. No, they MUST constrain the dialog. The establishment press will tell us what to think.
I like Clark and respect him for his brains and his discipline.
But is that a harness on our back, fellow donkeys? So tired of being pulled to the right-to the right-to the right that it's a relief when you feel a change in direction? Relieved to be able to hold your head up a little higher? But what about the guy holding the reins?
The rest of the world suffers under cluster bombs and depleted uranium, year after year; not caring much whether it's a Democrat or a Republican pushing the buttons, they NEED us to throw these riders, this "military-industrial-complex", OFF.