Wesley Clark Praising Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld -- video?

[eablair3]

I know there have been multiple threads on this. I heard on the abc radio national news last night when they played the audio of Wesley Clark at a republican fund-raiser. ABC played the audio of Clark praising Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld etc a year or two ago saying how he was glad they were in power.

A recent article says this was on video:
http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/6634.htm

"... the retired general was effusively praising President Bush and his "great team" just two years ago.

...

The retired general was 56 when he told a GOP fundraiser that America needs Bush.

"Wesley Clark seems to have been more specific in his effusive praise of Republicans such as George Bush, Don Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney two years ago than he was about why he is a Democrat during debate," added Kerry spokesman Robert Gibbs.

A video released by Republicans, taped at a 2001 Arkansas GOP fund-raiser, shows Clark praising Bush, the first President Bush and Ronald Reagan for "great" or "tremendous" leadership and painting the Clinton administration as clueless.

The video also hints that Clark voted for Bush in 2000, since he seems to side with Bush in the controversy over counting military ballots from Florida. Clark fumes that when U.S. troops vote, "we better count their ballots."

Strategists in both parties noted the Arkansas speech video could make great anti-Clark attack ads in the Democratic primaries - and the general election if Clark gets on the ticket.

DOES ANYONE HAVE A LINK TO THE VIDEO OR AUDIO OF THIS? HOW ABOUT A TRANSCRIPT?

[FlashHarry]

1. Read this:

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.

[eablair3]

2. the ABC news clip was very clear ... Clark was praising Shrub, Cheney & Co

do you mean: "it was all a mistake?" You mean to say he was quoted out of context?

The audio I heard on ABC radio news last night was Clark speaking and being very clear that his praise was for Shrub, Cheney and Rumsfeld for being in power at the time -- a year or two ago.

Again, anyone have a transcript, or a link to the audio or video of Clark doing this?

Clark just seems like he is a DLC plant. The guy seems to be a joke as a democrat. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but it's getting harder and harder.

[diplomats]

10. If he's a DLC plant

why are Faux News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Matt Drudge going after him like they've never gone after any of our other Dem candidates? Becuase they fear him the most. It's that simple.

[eablair3]

14. you don't think the right dislikes the DLC?

If he's a DLC plant why are Faux News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Matt Drudge going after him like they've never gone after any of our other Dem candidates? Becuase they fear him the most. It's that simple.

They know he is the new DLC backed (or Republican-lite) candidate. They would rather see a Reublican like Bush than a Repbulican-lite.

Come on, ........ you can't let whomever the Big Fat Idiot and Insanity talk about influence your thinking like that.

Clark is the DLC's candidate. Lieberman wasn't cutting it. They had to get someone new. So, they drafted Clark.

[eablair3]

4. Here's a partial QUOTE of Clark

Clark quotes

Excerpts of former Gen. Wesley Clark's May 2001 address at an Arkansas GOP fund-raiser. The text was provided by the Republican Party.

"I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Paul O'Neill -- people I know very well -- our president George W. Bush. We need them there, because we've got some tough challenges ahead in Europe."

snip

http://www.detnews.com/2003/politics/0309/27/politics-282372.htm

[MIMStigator]

3. Debra Orin? Another Repub scared sh*tless

Wes is gonna give Rupert a heart attack

[atldem]

5. transcript

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110004065

Go to sixth paragraph. It seems as though he was talking about Daddy Bush and the Persian Gulf war.

[atldem]

8. never mind

In the 32nd paragraph he says "And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office: men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condolzeezza Rice, Paul O'Neill--people I know very well--our president, George W. Bush. We need them there, because we've got some tough challenges ahead in Europe."

[eablair3]

12. see my partial QUOTE above -- he praised Shrub, Cheny, Rumsfeld, Rice etc

they guy sounds like a Republican lover.

He was specifically praising the current President "Shrub" Bush, as well as VP Cheney, Condoleeza Rice, Rumsfeld, Powell etc. See the link above. here it is again:
http://www.detnews.com/2003/politics/0309/27/politics-282372.htm

Wesley Clark not only praised the current regime, he praised the first Presdient Bush and Ronnie Reagan. I guess Clark was in favor of Reagan's Central American campaign in backing genocide and terrorism that led to the U.S. being the only counrty to ever have been convicted of terrorism in the World Court?

edit: changed based on subsequent "nevermind" post

thanks very much for the link to the transcript at opinionjournal.

[JasonBerry]

6. And it doesn't matter WHICH Bush either...

His praising of the whole Bush foreign policy team says it all. Yet, there are still some willing to put their trust in this new, re-invented Wesley K. Clark.

[RichM]

7. Aren't you guys confusing the quotes? The 2001 Arkansas fundraiser

was where Clark praised Cheney, Rummy et al. I don't think (tho not certain) this was the same locale as the quote praising George H.W. Bush.

OnEdit: Never mind, I just saw the transcript. In this same May 2001 speech, he praises BOTH Bushes, plus Reagan -- effusively. Plus everyone at PNAC.

"And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office: men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condolzeezza Rice, Paul O'Neill--people I know very well--our president, George W. Bush. We need them there, because we've got some tough challenges ahead in Europe."

[atldem]

9. Both quotes are

in the same speech.

[bearfartinthewoods]

11. isn't it sort of pathetic

that we can't keep track of how often and which repubs he praised?

i'm gonna start praising bush and see how far i last here.

of course i'm not wearing a shinny uniform...

[Devils Advocate NZ]

13. Here is the interesting part...

Clark also praises Clinton, and Clinton praises Clark.

Makes you wonder about Clinton doesn't it?

[eablair3]

15. not in the speech .... he seemed to criticize Clinton & praised the Repubs

From:
http://www.detnews.com/2003/politics/0309/27/politics-282372.htm


"In the 2001 address to the Arkansas GOP, Clark praised former Presidents Reagan and Bush while calling the current Bush administration "a great team." He also seemed to criticize the Clinton administration's foreign policy in its first term. "

Clark's Quote:

"I discovered that when we lost our enemy we had lost our strategy. We lost our direction in the world," Clark's assessment of U.S. foreign policy in 1994 during President Clinton's first term.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

18. That doesn't seem like criticism to me...

In fact it sounds more like typical military/industrial complex whining. Put another way: "Without an enemy, how are we going to justify spending so much money on defence?"

PNAC all the way...

[MasonJar]

16. Please keep an eye on the future

Please keep an eye on the future of this great nation if Stump gets re-elected. What difference does it make what anyone said in 2001? A lot of people have changed their perspective since then. Look at what these neo-cons have done to the economy, the Iraqis, the environment, the truth, the education, social security, medicare, many etcs. since then. It is certainly possible for someone to want to come forward with a new outlook and be honestly trying to preserve our union. I really believe that the Shrub lies were what convinced former Intelligence Committee chairman Bob Graham to run; he knew the truth which could not be told. Gen Clark spent a lot of time considering the run. I believe he should be given every opportunity to be a Democrat, whenever he decided that we were the right party. Let's forgo the animosity towards our own candidates. Bush is our enemy. He literally could bring the end of the world as we know it.

[dfong63]

17. what Clark said in 2001 doesn't matter - unless he becomes president

if he does become pres, yes it matters what he said in 2001 because it shows the kind of people he might appoint. Clark thought the PNAC-ers were such fine people, and would like to work with them. fine, let him work with them OUTSIDE GOVT, after we kick them all out of power.

[Skwmom]

19. Liberman also supported the counting of the military vote.

I'm sure this doesn't mean Lieberman voted for Bush.

[artr2]

20. A kick for my favorite DLC canditate ... Wes Clark

kick !

[moondust]

21. To be fair, he also said this:

"Look, in politics they told me--I don't know anything about politics now, I want to make that clear. But they told me--I read, do my reading in Time magazine and so forth. And they said in politics you've always got to protect your base."

[Pepperbelly]

22. Truthtime ... any of you Clark bashers interested in what Clark sez re:

this speech?

If you are, I have his comments regarding this.

-snip-

So when I got out of the military and into business I looked at both parties," Clark explained to the crowd on why he was a Democrat. "I talked to Condoleeza Rice right away. I found out I didn't like her view on foreign policy. She said American troops shouldn't do peacekeeping they should do real fighting. But she is an academic, what does she know? I've been on the front lines. I tried to explain it to her. She let me know she was going to be in charge. And I spoke out on the election campaign on what we are trying to do on behalf of Bosnia and the Balkans and so forth. And when I went home to Arkansas I was in business and I wanted to meet both sides. The Republicans came to me and said 'Hey we would like for you to speak at our Lincoln Day fund-raiser. I said I am not going to be there for Lincoln Day. They said 'General we'll hold Lincoln Day whenever you can get here.' So I did. I spoke to about 450 Republicans there at Embassy Suites. I was non-partisan. I basically praised Republicans for being Republicans. . . . But I knew what the Republican Party was like and I couldn't indentify with that party. They are the party that when I was commanding in Kosovo, they were the party led by Tom Delay against our airman who were in the skies over Yugoslavia taking fire from Serb anti-aircraft and this party voted against them. They claimed they weren't. They claimed they were voting against just a policy, but I read what they said. They wanted the policy to fail. They didn't have a vision. They didn't understand what America was about. They put their interest of the party above the interest of the party. I'll never put the interest of the party above the interest of the country."




http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2003/september/9_27clark.shtml