WES CLARK calls BUSH OUT in DesMoines Register

[FrenchieCat]

Politics
In Iowa, Clark declares Bush mishandled storm

By JOLENE STEVENS
REGISTER CORRESPONDENT
September 2, 2005
Sioux City, Ia. — Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, traveling in Iowa on Thursday, was sharply critical of the Bush administration's preparation for and response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

"I think it's awful that we left 100,000 people stranded in New Orleans," Clark told reporters at a Sioux City news conference.

He said federal officials had plenty of warning and should have been more prepared.

"First of all, we all saw the storm coming. This did not come in the middle of the night like a terrorist attack. It was very clearly presented for hours before it struck," he said.

"We should have mobilized a joint task force, pre-positioned the National Guard, and lined up the evacuation assets," Clark continued.

"We can do much better than this in our country," he said.
snip
Addressing the high gasoline prices in the wake of damage to the oil industry on the Gulf Coast, he said that "assuming we can get the materials out and ease supply restraints," he would support a move to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at this point to ease gas and oil prices.
snip
For the longer term, he advocated an alternative energy policy, including using ethanol, to ease the country's reliance on fossil fuels. http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050902/NEWS09/509020383/1056

[MN ChimpH8R]

1. Another DUer said it best

Every time Clark opens his mouth something intelligent and thoughtful comes out. General, your country needs you desperately. :patriot:

[FrenchieCat]

13. I agree.....

[DanCa]

17. Clark Clealand 08

Wes is a class act all around.

[rateyes]

32. I'm with you DanCa....

Clark/Cleland '08---The meme: PROVEN LEADERSHIP WHEN AMERICA NEEDS IT MOST! LEADERSHIP! LEADERSHIP! LEADERSHIP!----we need to keep screaming it over and over.

[Bobbieo]

26. Clark For Pres in '08

Hell - He should have been the candidate in '04, I sure supported him and thought we needed a bona fide general to oversee Homeland Security and the war in Iraq, which was going strong.

[evil_orange_cat]

2. he was a better choice than kerry

IMO

* puts on flame-proof jacket

[stevietheman]

6. Totally agreed! n/t

n/t

[truebrit71]

10. Absolutely, 100% agree with you...

Plus, he's not a career politician...has a spine, and a big pair of brass balls....

Wes is the man!!!!

[ladjf]

19. No flame from me as I totally agree with you.

[cornermouse]

3. He's right.

[FrenchieCat]

9. Yes he is.....

Bush fucked up but instead of the American people getting the straight scoop from our Corporate Media, there will be a battle in the media to hide vs. covering it...with the electronic media covering Bush's ass, like they always do...and the press writing stories about it that will be ignored.

[Gloria]

4. Yup, saw it elsewhere here at DU---GO WES!!!

eom

[Swamp Rat]

5. Clark/Conyers 2008

Clark/Conyers 2008

[KittyWampus]

8. Clark/Jackson Jr.

[FrenchieCat]

12. Hey!

Swamp Rat! :hi:

Here's an interesting thread for you to read here....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=108x122187

[King Coal]

27. never mind

never mind

[Swamp Rat]

30. OK

:)

[renate]

36. now that's a ticket!

Enough integrity in the two of them to make up for all the corruption of the previous eight years.

[FrenchieCat]

7. What is ironic to the infinite degree,

is how unresponsive the DU Dems that are screaming the loudest that our Dems Leaders should be saying something about this are on this thread.

Is it that since it's Clark it doesn't matter, or what? :shrug:

[bahrbearian]

29. Clark doesn't hold any office yet, where is the opposition party?

[Bobbieo]

31. Clark Doesn't Hold An Office

Did Gen.Eisenhower hold an office when he was electd president?

[jokerman93]

11. I threw in with the General before

And I'll do it again if he steps up.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Thanks, wes!

-----------------------------------------------------
Save New Orleans, then save this country!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[FrenchieCat]

15. Fuck it! I'm shamelessly gonna kick this......

Cause I think that all of those who complaint that no Democrat is saying anything need to say this....and they should want to comment on this thread.

[FourStarDemocrat]

16. I agree..thanks for posting the article. n/t

[mzmolly]

18. Recommended.

[high density]

20. That sounds like Wes Clark!

I'm glad that somebody can state what too many elected Democrats are too fearful to say. The Douchebag in Chief has a 35-40% approval rating so I'm not sure what everybody else is afraid of at this point.

[bpilgrim]

21. Thank you General - This is a NATIONAL DISGRACE!

and our WEASELLY A$$ KI$$ING reps don't call bust out after all this they gotta GO.

peace

[Texas_Kat]

22. I'm glad you found this....

Near term tactics and long term strategy.... that's a full-service Democrat!

[FloridaPat]

23. Might have been able to do all this had ALL the NG been here & not Iraq

[CarolNYC]

43. This is the thing, it's even about a shortage of NG

When Gen Clark addressed this in his radio interview with Alan Colmes earlier in the week, he said that there were enough NG and Army Reserve to handle the situation if only they'd been used effectively (and he listed who and where they were so he knows what he's talking about on this). The problem is not that we didn't have enough manpower but that we don't have a President who cared enough to act seriously and responsibly to this unfolding tragedy.

Imagine the difference had Kerry or Gen Clark been President now....

Oh, this whole situation just saddens and infuriates me to such an extent I can't even put it into words...

[incapsulated]

24. MORE (scathing) from Clark on Katrina...

Again, just this past week, there was at least 36 hours notice that a major hurricane was going to hit the Gulf Coast, including likely a devastating blow to New Orleans, which certainly came to pass. The President continued with his regular schedule on Monday and Tuesday in California, Arizona, and Texas to hold some staged Medicare events and enjoy more vacation time, while finally returning to the White House yesterday. The joint task force including National Guard set up by the Pentagon failed to be on the scene in New Orleans in a timely manner to stop the looting and assist in the evacuation.

Where is the leadership?

Then just this morning, the President claimed that no one could have anticipated the levee breaches we've seen in New Orleans after Katrina hit. That's not leadership, that's an excuse. In fact, people have predicted this kind of disaster for many years, including President Bush's own FEMA in 2001, when they ranked hurricane flood damage to New Orleans among the three likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing America. Instead, funding was significantly cut back, leaving key engineering projects on hold. Instead, this Administration focused on the war in Iraq, tax cuts, and private sector economic growth without asking the American people to make needed sacrifices for the good of the country.

Again I ask you, where is the leadership?

http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/1/123536/7907

[Avalux]

25. Thank you Wes.

How I wish you were in charge right now. x(

[RageFist]

28. Clark has my vote in '08

[in_cog_ni_to]

33. *sigh* The man who should have been our President.

:( The disaster relief would have been so different had Wes been the President. He's a man of true compassion and character.

Great article! Go Wes!

[msgadget]

34. A man with the tools to protect

:kick:

[joanski0]

35. How about Clark/Elizabeth Edwards?

I love them both.

[msgadget]

39. Yep, Two Americas,

is there a more perfect example?

[jen4clark]

41. I'd go for that!!

She impressed me so much at a town hall I saw on C-Span during the primaries. Love that woman!!

[Norwood]

37. Clark/Conyers in 08!!!

This my friends is how a real leader acts.

[FrenchieCat]

38. Well, Why not?

:kick:

[sharonking21]

40. I'm glad he had the guts to speak out

and I wonder why more of our Democrats haven't done so.

Bush saying that the levees breaking was such an unexpected thing is ludicrous. Why does he think a mandatory evacuation before the storm was issued? Has no one in his administration been even been listening to themselves about the likelihood of this happening? New Orleans and a Cat 4 or 5 hurricane was the first-rated natural disaster waiting to happen, even according to his own administration. And everyone knew way ahead of time that if a mandatory evacuation order before the storm was issued, there would be the poor and the infirm left behind. Disaster preparedness people have been gnashing their teeth over that one for years, because it is impossible to organize a mass public evacuation via public transport in the few hours remaining before a storm--even if you plan it ahead of time--I add this because I just heard Lou Dobbs trying to blame the mayor of New Orleans on this issue. I could go on forever in this vein; I used to work for a health department and during my time in the Emergency Management section, years ago, all of this was already known. As was the subsidence and erosion problem in southern Louisiana and as was the state of the levees.

Further, due to the severity of the problem, I had mentally given everyone in the various governments a pass up until yesterday, when I woke up to look at 60,000 desperate people, civilians all, milling about the Superdome, the evacuation being shut down due to lawlessness, and no goddamn troops there, except for a few unarmed or lightly armed technical and medical personnel! Where were the men with guns? This was Thursday--we had every right to expect our national guard to be there by then. That is their real job.

Right on, Wes Clark. Heads should roll.

[greekspeak]

42. The General goes up in my estimation by the hour

I think the nation needs him now. More than they ever have. He could fix this mess through proper leadership. He should be president now.

[alfredo]

44. Clark's the man

I don't think the strategic reserves will help much if there is not enough refineries to handle it.

[Independent_Liberal]

45. Kicking for Clark!