Peggy Noonan declares GOP fear of General Clark

[krkaufman]

Warning: This op-ed may induce vomiting or severe heart stress, attack or stroke. Please check with your physician before proceeding. (This is the first time I've read one of her pieces , and was startled.)

---

But before you jump into her article, take this bit of medicine... Consider that her op-ed's title, slightly paraphrased, comes damn close to revealing her true concerns.

Peggy Noonan (only slightly paraphrased):

"Democrats, for the sake of the Republican Party, please don't nominate Wesley Clark!"

She manages to hit, on election day, all the key components of the right-wing strategy for stopping General Clark:

• Attack Clark using all possible means, in an attempt to minimize his NH vote total and thereby his post-NH bounce;
  
• Heap praise on the other viable non-Dean candidates: Kerry, Edwards and Lieberman.

"We will take Joe Lieberman or John Kerry or even young John Edwards"

Noonan actually implies that Clark may not be sane, using terms such as:

• "strange-o"
  
• "He forgot to speak sanely"
  
• "temperamental and unpredictable and strange"
  
• "We can't afford flip-outs, or people who are too obviously creepy"

However, this was not unexpected; Gene Lyons predicted these sort of "mental illness" attacks back in a Buzzflash interview on October 22nd, 2003:

BUZZFLASH: How do you think the right wing is going to go after Clark?

LYONS: They might go all the way to the edge of suggesting some kind of mental illness.

All that being said, here's her drivel:

General Malaise
Democrats, for the good of the country: Stop Wesley Clark!
Peggy "Media Ho-Or" Noonan
Tuesday, January 27, 2004 12:01 a.m. EST

Related DU post: Chicago Sun-Times op-ed "sanity" attack on Clark (1/18/2004)

[maddezmom]

1. thanks for the warning....I'll pass n/t

[booksenkatz]

2. Whoever wins the Dem nom is going to be

called mentally ill, there is no question about it. Mentally ill and totally incapable of handling the country's woes during this dark time of terra. Must stay the course or else we'll all die. You never change horses in the middle of a stream, etc. etc. They've already openly stated that whoever the Dem candidate is will be called a liberal over and over and over and over again. So it's clear that when you get down to it, it doesn't matter who our nominee is as far as they're concerned. Let's just focus on picking the person that WE want, thank you very much, Peggy.

[Skwmom]

3. They either ignore or smear Clark

He is Bush's worst nightmare.

[jogi1969]

7. he is mostly

*'s one way ticket back to his faux 'ranch'
or G_D willing a federal pen

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[krkaufman]

5. Any links or references other than op-eds to back that up?

EDIT: Removed content, since offending post was moderator-deleted.

[bowens43]

17. My opinion is based on his history.

His sudden change from republican mouth piece to republican basher.
There is nothing in his history to indicate support of Democrats or Democratic ideology before he , after roves rejection, decided to run for president as a Democrat.

[krkaufman]

20. Whatever the journey, I like the results

Hmmm... So we finally have someone who's standing up to this Administration, but he must be cast out because his blood is not pure enough?

The pure-bloods that have been running this place for the last 20 years haven't gotten the job done. And how 'bout their rolling over to Bush for the first 3 years of his Administration.

Tell you what, whatever journey General Clark had to take to come to the epiphany that the Democratic Party was right for him and his wife, Gert, I suggest that a few of the other Democratic candidates study it and maybe see if they can't take a few lessons from it, themselves.


edit: typo

[elixir]

36. Thank you for supporting the * administration.

[mmonk]

8. Yes

a democrat that votes with the president on foreign policy issues such as Kerry, Lieberman or Edwards is much more sane.:eyes:

[bowens43]

18. Agreed.

[laruemtt]

6. to someone as stupid as she is

Clark's level of intelligence is indeed "strange-o". what a *%(^&!

[krkaufman]

9. Check and mate

p.s. I was just thinking... If Clark is such a horrible candidate, and potentially insane, why would Ms Noonan be worried about the DEMOCRATS stopping him from getting the Dem nomination? Wouldn't they just be able to mop the floor with such a poor candidate in the general election, come November?

Hmmmm... Could it be that SHE KNOWS THAT GENERAL CLARK WILL DESTROY BUSH in November, given the opportunity, and begin the end of ROG dominance.

[papau]

11. Clark is solid winning candidate against Bush - Noonan wants only

to see Dems tear each other apart.

Her best days are long past - but she tries to be a loyal Bush follower.

[bowens43]

19. Winning isn't everything.

[krkaufman]

21. Hmmm... Perhaps we should ask the families...

> Winning isn't everything.

How 'bout we ask the families of the 512+ soldiers killed in Iraq, so far?

[HuskerDem]

40. This time, it is.

And there are thousands of dead to prove it.

[SoCalDem]

10. Most of her vitriol actually "fits" GW..

Poor Peggy.. she's delusional :(

[Spirochete]

12. And SHE says CLARK is insane?

Oh........Kay.........

[Justice]

13. Very Enlightening - Actually, Very Predicted.

Republicans do fear Clark. There is no explanation for their vile digusting series of attacks on him this week. It is just what the did to John McCain in South Carolina - bring him down thru any means necessary, all in the name of politics.

I don't get why people say "it is just politics" and then say candidates must have political experience to run. Why is is necesary to be able to throw vile digusting lies in order to win a race?
Why is is so wrong for a candidate to run on issues?

I have been particularly disappointed in John Kerry's behavior this week. In the name of winning, he has chosen to be as negative a campaigner as I have every seen in the dem primary.

[Jersey Devil]

14. Never let your enemies define you

Just continue to do what you think is right. Peggy Noonan is maybe the last person, besides Dick Cheney, that I'd take advice from about who to nominate for the Democrats.

[Torgo4]

15. This Peggy "Magic Dolphins" Nooner?

The height of Journalism
from Peggy "Magic Dolphins" Noonan:
Peggy Noonan : http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110002995. Here's her reaction to last week's (Jan 2003) State of the Union speech:
For a moment I though of earnest Clark Kent moving, at the moment of maximum danger, to shed his suit, tear open his shirt and reveal the big "S" on his chest.

She's been pretty obviously unhinged since the Elian Gonzalez saved by "magic Dolphins" story!

:crazy:

[flpoljunkie]

16. Never read the loony Peggy Noonan, insider who fellates GOP power stucture

She turns my stomach the way she carries on--truly embarrassing.

[krkaufman]

22. Oh, no question; except....

Oh, agreed totally.

One reason to at least be aware of her drivel, though... It will likely be brought-up as fact during interviews with Democratic candidates.

e.g.: "General Clark, reports indicate that you suffer from mental illness. Given this condition, shouldn't you drop out of the race? I mean, you really shouldn't be anywhere near the nuclear button, should you?"

p.s. I didn't realize that she was the artist responsible for the "magic dolphins" story. wow.

[bushwakker]

23. Peggy Noonan calling someone Strange-O

I guess we've heard it all. The fact is they will call of the candidates crazy, flip flopping, liars before it's all over.

[Justice]

25. Didn't She Fantasize About Sucking Reagan's Toes?

or feet or something like that?

[lefty_mcduff]

24. Noonan calling someone 'nuts'?

Pot. Kettle. Black.

[jumptheshadow]

27. Yep, pretty over the top

I'm waiting for Ann Coulter to chime in about Clark's supposed wackiness. That would really give me my laugh for the day.

They're trying to "McCain" him. It seems like you can't serve honorably for this country with the Repubs trying to slime you for it.

[LTR]

26. Something I just thought of

(WARNING: Sarcasm alert)

If Clark is as crazy as they say, wouldn't they WANT to prop him up for Bush to run against?

Conventional wisdom to them says that Bush would beat him if he actually is nuts.

Just goes to show, we are too smart for their neocon bullshit.

[krkaufman]

29. Re: "If he's so crazy, wouldn't they want to take him on?"

E X A C T L Y.

[LTR]

34. Didn't catch your previous post

But I'm glad to see someone is on the same wavelength as myself.

[spooky3]

28. She's a desperate, pathetic creature.

[calimary]

37. Reagan's Monica has spoken again.

Whenever Peggy Noonan appears anywhere, I automatically scan her outfit for "stains."

[spooky3]

38. LOL!

[Jack_Dawson]

30. That's what we Clark Supporters have been SAYING all along!

Noonan just put it in print. I love being right.

:toast:

[kskiska]

31. Wow! For a minute there I thought she was talking about the Boy King!

* "strange-o"
* "He forgot to speak sanely"
* "temperamental and unpredictable and strange"
* "We can't afford flip-outs, or people who are too obviously creepy"

"You have a pretty face." *s remark to Canadian press secretary. Strange-o.

[chookie]

32. Hilarious

I think some psychopharmacology is in order here. Peggy should stop mixing sopers and vodka, and stick to her Haldol.

[John_H]

33. Add her to the long list--Assman to Zahn and every

Brit, Dole, and Tweety in between.

[oasis]

35. Loopy Noonie is the one that's looney.

[Qutzupalotl]

39. They're shaking in their penny loafers.

[TexasSissy]

41. Interesting.

[Qutzupalotl]

42. Kick

Because I like the subject line, dammit

[Toucano]

43. The left can only win

when they stop listening to the right.

The right LIES people!

If they're telling you what you want to hear, they're lying.
If they're telling you what you don't want to hear, they're lying.

The only way to win is to stop listening!

The right fears ALL democrats Not just this year, but every year. Why? Because they depend on people not knowing the truth; Democrats are better for the people, and people vote.

[knight_of_the_star]

44. Oh dear Gods

Did Peggy forget to take her medication when she wrote this piece?

And SHE has the gall to call him a "strange-o". Her article reads like a lunatic wrote it, and that is understating it vastly.

If this is the best they can do, then Wes is going to sail through the wingers like a ship through a wave.

[loudsue]

45. Jumpstheshadow said it in post #27

"They're trying to "McCain" him. It seems like you can't serve honorably for this country with the Repubs trying to slime you for it."

And don't forget Max Cleland from Georgia -- they questioned his patriotism!! Even said he was responsible for doing something 'stupid' to get his limbs blown off. That's why we call 'em REPUKES :puke:.

THAT QUOTE IS THE DEM'S CAMPAIGN SPEECH WINNER!

Clark/Kerry/Dean/Edwards supporters need to get this to the candidates.

Truer words were never spoken!!

:kick::kick::kick: