Wes Clark turns Cavuto "ambush" into a Fighting Dems campaign ad

[CarolNYC]

I quite enjoyed yesterday's appearance by Wes Clark on Fox News.

The topic was supposed to be North Korea and Cavuto did start with North Korea but then he moved onto George Soros' large donation to WesPAC, which was in the news earlier in the week. I don't know what Cavuto was really trying to do here...but we all know how the Right likes to demonize Soros. Goodness, he's a very rich man who, not only isn't Republican, but he thinks he should use his riches to help others!! And then he's got that foreign accent! Oy!

Anyway, Wes took the opportunity and ran with it, turning the exchange into a mini campaign ad for the Fighting Dems....sweet!

Newshounds reports it this way:

Neil Cavuto Pulls Another Chris Wallace and Ambushes Wesley Clark
Reported by Melanie - October 19, 2006

One of the segments on Your World w/Neil Cavuto today (October 19, 2006) featured General Wesley Clark. Fox News hired Clark, generating a fair amount of fanfare, in June of last year to be its "Foreign Affairs Analyst," but his name has since disappeared from the Fox News bios so the two have apparently parted ways.

At any rate, Clark was on to talk about the relationship between North Korea and China, and about whether or not he thought North Korea would conduct a second nuclear test.

At the end of the three to four minute chat, Cavuto popped this on Clark:
Um, I'd be remiss if I didn't pass along this report that says George Soros, ah, through a 527, ah, gave $75,000 to you. He wants to see you elected president apparently. What do you make of that?

Clark replied:
I don't think that's what this is about. I am going around the country, as you probably know, I am campaigning for a lot of Democrats. I've been in, I don't know, 15 - 20 states. A lot of them are Vietnam veterans. Some of them are friends of mine from the military who are running for congress. Joe Sestak in Philadelphia; a Naval Academy graduate. Mike Weaver, retired colonel in Kentucky. They're doing a great job and I think they'll be tremendous members of congress and I can't do that. I'm not in elected office. I'm not independently wealthy so I've had a lot of people help me do this. I think it's going to help change America for the better.

Comment: Clark obviously handled Cavuto's ambush with grace and class but that isn't the point of this post. It is that Chris Wallace isn't the only Fox News anchor who pops difficult questions on Democrats (Bill Clinton) while letting Republicans slide. This is the second time this month that Cavuto has changed the subject on a Democrat, the last one being, ironically (or not), George Soros himself. As I said in the Soros post, Democrats and progressives would be wrong to assume that what Wallace did to Clinton was particular to Wallace. Ambushing Democrats and progressives is a Fox News tactic, aimed at flustering them and throwing them off. Fox lets Republicans glide through interviews but it likes nothing more than a flustered Democrat. Not only that, you'll be the first to know when Cavuto asks a Republican about his or her donors.

http://www.newshounds.us/2006/10/19/neil_cavuto_pulls_another_chris_wallace_and_ambushes_wesley_clark.php

Video of the interview is here: http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/9131

Interesting that Wes' bio is no longer up at Fox News....hmmmm....

[blm]

1. Heheh....I couldn't even imagine Cavuto attempting an ambush of Clark

let alone carrying one off.


HAHAHAHAH. Cavuto v Clark.

Not much of a contest. Ant v Anteater.

[jenmito]

2. Under Clark's name it said,

"FNC Military Analyst" part of the time... Strange that his bio isn't up at Faux. They must be worried that they made a big mistake giving him a platform in the first place! :dem:

[Gato Moteado]

3. clark should have answered his question.....

...and then showed him how a real military man guts a pig like cavuto....right on TV.

[Initech]

4. Man it's amazing what Cavuto says when he peels his lips off the ass of

corporate America.

[WildEyedLiberal]

5. I used to work at Barnes and Noble

And Neil Cavuto had a new book out called "Your Money or Your Life" or something - it was some investment book (?) and the picture on the cover was Neil dressed as Bond holding a pistol.

Neil's not exactly Sean Connery, so needless to say I giggled every time I saw the book.

I am NOT surprised the Wes Clark handled him easily - great response, getting airtime for a couple of great Fighting Dems.

[CarolNYC]

6. Oh geez!

I think that would have gotten me sick...

I can't stand Cavuto. There are times I think he is worse than O'Reilly or Hannity even....But Wes handles him really well so the interviews are often enjoyable to watch, even with Cavuto's yuckiness.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

7. Lol.

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. ahahahahhahha thank you!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[glitch]

22. Oh dear.

That should be embarassing, but since he's a republicon guess not. Thanks for posting, I had never seen it. :rofl:

[CarolNYC]

27. Oh....that's hysterical! n/t

[calmblueocean]

32. This one deserves its own post.

Welcome to RW fantasyland! Even Neil's family had to giggle at this.

[Dr Fate]

8. A classic turn-around. Clark proves that debate is not rocket science...

I've heard so many DEMS hare at DU make excuses- "Oh we cant go on those shows- it's so unfair and they yell at us- (Wringing hands)"

Clark shows that these chumps are paper tigers- any good DEM with half a brain can turn their talking points around on them and steer the debate.

GO WES!!!!

[Donna Zen]

9. Free airtime on fox for Dems.

Wes pulling Cavuto's tail was a wonderful thing.

BTW, I found what the General had to say about N. Korea very interesting, and it must be interesting to the average fox voter. Democratic voice of reason.

[Bucky]

11. He handled it well but it was hardly an "ambush"--it was a direct question

Republicans like Cavuto asking questions of Democrats isn't an ambush; it isn't a fight. It's a dialog. Jeeze people...

[Jai4WKC08]

14. No, it was an ambush

Clark was there to talk about North Korea. He has a contract to appear on Fox as a foreign policy analyst, not as a news-maker himself (altho I'm sure he didn't mind getting the opportunity). Cavuto switched the topic without warning, but his team was all set up for it since they had the photo of Soros all set to go.

It's not unlike when O'Reilly had Clark on to talk about Iraq, and pulled out a clip of him meeting with Cindy Sheehan just that morning. He handled that one pretty well too, so I suppose he's come to expect that sort of thing.

The GOP thinks they can discredit people down by associating them with people they've already discredited, and I suppose it works for a large portion of the Fox audience. They have been is working VERY hard to paint Soros as some far-left wacko who got all his money off the drug trade. They will attempt to use that against anyone who accepts money from him. It won't work with Wes Clark, but I suppose there are some weak-kneed Dems who will run away and hide.

[Bucky]

16. Please tell me you're not that naive.

Clark's a smart guy. He took the gig on Fox specifically because he expects to run for president in 08. He's there because he wants to be asked questions like that; he wants his name on peoples' radar; he wants to be able to smack the Foxlings around when they say stupid shit. He's done really well at that.

And anyway, it's a fair question. Clark is a public figure who, running or not, is involved in campaigning for Democrats. Reporters have an obligation to ask questions of public figures about their ambitions. Unless Clark has a contract that says they're never going to ask him about other matters, he'd be an idiot not to prepare for questions about his political activities.

Do you really not get that?

[Jai4WKC08]

24. Did he seem unprepared?

I'm not saying he doesn't expect these sort of off-the-wall questions. In fact, I specificially said he does. Re-read my reply.

But it's still an ambush. It's not what he's there for.

Let me ask you this. Do you think any of the right-wing commentators... you know, Bill Kristol, Fred Barnes, those assholes... do you think any of them ever get tough questions they haven't been briefed about beforehand?

You know, there's nothing wrong with ambushing an enemy. Standard infantry tactics. Wes Clark is "the enemy" on Fox. Ergo, he gets ambushed. He's smart enough to expect it, to be ready for it, but it doesn't change the nature of what they're dishing out to him, or any other "enemy" (Democrat) who appears on their network. But superficially at aleast, he's not supposed to be the enemy. Fox is the "fair and balanced" news channel.

Of course, we both know better. And so does Clark. We shouldn't be afraid to call them what they are.

Oh, and btw, Clark actually took the gig on Fox because it gives him a chance to reach a different audience who might not otherwise hear Democratic ideas. Probably partly for himself in '08 -- assuming he does run in '08 -- we don't know for sure whether he will. But definitely for ALL Democrats running for office this year and in the future. But that has nothing to do with the discussion.

[Miss Chybil]

20. I agree. One could even say Cavuto set one up for Clark.

I don't watch Faux news. I tried once and almost had an anurism. I don't see this particular instance as an ambush, though. Cavuto gave Clark a moment of campaign time. Whether he intended to, or not. If it was meant to be an ambush, it wasn't a very good one. He' have to do much better than that to ambush a general!

[BootinUp]

30. How often have you seen

someone question a politician about a major donor just out of the blue?

Its not like there was a controversy, they want to create one, sure.

[sarcasmo]

12. I love it when smart people bitch slap Fox news.

[wiley]

13. Wes Clark is a huge asset to the Democratic Party and this country.

The pukes and Foxxx news are really trying to make Soros part of their bogeyman posse. The fact that Rupert Murdoch and his minions would put their staff up to this crap is a huge (inter)national tragedy and disgrace.







Fox News: We overly-friendly you and the news 24/7

[pacalo]

15. I can't say enough good things about Wes Clark.

As for Faux News, Roger Ailes was a key player in the witchhunt against President Clinton, so backhanded, partisan gutter politics are par for the course. What stuns me is that networks like this could get a license (1) while maintaining that they are "fair & balanced" & (2) that they outright lie & fabricate to their viewers who are too lazy to look up the facts to check for themselves.

[immoderate]

19. Remember, FOX News doesn't need a license.

As a cable channel, they don't broadcast, and are not subject to FCC regulation. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't suck. :)

--IMM

[pacalo]

33. Imo, any network that proclaims to be a news network

should be regulated & held accountable for its content. Lies, fabrications, character assassinations are much worse than an exposed boob, imo. Misleading the public on current events & hiding crucial facts about corrupt government officials because they fatten Faux News' bank accounts should be illegal. There should be some way to hold any "news" network to higher standards than what Faux News represents. Unless they're as out of touch as this administration, I don't see how FN employees can show their faces.

[immoderate]

35. But that type of regulation could cut both ways.

Anyway, you'd be going up against the first amendment.

--IMM

[pacalo]

41. Not if there's a commission to monitor what is being said

& to perform fact-checking. If a network goes against the grain of common sense & there's no law to keep them in check, then there is a need for a law to protect us from the likes of Faux News, Rush Limbaugh, etc.

[CarolNYC]

28. Soros

I only watch Fox when Wes is on but my Mom watches it quite a bit (although she's a very strong Democrat) and listens to quite a bit of right wing talk radio and she says they are constantly demonizing both MoveOn and Soros....They really detest him...I LOVE that he backs Wes so strongly...

[jrandom421]

17. I think the last ambush Wes Clark fell into

was in 1970, and he and his troops shot their way out of that. Since then, he's been smart enough and quick enough to sidestep the rest.

[MonteSano]

18. Cavuto is such a pathetic hack

[Cameron27]

21. Wes took the game they were playing

changed the rules and made it his game. That's how they come at us (I feel like the Godfather) and that's how exactly how we've got to turn it.

HA! I just love when these things happen.

[cadmium]

23. Thanks he was very good.

Note that chickenshit Cavuto waits until the interview was almost over to drop the question. Good answer.

[rucky]

25. Maybe we should keep going on FOX

these "ambushes" seem to backfire on the reporters.

[union_maid]

26. You know, this kind of thing is very hopeful

I've thought, and still think, that Clark would have been the best out of a mostly excellent field of Democrats running in '04 just because the biggest problem we have to solve as a country is right up his alley. Nothing's changed about that, except that the problems have gotten worse and harder to solve. The trouble was that he didn't make a great candidate, no doubt because of inexperience with electoral politics and he did get ambushed by the press a couple of times, much to his detriment. Of course, entering late was probably a bigger handicap. The whole Fox News thing he's been doing not only gives him more name recognition, it has to have been great practice for fielding those questions framed to make you look bad in some way or other.

[sutz12]

29. I've seen Clark on a couple of these shows.

He's like an NFL Quarterback, who just hopes the other team will blitz, so he can burn them with the deep ball.

[talk hard]

31. Clark seems to handle FN pretty well

[JNelson6563]

34. So Mr. Big-head got the Smack-down, eh?

Good! Couldn't have happened to a bigger asshole.

Julie

[Montauk6]

36. "It's been said...", "Reports indicate...", "Experts point out that..."

FOX NEWS SUCKS WORSE than any news organization.

[autorank]

37. Clark is a patriot, great Demcocrat, and die the right thing with the twit

He acted like the question wasn't there and went with his strength, the truth about his efforts.

I love the guy. KR

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

38. Cavuto's just trying to make up for all the times FOX grills Republican

Swiftboat type sleaze organizations about their funding from Richard Mellon Scaife and other shadowy sources. :sarcasm:

[FrenchieCat]

39. Yeah....bubble butt looked Stoopid next to that handsome charismatic

and articulate General! the contrast is almost too much too stand! Really!

[saltpoint]

40. I admit to not knowing much about Cavuto, but my strong hunch is

he's no match for General Clark's range and experience.

I think Democratic candidates are really starting to put it to FOX "News" these days, and this is a darn good example of it.

Good for General Clark, and may FOX News continue to be tangled up in its own limitations.