Today I spoke with a man who served under General Clark...

[Lefta Dissenter]

This guy called into the office today, wanting to know when Wes Clark would be in Madison, and we started to chat. He said that Wes Clark was his commanding officer in the late '80's into early '90's.

I asked him what he thought of Wes Clark, and what it was like to serve under him. He said that General Clark is simply an amazing man. And then he said, "He can look into your eyes and he'll know what's wrong." That's a direct quote - I was scrambling to take notes. He said that if something was wrong, Clark would ask him what was up, and he'd say, "Oh, nothing." And Clark would say, "Let's go to my office and talk a while." And they would, and Clark would help this guy to sort out whatever the problem was. There was no bullshitting Wes Clark, and he was sensitive to what each person in his division was dealing with.

It just so happened that one of our volunteers was standing in front of my desk at the time I took the call. This volunteer went to West Point with Wes Clark, and I have enjoyed hearing all about the West Point days. What a joy it was for me to put the two of them on the phone together and listen to them share their thoughts and feelings about the next President of the United States.

Folks, I simply cannot express how strongly I feel that we have been offered a rare opportunity to have a national treasure in the White House - I think that Wesley Clark will be the President who is admired and emulated for generations to come. Let's not pass up this chance to create a new America.

edited for grammatical boo boo

[LandOLincoln]

1. Wow. That's all, just wow. I've heard Chris Hernandez

talk about the General, so I can't say I'm surprised, but still...wow.

Wesley Kanne Clark, :yourock:

[pacifictiger]

2. If Clark does not get the nomination

and it ends up by being Kerry, he absolutely needs to be pressured to have Clark as Secretary of Defense. I think he is an incredibly intelligent man - he caught my eye as the most realistic of the CNN commentators at the beginning of the war. I still prefer Dean for Pres, but he is without a doubt my second choice.

[AZCat]

Or how about Sec. of State

in the Marshall mold?

[LandOLincoln]

5. Respectfully disagree. Max Cleland for SecDef, Wes Clark

for SecState. He's been there, done that as SACEUR, and will slip back into that role as uberdiplomat slicker'n....well, you get the picture. ;-)

[krkaufman]

18. Clark's international credibility and respect

Clark's international credibility and respect may be best leverage as Secretary of State, but it may bode America well to not have another former military man in that position after the debacle that is Colin Powell. Clark's credibility would also be undercut due to perceptions that Powell was previously an honorable man, but was corrupted under a dishonest President; Kerry's lack of integrity will similarly diminish those serving under him.

The best position for Clark is President; any thing less doesn't fully utilize the man's advantages (over every other candidate).

[mobuto]

21. Not quite fair

I'm a died-in-the-wool Clark supporter - I actually worked for him.

But if you truly believe that Kerry is fundamentally corrupt, then anybody with any place in his Administration will be tarnished, whether its his SecDef or the Secretary of State. I tend to disagree - I think Kerry is a fine man, but not the best candidate. And I think if he replaced Powell, the comparison would be inescapable. But the comparison, far from lowering Clark's reputation, would show to this country and to the world what diplomacy is, and just how good a reputation the US can have. Think back to the difference between the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations. Under IKE, the US was hated - Richard Nixon was almost killed in Caracas by an anti-American mob. Kennedy managed to change that perception almost overnight. When Kennedy went to Latin America, he was revered almost as a god - and that's really not an exageration. As President, Clark would be in the best position to repair the US's image. But he'd also have a damn good shot as Secretary of State.

The best position for Clark is President; any thing less doesn't fully utilize the man's advantages (over every other candidate).

On that we certainly agree. I don't want anyone not to vote for Clark under the false assumption that they can vote for some other candidate and still guarantee a position of power for him.

[mobuto]

20. Bad idea

I've worked for General Clark, I think he's a great man, and he would be a tremendous President. But he'd be an absolutely terrible Secretary of Defense. Why? The man has far too many enemies in the Pentagon - you really need an outsider to be its civilian head. Cleland, as somebody else suggested, would be great -- although he served bravely in uniform, he did so at low enough of a level that he hasn't become a party to internal Pentagon politics and resentments the way Clark has. Clark, should he not win the nomination, would be a great Secretary of State and maybe a better chief of Staff. But not SecDef. And maybe not Vice President either - he couldn't help but upstage Kerry at every opportunity.

[Jerseycoa]

3. Did you hear this?

Listen to it from beginning all the way to the end. He is seriously pissed off about the state of this country and he intends to do something about it. Anybody who thinks Wes is out of the race, I have a bridge to sell you.

http://www.tndp.org/audio/Clark2.8.04.wav

SMACKDOWN, WES!

[ewagner]

7. Just got home

listening now......

Clark is incredible. This man has grown soooooo much in just the past month it's almost beyond belief. Talk about intelligence?!?!

This is the best stump speech I've ever heard.

The passion, the committment the ability to articulate it clearly is almost too good to be true.

What was that the draft movement used to say about the General? something like "...the kind of President you were promised as a kid..."

[Jerseycoa]

8. I'm astounded

Maybe it's the way they do it in Tennessee. Al Gore's speech, I've only seen bits, was high octane, too.

[Momof1]

11. For Gore's speech on Real player

Here's a link:

http://www.algoredemocrats.com/

Scroll down the page, till it gets to transcript, then click Real Player version.

And if you want to skip the intro's FF it 12 mins. The speech is almost 50 mins long, and then there is a Q&A thing for the last 25 mins. He hit the nail on the head, but you have to listen to the full thing to get the point of exactly what * is doing.

[mac2]

4. Clark for Pres

I'm a Progressive Democrat so Dennis Kucinich is my choice. I like his National Health Care and no WTO.

If Clark wins at the Convention in Boston, I will support him. I like his gumption more than the others...Kerry, Dean, or Edwards.

Yes...we need a new America...and especially a new Defence Department that cares about the troops and the safety for the homeland. Doesn't it seem like all the agency heads have their own kingdoms under Bush? Bush doesn't seem to have a handle on what they should be doing.

[Jerseycoa]

6. That's nice

We rarely see a Kucinich supporter who appreciates Wes. Thank you. :)

[LandOLincoln]

9. Not so rare, IMO. Maybe I'm dreaming, but it seems to me

that more Kooch supporters have come to stand with Wes than any others. THEY seem to know who's the true progressive, and who--along with Dennis--has the real huevos.

[juajen]

12. Thanks

This originally Kucinich supporter, came over to Clark. I still love Dennis, I just think Wes Clark is the man of the hour.

[Jerseycoa]

17. I stand corrected and apologize

I did have the wrong impression, then. :)

[NJCher]

10. from your description

It sounds like he has a high degree of ability in interpersonal communication.

Cher

[cryofan]

13. now, see, this is what disturbs me about presidential politics

Supporters of candidates, in particular, Clark, often tend to idolize, romanticize, or idealize the candidate.

Now, Clark is probably my top candidate. I think once he gets the nomination, he could beat Bush. But mainly, I think his policies are a bit more liberal than any of the other top candidates.

He is just a candidate, not a messiah or savior....

[leftchick]

14. I love Clark and...

he just could be the "savior" of this country.....

[MercutioATC]

15. I don't think it was idealzation, I think it was a character statement.

I'm a Dean supporter. I think that statements like this are of limited value (one person's impression is not worth that much) but they DO show how the candidate has dealt with individuals. That's an often-overlooked quality.

[Lefta Dissenter]

19. I have noticed and admired Clark

ever since I first saw him on CNN, commenting on the war. I was surprised and glad to see this retired general manage to strike a balance between supporting the troops while constantly questioning the wisdom of the invasion in the first place.

I have thought that his leadership experience, his intellect, his diplomatic experience, his compassion, his ideas and plans for our country and his presence all roll together into a great prospective President.

Have I claimed he is perfect? No. Have I claimed that I am in agreement with absolutely everything that comes out of his mouth? No.

I simply was relating something that happened in my day, and my pleasure in hearing a first-hand account from someone who has worked for General Clark.

I don't apologize for going on to express my feelings that Wes Clark would be an extraordinary president. I didn't say anything that I don't truly believe. If you find that too idealistic or 'worshipful,' well that's your issue, I guess. I don't consider him 'just a candidate.' I think that every so often, we are given the opportunity to have a Great President, and I believe that Wes Clark presents just that opportunity.

[Justice]

16. I Call It Empathy

Wes Clark has the ability to relate to your situation even if he himself has not personally experienced it.

This ability separates Wes Clark from the other candidates.

By the way, Clark could not be Secretary of Defense - I believe you have to be out of the military for 10 year before you can assume that position.

I would like to see Max Cleland in charge of the Veteran's Adminstration. That would be a fitting tribute to Max and to veterans.