General Clark is live blogging right now

[Tom Rinaldo]

He is over at Clark Community Network at his web site for anyone interested in asking him a question (you may need to register to enter posts but reading does not require that):

http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/12726

[bleever]

1. K,R for visibility. nt

[BootinUp]

2. Thanks

Some good questions from the bloggers and answers from Wes.

[Sparkly]

3. "This isn't personal for me, it's about the country."

As for my role and voice, just stick with me...we're going to do what we can to help, and that's what's important. This isn't personal for me, it's about the country. I am not looking for a position, I am looking to help the country, and we're in the process of doing that, you and I and all the others on this net. We'll reach out, help influence opinion, swing the doubters, and build the foundation for success in government, and a restoration of America's legitimacy and goodness in the world. Wes

I have no doubt his heart is in the right place. :patriot:

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. Clark just posted an amazing personal reply to a supporter

It was someone who had written him last winter asking Clark to run, who reposted that letter now on the CCN thread today, and that letter was about his dream for America. I suppose a number of people could have written a reply like the one Clark just gave, but to do so they would have needed a lot of peace and quite and time to craft their words and edit them for maixmum clarity and effect. Clark just wrote this on the fly while he was bouncing from one post to another trying to respond to questions. I love that about Wes Clark:

"Dream

Phil, dreams don't have to end. When I set out from Arkansas to West Point in June of 1962, i had a dream about a journey, a journey of service. That's what life is - it isn't a destination, but it's what you do along the way. You wrote a beautiful letter for me in December...letters like that were one of the reasons I could think about running every day. But don't let the dream of a better America die. That dream isn't about a person, it's about all of us, what we do with our lives, how we affect others around us, how much we give, how much we share. And we can still have the dream of a great America, noble in spirit, true to her values, a beacon of hope, an inspiration for billions, the centerpiece of a new epoch for mankind. Yes, that dream is still there for us...we just have to work for it....it is bigger than any one person, and longer than any lifetime. And it isn't exclusive. Any of us can participate and share that joy."

[Sparkly]

7. He's a true idealist.

It's one of the things about him that I find so inspiring.

[Tom Rinaldo]

11. Yes n/t

[shireen]

9. Clark is exactly what this country needs, a true leader.

None of the other candidates inspire and give me hope like he does. If the rest of the country knew this man like we do, he'd win the presidency by a landslide.

[MethuenProgressive]

4. Wes Clark has always been the smartest guy in the room.

Too bad so many dismiss his advice so readily.

[Adelante]

6. All I did was cry the whole time, I couldn't ask a question

Dream
Submitted by Wes Clark on September 16, 2007 - 4:01pm.

Phil, dreams don't have to end. When I set out from Arkansas to West Point in June of 1962, i had a dream about a journey, a journey of service. That's what life is - it isn't a destination, but it's what you do along the way. You wrote a beautiful letter for me in December...letters like that were one of the reasons I could think about running every day. But don't let the dream of a better America die. That dream isn't about a person, it's about all of us, what we do with our lives, how we affect others around us, how much we give, how much we share. And we can still have the dream of a great America, noble in spirit, true to her values, a beacon of hope, an inspiration for billions, the centerpiece of a new epoch for mankind. Yes, that dream is still there for us...we just have to work for it....it is bigger than any one person, and longer than any lifetime. And it isn't exclusive. Any of us can participate and share that joy.

Honestly, I just can't stand it that he's not running :cry:

I can't fucking stand it.

[Sparkly]

8. Aw, WesDem, I know how you feel.

:hug: :cry: :hug:

[BeyondGeography]

10. Americans in both parties have bad taste in presidents

otherwise, he'd be running for re-election next year.

[shireen]

13. yeah, i feel the same

he's exactly what we need right now. This man touches a very wide cross-section of society. When I was volunteering in '03, I was amazed at the diversity of people he attracted, from anti-war liberals to conservative military, religious to atheists, rich to poor, and people holding just about every job you could imagine (including some unemployed people who volunteered for his campaign full-time!).

Wes Clark proves that political identities that many of us adopt are largely artificial. At the core, we all want the same things for our families, communities, and our country. Republicans and Democrats have more in common than our differences. The divisions that have emerged are largely manufactured by politicians and corporate interests to manipulate people into attaching themselves to a political party, even if they don't agree with everything in the party platform. Ideally, we should all be independents but our political system is set-up such that independents don't have much of a voice in who ends up on ballots in national elections.

I really hate the way we're manipulated by our political system. It's all about power, influence, and money.

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. Yes . I can't either. That dashed off note captures who Wes Clark is

I can only imagine what his State of the Union addresses would have been like. Wes Clark honestly means what he says, and he says what he means, and he deeply believes in the ideal of public service and the responsibilities that leadership and service entail. *Sigh*

[Sparkly]

17. Yeah, no wonder people claim he's "not a good politician."

He's in another league.

[TwilightZone]

19. I know how you feel.

I've been a big supporter of Wes since the earliest rumors that he might run for the nomination in '04. I've been a political junkie for 30 years, but I don't think I'd ever been as excited about a candidate as I was about Wes in the '04 race.

The potential of a Clark presidency was incredible. I've always felt - and still feel - that the country missed out on an history opportunity.

[windbreeze]

20. I was on there reading what was written...but I couldn't remember

my blasted password...after much digging around on my computer desk...I finally found it...AFTER the fact...I just have this heavy feeling in my chest...I just don't know about this whole thing...I almost knew he wasn't going to run...but I guess it's the finality of it all...that has gotten me so down...wb

[superkia]

12. I didnt care for this response skipping over security and contractors?

Submitted by Ben on September 16, 2007 - 2:52pm.

Thank you, Sir, for continuing to serve and to lead.

Should (or when) a Democrat becomes president, do you foresee the need to rework the intelligence community structure? Personally, I think contractors have too big a share of the pie to maintain security.

Thanks to each of you
Submitted by Wes Clark on September 16, 2007 - 2:55pm.

I really appreciate your comments of support. I think the Senator can win the nomination, win the election, and become a great President. And our country needs her in there. So we have to stick together, reach out to others, and help. And by the way, she needs a Congress behind her, too, and so we need to really win and control both Houses. Wes

[Sparkly]

15. I think that was a general greeting ("to each of you")

It was his first post in the discussion, and there were at least four people he may have been responding to.

Seems like that would have involved a long back-and-forth rather than a simple answer, since the intel structure, contractors, and security are separate issues administration-wise, even though they intersect in the area.

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. Sounds like a signing off statement to me rather than an answer

He addressed it as:

"Thanks to each of you".

and he talked about appreciating peoples "comments" (plural) of support. I can't put my fingers on any quotes at the moment but Clark has not been a fan of the direct role played by contractors in war under this administration.

[superkia]

18. Oh, oops nevermind!

[calteacherguy]

21. I appreciated Wes stopping by, and he responded to my comment

quite thoughtfully.

Hope to catch him at a book signing and introduce myself.