I wish, I wish, Clark had supported someone other than Hillary.

[BreweryYardRat]

Unless he's bucking to be her VP (in which case I'd forgive him), I really wish he'd thrown his support behind Edwards or Obama.

Clark's the nearest thing we have to a Founding Father today, so I'd love to know why he threw in with Hil instead of the two better candidates.

[rateyes]

1. You forget that Clark and Hillary are both

from Arkansas, and former Republicans. Bless those Goldwater Girls. :sarcasm:

[Adelante]

3. Clark was never a Republican

Hillary was as a teenager. Clark was born in Illinois and raised in Arkansas, where Hillary moved as an adult. Get a grip on what's true.

[rateyes]

14. OK, he was a registered independent who voted Republican...

His first political appointment was made by Gerald Ford. Later by Reagan.

-----------------------------

May 11, 2001 for the Pulaski County Republican Party in Arkansas:

Clark: "If you look around the world, there's a lot of work to be done. And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Paul O'Neill - people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We need them there, because we've got some tough challenges ahead in Europe."

--------------------

Now, tell me that right after the stolen election in Florida in 2000, just 6 months before 9.11 that a good Democrat would make that remark to the Republican Party in Arkansas.

[rateyes]

18. Oh, and BTW, I still hope that Clark is part of

Gore's administration.

[Adelante]

24. I never see what's so incredibly shocking about this, actually

He was still unpacking at his new house in Arkansas when he gave that speech. The speech was mostly about his army career. The following week he spoke at a Democratic fundraiser. He was invited, he spoke, he was polite. But he wasn't the only one, including some Democrats, hoping experienced staff might mean an inexperienced president claiming to be something he wasn't could receive decent guidance on difficult issues. Howard Dean also had polite things to say about GWB after the stolen 2000 election. Six months before 9/11? What? Do you think he saw 9/11 coming? Let's say he has those special powers, what would it mean, anyway?

Nobody makes the claim that Clark was a "good Democrat" or even a Democrat in May of 2001. He was non-partisan, fresh out of his army career, looking around at civilian life, and being actively courted by both parties to run for public office. He worked under both Republican and Democratic presidents. He liked Ford. He appreciated Reagan's rebuilding the armed forces. He voted for both of them. He liked Clinton and Gore and voted for them as a ticket and again for Gore in 2000.

When it came time to choose a party he chose the Democratic Party and has been nothing but a good Democrat, in fact, an outstanding Democrat. And even before he was a Democrat his views on affirmative action, environmental protection, humanitarian intervention, health care, education and human services, in general, economic opportunity, choice, freedom of expression - the whole lot of it - were nothing but Democratic even though he was an Independent.

Big deal, he wasn't a Democrat fast enough for you.

[rateyes]

26. I like Wesley Clark...

but, he voted how he voted, and said what he said. And, it doesn't surprise me that he endorsed Clinton. They hold some similar conservative/centrist viewpoints, and they know each other from Arkansas.

[Adelante]

28. Digging up some old Drudge item shows how you like Wes Clark

Nobody says he didn't vote how he voted or say what he said. They know each other from Arkansas, so? Clark is not an ideologue. I think everyone here knows this. He believes in reaching common ground when possible and working on what can be achieved. He has views on a whole lot of things, and works with all sectors of the party, but that can't be categorized as simply as you would like. He holds some similar views with Dennis Kucinich, too, and certainly with Al Gore. You're overselling. Why, I dunno.

[rateyes]

29. OK.

Fine.

[polichick]

40. That statement says quite a bit about his judgment imo.

Who knew??

As far as his take on Hillary, I'd say he's going for veep.

[Adelante]

41. Anyone who followed the 2004 primaries, that's who knew

It made a big splash after Drudge posted it. Every talking head talked about it. Every newspaper in the country yakked on it, every blog blogged on it. I'm completely surprised anyone on DU didn't know that Clark gave this speech. He gave it again a week later for Democrats. He had some nice words for Democratic leaders as well in his opening remarks. It says nothing about his judgment, just about his good manners.

The horror.

[polichick]

44. Praising the criminals who got us into this war IS a horror...

...and I do think it says a lot.

(The "who knew?" was tongue-in-cheek.)

[Adelante]

45. The criminals hadn't gotten us into this war yet

They were barely in the White House.

[polichick]

46. Excuse me. Praising the criminals who stole the 2000 election...

...is a horror.

[Tom Rinaldo]

47. Yeah! This too...

"President-elect Bush inherits a nation whose citizens will be ready to assist him in the conduct of his large responsibilities.

I personally will be at his disposal, and I call on all Americans -- I particularly urge all who stood with us to unite behind our next president. This is America. Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and come together when the contest is done."

Al Gore


The horror!

[polichick]

48. Wisely, he stopped short of praising the thieves...

Gore offered his help and asked us to stand behind the president, nothing more. No horror there.

[Adelante]

49. Hindsight is 20-20

The excerpts shown on NBC also show Dr. Dean saying in December, 2000, "George Bush is, I believe, in his soul a moderate," and adding about those thinking that Mr. Bush's presidency would be a one-term one, "that is going to be a mistake."

While Dr. Dean now describes Mr. Bush as "the most radical right-wing president in my lifetime," he also frequently acknowledges that, until after Mr. Bush was elected, he believed his promise of moderation.

New York Times 1/9/04

[polichick]

51. Why keep making excuses?

Bush & Co. had already shown their true colors when Clark made his comment about the great team in the WH ~ he either had sucky judgment or he was kissing up for a job. Good grief.

[Adelante]

52. I'm not making excuses

I said he gave a speech and as a speech giver was polite to those listening. You've turned it into some kind of verdict on Clark's judgment.

You want Clark's judgment?

This is Clark's judgment from July 4 2002:

Going all the way back to the summer of 2002, I got a sense of how strong his feelings about Iraq were. Long before it was clear that the administration was really going to sell a war on Iraq, when it was just a kind of a Republican talking point, early in the summer of 2002, Wesley Clark was very strongly opposed to it. He thought it was definitely the wrong move. He conveyed that we’d be opening a Pandora’s box that we might never get closed again. And he expressed that feeling to me, in a sort of quasi-public way. It was a Fourth of July party and a lot of journalists were there, and there were people listening to a small group of us talk. There wasn’t an audience, there were just several people around. There was no criticism I could make that he didn’t sort of see me and raise me in poker terms. Probably because he knew a lot more about it than I did. And his experience is vast, and his concerns were deep.

http://www.buzzflash.com/interviews/03/10/int03221.html

Not an insignificant throw away remark in a speech about his army days, but talking to journalists in a private setting, and trying to get them to see what was coming.

But if you're more worried about what you're worried about, enjoy.

[polichick]

53. I just thought poster #14 made a good point:

"Now, tell me that right after the stolen election in Florida in 2000, just 6 months before 9.11 that a good Democrat would make that remark to the Republican Party in Arkansas."

It does say something about Clark's judgment. Even if he didn't agree with his own words about Bush & Co. and only said them to be polite, as you claim, it still shows bad judgment.

You may have decided it was an "insignificant throw away remark" but that's just your opinion. I think he was probably jockeying for a position ~ but, as post #14 pointed out, it wasn't the kind of thing most loyal Dems would say.

I think he's jockeying for a position now too ~ and I could see him working with Hillary. Each has a leg in both parties and would probably get on well.

[Adelante]

54. Loyal Dems

He wasn't any kind of Dem at the time. He was under no obligation to any party at all. So I don't think that was a good point the other poster made.

If you think Clark is some kind of opportunist, it's what you think. I will only disagree. Saying he has a leg in both parties is way off, way, way off.

[polichick]

56. "He wasn't any kind of Dem at the time."

Perhaps not being a Dem was the problem.

If you mean by "opportunist" that he wants a job, regardless of party, I'd say yes ~ but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Judging Bush & Co. to be a great team or saying it and not meaning it is a bad thing.

Clark's one of the good guys imo ~ I just don't have a problem calling any of them on bad moves. Neither Clark nor Clinton is liberal enough for me, but either would be a good president.

[Cameron27]

57. How is Clark not liberal enough for you?

What are you basing your opinion on?

[polichick]

59. Clark's military background is not a plus for me...

I think we need to move away from the military-industrial complex mindset as fast as we can. He took some very liberal positions in his last run, but had little experience that required him to make policy decisions based on those positions. Still, as I said, Clark's one of the good guys ~ but wouldn't be my first choice to usher in a new era.

[Adelante]

58. opportunist

When Clark got out of the army and both parties were pursuing him, and it was high old times for Bushco, I think an opportunist would have become a Republican right then and there. He could have and didn't. The Democratic party has mostly given him hard work, like campaigning non-stop for Kerry in 2004 or in 84 districts in 2006. He has plenty of jobs, he's a CEO, he's a banker, a partner in a disaster recovery firm, an author, a university fellow and more. He doesn't need a job. What he needs to do is serve the country and whatever the next Democratic president, no matter who that is, asks of him will be done. He's that concerned with turning the country around. He would like to be president himself, that's one job, one opportunity he'd love to have.

[wildhorses]

4. i thought hillary was born and raised in chicago....

:shrug:

[Adelante]

6. They were both born in Chicago

She was raised in Illinois. He was raised in Arkansas.

[liberalnurse]

8. Hillary's parents were republicans

and she was as a teenager for Chrissake. Stop the fox news mantra.

[rateyes]

16. She worked on Goldwater's campaign

and was a registered Republican. The facts are the facts. Hey, Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat. Doesn't mean he remained one.

Clark's endorsement of Hillary doesn't surprise me. They are good friends, and they hold similar "centrist" (read DLC) views.

[NCarolinawoman]

23. Clark's father was an activist in the Democratic party.

I believe I read that his Dad attended the Democratic convention when FDR was first inaugurated.

Clark's father died when he was four. His Mom moved back to Arkansas, had to go to work, while his grandparents raised him. His grandfather was a mill worker and they lived in a little rented home.

What I'm saying here is that his background is Roosevelt Democrat. The Independent thing came when he was in the military. The Democrats were perceived, at the time, as hating all things military, so I'm sure that is behind the Reagan vote. When JFK was President, this would have never been an issue. The Republicans, at that time, were not perceived as the "party of the military". That only came after Viet Nam. I hope someday, that perceptions will change, because the Republicans always use this as an election tool.

[Adelante]

2. He believes she is the best candidate

to walk into the Oval Office, sit down at the desk and go to work without too much on the job training.

I disagree with the endorsement, too, but I think that's what's behind it.

[The Count]

7. My thoughts exactly. The cheap bashing here is more revolting than anything.

I'll still vote anti-war, and I will not buy the "everyone knows" BS spouted here.(in fact, those two words almost always preface a lie)

[liberalnurse]

10. She is the best prepared.

I'm relaxed and comfortable with my choice. She has the deal clinched.

Wes Clark will be on Ed Schultz Show today!

(9/17/2007) Monday on The Ed Schultz Show!

Retired Gen. Wes Clark joins the show to talk about his new book, A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country and announced support for Hillary Clinton for President.


http://www.bigeddieradio.com/listen/index.asp

[Tom Rinaldo]

12. That really is it, plus...

No doubt in my mind at all that Clark has appraised the lay of the political land and concluded that no one now stands a reasonable chance of stopping Hillary from winning the nomination, which I have no doubt factored heavily into his final decision to stay out of the race after holding off on backing her for 9 months while he tried to put together a winning strategy for himself. Given that type of conclusion, and in light of the attacks Hillary Clinton from the Right that once agains are starting to swell in volume and intensity, it is consistent with everything that I know about Wes Clark that he would report to duty early for service defending whoever be believed the Democrats will be running against the Republicans in 2008.

A lit of Clark supporters are having a hard time now with this endorsement. If you spend any time at Clark Community Network that is clear, but then again most Clark supporters are not comfortable with any of our current options in the race. The rest of this post is copied from a post I made on another DU thread:

You will see that Hillary's vote for the IWR and her subsequent stance on Iraq is the single strongest hurdle a lot of Clark supporters have in considering supporting Hillary now. That by no means is the only problem some core Clark supporters have with her, but it is the closest thing to a complete deal buster for many. Having said that, the only thing that can be said to truly unite essentially all Clark supporters is a deep respect for Wes Clark's character, his leadership abilities, his ability to analyze complex situations and provide sound counsel regarding them, and his experience dealing with issues related to international affairs and national security. Many of us see many other positives in Wes Clark, but that more or less describes the core commonality among virtually all of Clark's supporters.

Not all Clark supporters see a vote for the IWR as a deal buster for supporting a candidate in the nomination phase, though some obviously do. That obviously is not an issue in regards to Obama, but other key elements of the package are, particularly in the area of experience dealing with issues related to international affairs and national security. For many Clark supporters John Edwards comes up weak in their estimation on the latter count also, which amplifies their discomfort with the judgment and leadership he showed at the time of the IWR vote. My guess however is that more Clark supporters are comfortable with the domestic agenda backed by John Edwards than that backed by Hillary Clinton.

However we have long keyed in on Wes Clark's long expressed concern that the war inside of Iraq may soon expand well beyond Iraq's borders if more isn't done to prevent that from happening, particularly in regards to Iran. Speaking for myself but I suspect for many other Clark supporters also, the sum total of the wisdom contained in the remarks made by Clinton, Edwards, and Obama combined regarding Iran to date leave us seriously underwhelmed.

Where Hillary Clinton may have an edge in that regard is her hands on experience during her husband's two terms in office. Few would say Hillary Clinton played a role like Laura Bush's in the White House, she was clearly a full part of the inner policy team there. And the Clinton White House almost negotiated peace between Israel and Palestine, and it sent the U.S. Secretary of State to North Korea's capital to negotiate face to face with Kim when military conflict seemed possible with that nation. Clinton's team brokered the Dayton Peace Accords, and had the good sense to commit the resources needed to ensure stability inside Bosnia and Kosovo after the shooting stopped in those nations. The Clinton White House was much more nuanced in it's stance toward Iran toward the end of Clinton's presidency; it was not party to the "Axis of Evil" characterizations of Iran that followed.

It is that legacy of Bill Clinton's presidency that Hillary Clinton has the capacity to lay some claim to now if she has enough wisdom to do so, and that, plus Wes Clark's personal endorsement of course, could help pave the way for her to receive some additional support now from some of Wes Clark's supporters.

[calteacherguy]

62. He's also endorsing early because he wants to be in the strongest position possible to influence

policy and frame the debate. By endorsing the all but inevitable nominee, he puts himself in the strongest position to influence the direction of the policy, and that's what's most important.

Also agree with what you said.

[acmavm]

5. I know. He disappointed me too.

[Clark2008]

9. He would never have endorsed Edwards...

Google Wes Clark Jr. + John Edwards and you'll see why.

The father never as said as much as the son on this matter, but Jr.'s opinion will make it clear.

[Bitwit1234]

11. And I am so so so so so so so so so so so so

so so so glad he didn't support your choice Obama.

[MethuenProgressive]

13. He must be a paid Hill-Bot, eh?

Wes Clark has always been, and always will be, the smartest person in the room.
His endorsement will certainly sway those aware of his intelligence.

[Kelly Rupert]

15. He thought Hillary would be the best President? n/t

[MonkeyFunk]

17. Oh pshaw

don't you know that anybody who disagrees with anybody on DU does so only for self-gain or other malevolent reasons?

[youthere]

19. Yep. Me too.

[Mz Pip]

20. My only concern

is that it seems too early. I remember Gore endorcing Dean early on and thought the same thing. There are months to go before the first primaries and I'd like to see the whole process unfold a bit before all the endorcements start.

But that's just me. I haven't picked a candidate yet. I was a big Clark supporter in 04 and respect his opinions. However, I am not ready to jump onto the Hillary bandwagon just yet. We shall see.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[flpoljunkie]

21. Important to note Hillary Clinton was one of Wes Clark's campaign Co-Chairs when he ran in 2004

[Adelante]

25. Important to note that is absolutely untrue

She didn't even endorse him.

[flpoljunkie]

31. If true, someone got it wrong on Saturday.

[Adelante]

35. Someone certainly got it wrong

So I hope you will see your way clear to not perpetuating this untruth. Thanks.

[CarolNYC]

36. the co-chair thing....

I went looking around after I saw you claim this in my thread....I don't know where you saw it on Saturday but I think I know where it may have originated...Apparently, the day before his announcement that he was running, Fox News was spreading around some shit that she, his campaign co-chair, would be at his side when he made the announcement. Well, she wasn't at his side and she wasn't his campaign co-chair but you can continue to spread the Fox News shit around all of the Clark threads today if you wish to, I guess...Just be aware of what you are doing.

[Clintonista2]

42. I know citing fox might be easy, but does it *really* help your cause?

Why must you resort to fabrications & lies? If your candidate was so great, one would assume you wouldn't have to smear others to prove it.

[Texas_Kat]

60. NOt true.... not even close

Here's a list (maintained at GWU) of the entire organization.


http://www.gwu.edu/%7Eaction/2004/clark/clarkorg.html

[Clintonista2]

22. That's too bad. Hillary get's Clark, Obama gets Oprah.

I'm starting to remember why Obama isn't taken seriously anymore...

[ChiciB1]

33. Maybe Edwards Will Get Gore!!! That Would Make Me Super

HAPPY! I seriously doubt Gore is going to run, in fact I would bet money on it... so c'mon Al, get on the Edwards band-wagon! PuuuLeeeze??

[zulchzulu]

27. I respect Clark's opinion

It would be interesting to see how big Clark fans feel about it. I know one person who is a big Clark fan who was disappointed in the decision and have an uncle who served in Vietnam who has a huge Clarkie in 2004 that was disappointed as well.

I never was a huge fan although I respect him. Does he have plans to campaign with her?

[Adelante]

30. I'm sure he will campaign with her

As he does with anyone he endorses and will with the eventual nominee, but nothing scheduled yet. He's on a book tour right now.

[Tom Rinaldo]

34. I don't know if he has such plans

But I think that goes with the territory of endorsing her so I am sure he will at times. Whether or not he would do so extensively is a different question and to an extent that would depend on whether or not the Clinton campaign asked him to play a prominent campaign role, and how they thought he could best help out. The Kerry campaign asked Clark to play a major role after he endorsed John Kerry and Clark in my opinion became an excellent campaigner for John Kerry. But for the most part they did not appear together because Kerry was able to get more bang for his buck by being at one place while Wes Clark was in another.

It really is early to sort out the feelings of many Clark supporters now. Please bear in mind that Clark's endorsement of Hillary Clinton was our first official indication that Wes Clark had decided not to run for President again himself. While most of us strongly suspected that was the case, hearing it as cold hard reality is another thing completely. Hillary can not help but suffer by direct comparison with Clark for most of Clark's core supporters now. To simultaneously have to wrap our minds around the fact that Wes Clark will not definately become the President we have worked for for the last four years, and consider working for Hillary Clinton instead is a huge psychological let down at the very least to almost all of us. Under those circumstances it is almost inconceivable to me that many Clark supporters could muster up much enthusiasm for Hillary within mere hours of learning that there will be no Clark 08, even if many more of us were more positively inclined toward her than we are.

Almost every Clark 08 supporter was strongly invested in stopping Hillary from getting the nomination though of course our motives varied. Some of us simply did not want to see her get in the way of Wes Clark becoming President, others came in every conceivable shade of "anti-Hillary", from mild to vehement.

So disappointment, along with far stronger similar emotions, is the the overwhelming emotion of choice for Clark's supporters now, and sorting out how much of that is because he endorsed Hillary now, how much of that is simply sorrow that he will not run, and how much of that is anger that there just may not be any better viable alternative for Democrats than to get behind Hillary soon is very difficult. Circumstances and specifics were very different then, but there are similarities now to what we went through when Clark pulled out of the 2004 race early and immediately endorsed John Kerry.

Clark supporters had a range of feelings about Kerry at the time, but it is fair to say that a very small minority at best were immediately enthusiastic with the prospect of backing John Kerry for President. But we came to believe that Wes Clark sees handwriting on the wall quicker than most of his true believers, that John Kerry indeed already had the nomination locked up when Clark endorsed him, and that Wes Clark was moving quickly to help shore up Kerry's weaknesses prior to the beginning of the General Election campaign in 2004.

The full spectrum of reactions to the news from Wes Clark over the weekend is available to be read over at Clark Community Network. Wes Clark has always provided us with an open forum to debate any and all issues political and his endoresement of Hillary Clinton is no exception. If you go there though you will find one near universal. We do not doubt the integrity of Wes Clark's decision. We know this man very well by now and we know what always motivates him. Think him right or think him wrong, we are confident he is acting consistent with his beliefs about what is best for our nation at this moment given the options we have available at this time. That is simply how he always looks at the world and his role in it. Wes Clark made a life time committment to service to America when he was a very young man, and that committment was and is as binding to him now as the committment made by any devout life long member of any religious order. It always informs his choices. We love that about Wes Clark even when we disagree.

[ChiciB1]

32. I Also Wish The Same... But Clinton & Clark Are Buddies & I Can't

see him supporting anyone else. I stated earlier that he might be thinking VP, but mostly I don't think he really wants to go down that road.

I think he likes what he's doing now and would rather comment rather than be commented ON!

But, I'm no Hillary supporter and I would have preferred him not to have done this.

[rucky]

37. Clark on the VP ticket would make a Clinton nomination...

almost palatable.

[karynnj]

38. Clark was an exceptional surrogate for Kerry in 2004

far better than many long term Democrats of the Begala/Carville variety. He had the novel idea of supporting the nominee - rather than whining that he wasn't Bill Clinton. He did far more for the Democrats in the last election.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

39. I wish, I wish, I wish in vain, I wish I were a maid again...

And my parents they would not complain, Sweet William's a-blooming among the rush.

[laureloak]

43. Founding Father??????????

[FrenchieCat]

50. Most likely meaning.....

Noun
1. Founding Father - a member of the Constitutional Convention that drafted the United States Constitution in 1787

Constitutional Convention - the convention of United States statesmen who drafted the United States Constitution in 1787

national leader, solon, statesman - a man who is a respected leader in national or international affairs
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Founding+Father

[smalll]

55. If wishes were horses, beggars might ride: and think, how will you feel when Gore

endorses Hillary sometime over the next few months, or waits until March, when his endorsement will take the form of congratulations? You are in for a rough ride!

PS: to give some solace: look, Clark is a healthy man, but surely he counts as "old" at this point (at least with the gray hair.) He was a military man, he comes from Arkansas... so unhip! No wonder he supports Hillary! Also, I hear that Dakota Fanning is about to endorse Obama, so it all balances out!

[calteacherguy]

61. Here are a few reasons.

1) He's been friends with Bill Clinton since high school

2) He feels we need someone in the White House who will be able to handle a crises from day one and understands how the Presidency works

3) He feels (in my opinion) she is the inevitable nominee. For him, the #1 priority is affecting policy. He's not out for any position, he simply wants to put himself in the strongest position possible to frame the debate and influence policy.

By endorsing the strongest and nearly inevitable candidate, he's put himself in a stronger position to have an influence. That's what it's all about.

[Adelante]

63. Except for your first point, that's a fair evaluation

He and Bill Clinton barely knew each other before Kosovo. They met as Rhodes Scholars once in England, and Bill and Hillary had Wes to a couple of receptions in Little Rock in a group of army officers, when Bill was governor of Arkansas. Their friendship dates less than ten years, probably.

[calteacherguy]

64. I thought Frenchiecat had posted they knew each other in high school.

Perhaps they weren't friends then, just aquaintances. Main point is they have a history and an friendship.

[Adelante]

65. I don't think so

Maybe Frenchie has something like that in her stash. I've never seen it.

[calteacherguy]

66. She posted a couple days ago they had known each other since high school

I'm sure of it.

[FrenchieCat]

67. They "Met" while still in High School.......

In fact, I remember Wes retelling the story that the first time he saw Bill Clinton, Bill had a girl under each arm.

"Might have been in reference to one of those nerdy groups they both belonged to. "Clark was chosen along with other exceptionally bright students that displayed leadership potential for the American Legion Boys State, a mock government exercise that Bill Clinton would participate in a few years later."
http://www.awesclarkdemocrat.com/2005/07/about_wes_clark_early_life_fam.htm


However, they were not "friends" then nor later, really....

Wes Clark Interview:
I was a two-star general when he was elected president, I was a division commander. To have gotten to President Clinton I would have had to go through five levels of command. I could have called tap and said, "I'm Wes Clark, and I'm a friend of Bill's." But I wasn't.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2004_Feb_3/ai_n6010914/pg_5


I "Met" Sen. Obama last week.....but that doesn't mean I know him, or that he is my friend. I think that this is what happened here. Might have been a small circle in terms of the overachievers in Arkansas and so their paths crossed. After all, I believe they are only 2 years or so apart in age. :shrug:

[Adelante]

68. We were both close - I looked it up

The girl under each arm was at a student conference at Georgetown in 1965, so college age. Wes met Hillary in 1983 at that French youth conference. And he and Gert had dinner once with them when Bill was Governor of Arkansas, plus the army officer receptions. That was it until 1993 when McCaffrey picked him up for J5 and Wes had stuff to do with the White House, but not Bill personally. From there until Kosovo nothing much. The personal friendship really does seem to have developed after Wes retired.

[calteacherguy]

69. Oh, O.K. Thanks for clarifying. nt

[Evergreen Emerald]

70. Perhaps you should, instead of wishing, consider his views.

He is an experienced, intelligent general. He knows something you don't know. And perhaps instead of discounting his position, you should consider it.