Wes Clark's bravery becomes conventional wisdom

[CarolNYC]

From Steve Clemons at Huffington Post:

"Wesley Clark gets credit for the same sort of thing for being the first major political personality to bluntly say that America needed to engage in direct US-Iran negotiations. What Wes Clark did both in September 2005 and then January 2006 at New America Foundation conferences and then on Meet the Press was brave then and has become conventional wisdom today."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-clemons/bidens-zingers-weighin_b_40240.html

It's actually a post about Biden but I do like that characterization. Isn't that the way it happens again and again? Wes Clark says something that either everyone else is afraid to say or that no one's thought of saying yet, everybody goes off the deep end about it because they say it's nuts or because they're too timid to say or think it themselves (like when he brought up the fact that Bush needs to bare some responsibility for 9/11 because it happened on his watch)...and then a couple of years later, everyone's spouting the supposedly "crazy" idea.

[Eurobabe]

1. that's our WES!

but he's not BLUE enough for some. :eyes:

Pedigree must go back 10 generations.

[Trajan]

13. I love Wes ...

Who is Bluer than many give him credit ...

I adore Wes ... But some of his supporters here at DU can be a very rude and ugly bunch ...

The endless, angst-ridden attacks again everyone who ISNT Wes gets a bit tiring for those of us who support the ideals of the party but havent yet isolated one candidate above the rest ...

I am a Democrat .... I will support the Democrat who wins the nomination; be it Wes or Edwards or Hillary or ....

Go Wesley ! ... I wish you the best .... Be glad that my support isnt based on the meaness of some of your supporters ...

[CarolNYC]

15. I don't understand

what this comment is doing in this thread.

Do you think my OP is rude and ugly or mean? Do you think 48percenter's comment is? Color me confused. :shrug:

[Eurobabe]

18. Trajan, there are ugly supporters of

EVERY primary candidate. Re-read some of the threads of late. And hold onto your hat because it will get alot more vicious, Democrats unfortunately eat their own. I am not participating in any candidate bashing, I have my opinions yes, but I will not tear down those who are in the race. The more voices, the better, IMHO. And we should be railing against the CONS who got us into this shithole!

I love Wes Clark, but I haven't fully decided on who I will work for yet, so they are not technically "my supporters" just for the record.

[KT2000]

2. He is a leader

not a follower like so many politicians on this issue.
The guy is smart and is ahead of the curve on so many issues.

[FrenchieCat]

3. But he is not a top contender due to free publicity galore.....

so we shouldn't listen or take him seriously as he continues to prophesize what's about to happen before it happens!

Too bad for us!

[Auntie Bush]

4. Psychics don't get any respect and are ignored.

lol :evilgrin: Seriously, all through the 2004 election and this one so far...the other candidates quote Was Clark's ideas...yet he doesn't get the credit!
Maddening!!! :banghead: :mad:

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. The fact that Clark said it when it took courage to say it

shows this is something that he deeply believes. I am never as sure when a politician takes on a position to support after it becomes conventional wisdom whether, when push comes to shove, they care enough about that position to do what it will take to really implement it.

[Rob H.]

6. I really, REALLY hope Wes runs for Pres again

The guy has a set of brass ones, no question, and he's wicked smart, to boot.

[The Count]

7. Always the visionary. First to out PNAC too.

Only to subject him to guilt by association BS on DU among other places. Then it became common knowledge.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Great...that means when Edwards was talking about courage and standing up,

he was talking about Wes Clark.

Good for Edwards. Maybe he can spread the word about Clark since the media follows Edwards everywhere while leaving the courageous to fend for themselves! :shrug:

[CarolNYC]

9. Leadership and standing up

As Samantha Power once said, in introducing Clark:

"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing."

That's our Wes. He never waits for everyone else to stand.

[Lena inRI]

10. Absolutely, Carol, do I see the same pattern. . .

because our candidate has:

--the moral maturity and genuine humility to be a great statesman

--he's in love with the US, not himself

And while I'm at it, did you get a look at the "body language" of the speakers at this Friday's DNC thing?

Clark---standing confidently and speaking at us from memory, not up and down from notes, using voice to emphasize

Clinton--making "fists" as she emphasized points from her notes

Obama--looking side to side, up and down, howyadoin' cadence

Edwards--leaning on the podium

Not to make too much about this, but I can't get over how their bodies reflect their persona so much. . .

and I'll be damned if I want fists shook in my face for the next 6 years. . .egads get out of my face already!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Sparkly]

11. I am constantly screaming at the teevee: "General Clark said that YEARS AGO!!!"

(You can ask Husb if ya don't believe me!! It's SO frequent...)

Even right down to the very same WORDS sometimes... How about these:

"There is no military solution, only a political solution." Everyone says that now, with those words; The General said it a LONG time ago!!

"Engaged diplomacy in the REGION." Suddenly everybody else is talking about diplomacy, and noticed Iraq is in located in a REGION rather than being a remote island someplace!

"We need to talk to our enemies." Hear that a lot now.

"Carrots and sticks." Suddenly hearing that phrase from at least one other.

Some of it may be because he's been talking to some people in Congress...

[FrenchieCat]

12. and the not so new (circa 2005 ) "need dialogue with Iran" n/t

[susanna]

17. My DH didn't know a thing about Wes Clark until I told him.

He likes to make up his own mind, which is why I love him, and so watched Wes for awhile. He came back to me with, and I quote, "you know, that guy is really amazing."

DH is now a big fan, and has vowed to contribute to any campaign Wes runs for. :-)

[snowbear]

19. Susana.. or anyone else who knows.. "what does DH stand for?"

I 've asked when I've seen it on here a few times over the past 6 or so months.. but everyone keeps forgetting to respond.

so much for finally letting me know what that means... "DH"... I see it written all over the place, and haven't pinned down what it means yet.

Thanks fello Clarkie ~~~~

[FrenchieCat]

20. Well.....

Could it mean Dear Husband?
I'm just guessing....cause don't have a thingie to look the lexicon up in.

[susanna]

21. Yes, that's it - Dear Husband. n/t

[Clark2008]

22. LOL!! I do that, too!

:rofl:

[sandnsea]

14. Kerry said it in 2003

In what was called the most visionary foreign policy speech in a decade. Our Democrats peed in their pants because they feared being called Iran appeasers.

"As president, I will be prepared early on to explore areas of mutual interest with Iran, just as I was prepared to normalize relations with Vietnam a decade ago. Iran has long expressed an interest in cooperating against the Afghan drug trade. That is one starting point. And just as we have asked that Iran turn over al Qaeda members who are there, the Iranians have looked to us for help in dealing with Iraq-based terrorists who threaten them. It is incomprehensible and unacceptable that this administration refuses to broker an arrangement with Iran for a mutual crackdown on both terrorist groups."


http://www.cfr.org/publication/6576/making_america_secure_again.html

[FrenchieCat]

16. Well maybe John Kerry's was simply on the same page.......

As Clark wrote about approaching Iran and other ME countries by opening up economic and cultural markets in his Book, "Winning Modern Wars" which was published in September of 2003.


-----------------------
DECEMBER 19, 2003
General Clark is, in fact, not a man of war. Asked recently about how we should deal with Iran, he said, "Something I learned in my years is that you can always find a fight if you are looking for it. The challenge is to win the peace."

Rather than threatening Iran with bombs, he said we should attack them with hip hop music. "I bet you they would love Outkast in Tehran." He then joked, "And no, they aren't broken up, they are just making separate CD's now."

But his point was clear. "We should fight the way we won the Cold War. We won it with our music. We won it with Citibank, which went in a gave the countries loans, and led these countries to follow Western financial principles." Yes, as it is with the General himself, he thinks America's greatest strength is its charm and appeal.

Woo the world, says the General, that's how we defeated the Soviet Union, with blue jeans and Madonna. That's how you find peace, not just fight after fight after fight. "You can't just go through the Middle East like toppling dominoes. It won't work."
http://www.moderateindependent.com/v1i17tale.htm