Reply #114: I don't see how speaking in ND makes him THEE Heavy Hitter

[globalvillage]

But I can see this coming back to bite him

After a three-week campaign waged almost exclusively by U.S. and British troops, with no U.N. involvement, an article by Clark appeared in The Times of London calling it “a great victory.”

Clark wrote :

Can anything be more moving than the joyous throngs swarming the streets of Baghdad? Memories of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the defeat of Milosevic in Belgrade flood back. Statues and images of Saddam are smashed and defiled.

Liberation is at hand. Liberation -the powerful balm that justifies painful sacrifice, erases lingering doubt and reinforces bold actions. Already the scent of victory is in the air.

. . . As for the political leaders themselves, President Bush and Tony Blair should be proud of their resolve in the face of so much doubt.

The article contained no hint that Clark opposed the "great victory" and no suggestion that he would have preferred U.N. diplomats handle the job instead. He did write a few days earlier that for an occupation of Iraq to succeed "we must gather legitimacy from institutions such as the United Nations and NATO." That article appeared in the Washington Times on March 23. Clark has posted that article on his campaign website, but not the gushing Times of London article.


September 19, Clark Starts Campaign:

Clark told several reporters he “probably” would have voted for the resolution.

From: The New York Times, September 19, 2003 :

At the time, I probably would have voted for it, but I think that's too simple a question.

A moment later, the Times quoted him adding:

I don't know if I would have or not. I've said it both ways because when you get into this, what happens is you have to put yourself in a position -- on balance, I probably would have voted for it.

http://www.factcheck.org/article107.html

That said, I like Gen Clark. Despite the London Times article, I could support a Kerry/Clark ticket. I think he was misled as were many Dems (including Kerry).

Edit to correct title.