People are waking up: The GOP should fear Wesley Clark

[wndycty]

Its coming down to crunch time for Wesley Clark and many of us believe he will announce by Labor Day. I encourage everyone, supporters and skeptics a like to learn more about the man. Even if you have picked another candidate consider Clark. There are rumblings that he would make a good running mate for most of the the Democrats. Lets just get him in the race, even if he does not win his presence will definately help remove the idea that Dems are week on security/foreign policy issues. Please take some time to consider General Clark, he is a military man but definately not a hawk.


Posted on Sat, Aug. 09, 2003
GOP should fear Wesley Clark
By Bronwyn Lance Chester
VIRGINIAN-PILOT

He's whip-smart, silver-haired handsome, articulate and a retired general. He sounds like an Arkansas good-ol'-boy, but was first in his West Point class and a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University.

He saw combat in Vietnam, commanded NATO forces and fared well toe-to-toe with Tim Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press," perhaps the ultimate test of candidate battle-worthiness.

He is potential presidential candidate Wesley Clark, the one Democrat who might strike fear in Republican hearts - if only he'd run.
-snip-

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/6489476.htm

[JCMach1]

1. I agree, he is on my short list if he runs

He could be the sleeper candidate.

[wndycty]

2. I know there is a defiance against. . .

. . .moving to the center, but I don't think Clark is a compromise, I think he has some solid liberal positions. I do want people to consider him because he is very electable.

[Ripley]

3. I'm curious, what exactly are his solid liberal positions?

I've never seen anyone post anything about Clark other than his "national security gravitas." Is he pro-choice? What about health insurance? How does he want to fix the economy?

I really would like to know.

[wndycty]

4. Take a look for yourself

From:http://www.draftwesleyclark.com/on_the_issues.htm

Out of sequence:

Women’s Issues: Clark is a strong supporter of women’s rights. Bluntly stating on CNN's Crossfire "I am pro-choice." He is pro-choice, supporting the rights of women to make these decisions outside of governmental regulation (Source – The American Prospect), and in the early 1980s, he proactively tackled spousal abuse as an army commander with a forward-thinking assessment of the demands of the modern family. (source - War in a Time of Peace, by David Halberstam)
-snip-

Taxes and the Economy: Clark favors a responsible and progressive taxation system that creates jobs and doesn’t put this country into ruinous financial shape with gaping deficits. Clark, who at one point taught economics at West Point, was against Bush’s tax changes because they don’t effectively create jobs, they are unfair, and they imperil our nation’s fiscal health.
-snip-


Health Care and Education: Clark is a strong supporter of a social safety net, including effective and well-supported systems of education and health care:

"I grew up in an armed forces that treated everyone as a valued member of the team. Everyone got healthcare, and the army cared about the education of everyone's family members. It wasn't the attitude that you find in some places, where people are fending for themselves and the safety net doesn't work." (Source: Waging Modern War)
-snip-

Affirmative Action: Clark is a strong proponent and supporter of affirmative action, diversity, and multiculturalism:

“I’m in favor of the principle of affirmative action… what you can’t have is you can’t have a society in which we’re not acknowledging that there is a problem in this society with racial discrimination.” Meet The Press
-snip-

Gays in the Military: "But essentially we’ve got a lot of gay people in the armed forces, always have had, always will have. And I think that, you know, we should welcome people that want to serve." Meet The Press

Guns: Clark has implied that gun ownership is primarily a local issue. He also believes that assault weapons should be banned for the general public, stating, "people who like assault weapons they should join the United States Army, we have them." (CNN's Crossfire, 06/25/03)
-snip-

[wndycty]

5. Kick

:kick:

[Ripley]

10. Okay, thanks for that link.

I'm still uncertain about the specifics of his politics. I guess I'll have to try and catch him speak.

[tedoll78]

6. I like 'em.

I agree with him plenty, and he's easy on the eyes.

[Poiuyt]

8. Looks shouldn't matter...

but they do. Image has a lot to do with public elections and Clark does look very "presidential." So do some of the other candidates, but Clark has a certain dignity about him that I like as well.

I just have a feeling that he would be the most electable of the Democratic candidates based on the mood of the country and who he'd be running against (Bush). If the economy doesn't improve, he would need to develop a very good economic plan. The general public is starting to say that that's the top issue facing our country, though I believe Rove will play up the fear factor.

[wndycty]

9. I would love to see him . . .

Debate Bush, I think he might destroy him!

[jfkennedy]

7. Clark

Clark will be greatest American president in the history of the United States.

http://antiwarmonger.com

[dansolo]

11. What is Clark's position on foreign policy?

There are many aspects of foreign policy that are not covered on the Draft Clark website:

1. What does he view the responsibility of the United States in the world, both militarily and economically?

2. What are his position on trade?

3. Does he feel that the United States should be held to the same standard as all other countries in terms of multinational treaties (e.g. Kyoto, NAFTA)? Many treaties seem to be set up unevenly in favor of certain American interests over the interests of others.

4. Should the United States join the ICC, and be subjected to the same scrutiny in actions that are taken at home and abroad?

5. What is the role of the US relative to the UN?

6. What are his thoughts on actions that could be taken by the US to minimize the animosity that is felt around the world towards the US?

7. How can the the US assist in dealing with global health issues (e.g. AIDS)

These are just some questions that come off the top of my head, and I'm not necessarily saying that all of the other candidates have addressed all of these issues thoroughly either. The concern I have is that too many Americans are equating foreign policy with military solutions, and I'm concerned that Clark would only feed that narrow impression. There are many more concerns regarding foreign policy that go well beyond terrorism.

[wndycty]

12. Very true. . .

. . .and its tough for me to answer these questions at this time. Hopefully once he announces we will have answers to the question for you. Just pay attention and hold all candidates to the same standard.