Wes Clark's Achilles heel.

[sfecap]

Is he a Democrat? This is what many people will have to resolve in their own minds. Clark has no record. He has no Party curriculum vitae except for a career in the military, and a short civilian career as an investment banker and paid lobbyist.

Is he a Democrat? He's never been elected to anything. He's supported and voted for republicans, by his own admission.

And then there are sound bites like this that will cause many to question his sincerity:

(MTP 11/16/03)

MR. RUSSERT: And we are back. General Clark, one of your opponents in the Democratic primary, Howard Dean, said your biggest problem may be convincing Democratic voters that you’re truly a Democrat. And what they refer to is now a famous speech you gave at a Republican county dinner on May 11, 2001. Let’s listen to a portion of that:

(Videotape, May 11, 2001):

GEN. 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.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: “A great team. We need them there.” And then on January 22, 2002, at Harding University in Arkansas, again, you added to that. Let’s watch.

(Videotape, January 22, 2002):

GEN. CLARK: I didn’t say this earlier, and I should have. I tremendously admire, and I think we all should, the great work done by our commander in chief, our president, George Bush, and the men and women of the United States armed forces.

(End of videotape)

MR. RUSSERT: That sounds like a ringing endorsement of the president. I can see President Bush using those bites in commercials if he runs against you.

Yep. You can count on that.

It comes down to the question that Democrats should have answered in 2002:

"Why vote for republican lite when you can have the real thing?"

[JNelson6563]

1. I can see it too

and I don't like the looks of that at all.

Julie

[NV1962]

2. Wow, thanks for pointing this out

Now that I've read this, I'll switch affiliation immediately tomorrow, I promise.

Li'l nagging question though: are you really supporting Dean, or are you really campaigning against Clark under the guise of a Dean supporter who presumably is insecure about the effect of Clark candidacy?

I mean, really I hate it when I'm converted by someone whose motives are unknown to me...

[SahaleArm]

3. Posting history confirms the latter n/t

[sfecap]

4. Support whom you wish.

I prefer to support a Democrat.

YMMV.

[NV1962]

7. Gee thanks for explaining that

So, do I understand correctly that people who have praised B* publicly at any time whatsoever are unsupportable, not worthy of support, maybe not really a Democrat?

I'm really eager to know, because I have seen statements from a few people that seem to run for the Democratic nomination...

Heavens forbid I cast an ideologically impure vote! That would be unthinkable, like, say, people voting for a drunk with a track record of failed businesses and strong business ties to the Bin Laden family!

Oh wait, so now you're also suggesting that things have to be kept in their proper perspective and time frame? I see... Well, in that case I'll keep rooting for the General after all. While the others debate ideology, purity 'n all that sh*t, he'll kick the preppy boy's sorry @ss out of the WH before W can whimper "Karl Rove"

Big time politics need people ready with big time solutions: the General will do just fine.

[AnnitaR]

8. Well, I prefer to support...

the DEMOCRAT candidate who's capable of WINNING the Election!

[sfecap]

9. The "Democrat"?

Busted.

[NJCher]

5. there's only one thing to do with a sound byte like that

cringe.


Cher

[unblock]

6. this is not necessarily a weakness

a winning democratic candidate would do well to tap into the anger and resentment of those who lent bush their support after 9/11.

many swing voters, who may or may not have voted for bush in 2000, feel betrayed that bush is not what he claimed to be, nor is he taking the country in a direction they feel comfortable with.

if clark can say, 'i, too, stood behind our president in our time of national crisis, but i must oppose him now because he has failed, ...', well, this might actually play very well in peoria, as they say.

[NV1962]

10. Exactly: which is what Wes Clark explained in the same segment - n/t

[AnnitaR]

11. I would much rather have that sound bite than this one:

"I need to plug that hole in my resume..."
Howard Dean, in regards to his weakness in foreign policy.

[Forkboy]

12. Both groups have a done a great job

of convincing me that neither of them is worth voting for.

[Moderator]

13. Locking......

1. If you start a thread in the General Discussion forum, you must present your opinion in a manner that is not inflammatory, which respects differences in opinion, and which is likely to lead to respectful discussion rather than flaming. Some examples of things which should generally be avoided are: unnecessarily hot rhetoric, nicknames for prominent Democrats or their supporters, broad-brush statements about groups of people, single-sentence "drive-by" thread topics, etc.



DU Moderator