Wesley Clark: Full Congressional Investigation of phone spying "mandated"

[Adelante]

Investigate phone spying, Clark says
The former NATO commander is stumping for Leonard Boswell on a two-day Iowa visit.

THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

May 13, 2006


Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark said in Iowa Friday that the Bush administration's tracking of millions of private telephone calls as part of its war on terrorism warranted a full congressional investigation.

The former NATO commander and 2004 Democratic candidate for president said Congress needs to sort out the controversy as a way of maintaining its check on the presidential power.

"If you have a president, for reasons he believes are legitimate for national security, who is accused of misleading people about the extent of the program, and nobody knows what the extent of the program is, then I think a full congressional investigation is mandated," Clark said.

The Bush administration is facing questions about its regard for civil liberties after the disclosure that the National Security Agency collected information on millions of Americans' telephone calls.

DesMoines Register

[ixion]

1. facing questions

when they should be facing lengthy prison sentences in the Hague.

[Hubert Flottz]

2. They know everyone you talked to during campaign 2004 Wes!

I'd be as pissed off as Hubert Flottz is if I were you General, maybe even more!

[Donna Zen]

3. Talking to the Middle East

Wes talks to people in Gulf region all the time. Recently when he was discussing this, one got the feeling that he rather expects that they might be listening in. You know, this is a dangerous time for many, for someone that they would like to silence, this is especially bad.

[Hubert Flottz]

5. I figured the spooks were listening in since Bush stole his job.

I've warned MANY people about my fears and they laughed at me. NOW, they are scared to call me back to tell me I was right. I knew IN MY GUT, that Bush was lying about only calls coming in or going out of the country.

[Adelante]

6. Remember the story about Christiane Amanpour's phone being tapped?

I don't know whatever happened with that, but I remember a chill straight up my spine, because her husband was high up in Clark's campaign.

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Yes I remember.

And they don't like her because she tells the truth! THey can't STAND the truth! It's like sunlight to a vampire!

[rodeodance]

4. good for Wes. Hey -Grassly--you listening?

[judy from nj]

8. I'm glad he said that

Congress should really be doing this, but I can't help feeling that they won't until "after the election". They never want to investigate anything until "after the election".

[Adelante]

9. Didn't Pelosi say

There will soon be a series of investigations? I think they're ready now, finally.

[Pithy Cherub]

10. Wes believes in accountability. This Congress may believe

it as well in a few weeks when they are facing a looming loss of dozens of seats or both houses of Congress. If they use the summer to put some checks on their republican czar/president it could save some of them. Otherwise, 1974 writ large comes to mind when it was a Democratic landslide. In order to hold the president accountable, the congressional republicans have to own part of the problem. Looks like a terrible choice for them. ;)

Wes is good, focused and very smart to drive that point home over and over again, especially in the farm belt. Go Wes.

[CarolNYC]

11. investigating

Yep, this was one of the points he made at the Soros thing...One of the reasons it's so important to change the makeup of the Congress is so that we can get full investigations into a number of things...and the first thing he mentioned was the phone spying.

[Adelante]

15. How are ya, sweetie?

:pals:

[CarolNYC]

18. hey, WesDem!

Busy, busy...I hope you are well.... :) :)

[Jai4WKC08]

20. Yep, Clark has called for investigation repeatedly

I remember seeing him on C-SPAN a couple months ago calling for a special investigator for the Abramoff scandal, and I've heard him on AAR and NPR saying pretty much the same. Also when he appeared on ABC (George Stephanopolis' show).

Seems to me that Clark is pushing two main messages for 2006.

One is that Democrats are strong on national security -- stronger than Repubs. It's one reason he's done so much work for IAVA and the Fighting Dems. I don't think he does it because he thinks security more important than other issues (in fact, I know he doesn't) as much as he sees himself as ideally suited to be the one pushing. And that he thinks it's a good idea to take on the Repubs in what is too often perceived to be their greatest strength. People already trust Democrats to do a better job with most of the rest.

But the second message, at least as important and probably more so, is that there must be checks on the current administration, and only Democratic Congressional supoena power can provide it.

The latter is a winning strategy because it takes best advantage of the Repubs' greatest weakness -- Bush's whale-shit-level poll ratings.

We can put forward any number of plans for any number of problems (and we have), but the media won't cover them, the Repubs will lie about them, the Dems who do get air-time will probably never agree on any of them, and the voters probably won't ever bother to find out what's in them anyway.

But the one thing voters do know is that the Bushies are screwing up (thru incompetence or criminality, take your pick) and the Republican Congress is letting them get away with it. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist, nor paying particularly close attention to detail, for those voters to figure out that if they want Congress to keep BushCo in check, they need to fill it with Democrats. The voters don't even need to particularly like or trust Democrats more to see that only Democrats will protect them from Bush.

That's not to say we don't need good Democrats to run, especially when they're up against reasonably inoffensive (from the pov of the average voter) Republican incumbents. But in any race, there are always a certain percentage of voters who will walk into the voting booth not knowing much about either candidate and just voting with what their gut tells them about the parties. That percentage can and in many cases will be enough to swing a close race. Those are the ones who MUST hear Clark's message.

[FrenchieCat]

12. I'll be so glad when November comes....I just don't know what to do,

Besides canvas, make calls, and donate!

I Hope I won't be disappointed this time round.


We need to investigate the "Shit" out of this fucked up administration; that's all I know!

[texpatriot2004]

13. Gen. Clark is right. nm

[Tom Rinaldo]

14. This fits with Clark's push to win back Congress in November

We will never have real investigations of what the Bush Administration has been doing to America and our Constitution until we at least control one House of Congress. Once that is in place, all of the truth will come out. Clark wants the whole damn Administration investigated and it will take a Democratic Congress to put that type of Congressional "Check" on this runaway Presidency.

[UrbScotty]

16. Go Wes (nt)

[Gloria]

17. These are serious times and Wes Clark is the man we need

now and in the future.

No messing around with the usual "pols" and overanalyzing Democratic navels....

[Ilsa]

19. That's my next president!

I'm hoping he announces this year and goes for it. SO far, I'm behind most of what he stands for.