Clark Lets (Some New) Positions Be Known

[DoveTurnedHawk]

<...>

Clark said he is concerned by mounting evidence that legal mistakes are often prevalent in capital sentences. But Clark said that he believes government should retain the right to apply the death penalty in clear and compelling cases. He cited the possible capture of Osama bin Laden as such a case.

On other hot-button issues, Clark said he doesn’t condone widespread use of marijuana but would consider allowing it for pain relief. "We need to look at that and make some allowances one way or another," the candidate said of so-called medicinal marijuana usage.

Clark also said the only hope of winning the drug war is dealing with demand, and that he is concerned about criminal sentencing policies, saying that American prisons seem to be overflowing with prisoners serving time for relatively minor crimes.

For the most part, Clark got an overwhelmingly friendly reception as the crowd applauded almost everything the former NATO commander said, and gave him and his wife, Gert, several standing ovations.

Clark appeared at ease before the crowd as he made several remarks including a shot at President Bush that drew laughter.

Clark’s biggest jab at the president came after a member of the audience asked him to identify his personal qualities that would make a good president. "I’m reasonably intelligent. I read," Clark said, prompting a loud burst of hoots and chuckles.

<...>

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/story_Arkansas.php?storyid=43705

DTH

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

1. This is one smart general

He has "moderate" written all over him. I mean that in a good way.

If you allow a furrinah to advise, He and Dean should meet in public, hold up a silver dollar and tell the world, "heads is Dean-Clark, tails is Clark-Dean, mmkay? Toss!"

[CounterCoulter]

3. I'd rather forget Dean

I like Dean because he stands up to the Repubs, but I'd rather have a more econoically liberal candidate on a ticket like John Edwards. Perhaps Edwards/Clark or Clark/Edwards? It might do the dems some good in the upcoming senate races in Georgia, Louisiana and Florida...

[goforit]

2. Well, I agree with everything except,

Osama.

I believe OBL works for the Bush Cabal and that this 911
was MIHOP.

TIME will expose the truth.

[even]

4. AOLTIMEWARNER

They will never expose the truth. Try Disney.Where dreams come true.

[mithnanthy]

15. I agree ..goforit

I believe that OBL works with the bush cabal also. MIHOP

[revcarol]

5. Get to be the front runner on your reputation,

then say waffling things.Maybe death penalty, but I get to choose and I won't tell you who, except Osama, would get death.

Gotta "look at" marijuana for relief of pain...and he isn't aware of the many studies already done and the drug companies' efforts to make a drug out of marijuana for pain relief so that they can profit?

SHEESH- This guy wants to be President?

thanks for condescending to us to tell us of your non-positions.

[Fovea]

6. Why Can't Politicians handle reality

I admire Clark, but his CV is the sort that leads one to being more familiar with working class Belgium than America, and I wish someone would just take him aside and let him tour real live middle and working class America. Maybe Dennis can show him around Cleveland.

If Clark is appalled at the prison situation, let him look toward a drug policy that is based in medicine, not the criminal justice system.
Let him look toward raising the status of the working class.
Let him look to employment.

I do understand his point about the death penalty. I think it is good that we retain the right to kill prisoners who prove too dangerous, even to incarcerate. That is the sum of the valid reasons I can think of to kill someone, but I am also not adverse to public corporeal punishment in lieu of incarceration for some crimes... particularly for minors. So I admit my milage may differ.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

8. I am SO glad

I live some 10,000 km away from you.

I am also not adverse to public corporeal punishment in lieu of incarceration for some crimes... particularly for minors.

[cprise]

14. We have been shown how useless the death penalty is

And it creates more problems with regard to attitudes in the legal system than it even purports to solve. Tempting judges and juries with bloodthirst is more deadly than the occassional hard to control individual.

We are supposed to believe countries without the death penalty somehow do not produce truly dangerous criminals. This is another one I'm not falling for.

[TexasPatriot]

18. Employment vs Prison?

what do you think the prison system is!? It's the only inner city jobs program this country has. You don't begin to solve crime until you increase the skillset of the underclass to the point that you can create living wage jobs for them to perform. That would be preventative medicine, something fascists will call 'social engineering', and probably a bit too 'far thinking' for the average nascar-republican to comprehend - and certainly so as long as ClearChannel has their ears.

This cant be just about taking the presidency... it may seem unrealistic - but we need the whole bag to treat this problem, and that means a candidate that has very broad cross-party appeal (like Clark).

[Kitsune]

7. Wow, I disagree with all three.

Anti-capital punishment, pro-legalization, and thus by extention anti-waste-of-money...er, I mean, War on Drugs.

Of course, I wouldn't vote for Clark anyway, after reading in The Nation that he was a paid lobbyist for Axiom, a data-mining company the government contracts.

[KittyWampus]

10. Have ANY Candidates Come Out In Favor Of Legalizing MJ?

Just curious...

Further, you said you disagree with all "three"

In the extract, it only mentions two....

[Kitsune]

11. No, and I wish some would

It's ridiculous that it's illegal.

And the thing about the Drug War was in its own paragraph, so I considered it its own little point. *shrugs*

[KittyWampus]

12. How To Make Legalizing MJ Palatable

It would seem Medical MJ would be a start

After that, perhaps making legal for people to grow their own?

[dolstein]

19. How about a Marijuana tax credit?

Perhaps that would make it more palatable to Republicans.

[tlb]

9. Having it both ways

Against capital punishment except when he is for it and against marijuana except when he is for it.

Clealry aiming for the Kennedy Profiles In Courage award.

[BenFranklinUSA]

13. I'm Confused Now

Clark is against the death penalty, but would apply it to Osama?
I thought Osama was innocent, that 9/11 was a right-wing conspiracy?
Doesn't he know this????
HE SHOULD READ THE DU MORE, THEN HE'D KNOW.

(okay, it's outta my system now ;) )

Clark's logo should be a Gemini --- talking outta both sides!

[Evanstondem]

16. Thanks for the issue information

I agree with most of his views so far.

[DemCam]

17. There isn't a single perfect candidate

as far as I'm concerned. On the other hand, I had rather have anyone but Bush and his cronies who are, in my opinion, the worst bunch of men that have ever held these offices in my lifetime.

As of now, I am agreeing much more than I am disagreeing with the general.

What I like about him is his lack of fear in talking about issues in a nuanced way...a thoughtful way. He isn't afraid of the gray. In our culture it seems that gray is called waffling.

I totally disagree.

I say it is intelligent.

[Romberry]

20. The only way to win the drug war...

...is to end it. Prohibition does not work. Never has. Never will. The drug war is a war on the Bill of Rights. This isn't a slam on Clark (Clark's position is not much different from Dean's and I support Dean), it's a slam on both major parties for insisting they can continue to do what hasn't worked and through the magic of doing more of it get a different outcome.

Marijuana (and just about everything else) ought be treated just like alcohol and tobacco. Educate the public about the dangers and let adults make their own decisions. We'll save a ton of prison space and get a ton of new tax revenues that can be used to offset the costs of treating addicts.

To this day, no one has been able to show me why prohibiting alcohol required an amendment to the constitution but prohibiting other recreational drugs does not.

[quaker bill]

21. I thought Clark did pretty well

He wants to regulate factory farms environmentally, good!

He wants to turn much of iraq over to the UN, good!

No more contracts to Halliburton, excellent!

He reads, how refreshing! (novel concept these days)

He wants to restructure trade deals, good!

Proposes tax incentives for business, what?