Why does anyone think Clark is a Republican?

[ButterflyBlood]

Aside from being a military commander, I've yet to see anything implying that he is. Anyone who assumes he is based on that alone is pretty naive.

[JohnKleeb]

1. Its that he was a military commander

Which is understandable but I've talked to a DUer who happens to be a veteran and has probably the most knowledge of anyone I know on the second world war told me that McArthur was a democrat despite the fact the republicans wanted to run him, of course George Marshall, Ike was a very liberal republican who could have ran as a democrat and won, Omar Bradley he wasnt sure but its safe to assume being how Bradley was, and I think Maxwell Taylor was one too because he had connections to the Kennedies and later regretted Vietnam I Think. Maxwell Taylor for the record was the commander of the 101st Airborne during WWII for you guys who dont know WWII.

[imhotep]

2. well

since he made a career out of murder, it is natural to assume he is a republican. However, many people do not realize that many democrats are murderering lying pieces of shit which Clark epitomises.

[Cornus]

4. Sad commentary

"since he made a career out of murder"...really, just because a person chooses to have a career in the military does NOT warrent such a comment. For me, Clark epitomises the highest ideals that any human can have. I'm looking forward to his announcemnet soon and supporting him through his election in 2004. He is the best chance that we have to unseat the *.

[JohnKleeb]

5. infering to Kosovo are you imhotep?

Well I will be honest I agree. I know Milosevic was terrible do not flame me for that I just dont see the need to bomb the city of Belgrade and the country of Serbia continuously. If Clark was just a war hero I wouldnt mind him but because of my connections to that land I would put him low on my list I guess better than Bush though.

[Ediacara]

21. Look

Kosovo was BAD. Milosovic IS Hitler. I am astounded that we did not interveen before Kosovo, and happy that we did. Milosovic was nothing but a murderer.

This, and Hiroshima/Nagasaki I will never understand about hardline lefties. The Kosovo intervention and the atomic bombings killed tons of people, but it guarenteed that one hundred times more would live.

Period.

[Pepperbelly]

46. yep ...

couldn't have said it better myself. It is a nasty, nasty business that should always be the very last resort but sometimes, good emerges from it.

Sometimes.

[JohnKleeb]

49. I never denied in fact I am glad Milosevic is gone

[JohnKleeb]

48. I guess so I need the whole story

[ShaneGR]

43. I have a friend who is a Bosnian muslim from Sarajevo.....

I think I would have to pull her off of you (i.e... she'd attack you) if she heard even the least bit of sympathy for the Milosevic regime.

[JohnKleeb]

47. I have no sympathy for Milosevic believe me

Trust me on that. I just didnt think the bombing was right. Maybe I dont know the whole story but just. Milosevic to me :puke: to say the least.

[Tom Kitten]

54. I'm a democrat...

thanks for telling me I'm a murdering lying piece of shit...It's retro , but have you ever considered reading Dale Carnegie? Methinks you need it...because you seem rather ugly.

[dfong63]

3. he's not a democrat

if he were, he could scuttle the speculation once and for all by one simple act.

why doesn't he?

imho, it is extremely arrogant for a man to believe he can parachute into a political party and instantly become its leader, when he's not even willing to unambiguously declare himself to be a member of that party.

Clark has no background or credentials in the dem party. he's never run for office. his ideas are untested. his ability to build coalitions, to walk the line between principle and compromise, his political instincts, are untested. he's never run a political campaign, nor has he campaigned for other dems. and this is the man who apparently expects the party to come and beg him to run, expects the party's activists to give their all for him.

if that's the case, then i think Clark is asking an awful lot of the dems. what's he done for the dems? how much loyalty has he ever demonstrated to the party, or its ideals? as far as i can see, NONE.

bah.

[Cornus]

7. How do you know he's not a democrat?

Everything I've read about him seems to indicate that he is much more aligned with our party than he is with the Repugs. Have you researched his positions on important topics? Most seem right in line with Democratic policies.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. Clark Is

Pro Choice

Pro Gay Rights

Pro Affirmative Action

Anti Bush Tax Cuts

He sounds like a Democrat to me.

And not all soldiers are k-i-l-l-e-r-s.

Even the Pope endorses the concept of Just War.

[Uzybone]

11. The Pope doesnt count...

hypocrisy and deciet flies from him and his minders mouths at every turn.

I do agree that Clarke is most likkely a dem, I would say for sure but he hasnt declared as one YET.

When I see comments in this thread that insinuate that serving in the military equals a career of murder you really have to wonder. No wonder people think liberals are pussies.

[JohnKleeb]

13. what I am as liberal as they come and dont mind military men

I didnt insinuate that either all I said was I was very opposed to Kosovo and didnt see the need to bomb it continously. Keep in mind I have military generals on my list of heroes: George Marshall, I like Omar Bradley, Eisenhower, etc.

[Composed Thinker]

40. I think he voted in the Democratic primary in Arkansas

That, or he was going to do so.

[mot78]

52. The Only Reason why Clark Isn't Saying He's a Dem

is because he wants to attract more Moderate Repukes and Independants. Also, appearing above the fray will help him in terms of dealing with the media. But he's obviously a Democrat, because he disagrees with Bush on just about every issue. And he won't run as a 3rd Party candidate, because he said they don't have a chance of winning.

[ibegurpard]

6. So what IS he?

Has he said? Pretty presumptious of people to expect support for the guy when he hasn't even declared whether he would run or what he would run AS.

[robbedvoter]

8. Because they feel threatened.

DLC label doesn't fit (he's anti-war) so they pick the next best one.

[graham67]

10. I don't know if anti-war is the right phrase

He's said that war is absolutely the last resort.

[robbedvoter]

28. And that going in Iraq was idiotic.

So far I haven't found one issue I disagree with him.

[graham67]

29. Right....

He has said he didn't see the imminent threat and no one showed him evidence that there was a threat.

[StandWatie]

12. He spooked me with Kosovo

I've read too many accounts about how he really, really wanted to attack the Russian forces in a fit of pique.

[JohnKleeb]

14. thats why I am iffy on him Kosovo

[Composed Thinker]

15. What?

[StandWatie]

20. it was from the Guardian

apparently he tried to order British Paratroopers to attack the Russian forces at the Pristina airport because he had told them to stay out and let him in first and they didn't :shrug:

[11cents]

22. Please

He didn't "want to attack Russian troops in a fit of pique." The Russians, who of course hadn't participated in the war, unexpectedly made a rush for the Pristina airport using a contingent of troops from Bosnia. The intent was to partition Kosovo. It's likely that this was a kind of rogue operation on the part of their defense minister; the Russian foreign minister was apparently unaware that the operation was underway. The British commander was quoted as saying that confronting the Russians would start WWIII. Clark did so anyway, and wow! WWIII started! Everybody died! Oh wait, no. I have that wrong. Nothing happened.

Those who cite this incident against Clark (using a wildly biased rightbot/leftbot account of it, usually) never seem to consider that, hmm, maybe the Russians were wrong, the British command was wrong, and Clark was right.

[StandWatie]

23. you are just wrong

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/671495.stm

Clark was overriden and details of Russian participation were worked out later with no shots fired.

[11cents]

34. Russians ended up with only a symbolic presence

The small contingent at the airport remained, but they didn't control anything. "Details of Russian participation were worked out later," yes, but this should have and would have always been the case. The Russians weren't able to establish their participation by fiat, nor were they able to divide Kosovo into a Russian-controlled Serb zone and a NATO-controlled Albanian zone. (I realize there's de facto segregation between the two groups, but NATO patrols both Serb and Albanian areas.)

As I said, the evidence at the time suggested that the rush for the airport may have been conducted without the knowledge or support of the foreign ministry, i.e., it may have been a rogue operation.

[Pastiche423]

27. If Clark was right

why was it let go from service early, w/o an explanation?

I've read enough articles about him to know that he stepped on and over whomever to get to the top, while treating his subordinates horribly.

One important trait a president should have, is the ability to make quick decisions. This guy can't even friggen decide which party he belongs to, or whether he will run!

[Composed Thinker]

42. Which articles?

[Pepperbelly]

16. that's a bunch of crap ...

that's been so exagerated by the hyperventilating, hyperbolic individuals who don't like him.

:eyes:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. That's A Canard

that's very popular on the Freepers Board.

[Pastiche423]

18. Same here

Especially the remark from General Sir Michael Jackson, "I’m not going to start World War III for you."

The guy's a hot head and has absolutely no experience other than killing.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

24. To Call Wes Clark A Killer Says More About You Than About Him

[Pepperbelly]

25. give me a break ...

While I often agree with you (and just as often disagree), Jackson was actually the one going hot-headed and hyperbolic. Jackson didn't like taking orders and they argued.

Clark ended up getting exactly what he wanted and no WWIII. No nothing. It is a BS argument and there is no reason to assign Jackson any more credibility than Clark.

[11cents]

26. Yep, there we go

>Especially the remark from General Sir Michael Jackson, "I’m not going >to start World War III for you."

As I remarked above, Clark disregarded General Sir Michael Jackson, blocked the Russian rogue operation, and kablooie! World War III started! When will we learn ....

Did it ever occur to you that General Sir Michael Jackson was wrong?

[Pastiche423]

32. Did it ever occur to you that General Sir Michael Jackson was right?

When I 1st heard Clark might run, I knew nothing about him. So I googled his name and for several hours read all I could find about him.

I found nothing that I liked about him. The only experience he brings is killing!

I prefer someone w/experience in governing, healthcare, education and the environment, not in killing.

[robbedvoter]

37. Than your search must resemble W's use of intelligence

Did you also say before the googling "F*Clark, I'm taking him down"? I am sure Ralphie would want you to.

[Pepperbelly]

41. almost everything occurs to me at some point but ...

in this instance, the evidence favoring Clark is far more convincing than any evidence to support Jackson's statement. Jackson and Clark were arguing and what Jackson said was in the midst of a pissing contest. Do you take angry retorts as substantive statement of fact?

In this case, Jackson was absolutely wrong.

[11cents]

44. Pastiche, a google search is not the same as knowledge

... and it's definitely not the same as thinking. If you google the name of someone like Clark (or Bill Clinton, or George Soros, or ....)
you're likely to get many, many rants from ideologues who don't like him. If you are yourself an ideologue who doesn't like him, or who believes that soldiers are evil, you will think you've done research and discovered evidence. You haven't.

"The only experience he brings is killing" is, of course, not true. Among other things, he helped negotiate the Dayton accords and had a long history of diplomatic encounters in the Balkans prior to the Kosovo war. In point of fact an intelligent, well-educated ex-military man is *less* likely to misuse, overuse, and exploit the military and military imagery than is the pack of chickenhawks -- wow, people with *no* experience in killing! -- who currently run things. This picture of a general as a drooling, kill-happy Buck Turgidson is beyond naive; it's a silly, childish cartoon propagated by second-rate movies and 60/70's counter-culture self-righteousness. It was never true, and it's so very over.

[Sinistrous]

45. I too, googled Wes Clark some time ago.

Most of what I found was either from the ultra-purists at znet or from people who copied znet, essentially verbatim.

[robbedvoter]

36. Ha!Ha! That's the best answer to this idiocy - Thanks!

We'll probably need to use it thousands of times over - since it seems to be a Ralphic talking point. It appeared on all boards today. Right, let's apologize for a successful operation as the GOP brags about theis Iraq quagmire!

[robbedvoter]

30. Ha!Ha!ha! All Ralphie boys are ascared of Clark - good sign!

That line has popped on all boards - but it's about a part of the war where he didn't allow the Russians to take control, thereby avoiding an expansion on the war. He actually AVOIDED a bigger conflict - so his words speak for him, not against him. But I am glad to see the greens reproaching Clark that "he is not a Dem" Rich one guys!

[DemocratSinceBirth]

33. Wes Clark Is Doing Something Right

He's being attacked by far left types such as the writers of The Progressive and far, far right types like Michael Savaged Weiner for his campaign against Serbia.

[Pastiche423]

35. I am not a Nader supporter

I have been a registered Dem for 31 years and I am most defintely not a boy.

[robbedvoter]

38. Funny! You always post anti-dem pro -Ralph.

Must be one of them lifetime Dems!

[Pastiche423]

39. That is a lie

I have never posted a pro-Nader comment.

I would like you to apologize for your lie.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

31. If People

think the Dems are a bunch of girly boys they will never let us govern.

[graham67]

19. Don't believe that

He isn't a stupid man at all. You know the Russians supported the Serbs. The idea was to block the airport to stop the Russians from obtaining their own sector. The intent was not to start a fight (or WWIII).

[FrumiousBandersnatch]

50. I think Clinton and Clark were friends Little Rock, Ark... and also rumors

of them hanging together while attending college but I haven't found anything that proves that out. They were both at Oxford in the late 60's, but it looks like Clark was 66-68 and Clinton was 68-70 (am getting various dates off Internet though, sigh...)

Other folks might draw different conclusions, but due to Clark's stance on many issues and a decades-long relationship with Clinton... I would say Democratic Party and definitely NOT Republican (unless he decides to try to pull a fast one on conservative LOL) :-)

[Julien Sorel]

53. They never knew each other in LR, and Clark was 2 years

ahead of Clinton at Oxford. I'm sure though, that it helped that both men share such similar backgrounds, including unusual childhoods.

On a different note, how does this sound for a slogan?


Clark = PROTECTOR; Dean = COWARD.

For the foolish 'Clark = killer' crowd. This stupidity has no point; some people need to grow up and discuss issues, not brainlessly repeat slogans. Any 10 year old can repeat the same line endlessly, not paying attention to the many times it's been shot down.

[Pastiche423]

56. What is pointless

is thinking that what our country needs more than anything right now in our history is a big bad uniform that's going to protect us little people.

IMHO, anyone that screeches that "National Security" is the TOP priority, has bought hook, line and sinker into * and his enablers FEAR!!!

If we had a real diplomatic leader that would work at the causes of terrorism, instead of creating more, there would be less terrorism! Duh!

Unless more bloodshed is what you want...

[maine_raptor]

57. Hang on there a moment partner...........

I remember a quote from Robert E. Lee:

"It is good that war is so terrible, becuse we would love it so."

I think that if you take the time to talk with those that have served, you'll find that they hate war more than you might think.

Now you talk about how it's pointless to think that "a big bad uniform that's going to protect us little people". Just what do you think Andrew Jackson's claim to fame was back in the 1800's? His good looks?

Jackson, one of the founders of the Democratic Party, was a GENERAL, yet as President he was one of the best friends the "common man" ever had.

Take a look at some of the other generals or other ranks that became president during our nation's history. Sure not all of them were too swift, but I think you'll find that quite a few that did a damm fine job, hellva lot better than the %$#@ we have in the office right now.

[Julien Sorel]

58. Hilarious.

IMHO, anyone that screeches that "National Security" is the TOP priority, has bought hook, line and sinker into * and his enablers FEAR!!!

If we had a real diplomatic leader that would work at the causes of terrorism, instead of creating more, there would be less terrorism! Duh!

This sounds like a line right out of Clark, who, incidentally, opposed the Iraq war:

The Kosovo campaign suggests alternatives in waging and winning the struggle against terrorism: greater reliance on diplomacy and law and relatively less on the military alone.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0209.clark.html

You claim to have spent hours studying about Clark, yet demonstrate next to no knowledge of what he stands for. No wonder slogans are such an important part of your normal discourse. :/

[saoirse]

51. Good question

After all, he's intelligent, good looking, refined, and well spoken - hardly Republican traits.

While he hasn't, to the best of my knowledge, declared a party affiliation, everything I've heard points to him being very progressive.

[BeatleBoot]

55. Little Rock, Arkansas

Kerry - Clark

Later Nader