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[wryter2000]

1. Of course, he is

All our candidates are top-notch. Dean may not be out stumping, but he's going to work for all Dems.

[wyldwolf]

2. no! no! He's a republican. No, he's Clinton's stalking horse! WAIT!...

...he's an oppotunist! </sarcasm>

So, which other dems that dropped out of the race are stumping for any of the remaining candidates to help the dems win?

[dae]

32. lol, just what i was thinking, sarcasm and all.

[Donna Zen]

3. If you can do good,

you should. WKC

[Auntie Bush]

4. I always knew it...now I know it!

I heard he stumped in GA and I have been wondering where else has he stumped for Kerry. So glad he has remained active in politics and isn't just going back to being a businessman. The man could be soooo rich...insead he is fighting for the people of the United States and helping get the Bushivite out of office. Go Wes Go!.

[Donna Zen]

8. On the road:

He will be doing a fund raiser for Kerry in NJ. Surprizingly he is billed as the main speaker.

Also, he will be doing a Dem fundraiser in Kansas soon...maybe A State Senator attending our County Democratic
party meeting Sat. morning in Lawrence announced it is
85% certain that WES CLARK will be the featured
speaker at the Kansas State Democratic Party Ad Astra
Dinner this Friday, March 5th at 8pm at the Ramada Inn
in Topeka, KS.

Because the site no longer updates his schedule, it has become hard to keep track of him. Although after the fact, it was learned he did 3 events for Kerry last week. According to CNN, he was stumping for Kerry in California last week as well. According to Schneider, the General is a bit of a rock star in the Golden State.

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. How does ANYONE know where he will be then?

Has it been local TV only? Word of mouth? John Kerry's web site? Newspapers? If he comes to Illinois in March and I miss him....I will not be a happy camper. :(

[Adelante]

16. In New Jersey?? In New Jersey??

Where? When? OMG!! :7

[Donna Zen]

22. I'll check on the NJ.

Someone received an email.

Also, it would seem that the Kansas dinner is Friday, but we are still confirming.

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. I never had any doubt

about Wes Clark's dedication and integrity.....he oozes it. He is a great guy who should have been our nominee. :(

[Crachet2004]

6. I'll tell you what, I didn't like him at first...

Because, well, he's a general-and I figured he was a republican...but since then, he has impressed me. That really would be powerful, if Clark were on the ticket-how can Bush run on National Security then? Wesley Clark would be ideal to point out all the glaring inconsistincies (outright lies) in the Bush foreign policy record.

If he checks out OK with Kerry, he's definitely good enough for me.

[MoonRiver]

7. I guess you haven't seen the Edwards' memo

that Clark supporters despise Kerry. I sure was put in my place when I defended Kerry against the latest smear campaign. :eyes:

[Mz Pip]

10. Guess I missed that one, too.

:eyes:

I've never despised Kerry.

At least around here we seem to get along quite well. I've been invited to a Primary Watch Party by the local Kerry group. I plan on working for Kerry if he gets the nomination.

MzPip
:dem:

[BOSSHOG]

11. I missed that memo!

I'm a General Clark supporter and have been since September, however, I'm FOR whomever the Democrats nominate be it John or John. Hopefully either one of those gentlemen will make the wise move and ensure that the General has a place in their administration. bush and rove would melt if they had to contend with Senator Kerry and General Clark's military records. Oh, the garbage the gop would throw. gillespie would need botox by october.

[union_maid]

13. Missed it, too

I never despised Kerry. I've always had tremendous respect for him and thought he was one of the good guys. I didn't think his campaign was going anywhere. I'd love to see a Kerry/Clark ticket for all kinds of reasons. If that's not in the cards I hope that he's in a prominent leadership position in the next administration.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

45. Missed it three.

As a delegate for Clark I love it how other people think they speak for us.

[Adelante]

17. What's this, saywhat? nt

[MoonRiver]

25. Here's the link. You all judge for yourselves. Personally, I'm feeling

a little persecuted here. :cry: (Have to look down in the thread for my post and responses to.)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=411364

[HuskerDem]

28. Holy smokes that's desperate............. Clark supporters hate Kerry?

Kerry was my first choice before Wes and now by default again. Tsk tsk Senator Edwards, was this Mr. Sheltons idea? Lying snake.

[gulliver]

12. I'm extremely impressed with our candidates this year.

No dirty pool...sticking to the issues...focusing on Bush.

But yes, I am very, very impressed with Wes Clark. I very much want to see him part of a Kerry Administration.

I'm keeping my Clark avatar, although I returned my candle to the dining room. Seeing Kerry today in the debate, I now think our nomination is in good hands with him.

[bowens43]

14. He should have done this from the beginning.

It was foolish of him to try to go straight to the top spot on the Democratic ticket. I'd like to seem in in congress, see him earn his Democratic credentials.

[_Jumper_]

18. If he won Iowa he'd be the nominee

It is a shame he skipped it. :(

[cosmokramer]

38. Bull Crap

There is no litmus test for being a democrat, and it is rude for anyone to suggest so.

We are not going to grow our party by being isolationists. He has been a democrat since 1992 when he first voted for Clinton. And it is attitudes like yours that make this party drag.

[Auntie Bush]

40. Didn't he EARN his right to be a presidential candidate

by almost getting killed in Nam and giving 34 damn precious years to protecting this country and.......

[Turkw]

53. I disagree, I wanted an outsider, someone who didn't owe a lot of favors

to corporate America. The corporate media didn't let THAT happen.

I can't wait to join what ever political cause group he creates.

[Joe the Revelator]

15. Get Ready for VP Clark

I'm lovin it....

[revcarol]

19. I am disappointed in Clark.

I was hoping that his call for reducing the OFFENSE budget and his true grass roots movement would get some traction with the Kerry campaign or among Democrats. But NUTHIN'. He caved.

He behaves well, but let Kerry's campaign walk all over him and his supporters.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

20. Psst! It's Called Being a Team Player.

As opposed to a pointless gadfly or a pied piper to oblivion (TM: Josh Marshall).

Clark had a chance to push his agenda, but unfortunately, for various reasons, Democrats did not respond. They responded to Kerry, and it appears likely that he will win the nomination. It's not for Clark to publicly challenge Kerry on any issue; if anything, hopefully Clark will have enough influence and respect, now that he's stumping for Kerry and endorsed him, that the two can talk about issues privately, and maybe he can prevail upon Kerry in various other ways, behind-the-scenes.

DTH

[Adelante]

21. Disappointed? You? ,,lol

I must have missed all your good words for Clark. :eyes: Sorry he let you down.

[revcarol]

23. I thought he was a good candidate,

just not the best.

IMHO, reducing the offense budget is the only way we can keep some quality of life, including saving SS;and I liked his grass roots movement, which Kerry seems to have abandoned.so flame me.

[Adelante]

33. Okay, then

I must have you confused with someone else. I apologize for being offensive. I was.

[DIBL]

55. You must have confussed her with DraftCarolina

HUGE difference! I also made the same mistake myself.

[Donna Zen]

46. Ah...revcarol

Wes Clark did call for reducing the Offense budget...or as he calls it: the make-want budget.

In fact, he talks about it in detail in his book. That is probably the number one reason the media had him on operation ignore or operation ruin a man's reputation a la Shelton.

[revcarol]

59. I know he called for reducing the offense budget...

and I see that as being one of the main keys to Americans having any good quality of life.
So his campaign fails, and he goes RUNNING FASTER THAN A JACKRABBIT into the arms of the LET'S STAY IN IRAQ, AND ONLY TINKER AROUND THE EDGES OF THE OFFENSE BUDGET CANDIDATE.

(But he waits until THE NEXT DAY to endorse him.) Now the ISSUE is OFF THE TABLE.

Clark was a good liberal candidate, once his views finally jelled.I was suspicious of his ties with Axciom(CAPPS II, anyone?,) but overall good.So why did he endorse the candidate who was most unlike him?

If indeed we win with a milquetoast candidate, what have we won? Same-o, same-o.Gotta only tinker around the edges of problems and not address them in any meaningful way.

And that's why Clark disappointed me.

[DancingBear]

24. We expected nothing less

Thanks for the kind words, Pete NYC, but we knew this all along.

All of us who worked the phones, walked the neighborhoods, and sent the money did so because we knew that this was a different kind of candidate. We knew we had a man here who was working for a cause that he truly believed in. He will now show this to you, and every other Democrat, from now until we win in November.

John Kerry is a very lucky man, for Wes Clark does not cast praise lightly. With Wes at his side (now and hopefully come November, on the ticket) the bastards on Pennsylvania have no place to hide.

We had the chance to watch a truly great man for many months. It's your turn now.

Enjoy.

[Scott Lee]

26. It's amazing to watch a republican out stumping for Botox

but then again, Botox often sides with them, and emables Bush.

So, maybe in the end it's not that amazing.

[Name removed]

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[sistersofmercy]

29. Yes, Wes Clark is an amazing man, the Wes Dems are truly wonderful

supporters to have on board. I thought this of General Clark before he endorsed JK. Wes Dems, you guys rock! :hi:

[DancingBear]

30. Thank you! <blushing> n/t

[sistersofmercy]

35. You are more than welcome!

I'm delighted to have Wes Dems on board, it certainly made our Kerry thread more lively for the last round of primaries. You guys are great. I just love Wes! ;-)

[Adelante]

34. Hey, sisters

I met John Kerry's sister last night. She was shaking hands along the loooooong line I waited on for an hour and a half. I had on a bright orange scarf and pinned to it my Clark button and Kerry button. She picked it out right away even in the dark. She said, "Oh, you're a Clark supporter." I said, "Yes, and a Kerry supporter." She was very gracious and said how pleased she was that we were helping her brother.

[sistersofmercy]

36. Hi WesDem!

That is a great story! I love orange btw. My living room walls are a orangy-yellow cheddar sort of color and I call it the cheddar room. I also have a bright orange scarf and sock hat that I bought at a five and dime in Santa Fe, ha, they're totally obnoxious and I love them.

[democratreformed]

31. Can you imagine how it would be if every single candidate who has

dropped out could and would do the very same thing? What awesome power and unity!!! I am very proud of my candidate. I am so glad he is doing the right thing and continuing the fight.

Thank You for your compliments.

[Leilani]

37. Wes Clark has confirmed my judgement of him!

The guy is a class act.

He entered the race because he was really worried about our country.

Whe it looked like he couldn't win, he dropped out & immediately endorsed Kerry, because of his foreign policy & national security
credentials.

Now he is doing everything he can to elect Kerry president.

I hope everyone who spread all the ugliness about Wes will now realize they were wrong.

He truly is an officer & a gentleman!

[Donna Zen]

39. Wes 101

"We'll still need our armed forces and we'll take every necessary action to make America safe - but we'll gain that safety not by force of arms, but by who we are and what we represent.  For we should be an America not puffed up by pride in our own power, but rather an America humbled by the recognition of our common humanity.  We must make sure that globalization helps people around the world, raising living standards and improving the environment everywhere - rather than leading a race to the bottom. " Wesley Clark

[Auntie Bush]

42. That quote almost makes me want to cry

And Lielani you took the words out of my mouth. An Officer and a Gentlemen. Hey, maybe we can get Wes Jr. to write a biography about Wes and call it Officer and a Gentlemen ll".

[Leilani]

47. That sure sounds good to me!

I'll buy it, read it, & maybe someday I can get it autographed!!!

My sig line: An Officer & a Gentleman" is what I first thought of Wes when I heard him speak, & I still feel the same way.

[Sinistrous]

43. That quote exemplifies why Clark failed to catch on with the voters.

There is no gut level impact and digesting the full importance of what he said requires reflection, thought, and the knowledge and ability to put his ideas in context. All practices that are hardly universal among the electorate.

Good grief! In about six lines, Clark summarised his positions on national defense, international diplomacy, economics and international trade, the environment, and domestic policies.

The man is a national treasure.

[Donna Zen]

44. Wes 101

"Imagine a world in which we saw beyond the lines that divide us, and celebrated our differences, instead of hiding from them.   Imagine a world in which we finally recognized that, fundamentally, we are all the same.  And imagine if we allowed that new understanding to build relations between people and between nations."
Wesley Clark


How many times have you read on these threads that the poster just didn't know what Wes stands for? Or this one from a review of Chris Hedges book...


"A powerful book, one which bears sad witness to what veterans have long understood,...A somber and timely warning to those--in any society--who would evoke the emotions of war for the pursuit of political gain." General Wesley K. Clark, former SACEUR

[Leilani]

49. It's all so very sad

for those of us, who realize what might have been.

[Leilani]

48. I agree completely!

And in this environment of sound bite campaigns, and pretty faces appealing to feel good emotions, it's a very difficult, if not impossible, to gain traction, with a campaign built on ideas & ideals.

[Crewleader]

41. You said it PeteNYC

and know what, you're a genuinely good guy too! :hi:

[Name removed]

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[myopic4141]

50. It is why I suported him in the first place.

[curse10]

51. I always liked Clark

and would have been proud to vote for him in November if he had won the nomination. I sincerely hope he has a position in the next president's cabinet or vp (cause we all know it's gonna be a dem!)

[gottaB]

52. a great asset to the Party, and the country

for many years to come.

Wes Clark: All Patriot, No Act!


on edit: caps

[dawn]

54. I don't think he's handled himself any different than the rest...

Gep. and Lieberman have also acted very graciously.

[Donna Zen]

56. Differently?

Yes, those people too deserve kudos; however, this was started--not by me--as a thread observing the actions of Wesley Clark.

There is of course one major difference; all of the congressional members have continued to receive a full salary during their entire run for the presidency. Wesley Clark, because he was in the private sector, gave up all of his business and speaking engagements to answer the draft.

As long as he is on the road for the Democrats, he has no outside income. So in a way, this is different. Nevertheless, his acceptance of this task does not surprise his supporters. Wes Clark is a brilliant man with piles of degrees, life in the private sector would have years ago made the Clarks very wealthy. That Clark chose to serve his country and earn less than $50,000 a year for many years is something rare in our culture of greed.

It has taken me a long time to understand Wes Clark if even just a little, I hope that you will one day come to see why he is different than Gephardt and Lieberman. When and if you do, you will be glad you made the effort.

As Frances Marrion Berry said at Pembrooke: He's got the goods!

[Tom Rinaldo]

60. When and how Clark left the race was different

Unlike Graham, Gephardt, and Lieberman, Clark still had a going campaign when he withdrew. Clark's prospects were probably better than Dean's when he withdrew, and with most of the upcoming primaries after Tennessee and Virginia being held outside of the South, Clark's prospects could have been argued to be nearly as bright as those for Edwards. Clark had shown greater strength than Edwards in the West for example, and consistently had polled higher in Wisconsin where Clark had some major Democratic figures supporting him. Plus Clark was positioned to pick up more Dean supporters looking for a second pick than was Kerry or Edwards.
It would not have cost Clark that much money to hold out for Wisconsin. His internet fund raising from loyal supporters was holding up and he may have gotten a bounce there.

Yet Clark withdrew and endorsed Kerry two days later, something it took Gephardt a lot longer to do, and to my knowledge Lieberman has stayed on the sidelines. Dean is still fighting for whatever delegates might still fall his way, as are Kucinich and Sharpton. There is nothing wrong with those men doing just that. One, they hope to win influence at the convention through delegates pledged to them; two they get to run around the country meeting and speaking with Democrats in States where they otherwise have little business being, making contacts, building an organization and raising their name recognition.

Gephardt and Lieberman have no need to do that. They already are National figures; a former House Minority Leader, and a former Vice Presidential candidate. Furthermore their national careers are fading, not rising. Not so for Edwards, Dean, Clark, Kucinich and Sharpton who all have something to prove and gain by building up their National reputations now. But alone out of all of them, only Clark quickly and gracefully stepped out of the lime light before he was forced to by all of the wheels falling off of his cart. Clark quickly took the stance of loyal soldier for the Party and likely nominee.

Every week spent actively running for President in February is worth at least a month of time prior to that in terms of National exposure. Most of the public is paying little attention to the races until Iowa at the earliest. Some only key in when their own state comes into play. So in a way it is remarkable that Clark withdrew when he did. He already started out the race with substantially lower name recognition than the other major candidates. Out of sight out of mind is all to true in politics as in life. Outside of DU you will hear very little talk about a possible Clark VP pick, it's all about Edwards. Had Clark stayed in two more weeks and come in ahead of Edwards in Wisconsin, that would have completely changed.

I think Wes Clark continues to put his country, and now his party, above himself. He is focused on the men and women stationed in Iraq and across the glove, obliged to risk their lives at the fevered command of a chickenhawk Republican Administration. Clark is focused on getting Bush out of office for the good of the country. Once he believed he would not actually win the nomination, he immediately shifted his attention to strengthening the candidacy of the man he believed will be facing Bush in November. He wants Kerry to be strong in the Fall, not further dinged up by intra party warfare, so Clark moved to close ranks quickly and smoothly behind our front runner(unlike Gore, Clark waited until voters had spoken in a large number of states and there was real handwriting on the wall).

Had Clark stayed in the race, he would have been invited to those smaller debates, allowing him more time to explain his finely nuanced beliefs. He might be appearing now in Ohio and California and New York etc on campaign stops, soaking up free media, and making all those connections so vital to a politician. Instead he is helping shore up Kerry support in VFW halls in Georgia. I think Clark is being more than gracious. Whether or not you supprot Kerry over Edwards, once again I think Clark is acting like a patriot for his country.

[NNN0LHI]

58. I knew Clark was a stand up guy a long time ago Pete

I really liked seeing him get into the race. He did a lot for the Democratic party and more importantly a lot for our country by doing so. He took a lot of uncalled for crap from Republicans, Democratic candidates and DUers alike. It was sad for me to watch. Though if I know Clark like I think I do it will all only made him stronger.

Don