Clark

Posted by on . 13 comments.

I’m going to have much more after the election on Wes Clark and why I will probably still support him for President, but until then, this ad strikes me as pretty damn effective.

Comments

  1. TO says:
    November 1, 2006 at 11:06 am

    A guy with essentially zero political experience, no experience with the media, and officially a Democrat for 5 years as of 08. An 04 campaign filled with blunders.
    Well, he’s not Hillary, Gore, Kerry, Edwards though, so he has damn good chance of getting my vote.

  2. matt says:
    November 1, 2006 at 11:16 am

    A guy with essentially zero political experience

    i’ve addressed this here several times. the short answer is that at the levels of the army where clark’s career took him is as political as there is. in his time as Supreme Allied Commander, especially during Kosovo, he was personally tasked with gaining approval from all other nato nations for almost every bombing run. think this was a non-political experience? think his part in the dayton negotiations was anything but political? there’s more in his book.

    officially a Democrat for 5 years as of 08

    and? i’m not even a registered democrat. neither was jim webb until very recently.

    An 04 campaign filled with blunders.

    think he’ll make the same mistakes again? this is part of what i will follow up on later, but one of clark’s strengths is learning from previous experience.

  3. matt tobey says:
    November 1, 2006 at 11:20 am

    officially a Democrat for 5 years as of 08

    How long has Joementum been “officially” a Democrat?

  4. sac says:
    November 1, 2006 at 11:36 am

    I wanted Clark to get the nomination in ’04 and, unless he does something really stupid, I’ll support him again in ’08. (In fact, I believe that I found this here site while googling something about Clark back in ’04, so now you know who to blame.) He’s smart, has massive credibility, is good with the media, and his experience in Kosovo couldn’t be any more relevant to today’s global situation. In fact, I will be straight up pissed if he doesn’t get the nomination, because the alternatives are piss poor.

  5. matt says:
    November 1, 2006 at 11:45 am

    unless he does something really stupid, I’ll support him again in ‘08.

    fucking hell. wtf is going on today?

  6. matt tobey says:
    November 1, 2006 at 12:09 pm

    Get a room.

    Nullus?

  7. TO says:
    November 1, 2006 at 12:17 pm

    i’ve addressed this here several times. the short answer is that at the levels of the army where clark’s career took him is as political as there is. in his time as Supreme Allied Commander, especially during Kosovo, he was personally tasked with gaining approval from all other nato nations for almost every bombing run. think this was a non-political experience? think his part in the dayton negotiations was anything but political? there’s more in his book.

    History question. Who was the last President to not be a Senator or Governor?
    Minus G. Ford (who was in Congress for decades), I can’t remember, but its pre-depression.

    officially a Democrat for 5 years as of 08

    and? i’m not even a registered democrat. neither was jim webb until very recently.

    And your career in politics is…..
    Jim Webb is struggling to beat a guy who makes ethnic slurs in public.

    An 04 campaign filled with blunders.

    think he’ll make the same mistakes again? this is part of what i will follow up on later, but one of clark’s strengths is learning from previous experience.
    Hope not. Won’t be surprised if he does though.

  8. matt tobey says:
    November 1, 2006 at 12:36 pm

    History question. Who was the last President to not be a Senator or Governor?
    Minus G. Ford (who was in Congress for decades), I can’t remember, but its pre-depression.

    Somebody doesn’t like Ike…

    Or history for that matter.

  9. matt tobey says:
    November 1, 2006 at 12:39 pm

    Jim Webb is struggling to beat a guy who makes ethnic slurs in public.

    Jim Webb is doing very well against a popular incumbent Republican in a red state who, until very recently, was the top prospect for the GOP nomination in ’08.

    Also, you never answered my question about Joementum. When did he become an official Democrat? How’d that work out?

  10. matt says:
    November 1, 2006 at 12:40 pm

    History question. Who was the last President to not be a Senator or Governor?
    Minus G. Ford (who was in Congress for decades), I can’t remember, but its pre-depression.

    GHWB served like one term in the house. Eisenhower? (fitting, no?)

    And your career in politics is…..

    gifted observer. my point was that his party history is far from any concern of mine, and many others.

    Jim Webb is struggling to beat a guy who makes ethnic slurs in public.

    in a state where this is a feature, not a bug. see my post about Tennessee.

    i recommend reading clark’s book Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat or Halberstam’s War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals for a very clear picture of what he is made of.

  11. sac says:
    November 1, 2006 at 12:48 pm

    I was thinking Eisenhower, too. Clark and Ike share a lot of similarities, in fact.

  12. TO says:
    November 1, 2006 at 1:05 pm

    History question. Who was the last President to not be a Senator or Governor?
    Minus G. Ford (who was in Congress for decades), I can’t remember, but its pre-depression.

    GHWB served like one term in the house. Eisenhower? (fitting, no?)

    One term more than Clark.

    I was thinking Eisenhower, too. Clark and Ike share a lot of similarities, in fact.

    Planning and executing one of the most fabled military invasions in history (as a starting point) versus a guy who presided over the Dayton Accords, is an interesting comparison.

    I like Clark. I do. But he’ll be hard pressed to even get the nomination, let alone….. He is an unknown, with a good military career, which is great, but the average on the fence voter, or even many middle of the road Democrates aren’t going to vote for him.

  13. matt says:
    November 1, 2006 at 1:42 pm

    Planning and executing one of the most fabled military invasions in history (as a starting point) versus a guy who presided over the Dayton Accords, is an interesting comparison.

    if we’re talking about visibility, then obviously WW2 is going to trump Kosovo (conveniently omitted from your comparison) and Dayton. But if we’re talking about experience relevant to what would make a good president today, I’ll take Clark’s service in Vietnam, his command in Kosovo and the National Training Center, his important role as a joint chiefs staffer in the first iraq war, Bosnia and Dayton any day.

    are you suggesting that 2+yrs from the 08 election we should be concerned with “electability?” isn’t that what got us kerry?