Wes Clark Speaks Up For Barack On Iraq

As a General that has successfully implemented strategies on the battlefield, he diffuses any doubt about Barack's position concerning Iraq:

Wes Clark Sits Down With TPM At Netroots Nation

General Wesley Clark is an icon (albeit for only a few years) in the Democratic Party. Yet he reaches out to the netroots community in a way that few politicians do. Not only did he give a keynote speech on the first night here in Austin, but sat down for a one-on-one with TPMtv:

McCain Bristles At P.O.W. Question

John McCain gave Wesley Clark a lot of heat so far this week when he said that being a P.O.W. doesn't qualify you to be President. McCain and much of the media spun that common sense statement into disparaging McCain's military record, which he did nothing of the sort. So when one reporter from ABC sees what Clark said and tries to get McCain to answer the question....well, watch out for the fire breathing dragon.

From Digby:

An ABC reporter gave John McCain the opportunity to discuss Wes Clark's comment - the ACTUAL remarks - and McCain went apeshit.

McCain became visibly angry when I asked him to explain how his Vietnam experience prepared him for the Presidency.



“Please,” he said, recoiling back in his seat in distaste at the very question.

McCain allies Sen. Lindsey Graham stepped in to rescue him. Graham expressed admiration for McCain’s stance on the treatment of detainees in US custody.

(That would be the stance that he flipped on by voting against a ban on torture in the Senate just this year.)

Yes, that would be one of his many flip-flops. The truth is, McCain's position on anything can change with wind. When push comes to shove though, Johnny boy will do whatever is best for the right wing and their fervent supporters, especially those with lots of money. If torture is good for business, then so be it.

Now back to the issue at hand. If the media got to see this little outburst, wait till the get a load of the real McCain when the pressure of the campaign really gets to him. A friend of mine predicted tonight that either Obama or McCain will win with a wide margin come November. With enough outbursts, we might just see that epic blowout for Obama on the horizon even before election day.

Obama Backs Up Wes Clark

Contrary to media reports that Barack Obama distanced himself from Wesley Clark's comments about McCain, just the opposite is true. When General Clark said that being a POW doesn't immediately qualify you to be President, he was exactly right. Yet the right tried to demonize him, because they know that McCain's illusion of POW=President is the only thing he has going for him.

Clark Calls It Like It Is: McCain Is A Fake

Since McCain really has nothing good to campaign on, he has been trying to fling mud onto General Wesley Clark. If McCain thinks that it will stick to either the General or Barack Obama, he doesn't know what he's getting into. Clark and McCain served our country, but this type of verbal combat will not be won by desperately clinging to the bars that once imprisoned John McCain nearly 40 years ago. If McCain tries to continue to make this an issue that he thinks will win him votes, Clark will firmly put him in his place.

From RawStory:

McCain's rolled out a slew of surrogates to take to the phone lines and unleash varying degrees of "how dare he" on Gen. Wesley Clark, a supporter of Democratic candidate Barack Obama. Clark is not backing down from his observation, first aired Sunday morning, that McCain's honorable service as a Vietnam veteran and POW does not automatically mean he has the right judgment to be commander in chief.

Appearing on liberal radio host Ed Schultz's show Tuesday, Clark stuck to his guns, and he accused McCain and the GOP apparatus of drumming up a false controversy.

"The only orchestration was by Republicans," Clark said, referring to unsubstantiated accusations that his criticism was encouraged by Obama, who has repeatedly distanced himself from Clark's remark.

"I think that since John McCain's hired the Swift Boat team to protect his military record," Clark continued, "they just decided they would launch a preemptive strike."

Unfortunately for us, Obama has not stood by Clark's side, when he should be standing with him shoulder to shoulder. Wes Clark has said nothing wrong and he should continue to speak truthfully because he is a man with integrity and character. When Clark goes up against a man that doesn't (like McCain) there is no question who rises victorious.

Wes Clark Fights Back

McCain and his faithful media leaped onto General Clark yesterday for daring to suggest that being a POW doesn't automatically qualify you to be President. It is shocking I know, but being locked up in an enemy camp doesn't mean you get to rule the world when you get out. Wesley Clark not only stood up to his detractors, but he reiterated and reasserted his initial comments yesterday with Dan Abrams.

Wes Clark Rakes McCain Over The Coals With His Biggest Supposed Strength

John McCain has been doing something this year that he hasn't done in almost every campaign in his career, that is talking about his past as a POW. Now he is using it to gain the high ground on national security and experience. Well General Wesley Clark has just the right amount of words for that:

Wesley Clark Scolds Lieberman Over Iran

My ears tend to shudder when Lieberman opens his mouth and parrots the talking points of the White House. It is most irritating when he talks about the war and who we should bomb next. Like McCain, Lieberman thinks we ought to go into Iran because.....well the Iranians are bad, and that's good enough for them.

Thankfully there are voices of sanity out there. One of those voices is decorated General Wesley Clark. He took Lieberman to task today over Joe's ridiculous comments. Kudos to the General for his bold statements.

From The Huffington Post:

Senator Lieberman's saber rattling does nothing to help dissuade Iran from aiding Shia militias in Iraq, or trying to obtain nuclear capabilities. In fact, it's highly irresponsible and counter-productive, and I urge him to stop.

This kind of rhetoric is irresponsible and only plays into the hands of President Ahmadinejad, and those who seek an excuse for military action. What we need now is full-fledged engagement with Iran. We should be striving to bridge the gulf of almost 30 years of hostility and only when all else fails should there be any consideration of other options. The Iranians are very much aware of US military capabilities. They don't need Joe Lieberman to remind them that we are the militarily dominant power in the world today.

Only someone who never wore the uniform or thought seriously about national security would make threats at this point. What our soldiers need is responsible strategy, not a further escalation of tensions in the region. Senator Lieberman must act more responsibly and tone down his threat machine.

Hillary's Aide Is A Fool

A memo just leaked out of Team Hillary suggests that one adviser thinks that Mrs. Clinton should focus on other states and avoid Iowa. This is because Clinton is lagging in the crucial Hawkeye state, currently in 3rd place while John Edwards sits on the top of the heap. Conserving resources is great for the environment, but when it comes to Presidential politics, you give it your all in Iowa.

From the AP:

NEW YORK — Warning that her campaign needs "a new approach to winning," Hillary Rodham Clinton's deputy campaign manager wrote a memo this week urging the Democratic front-runner to bypass next year's Iowa caucuses to focus time and money on states where she's faring better.

Her advisers fearing backlash from Iowa Democrats who cast the first votes of the 2008 presidential race, Clinton denounced the memo hours after it leaked from her headquarters and played down an internal debate over campaign strategy. "I am unalterably committed to competing in Iowa," she told The Associated Press.

The memo from Mike Henry emerged days after a Des Moines Sunday Register poll of likely caucus-goers showed Clinton trailing rivals John Edwards and Barack Obama in Iowa, which is to hold its caucuses Jan. 14, 2008.

Thankfully for Clinton's sake she denounced the memo (and the guy should be fired IMHO) because Iowa is worth whatever it takes. It wasn't long ago that the new Democrat on the block Wesley Clark saw his star fade fast after ditching the Democratic faithful in Iowa.

What Clinton's real problem now is her vote on the war. She's a hawk trying to put on sheep's clothing, but it just ain't working. She says she's against the war, but wouldn't come out and denounce the new "compromise" bill that gives Bush everything he wants without any actual compromise. If she wants to win in the Democratic primary, she better start listening to the people about Iraq.

A Message To Senator Warner From General Clark