Retired four-star general joins Mahoney on campaign trail

Retired four-star general joins Mahoney on campaign trail

October 18, 2006 By MICHELLE SHELDONE | TC Palm

A retired four-star general and former presidential hopeful traveled coast to coast in Florida Tuesday for Democratic congressional candidate Tim Mahoney and promoting national security.

General Wesley Clark, a Vietnam Army captain turned NATO supreme allied commander who had been instrumental in the Dayton peace talks that ended the Bosnian war, said the country is on the brink of a national disaster.

"We didn't have to go to Iraq," Clark said in rallies held in Charlotte and Palm Beach counties Tuesday. "It's a war we chose to go into. And then we didn't put enough troops in. It's a failing mission despite the courage and sacrifice of the men and women in uniform."

Mahoney, at the rallies, called himself one of the first to state publicly that President George W. Bush should rely on diplomacy and multinational forces in Iraq, and replace American peacekeepers with Muslim peacekeepers.

"My new opponent came out and accused me of trashing the president," Mahoney said of Republican congressional Candidate Joe Negron. Bush confidant James Baker in the meantime recently made a suggestion similar to that of Mahoney, the Democratic candidate said.

Clark told of North Korea readying for another nuclear weapons test and Iran's desire for nuclear weapons. United States military forces are overstretched, he said, with some men and women on their third and fourth tours of duty as a result of Iraq.

"As the administration pushes North Korea with coercive sanctions, it should be aware the North Koreans — they don't bluff. When they get backed into a corner, they may lash out. It's a very volatile and dangerous situation."

At the same time, Clark told of how Republicans get "juiced up" about weapon systems, while Democrats get "real excited" about people.

His words came as the congressional race entered the national spotlight since disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley resigned and state Rep. Joe Negron was named in his place.

"It's a campaign now where we have a struggle between House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Karl Rove," Mahoney said. "They've marshaled tremendous forces to try to hold on to power by attacking me personally. By lying about my position on Social Security. By lying about my position on taxes.

They handpicked a candidate, a professional politician whose first public statement was that he believed this campaign was going be a referendum on supporting the president. He wants to stay the course. He believes the strategies being employed right now are the correct strategies."

Mahoney said he supports Bush's goals for winning the war on terror, stopping nuclear proliferation, achieving peace in Iraq and making America safe.

But "after 9/11, I think what we can clearly see is we need a new strategy," Mahoney said.

General Wesley Clark campaigns for Tim Mahoney in Charlotte County

General Wesley Clark campaigns for Tim Mahoney in Charlotte County

Wesley Clark, Mahoney call for 'diplomacy' in Iraq

October 17, 2006 By Nicole Oliverio | Wink TV News

CLARK: “I'm here for Tim Mahoney, and he's going to be your next congressman.

A four-star general visited Charlotte County Tuesday to campaign for Democratic congressional hopeful, Tim Mahoney.

Mahoney faces Joe Negron, the Republicans’ replacement candidate for Mark Foley, for a seat in congress, representing Florida's 16th district.

Mahoney focused on national security, the need for diplomacy, and the importance for democrats to regain control in the house.

Mahoney says Foley is not a factor in this election, but Charlotte Democratic voters say they think otherwise.

“Over the past several weeks, this campaign has taken on a completely different dimension. It's national,” said Mahoney, a businessman who now finds himself in the national spotlight.

Now, a Democratic candidate who several weeks ago wasn't considered a threat is now leading in polls.

Mahoney was up against former Congressman Mark Foley, but says the recent scandal has no place in his campaign.

“We were never focused on that,” said Mahoney. “We're not focusing on it because the people in the district don't care.”

But some Charlotte County residents do care.

Members of the county's Democratic committee say the Washington page scandal is the exact reason why there's been a recent surge of volunteers.

“Once that was announced, we starting to have people just knock on the door,” explained Valerie Guenther of the Charlotte County Democratic Committee.

Both sides are using all the resources they have.

Joe Negron and the Republicans used Governor Jeb Bush.

Tuesday, General Wesley Clark told the crowd, “I'm here for Tim Mahoney, and he's going to be your next congressman.”

Mahoney stood beside General Clark, and said that Clark’s appearance was not as a last-minute sidekick. But Charlotte residents see it as something big.

“We in Charlotte County are not used to high-powered Democrats coming in and paying attention to us,” explained Gunther.

Democrats are paying attention to residents in the 16th congressional district, while all eyes focus on a possible shift in power at the national level after November's election.

Recently, the Democratic party filed a lawsuit to stop elections supervisors from posting signs that say "a vote for Mark Foley is a vote for Joe Negron."

Mahoney said it's not his lawsuit, but given Florida's history in conducting elections, he wants to make sure it's a fair, uncontested election.

Nation needs Mahoney, retired general says

Nation needs Mahoney, retired general says

Wesley Clark, Mahoney call for 'diplomacy' in Iraq

October 18, 2006 By GREG MARTIN | Staff writer | Sun Herald

CHARLOTTE HARBOR -- The United States is on the "brink of a national security disaster" and needs more Democrats like Tim Mahoney in Congress to change the course of the Iraq war, said retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark Tuesday.

"You can't 'stay the course' if you're in a ditch," said Clark, a four-star general who commanded NATO forces in the 1998-99 Balkan war.

Clark talked about the U.S.'s "failed strategies" in Iraq and in combating terrorism during a campaign stop for Mahoney. About 60 people attended the event, held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5690, 23204 Freedom Ave.

Mahoney, an entrepreneur and cattle rancher from Royal Palm Beach, is running against Republican Joe Negron, a Stuart attorney, for the District 16 seat.

Mahoney said he looked at the "data" on Iraq and the pursuit of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden from the perspective of a business person.

"The facts show we have engaged in a number of failed strategies," he said.

He suggested President George W. Bush "do what his dad did -- go to the region." He was referring to the first President Bush's creation of a coalition that included Muslim nations in the 1991 Gulf War.

Likewise, the second President Bush should also use diplomacy in the Middle East to create a "multinational force" with Muslim leadership, Mahoney said.

The coalition could then take over security operations in Iraq with U.S. support, according to Mahoney.

The race for District 16 has become hotly contested since the withdrawal of disgraced incumbent Mark Foley last month. Foley resigned amid reports he sent salacious messages to teenage boys who worked on Capitol Hill.

The Republican Party's state leadership nominated Negron, a member of the Florida House since 2000, to replace Foley in the race.

At stake is one of the 15 seats Democrats need to win in order to regain a House majority.

"It's national," Mahoney said of the spotlight on his race. "You're watching a struggle over the control of Congress."

Mahoney recalled that as soon as Negron entered the race, he accused Mahoney of "trashing the president."

However, he said recent statements from former Secretary of State James A. Baker add credence to Mahoney's call for change.

Baker, in an Oct. 9 interview on ABC's "This Week," said a bipartisan commission he co-chairs was writing a report calling for the president to "look at other alternatives" to staying the course.

"James Baker said we need to engage our friends (in a coalition)," said Mahoney. "He took a step even further and said we also need to engage our enemies."

During a 33-year military career, Clark served as supreme allied commander for Europe. As NATO commander from 1997-2000, he oversaw Operation Allied Force, in which 40,000 NATO forces saved 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

Clark said the threat to national security didn't begin with the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but the threat has grown since.

The American people were sold the Iraq war on "hype" and faulty intelligence, Clark said. Three years later, casualties are still mounting, he pointed out.

Last week, North Korea tested a nuclear weapon, and Iran wants to join the club, Clark said.

"So, I don't give bragging rights to the Republicans on national security," Clark said.

During the Vietnam War era, Democrats had a reputation for being weak on national defense, Clark said.

"But the truth is, Democrats have a fine record on national security," he added.

The Cold War was won with the "the leadership of President Harry Truman (1945-53)," he told the audience.

President Bill Clinton also won a battle against terror with the arrest of Ramzi Yousef in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, Clark noted.

When war ripped up eastern Europe in the 1990s, Clinton rose to the call, Clark said. Clinton tried to pressure the late Yugoslavian leader Slobodan Milosevic to cease a violent ethnic-cleansing campaign.

Clinton also launched a 78-day air campaign.

"We actually talked to (Milosevic) while we were bombing him," said Clark.

"(Clinton) had his hands on the details," he said. "He was the top official of the United States and he was widely respected around the world because he knew how to stop wars, not start them."

When Clinton left office after the 2000 election, he advised the incoming Bush that Osama bin Laden would prove the "greatest threat" and gave him a response plan, Clark said.

It's unknown whether the plan would have thwarted the 9/11 plot, Clark said.

"But the Bush administration simply didn't do enough," he said.

"What Gen. Clark showed us was, you can use diplomacy ... to secure the peace, and you can do this without 'nation building,'" said Mahoney.

Mahoney said he'd work with anyone, regardless of political party, to foster a coalition-led resolution of the war in Iraq.

"Heck, I'll even work with (Vice President) Dick Cheney," he said, "but I won't go hunting with him."