10/6/06 - Clark stumps for Lamont, slams Lieberman on war

Clark stumps for Lamont, slams Lieberman on war

October 6, 2006 By AP | via The Advocate

STORRS, Conn. -- Democrat Ned Lamont won retired Gen. Wesley Clark's stamp of approval Friday and hammered home the anti-war message that propelled his primary victory.

"He's got loads of courage, common sense and integrity," Clark, the former NATO commander, said at a rally outside the University of Connecticut student union. "Ned Lamont will go to Washington and he will be the key to changing the course for this country."

Clark sharply criticized the Bush administration's handling of the war. He blamed Lamont's opponent, Sen. Joe Lieberman, for supporting Bush's Iraq policies.

Lamont, a Greenwich businessman who has pumped more than $6 million of his own money into the campaign, won the August primary by attacking Lieberman's support of the war. Lieberman, the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000, then launched an independent campaign. A Sept. 28 Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters showed Lieberman with a 10-point lead.

Clark and Lieberman were rivals during the 2004 Democratic presidential primary.

"George Bush says stay the course," Clark said. "How can you stay the course when you're in a ditch? Joe Lieberman has been part of that ditch."

He added, "The truth is, (Lieberman) didn't control the steering wheel, but he was sort of supporting the elbow of the guy who drove us into the ditch."

Clark said the Iraq and Afghan wars have strained the military and asserted that America was losing the war on terror.

Lamont accused Bush of turning his back on the advice of top military advisers.

"When this president rushed us into war ... he didn't listen to the military, and that's one of the reasons we have this mess on our hands," Lamont said.

Lamont backs a timeline for beginning troop withdrawals from Iraq. Clark hedged on whether he supports timelines for resolving the war.

"There may be a place for a timeline," he said. "I'm not saying there is or there isn't."

Lieberman, campaigning in New Haven, said he welcomed Clark to Connecticut.

"I respect Gen. Clark. We disagree on some things. We agree on some things. Endorsements come and go in politics," Lieberman said. "Something that's interesting about Gen. Clark coming in is I believe that Gen. Clark doesn't agree with Ned Lamont's proposal for getting us out of Iraq by immediately beginning to withdraw our troops and having them out by next July 1."

Clark's endorsement came a day after Lamont and Lieberman held campaign events designed to appeal to veterans, a coveted group of voters who make up about 12 percent of the state's population.

About Ned Lamont

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Ned Lamont

Ned is running because he loves his country and is deeply concerned about its current direction. Like most Connecticut Democrats, and most Americans, he is tired of being represented by a senator who is not willing to stand up to the President—on the war and on the rest of his wrong headed judicial, fiscal, and environmental policies.

“As your senator I will put Connecticut first,” Ned said. “As I travel the state and talk to people, I’m hearing over and over that America is spending $250 million a day in Iraq while we are cutting aid to students and veterans’ benefits. This has got to change.”

About Ned

Ned founded his own company, Lamont Digital Systems, in 1984. He’s a graduate of both Harvard and the Yale School of Management and a former newspaper editor.

As a child, Ned’s family dinners were animated by political discussions, with lively exchanges between his grandfather, a banker, and his uncle, a Democratic activist. But the underlying theme was public service.

In addition to helping raise his children and running a business, Ned has brought innovation to his many community activities. He spent eight years in local government, chaired the state investment advisory council, and served on the many civic boards. He also runs a business training program for Bridgeport High School students, and knows the importance of involving parents and communities in education.

Getting It Done

Building a successful business means getting things done … by listening to people, and finding innovative solutions to old problems.

“Every successful businessman knows that many of your best ideas come from your customers,” said Ned. “We are always looking for new and better ways to do things. We never reflexively ‘Stay the course’—especially when it’s plain it’s not working.”

While much of his frustration is rooted in his opposition to Bush’s war in Iraq, Ned believes the problems with the Bush administration cut across many issues. The war, however, fuels the problems at home by diverting critical resources and attention. Ned supports proposals by Congressman Murtha and Lawrence Korb for phasing out of America’s front-line involvement in Iraq.

“Our troops are making their country proud with their service,” said Ned. “But this war is not making us any safer. It’s time for US troops to move to the background and let the Iraqi people step forward and take responsibility for their own destiny.”
The Lamont Family

Ned and his wife Annie live in Fairfield County with their three teenaged children.

Starting a business close to home was important for Mr. Lamont when his children were young.

“My wife is successful and works very full days,” he said. “So it was important for me to be close to home and really be a co-parent. I am looking forward to campaigning with my kids whenever we can.”

Ned decided to challenge Senator Lieberman only after closely watching his performance, and results, for years. He consulted closely with his family and gained their full support before deciding to run.

What Ned will do for Connecticut

Ned believes that government must respect its citizens and tell them the truth. He will challenge the culture of “Inside the Beltway” corruption and demand that qualified people are appointed to critical government and public service positions.

The war, and Bush and Lieberman priorities, are cutting funds from programs that invest in our future. Student loans, Social Security, health care that everyone can afford – these are the issues that Ned will fight for, bringing a businessman’s ability to reach consensus without sacrificing the bottom line.

Ned will be a fresh voice in the Senate, working to build coalitions and accomplish change, and speaking out against the destructive Bush administration policies that directly threaten our moral and economic future, our civil liberties, and our nation’s security.

Connecticut Post: Wesley Clark boosts Lamont campaign

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Wesley Clark boosts Lamont campaign

Former NATO commander chats with veterans

MATTHEW HIGBEE mhigbee@ctpost.com | Connecticut Post
Article Launched:10/06/2006 11:55:28 PM EDT

DERBY — Nearly every morning, the regulars take their posts in booths at McDonald's to talk politics over coffee. Most are veterans who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, so the Iraq war is an ongoing topic. That topic got an extra buzz Friday when Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ned Lamont stopped by in the company of retired Gen. Wesley Clark, the former NATO commander and a potential presidential candidate in 2008. Lamont, followed by an entourage of reporters, shook hands with the veterans, and was quickly pressed on whether he would support a Constitutional amendment banning desecration of the U.S. flag. "I fight for the flag every day," he responded, declining to take a position. On the Iraq war, Lamont was more definitive.

"This administration rushed us into war. Now, the veterans are speaking up and saying this war is not making us safer," he said in a part of his stump speech that criticized his opponent, Sen. Joe Lieberman, for giving the Bush administration a "rubber stamp."

Lamont defeated Lieberman in the Democratic primary in August. Lieberman is running in the general election under the flag of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party.

Derby native John Matto, a 44-year-old veteran of the Gulf War, was one of many at McDonald's who agreed.

"We don't belong there," said Matto, who became disillusioned after he fought to drive Iraq out of Kuwait in the early 1990s. "When we were there, you got the impression that we weren't fighting for the freedoms and things we said we were," he said.

Across the fast-food restaurant, Clark, swarmed by admirers, was working hard to win a vote for Lamont from "Wild" Bill Menna, a Republican and former Ansonia mayor. "When you fight a war in Iraq, someone has to be on the ground. Rumsfeld did not give us the troops," Clark said in reference to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "We won Kosovo in the Balkans. The way we did it was with diplomacy.

"I briefed Joe before the Iraq war," Clark said, referring to Lieberman. "I thought he understood. He had all that experience and he still rubber-stamped this administration."

Clark and Lieberman were rivals during the 2004 Democratic presidential campaign.

Menna, 83, said Bush is the "worst president we've ever seen." But Clark's arguments did not move his support away from Lieberman.

"Deep down, Lieberman is a Republican. That's why I support him," Menna said. Sitting next to Menna, Joe Guliuzza, 65, of Seymour, held a different view.

"Lamont is going to help us out," Guliuzza said. Lamont and Clark also spoke at a rally in Storrs outside the University of Connecticut student union.

"George Bush says stay the course," Clark said. "How can you stay the course when you're in a ditch? Joe Lieberman has been part of that ditch."

"When this president rushed us into war ... he didn't listen to the military, and that's one of the reasons we have this mess on our hands," Lamont said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

--

Energy Independence and the Environment

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Energy Independence and the Environment

Global warming is perhaps the most serious threat facing our planet and our country today, and we need a Senator who is serious about protecting it in the arenas that really matter – the courts and the federal government.

As your Senator, I will speak out against the Bush administration’s attempts to pack the courts with right-wing, conservative judges. The Bush administration and their allies have launched a high-level assault on the environment and Congress has done little to stop it. We did not have to wait for Alito and Roberts to issue their recent anti-wetlands decisions to know they would be disastrous for the environment. As an appellate judge, Alito made several troubling rulings which negated the ability of the federal government to regulate environmental issues as well as the ability of individuals to take action on their own.

If a Senator is to truly protect the environment, he must show leadership and fight for courts that show respect for the issue, and for the very real threat to our planet. Connecticut’s Inland Wetland and Watercourse Act, for instance, is a model for the nation in working in concert with the Federal Clean Water Act. We must be vigilant in protecting these laws.

Following the tragedy of 9/11, America had a unique opportunity to begin liberating itself from dependence upon foreign oil, which would not only strengthen our position in the war on terror but also reduce greenhouse emissions and their disastrous environmental effects.

Instead, Congress passed the 2005 Bush/Cheney Energy Bill, universally decried by environmentalists, which features billions in subsidies to big oil and does little for conservation and energy efficiency. Senator Joe Lieberman was the only New England Democrat to vote for this bill, which also limits Connecticut’s ability to prevent the siting of a large liquefied natural gas facility in the middle of long Island Sound.

Clean energy is not only important to our economic and national security, but the future of the planet hangs in the balance. The United States, with 4.6% of the world’s population, consumes 21.8% of the world’s energy. By 2025, China will double its oil consumption, and India’s oil imports are slated to increase to more than three times their current level.

I support an overarching plan for clean energy and energy independence: basic research, higher mileage per gallon standards, HOMER appliance and insulation standards, disincentives for high polluting and gas guzzling users and incentives for high mileage, and clean energy alternatives. Energy independence and the environment must be an integral part of every public policy decision. That means no drilling in ANWR (a very short term solution to a very long-term problem), but incentives to produce clean energy and improve efficiency.

Even those small things in the right direction in the Energy Bill could be much better. Rather than prescriptive standards, I would support performance standards to get us where we need to be in terms of conservation and efficiency.

Every New England Democrat except for Senator Lieberman understood that the energy bill was the opportunity for environmentalists to fight for a strong federal initiative to promote conservation; treating conservation separately weakened our hand and hurt the environmental cause.

I will fight to include the environment as a major factor in every public policy decision, and to recognize the importance of federal regulatory and judicial appointments in protecting the environment.

Firedoglake.com: Ned Lamont and Wes Clark Speak Out Against Hastert

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Ned Lamont and Wes Clark Speak Out Against Hastert

Friday, October 6th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
By: Jane Hamsher | firedoglake.com

Wes Clark campaigned with Ned Lamont today, slamming Joe Lieberman for his hopeless bungling of the war in Iraq that has left America less safe as a result. Meanwhile, Connecticut House Majority Leader Chris Donovan also castigated Lieberman for refusing to call on Dennis Hastert to step down, saying:

Ned Lamont, correctly, has called for Speaker Hastert to step down. You, instead, have criticized those who want accountability from those entrusted with great authority.

Clark and Lamont also addressed the issue of the DC insiders Lieberman is so loyal to who have no problem putting kids at risk:

QUESTION: This issue of Dennis Hastert? Everybody is talking about that. The nurses that I work with — bingo. You don't have to explain it, you don't have to get in an involved argument, because they see this Congress as putting kids at risk.

LAMONT: My sense is we have people in Congress who haven't been parents for an awful long time. If any of you've got kids and you've got somebody in seventh grade and you found out that there was a teacher who was sending potentially inappropriate emails to somebody's fellow student, and that principle hadn't reacted, my God you'd go ballistic. You wouldn't be wondering about what the reaction of the other parents was going to be. And as far as I can figure out, the people in Washington are wondering what the political response was going to be and they didn't worry about the kids.

QUESTION: No, and that's what people can identify with.

CLARK: Why don't you just say, in case of Hastert — it's kids at risk. In case of Republians — it's America at risk.

Lieberman's refusal to hold Dennis Hastert accountable for his actions is even more deplorable when you listen to him undercut Democratic leaders like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi who are trying to do so.

He is a vile and soulless human being.

(thanks to Spazeboy for the video of Lamont and Clark meeting with CT bloggers)

Journal Inquirer: Wesley Clark offers support to Lamont

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Wesley Clark offers support to Lamont

Journal Inquirer

By Don Michak, Journal Inquirer

09/30/2006

Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, a former Democratic presidential candidate who commanded NATO forces in Europe during the conflict in Kosovo, is helping antiwar Democrat Ned Lamont raise money to unseat U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman.

In an e-mail message sent this week to his own supporters, Clark, who is said to be considering another run for the White House in 2008, lauded the Greenwich cable company executive for “running the type of campaign all Democrats can be proud of.”

“Standing up to President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq, dispensing with self-serving and wishy-washy notions of ‘independence,’ and pledging to invest in America’s future, Ned Lamont is a candidate for Senate who I am proud to endorse,” he wrote.

Clark also took a swipe at Lieberman, now running as an independent, saying the senator had “decided to do his best to drag down every Connecticut Democrat’s electoral prospects down with him” after “refusing to abide by the results” of the party primary in August.

“He continues to provide political cover to President Bush and other local Republicans despite their clearly failed policies,” Clark added.

Clark and Lieberman competed briefly for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination before each withdrew from the contest won by Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Immediately after an initial candidates debate in 2003 – from which Clark emerged relatively unscathed – Lieberman charged that his rival in the upcoming New Hampshire primary had joined the Democratic Party only months before for “political convenience, not conviction.”

Lieberman also said Clark previously had been “working to forward the Republican agenda by raising money for the Republican Party” while he was fighting the “reckless economic strategy” of President Bush.

Lieberman’s campaign spokeswoman, Tammy Sun, on Friday dismissed Clark’s endorsement of the senator’s opponent.

“Joe Lieberman is running for Senate because he’s trying to change the kind of partisan name-calling apparent in Wes Clark’s recent statement supporting Ned Lamont,” she said. “This is just more of the same negative attacks from the Lamont campaign.”

Lamont’s campaign spokeswoman, Liz Dupont-Diehl, said Friday that Lamont appreciated Clark’s efforts and that the retired general may campaign in Connecticut for Lamont.

©Journal Inquirer 2006

Urge Joe Lieberman to help Democrats

Urge Joe Lieberman to help Democrats

Support Ned Lamont! Urge Joe Lieberman to end his campaign for U.S. Senate.

On Tuesday, the message sent by Connecticut voters was loud and clear. They want change, and they want Ned Lamont to represent them in the U.S. Senate, voting for Ned by a 52% - 48% margin over Senator Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary.

You see, despite what Joe Lieberman believes, invading Iraq and diverting our attention away from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not being strong on national security. Blind allegiance to George W. Bush and his failed "stay the course" strategy is not being strong on national security. And no, Senator Lieberman, no matter how you demonize your opponents, there is no "antisecurity wing" of the Democratic Party.

Indeed, Connecticut Democrats recognized all of this, and yesterday they chose Ned Lamont as their nominee for the U.S. Senate. Now, I hope you'll join me in supporting Ned as he heads into the general election this November.

Stand with Connecticut Democrats. Send a message to Joe Lieberman to end his Independent campaign for CT Senate.

As a Democrat, I respect the will of the Connecticut Democratic voters and their decision to make Ned Lamont their nominee. Even before the election results came in on Tuesday, Ned Lamont showed his respect for the voters by committing to abide by the Democratic primary result and support whoever won.

Joe Lieberman, on the other hand, began collecting petition signatures to run as an Independent several weeks ago while concurrently running in the Democratic primary. In short, he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

Despite his efforts to appear on the November ballot as an Independent, I held out hope that Joe would withdraw from the Connecticut Senate race after the primary votes were counted. Unfortunately, Joe has announced his candidacy as an Independent candidate, running against Ned, the Democratic nominee.

Today, I ask you to email Joe Lieberman. Urge him to respect the will of Connecticut Democrats and end his Independent candidacy for CT Senate.

In 2000, the presence of a third party candidate, Ralph Nader, no doubt played a role in the defeat of Vice President Gore and Joe Lieberman. Now Joe Lieberman is risking our party's claim on his Senate seat by running as a third party candidate himself. Recent news reports detail the GOP's interest in supporting such an effort. It's time to draw a line.

I committed myself to supporting the Democratic nominee for the US Senate in Connecticut, and I ask you to do likewise. Because too much is at stake with our troubles abroad and at home, we cannot play games this Election Day. That's why I call on all loyal Democrats to join me in urging Senator Lieberman to drop his bid for the Senate as an Independent and endorse the duly nominated Democrat.

We should thank him for his service and invite him to stay active, or even run again someday, but as a party we cannot let Joe Lieberman be this year's Ralph Nader.

Email Joe Lieberman. Encourage him to do the right thing, withdraw from the Connecticut Senate race, and focus his efforts on electing Democrats across America.

The 2006 elections represent a real crossroads for America. We must unify our efforts to stop George Bush's radical agenda and end this one-party government. I hope Senator Lieberman will join us in this critical fight for our nation's future.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

PS: After you send your message to Joe Lieberman, please take a moment and forward this message to every Democrat you know.

Wesley Clark joins Lamont on the campaign trail

Wesley Clark joins Lamont on the campaign trail  

October 7, 2006 By Brian Lockhart | Staff Writer | The Advocate

DERBY -- During his 38-year military career, retired Gen. Wesley Clark faced the Viet Cong and former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

But yesterday, drawn into Connecticut's U.S. Senate race, the general was opposite an elderly Housatonic River Valley resident with the nickname "Wild Bill" who wants to see Democratic U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman re-elected.

"I like Joe," Clark told William Menna, Ansonia's former Republican mayor, as local and national media pressed in around the table at McDonald's. "But I'm very disappointed in him."

Clark campaigned yesterday with Ned Lamont, the Greenwich businessman who defeated Lieberman in August's Democratic primary.

The three-term senator has petitioned his way onto the ballot as a minor-party candidate. Though calling himself an "independent Democrat" he enjoys substantial support from Republicans such as Menna.

The retired general and Lamont, en route to an afternoon rally at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, made a mid-morning stop at the McDonald's on Division Street in Derby. A group of veterans regularly gathers there for breakfast.

"Do something 'wild' on Nov. 7," Lamont urged Menna before he turned to greet other patrons and Clark took his argument against Lieberman to the press.

"He rubber-stamped a mistaken war and he's rubber-stamped it all the way through," Clark said.

During the primary, Lamont tapped into voter anger over the Iraq invasion and many Democrats' belief that Lieberman has become a supporter of President Bush and the GOP-led Congress.

Clark and Lieberman unsuccessfully sought the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. The general was initially hailed by many Democrats as the party's best candidate to defeat Bush because his credentials as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO lent credence to his opposition of the Iraq war.

Lieberman has tried to paint Lamont as having several positions on the future of Iraq and used a similar strategy against Clark during the presidential primaries. During one debate, he accused the retired general of taking "six different positions on whether going to war was a good idea."

Clark yesterday said "you must not send people to war unless it's a last, last, last resort" and feared the Bush administration is heading down the same path with Iran.

He said for all of his experience in the Senate, Lieberman was unable to discern that the Iraq invasion was a mistake, leaving all of the war-torn country's problems "dumped on men and women in uniform."

Although this was Clark's first public appearance in Connecticut for Lamont, a national group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans he helps advise -- VoteVets -- began running ads in early September accusing Lieberman of not asking enough questions in the buildup to war.

Last week, Clark e-mailed his national list of supporters saying he is proud to endorse Lamont.

Menna, who served in the Navy in World War II and Korea, afterward called Clark "a good man," but his admiration for the general will not translate into a vote for Lamont.

"Joe and I go back a long time. He's done a damn good job," Menna said. "To break in a new man at this stage I don't think would be good for the state and country."

But Lamont appeared to enjoy plenty of support from many of the other veterans.

"We've got to get. . . out of there," said Clarence Douglas, who served in the Army in World War II. He called Iraq a "holy war" the United States cannot win.

Joseph Vicdomino, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10585, said he and his fellow veterans are tired of Lieberman and the war.

"It should have never been," Vicdomino said. "You can't change religious feelings going on for over 1,000 years."

But Vicdomino and some other veterans appeared confused about Lamont's position on another issue -- criminalizing flag desecration. They were angry with Lieberman for his opposition to a constitutional amendment to make burning the American flag illegal.

Vicdomino said Lamont plans to "look into it."

Asked on his way out of McDonald's if that was true, Lamont said he honors the flag but the country does not need such an amendment.

"That's too bad," Vicdomino said when told of the candidate's response.

But the veteran said he will still vote for Lamont. "We need a change anyway," Vicdomino said.