2/2/06 - First Person Account: I left my heart in San Francisco

I left my heart in San Francisco (WesPAC event)...I think we all did
by Sybil Liberty
February 2, 2006
This account was edited slightly for length, full report available here.

Let me tell you about it from where I stood. An awesome task for this Clark supporter, bear with...(gulp).

"General Electric" was in San Francisco this evening!

The reception was just what a WesPAC fundraiser should be, I think, with everyone knowing exactly why they were there. I've heard all of you say that Wes Clark knows how to 'work a room' and now I understand firsthand what you're talking about. This man is put off by no one. He is genuinely warm and gregarious with all. As most of you already know, he is truly gifted in this. And now I too have watched the people-magnetism firsthand. Interesting actually, to step back and watch, I thought.

I think I can speak for all of us when I say that the highlight was when he addressed the room. He began by, launching into a very witty and humorous "Rovian" satire written in the format of a 'White House Memo'. It was hilarious, but the message was very pointed indeed.

Next, Wes segued to a very serious message re: Democrats vs Republicans...comparing/contrasting party values as they are perceived to be, and also contrasting the very unified Republican party message with the Dems many and diverse ones. He spoke of how so many Dems are single-issue focused. Wes warned that Democrats must not be one-issue-voters, that we must not focus on only those issues which primarily concern us as individuals if we wish to regain a political balance in our badly broken system.

2/2/06 - First Person Account: The General in San Francisco

The General in San Francisco (or, “Mother Spiegel’s Report”)
by Tricia Keith Spiegel
February 2, 2006
This account was edited slightly, full report available here .

February 2nd, 2006. It was a memorable evening. The Hotel Monaco in San Francisco provided a stunning setting for the approximately 90 people in attendance.

He started by reading from an amusing script… Then he took serious questions. His answers to two questions (one he asked himself) stood out for me. He was asked how his patriotism was formed. He relayed stories from his childhood, and his warm sincerity and commitment to loving our country was truly touching. One could see so clearly the seeds back then of whom he would eventually become.

Before he could even be asked, he said he knew we were wondering if he was running for President again. He gave the most open and detailed response I have yet heard reported. Would he like to be President? Yes, he would. However, expressing an interest is very different from declaring that he is going to run

After a short break, about 28 of us went to a smaller room for dinner. the room was small enough for him to talk to the whole group the whole time. He spoke on a variety of subjects, and the questions were more direct than at the reception. Again, he spoke of wanting to be President, but also needing to be very realistic. He also noted that we need to focus all of our resources on turning at least one House blue.

At dinner he spoke more about domestic policies, especially health care. You can sense his military strategy models in his domestic policy planning—organized, efficient, effective, looking beyond immediate gains or consequences, and best bang for the buck. We spoke a bit about the VA as an example of a single payer system that has worked well for the most part. But now funds are being cut, making the VA difficult to shine (perhaps because the current administration would like to see it privatized, so the VA has to appear to be less functional?)

At the reception he said that Democrats are seen as the party that takes care of the poor and disadvantaged, BUT that this has lost many in the middle class, especially white middle class men. The middle class is now also vulnerable, and they don’t want to see ONLY a bunch of programs for the disadvantaged as “the Democratic message.” He noted how the Democrats are making mistakes here, and that they must also forcefully tackle issues that the middle class can relate to and appreciate. Some of these were discussed.

The most profound story of the evening was what he billed as “the worst day of my life”—one he thought was going to turn out to be a relaxing day of golf. It was that standoff with the Brit General Jackson (the incident involving the Russian helicopters and the airfield at Pristina where Clark’s critics claim he almost started WW III). The true story was harrowing. The pressure and stresses from the Americans (Pentagon v. State Department), the Brits (some of whom were disorganized) and the Kosovar leadership going round and round, trying to push one way and the other, and the decisions he had to make under such stress led him to understand better than any politician ever could what it means to be in that kind of crisis. The story was so exciting (I could never give it its due—he told it in great detail), and I hope that there is a way to tell it more widely. He said that stress has colors, and the most intense color is red—where you can see all of the red corpuscles in your face. This was red stress. I still like the idea of a BIG movie (Stephen Spielberg, are you listening?) called “Kosovo” where this and other stories about General Clark’s experiences with this whole conflict can be told ACCURATELY. It would be an exciting movie—a real winner.

He discussed Iran and how the military option could be used, of course, but the after-effects might be horrendous. How would the Middle East and the rest of the world see us then? Who would come to Iran’s aid? He noted that what kept him involved in politics (and not closing off the Presidential option) is because we are making so many mistakes. It is clear that he loves our country above all and wants to be part of making it strong and highly respected again.

Now comes the Mother Spiegel story, as an aside. We were all finishing dessert (it is now 10 p.m.), and because he was talking constantly from the minute we sat down at the table he ate only two bites of his steak and a tiny piece of bread. (Remember, his plate is 8 inches away from mine, so I could see everything left on it.) He was looking tired, and I was sincerely worried about him and trying to figure out how to allow him to eat something—like maybe taking a break for a few minutes. So, when he called on me I said, “There is only one thing more powerful than a Four-Star General and that is a Jewish Mother, and General Clark hasn’t touched his vegetables and only two bites are taken out of his steak and he needs protein.” Everyone laughed, including him (thankfully). Alas, he explained that he doesn’t eat much and he would rather “eat ideas”—and, in fact, he did not eat any more food and was never even served the delicious desserts. I REALLY don’t know how he does it! (Lewis Cohen, who was sitting on the other side of him at dinner, came up afterwards to dutifully report to me that he had eaten all of his vegetables. LOL!)

It is so hard to remember everything that was said in the almost 4 hours he spoke during the evening. What stands out most is the clear statement that he wants to be President (again, noting that is different from saying he will run), an even stronger conviction on everyone’s part that he SHOULD be President, and the clear understanding that we grassroots folks have a big role to play (and that we need to move faster!) to get his name out there and get some organizations set up with things for people to do. Again, we need to be highly visible Clark Supporters working for House and Senate candidates and also attracting funds into WesPAC. I truly believe that the world may depend on it!

2/4/06 - First Person Account: The General Takes the Pulpit

The General Takes the Pulpit
by ms in la
February 4, 2006
This account was edited slightly, full report available here .

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Listen to General Wes Clark at the "Take the House Back" Rally (13.3 MB), Los Angeles CA 2/4/06
Introduction by Stephanie Miller, host of nationally syndicated progressive talk radio

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The United Methodist Church of Hollywood is huge, gothic, and glorious - sunlight filters in through intricate stained glass clerestory windows, enormous vaulted ceilings tower overhead, topped off with elaborately carved wooden truss beams, gracefully pointed arches frame the windows and doorways, The spectacular setting created a fitting frame for Wes.

An estimated 400-500 excited Democrats filled the pews.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by the uniformed, returning vet son of Candidate Russ Warner

I leaked a few tears pledging allegiance to OUR flag with Wes standing before me reciting the pledge as well. At the end "with Liberty and Justice for all"-- the entire crowd, as if on cue, spontaneously took the word 'ALL' and shouted it in emphasis. It was powerful.

Bubbly and charming - Stephanie Miller of Air America took the stage and commandeered the crowd with a surprisingly tight and roaring comedic opening.

In a quiet moment, Ms Miller took a beat and solemnly announced-- I am here today for three words...

General Wesley Clark
(crowd erupts in applause)

Her first introduction is John Heaner, local Dem party chair, who gave a stirring warm up "Take Back the House" speech and brought each of the candidates forward to rousing cheers...Francine Busby was infectiously enthusiastic and clearly poised to get the vacant Cunningham seat left open through his admittance to taking $2.4 million in bribes...the Republican way. Michael Webber, the indefatiguable, spoke as well and took the crowd yet another notch into its anticipation.

THE INTRODUCTION

Sincerely humbled by being chosen to introduce Wes, Stephanie likened it to Carrot Top introducing Ghandi!

She rattles off his key resume points, at "Rhodes Scholar", finishing with "former candidate for President of the United States" bringing on huge applause and whistles.

She looks to Wes and flatly says-- "I don't know General....sounds like there's a groundswell to me..." Then she introduces him at last and again, the applause and shouting goes on forever....the crowd up on it's feet.

Right off the bat he asks the Vets in the crowd to stand up and be recognized. A good group representing all ages rises to warm applause and cheers from an appreciative crowd. I'll bet it felt better than a magnet on a bumper.

When discussing his writing of the Real State of the Union speech, Wes confesses that the exercise left him feeling so saddened... The church quieted to dead silence as he went on.

"WHY?" His voice dropping with an edge of pain in it..."WHY are we here?... I came to recognize that millions of people all over the world, they believe that America's beacon of hope is dimming-- they believe our star is setting, they believe America's time is passing...WHY?? Why, When we are the greatest country in the world?-- OUr Bill of Rights- that set the standards for the whole world....WHY?, When we save the world from tyranny, Why? When we have the most incredible Constitution...WHY? Why is our day passing? WHY?"

Each successive "WHY?"--some whispered, some pleaded-- was more plaintive than the previous...it was the soft sound of Wes's heart breaking as he pondered these questions, and we all broke along with him in the pews.

Has a full Church ever been so quiet I wondered?

Wes had taken his already riveting public speaking skills to a new level-- he was preaching democracy. Preaching ethics, preaching the Constitution, values, and America, with a passion to rival any of the best of them. I have not seen him this powerful to date, relishing more than ever the rhythms of working the room from the podium.

Next he concluded how the blunders of the current administration had turned sour our vast good faith and reputation in the world, from Iraq to Katrina, listing the fatal errors that dragged us into this pit and plundered our national pride. He categorizes how the world sees America now and what they hear from us--

"Osama Bin Laden wanted dead or alive, Bring em on, Old Europe, You're either with us or against us--They see the carnage and destruction, the waste, the misuse or our men and women in uniform.-- They hear us talkin' tough....but they don't see real leadership."

There was much more rabble rousing party rallying and advice for the grassroots, (always Country before Party, get the uninvolved into politics, the Party of Service and equal opportunity, Save the Constitution...preserve our rights, Congress needs to do their duty, and don't be shy about National Security discussions) But the key moments to me were the pleas to take back our country, so heartfelt and so urgently expressed.

"For America to be safe....We've got to make more friends than enemies"-- Wes Clark

2/4/06 - The Blogger Round Table in L.A. with General Clark

The Blogger Roundtable in Los Angeles
February 4, 2006

On February 4, 2006 General Clark hosted at an event in Los Angeles specifically for bloggers. Attendees at the roundtable meeting included Mark Kleiman, hekebolos, Stephen and Pam Anderson of SteveAudio.blogspot.com, Kevin Drum, Gary Abramson, John Amato and Arianna Huffington among others.

Accounts from some of those in attendance are below.

The Blogger Round Table in L.A. with General Clark by ms in la

I am suffering from General Exhaustion.

Following the General around for just one day and night can be daunting, excitement levels being what they are when he enters a room. I hope the Republicans will not discover that he has in fact been cloned, and that there are now three Wes Clarks for Karl Rove to deal with. It is the only explanation for his being everywhere.. The pace he keeps is too boggling to account for otherwise.

MORE

Wes Clark: We need to save American democracy! by Reality Bites Back

If ever the Democratic Party found itself closer to the precipice of nonexistence, there is one sherpa with the instinct to reach deep into the haze of the darkening blizzard and pull us through to a sunlit summit: Wes Clark. Am I biased? Hell yeah! Because he's got the best resume EVER? No. Because he's got Clintonian charisma? No. Because I was fortunate to stand face to face with the General and hear what echoes in the depths of his brilliant mind for 3 solid hours, and let me tell you, with every fiber of my being - this man could be the Cincinnatus of the modern world.

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Shooting for a C- in Iraq by Mark Kleinman

The discussion about Iran seemed to me the most exciting piece of Wes Clark's discussion with bloggers in Los Angeles yesterday, but it wasn't the focus of his presentation. Mostly he talked about Iraq. He argued that all the chances to get an A in the course were behind us, and we had a choice now between going for a C- and accepting an F.

MORE

and

The Iranian puzzle by Mark Kleinman

Clark was chillingly detailed about the nature of a possible military intervention to take out Iran's nuclear program: 14 days, 4000 air sorties, some special forces operations on the ground to penetrate the labs buried under schools and hospitals. He thought the whole thing could be done without many U.S. casualties, and that we could destroy Iranian command & control and put a major dent in its nuclear weapons acquisition process.

The problem, according to Clark, — in Iran as in Iraq — is what to do after "Mission Accomplished."

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How Likely is a Military Strike Against Iran? by Kevin Drum

I was up in Los Angeles today, and along with a dozen other bloggers I spent about an hour chatting with Wes Clark, who was in town for a political rally. Clark had some provocative things to say about Iran and its nuclear program, especially in light of today's news that the IAEA has reported Iran to the UN Security Council because of concerns that they're developing nuclear weapons.

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Clark: They picked the two-foot rattlesnake in a box by hekebolos

Clark was talking about national security, and how the Democrats need to recapture the mantle of national security from the Republicans.

"Now, as important as it is how we deal with Iraq from here on out, and how we deal with Iran from here on out--as important as that is, if we want to be the party of national security, we need to talk not just about where we go from the bad situation we're in now--we need to talk about how we got there. Bush talked about the axis of evil. Whatever you want to call these countries, there were three of them: Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. Of these, North Korea was the most dangerous. They were developing nuclear weapons, and the administration didn't do anything about it. ....

Iraq was a two-foot rattlesnake in a box. ...

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2/4/06 - First Person Account: Saturday Evening with General Clark

Saturday Evening with General Clark
by Jack
February 2, 2006
This account was edited for length, full report available here .

Saturday night, February 4th, I attended a reception for General Clark in Culver City.

One thing that I have heard about General Clark is that when he is talking to you, he has his full attention on what you are saying and I found that to be absolutely true. You can't escape that impression of tightly-wound energy. He had been going full-tilt all day and looked like he was ready to go all night.

I didn't track how long the General spoke, but it wasn't nearly long enough. I didn't try to take notes but tried to pay attention to the manner in which he answered questions. I was looking for honesty, sincerity and real answers to the questions.

Every single question that the General was asked (spying, Iran, wounded vets, it was obvious that he had given the subject a lot of thought and his answers were very comprehensive and very well structured (point- by- point-by-point). He also has a way of bringing in his personal involvement. This was particularly true when he talked about visiting wounded vets and how important the support of their families was.

He emphasized how important it is for all of us to support all of the returning troops, particularly those who have suffered debilitating wounds.

When asked about Iran, he spoke about the so-called, "axis of evil" and the relative threat of Korea, Iran and Iraq. GWB chose to attack Iraq (which the General described as a "two-foot rattlesnake in a box" as compared to the genuine threats of the other two to our national security). He stated that militarily, we could probably go in and knock out their nuclear capability, but that would leave us in pretty much the same situation as when GWB declared, "Mission Accomplished". Again, he stressed the need to exhaust all diplomatic avenues before taking military action.

Bottom line, I heard and saw what I was hoping to. As many people have said, "He is the real deal". While he didn't discourage talk about him running in 2008, he made it clear that everyone's priority right now should be on 2006.

Jack
Lt Col USAF (Ret.)