A Conversation With The General
Submitted by Generation Whatever on March 6, 2007 - 8:40am.
Generation Whatever
"A Conversation With The General"
By Reg NYC
Reg: Hi, I'm Reg. I'm here with General Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and 2004 Presidential candidate. First, I'd like to thank you for your work with VoteVets and stopiranwar.com.
General Clark Thank you.
Reg: Everyone please go and sign the petition-
General Clark Please.
Reg: -at stopiranwar.com, all one word. But I also know that you're more well-rounded than that. So, I wanted to ask some questions you are not ordinarily asked about.
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
General Clark Okay.
Reg: Okay. First thing was I was very pleasantly surprised to hear you say at one point that you supported refunding the National Endowment for the Arts.
General Clark That's true. (laughs)
Reg: Culture is our largest civilian export, but a lot of politicians-
General Clark Exactly.
Reg: -in both parties attack the arts, but...
General Clark Yeah. Well, you need all, you need the arts. I mean, if- people have to have a means of interpreting their (chuckle) life experiences. You can't just be mechanical in life. It's about feeling and emotion and the meaning of life, and that's what art does for us in all of its mediums.
Reg: Do you support restoring the grants to individuals instead of just organizations like it is now.
General Clark Absolutely.
Reg: Do you enjoy the arts yourself?
General Clark Yes. Well, I used to paint.
Reg: Oh, I didn't know that.
General Clark And I used to do sculpture and stuff like that. And you know I, (chuckles) I'm a some-time attempted violinist.
Reg: Oh, I didn't know that.
General Clark My, I got a violin from my father. I, I used to play the trombone. Then when I came back from Vietnam, I had this incredible sort of near-death urge to learn the piano. So, I stayed with the piano for about a year and a half until finally common sense overwhelmed my ability to practice an hour a night, and I just, I just couldn't do it where we were living with a one and a half year old in the house. And then when I turned 60, Gert asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I wanted my violin restored from my father, and I wanted violin lessons. So, I took about six or eight months of violin lessons. So, I can pick out tunes on the violin. I can make some good notes and play the scales, and I feel really good about it. And it's one of these things that's better than golf.
Reg: (chuckles)
General Clark I'm going to get my violin handicap down to zero.
Reg: (laughs out loud) Okay. You were on Fox recently, and you wanted to talk about economics, but Neil Cavuto wouldn't let you.
General Clark That's true!
Reg: Do you think your economic plans that you had '04, like your tax plan, your college tuition plan, do you think they'd still be possible now with all the new debt we've accrued? Would we have to sacrifice that because of the war?
General Clark Well, I want to be really careful about raising taxes. I really am going to try not to raise taxes, but I do believe we've got to take care of people. You have to- I, I've been telling people in business, I said, You know, we've got a potential legitimacy problem. When a CEO makes 400 time what a worker makes, then you have to ask, Why does he deserve that much?
Reg: Right.
General Clark And the answer is the, it's just like in the military. You know, I've always said, Generals don't win battles. They're won by the people at the bottom of the organization - Sergeants and the Privates and the Captains and Lieutenants, not by the Colonels and the Generals. And the same is true in American business. You may make a great trade. If so, you're an investment banker, but when it's your company and you're producing a product or something, you've got to give some of that back to the people who helped you make it. And that's a legitimacy problem. You may not be able to give it all back in salary. I can accept that, but you better give it back in terms of educational opportunities, transportation and healthcare.
Reg: Okay.
General Clark And the arts!
Reg: Thank you. You were on the Ed Schultz Show the other day, and you mentioned personal debt. A lot of people who were unemployed or under-employed in recent years paid some of their bills with loans or with credit cards, and now they're underneath all this debt-
General Clark Education loans you're talking about. Well, education loans are the toughest loans.
Reg: Yeah.
General Clark You cannot skip out on an education loan. They're coming after you. There's a 99.9% repayment rate on education loans.
Reg: (laughs)
General Clark The government just takes it out of your taxes.
Reg: Well, what can be done about that?
General Clark Well, I think that you've got to emphasize employment in this country, but to do that, I'm favoring - and I've been talking to some of the union leaders - about a new paradigm for American labor. You know, when there was an industrial army in the Industrial Age, and you had massed workforces, and when you couldn't off-shore produce and get away with it, because you didn't have to the communications and control of it, then labor had more bargaining power, and unions emerged to exploit labor's bargaining power. Today, that's not the case. Labor doesn't have that bargaining power in most instances. So, the purpose of joining together if you're working is not to go gouge your employer for more benefits. Maybe that is, but it may not work. What you really have to do is have some self-help societies so that the purpose of it is professional development for the workforce. So, everybody who comes in, even if they are just a high school graduate, they should be given a roadmap and a roadmap that says if you work here you get your next level of skill, you'll take some off-duty vo-tech courses and we'll - I said off duty, but that's because we did this in the military, and it works. You've got, you've got- The most precious gift you can give someone is aspirations and show them that there's a way to better themselves and their family. To move from point A to point B, you must do these things, and you can get there. That's what we need - help, because most people in the workforce have no help. A man came to me on an airplane past week. We were flying out of Little Rock. I asked him what the most, biggest problem was in America, He said, "Well, of course, Iraq." He said, "But it's employment." I said, "Well, why?" I said, "Are you unemployed?" He said, "No, because," he said, "I'm trapped in a job. I'm 53 years old, and I can't get out of this job. I'm, I'm gone 28 days a month. I can't get a pay raise. I can't quit, and I don't have time to find another job. And I've got five kids."
Reg: Right.
General Clark And that's what happens in America. We have a myth of labor force mobility, but it's mostly a myth. When you're right out of college, sure it's easy, but when you're married and have family obligations, kids in school and maybe your wife's got a job and you've got sick relatives, and this labor market mobility's not what it's cracked up to be. You need some professional assistance, and we need to form a new paradigm so that ordinary working men and women can get that professional assistance.
Reg: Okay. Two more questions. One thing you spoke about in '04 that I didn't hear anyone else talking about was corporate welfare. Can you talk about that a little bit?
General Clark Well, actually John Kerry talked a little bit about it too, but you know we do have what we call tax expenditures, which is a subsidy or a- it's the equivalent of a subsidy or it's a special deal that comes through the taxation process. And a lot of this goes to big business. In fact, some goes to businesses who are actually off-shoring their jobs, and so they get a special tax subsidy for doing it. That's wrong!
Reg: Right.
General Clark I think we got to go wipe those out, start with a clean slate. There may be things you want tax expenditures on, assuming you don't completely rewrite the tax code and do away with them. Maybe they make a lot of sense in things like alternative energy.
Reg: Right.
General Clark But that should be a conscious choice of what we do, not a, just an absentminded by product of an archaic tax code.
Reg: Okay. The last question. You're very- you have a very big following online. You've made great use of the internet, but you also have a very vibrant online community on your blog. Did that happen organically, or was that by design?
General Clark (chuckles) It wasn't my design.
Reg: (laughs)
General Clark I think it's just a lot of really great people who care about the country, and to some extent, they're tired of politics as usual. They know that there's more to politics than celebrity status, even though some people don't seem to understand that. And so, they're looking for, they're looking for a way to express their ideas and to help shape elections.
Reg: Okay. That website is stopiranwar.com. General Wesley Clark's website is securingamerica.com. Thank you very much, General.
General Clark Thanks a lot. Appreciate it, Reg.
Reg: Thank you.
Thanks so much for this....You were great...and so was our General.
Nice range of questions...
for having a pleasant conversation with the General, painter, violinist and sharing with us :-)
Reg, this is great! I love, love, love this interview. You did a fabulous job and Gen. Clark was great.
Thank you for this!
"Some of them put on their cowboy boots and put their feet up on the desk." -Wes Clark
and you both rocked the house!
And major kudos to Libbyfab for the video and (rescuing) the audio!
... I didn't send you all the pics, yunno. ;)
Commit to securing America's future,
...that one with you gripping the table; and causing it to tremble and make the glasses rattle so much -- just before the interview --- it just came out too blurry. ;)
I'll have to use a faster lens next time ;p
Well Reg, here's the video of the havoc that you caused in the adjacent room. Fortunately for us, you suffered no aftershocks.
But Reg did a good job not getting nervous while she interviewed him, I really give her a lot of credit for that.
The World Needs Wes
I did not know of Wes's artistic abilities! The trombone, piano, and the violin!!! And the painting!. I also was glad to hear of his positive views toward public funding of the arts. A new dimension to a fantastic man.
By he way, where is the button for recommending the interview??
I don't think they have the recommend button for series blogs anymore.
You can go recommend the video on YouTube though. :^)
NO button since it's already a frontpage article but be sure to recommend this on YouTube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz18yirt5uw
Great job, Reg and team!
"And it's one of these things that's better than golf. I'm going to get my violin handicap down to zero."
Art matters! and other critical issues.
The interview, the interviewee, the interviewer...great pics!
Best Blog Ever!
I really am going to try not to raise taxes,
A slip of the tongue??
Someone once asked me if I had learned anything from going to war so many times.
My reply:
Yes, I learned how to cry.
Joe Galloway
General Clark: Well, I want to be really careful about raising taxes. I really am going to try not to raise taxes, but I do believe we've got to take care of people.---
Why would a man who is not planning on being president say such a thing???? Great Job, Reg! I'd say you just won the prize for getting the best answer to a question you didn't even ask!
translation: "I'd prefer not to raise taxes, but... I mean, we're really in a mess... So... No guarantees if I can use it to really help most people out."
i'd vote for that. i'd rather have slightly higher taxes if it meant people could go to the doctor without mortgaging their home. if every kid really had a shot at college without going into debt for the rest of their lives- and even beyond in some cases. if it meant a real balance of military and diplomatic strategies that might actually have a positive affect, someday, if not immediately...
you get the point, i'm sure.
then again, i'm (relatively) poor, so I don't have much to lose here...
just an idiot's take on a fair(er) shake in life...
You're a newbie. You don't know. He hasn't actually announced his candidacy yet. There's been all this 'will he or won't he' going on. So, for him to say that he's going to try not to raise taxes is a tell.
I noticed too!
When we were going over this in the edit stages, that stood out to me like a big SIGN!!!
Well, I want to be really careful about raising taxes. I really am going to try not to raise taxes, but I do believe we've got to take care of people.
Freudian Presidential Slip indeed.... :D :D
I just read through now, and look forward to watching/listening this afternoon.
Thank you for putting yourself out there and doing this! A real treat!
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right.
IT IS TIME TO MOVE FORWARD. THE COUNTRY WE CARRY IN OUR HEARTS IS WAITING. – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Thank you Reg!
Thank you so much for conducting the interview and sharing it with us. Thanks, Knightrider for the photos (you probably held the video camera, too)
I knew he was a Renaissance man - but painting, sculpting, and playing the violin. Wow! You just have to love the guy. He's wonderful.
Betsy in Memphis
It never ceases to amaze what else I find out the General can do: music, art, etc. Great!
I caught the Freudian slip, too....my eyes popped out! Makes my day after the KOS, etc., disasters. I can wait for Wes!....
And great job! The violin???? Who knew?
I'm THRILLED he loves the arts - as a semi-pro musician myself, I'd love to see more investment in the arts.
Also, "I'm going to try hard not to raise taxes????" LOVE IT!
Thanks for doing this! It's really appreciated.
This is SO cool Reg and Generation Whatever Team!!!!
We keep learning more and more about Wes after all these years. What I'd give for a picture of him playing that violin, or piano!
A real Renaissance man our General.
Great questions here Reg, half the art of the interview is in the questions posed. Fantastic job!!!
Now I have to go work so I can wrap up early enough to get to UCLA early and get my front row seat to see Wes!!! :D
how smiley Wes is looking at Reg!
He LOVES his bloggers, I tell ya.
This is just so great Reg, thank you thank you thank you!!
You have Nora O'Donnell beat by a mile. Maybe you should send this video to NBC? They could use some fresh blood on their team of reporters.
"Trust me."- Wes Clark
Brilliant idea and superb job, Reg. There is never a dull moment in the Clark camp with all the talent and interests that come to surface on a daily basis. I'm so proud of our General and all of you.
A man of many talents. And wouldn't you just love to see his paintings. Thanks Reg and crew.
re-takes.
Wes was scheduled to meet a group of us at 6, and Reg only had him for a very few minutes just before that. She finished the interview right on time - one mark of a real professional.
I watched as they were talking, but it was too noisy in the restaurant for me to make out all of what was being said. Reg wisely had her recorder right between them. I am delighted to see and hear the great result.
Nick Kelly
Wes Clark will be the national security candidate.
I don't know how you do it. I'd be so tongue tied.
Re: the piano. I seem to remember reading somewhere that he took up the piano originally as physical therapy. His hands took the longest to heal from his being shot in Viet Nam. In fact the fore finger on one hand is shorter than it should be....which might explain his difficulty in playing the piano.
I'm thrilled that he has taken up the violin.
He's soooooo well rounded!!
;)
Run Wes Run!
But he was so relaxed and in such a good mood that I was able to relax.
I wasn't quick enough to talk about the therapy aspects of the piano playing, but I'm sure you're right.
I read and watched the video replay. I watched the slip over and over again...Reg, you got him to announce. I'm I reading into this..absolutely but he really did slip and tried to gather himself about 5 seconds after his statement that he "will try hard not to raise taxes". Reg, you did a great job of keeping your composure and letting him answer without concern for your next question. The situation/location and you had him relaxed and that is why I think the "slip" is actually true.
I do wonder what he is waiting for? He has indicated he was waiting on some things to align....is he waiting for world events, a key endorsement, a new program to reveal? he must have something in the works. He is too strategic not to have something that will launch him into the forefront of the American voter's mind! I hope people judge on substance this election, if so, Wes is our Leader and gets us instant World respect back!
I am daydreaming here but what is his relationship with Colin Powell? Would he announce his candidacy with General Powell? Would that get instant pop? I was a huge Powell supporter until the Bush administration used him and he wilted to the pressure.
I am so excited about Wes Clark running....I will be involved his campaign as much as possible...financially and with time/energy etc..! No other candidate has what Wes has. Americans need Wes Clark so bad!
I am making a contribution right now!
Thank you thank you thank you! I'm sure he appreciated your tact in not going "um... let's back up to "will try hard not to raise taxes"???" Not that you needed to ... you got the scoop! Woo hoo!
Now that we know (and I can't thank you enough for your part in that!), I do hope he has better advisors than last time. Contesting Iowa would have been expensive but it turned out to be infinitely costly in the long run. On the other hand, without a huge Clinton- or Obama-type war chest, letting the sheen wear off the two major candidates isn't a bad plan. Meanwhile, he's focusing on getting his ideas out with the respect they'll get as coming from a noncandidate.
I just hope--although for me to think that I have any more of a head for strategery than a four-star general is a bit presumptuous--is that he's letting at least certain people know about his plans. He's worked his butt off for so many people in the last two elections and I would hate for them to endorse somebody else just because a clock is ticking and they don't know they need to keep their endorsements in reserve for Wes.
Glad I signed up for this the other day when -- ummmm -- Oh crap, I can't remember who it was, but someone posted about Digg on GD. After I signed up, I searched Wes Clark, and digged (dugg?) all the posts there about him.
btw, RegNYC, not to embarrass you or anything, but you're gorgeous!!
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right.
I B ELIEVE
Bill (from RI)
With my background and my current pet issues, you cannot imagine how this speaks to me.
I was actually planning on blogging about this soon. I'm just up to my eyeballs in a lot of things right now.
I hope I can get around to writing about this soon, while it's still relevant to this interview-lette.
Just as it is. Well you might want to BOLD, Italicize and Underline the Tax statement! LOL
I forgot to thank Knightrider for the fantastic photos too.
I am leaving in a half hour to go to UCLA and hear Wes on Nukes! I'm already nervous. Going to try to eat something before leaving.
You asked great questions and we found out much more from Wes. I love his idea of self-help societies in the work force. Imagine if this could be implemented around this country!!!
He's always looking for solutions, and his experience gives him the ability to work through the problems. That's what I love about Wes. There isn't a problem without a solution for him. While politicians say why we can't, he give us a lot of reasons why we can. ;)
Now, it's not that you should quit your day, ...erhm, ..or night job; but I seriously think that you ought'ta put this on your resume, then apply for your own show on Democracy Now. ;)
...And, you'd probably be able to obtain a supreme recommendation letter too! :I
And yes, I agree with everyone here who've recognized that your interview signficantly projected a more personal, human and philosophical side of Clark; and affirms to us and others exactly why he possesses the character and leadership qualities to become our next President.
Thanks, this was a pleasure to read watch and witness again. :)
It was you who talked me into it, and we couldn't have done it without your help. Your photographs are so great. I can't thank you enough.
Good questions, great writing.
MS - I can't follow this! You'll have to leave this up forever!
"It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and one to hear." - Henry David Thoreau
'Cause this was the best gift I've gotten....EVER!
Reg, I'm truly impressed. Thank you. Both you and the General showed your natural charm. An authentic conversation with America.
Wes Clark paints? Whoa. I've got space in my gallery.
You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.--J. V. Marley
Why are we being forced to watch the very bad interviewers on cable when you are so much better than they? You managed to bring totally new information (sculpture, violin--who knew?) to us who have already studied this man chapter and verse. He truly is a Renaissance man. America's best!
Lovely piece, Reg.
to see this interview.
Reg, you brought Wes out so well, and you asked great questions, and, most importantly, you were an excellent and supportive listener.
Thank you so much for doing this!
You know, the first time I met him, he asked me what I do, and I told him I was a musician. It's hard to believe that he remembered that 2 1/2 years later, but I can't think of why else he would tell me that when he hasn't talked about it before.
When I asked the question, I thought maybe he'd say he likes to go to the opera or museums or something. I never dreamed he say this.
playing violin being better than playing golf -- that just blew me away. ;)
I didn't know you were a musician, and as I posted in the gd thread, it would be so cool to play music with the General. We could get a little ensemble going -- the Clark Community Quintet, perhaps? ;)
I know -- how about we all get together and play a little something at his Inaugural Ball? ;)
Rick 12 string is my main axe
Someone once asked me if I had learned anything from going to war so many times.
My reply:
Yes, I learned how to cry.
Joe Galloway
It's a Rick 330/12 which my bandmates gave me for Christmas 2001.
The band.
The bass is the Fender Bass used in the recording of "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen! Dale is the 3rd owner, got it in 1967.
Someone once asked me if I had learned anything from going to war so many times.
My reply:
Yes, I learned how to cry.
Joe Galloway
of your band. I bet you guys sound awesome. You must have been together for a long time We've got ourselves a real rock star here at CCN -- just who does this Obama character think he's kidding? ;)
I've got a feeling that the consensus is that you are definitely the coolest member of our little Clark musical group. ;)
I've known the Conga Player (Earl) since 1979, the bass player (Dale) and the follicly challenged guitar player (Randy) since 1984. The drummer, who is also my lawyer (Mickey the mouthpiece) and the long haired guitar God (Derrick) since 1989.
The name of the band is "Loose Change." We never play anything the same way twice. My job is to remember the words and the chords.
Someone once asked me if I had learned anything from going to war so many times.
My reply:
Yes, I learned how to cry.
Joe Galloway
Fascinating to hear Wes discuss these other topics....and learn new things about him.
Particularly interesting is his talking to labor leaders about how to strengthen our unions...and workers. Very good to know this.
You did a terrific job. Thank you for bringing this to us. :)
Wow Reg, You are a natural reporter, you did a great job. And thank you for sharing this interview because I am so happy to hear that Gen Clark himself painted and sculpted, hey I know what it’s like to be an artist; besides, "Imagination is more important than knowledge" ~Eintein. But he can easily be a graphic designer because his typography and the drawing of the eagle on Recipe of a Military wife http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/7252 is pretty cool. He is also a musician! lol I took piano lessons myself but wasn't able to keep up with it due to tight schedule. You must have been happy to hear this yourself. So what does he don't know and can’t do? He is supporting National Endowment for the Arts? Hey, this is a clip to pass on to my artist friends. Anyway, thanks for posting because I didn’t get the chance to see this live, and Libby did a great job with the video and Knightrider with great photos. Will you be interviewing Mrs Clark?
Libby and Knightrider did a great job. Knight helped set up and everything too.
I wouldn't know what to say to Mrs. Clark. I was so wrapped up with this that I didn't get to talk to her that night.
Sorry, I was thinking of interviewing Mrs Clark in the near future. Such as asking her what was it like to be married to a brilliant military man, how she supported him through the most difficult times, helping the military communities etc. I just see her as an advocate for all the military spouses and relatives, but that is if she feels comfortable doing the interview. And I just find her very interesting and who can bring more light on Gen Clark since they both went through so much and gave so much sacrifice for our country.
Anyway, it's just a thought that came to my mind and you already did so much by bringing out more interesting sides from the General. Thanks!
and help you on this one but I am nooooooo interviewer in front of a camera. I wouldn’t mind helping you behind the scenes but in front the camera, I would just go blank lol.
you started to sound like Knightrider, lol.
I don’t mean to give you a heard time on this but it won’t work, and besides you are a real natural...
So refreshing to read an interview where I learned a lot of new things about Gen Clark. And didn't want to smack the interviewer :-)
Should be more of it!
You'd be taking them to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq. Wes Clark, CNN Aug 17 2003
I don't know how you kept such composure when you were so up-close-and-personal with General Clark. He was clearly enjoying himself and it was great that you gave us the chance to learn more about him. And, yes, I also caught the future tense tax comment right away!
Seriously, I wouldn't have been able to talk without it.
He was very generous and supportive. I can't say that enough.
Wes was having so much fun too!
May I nominate you as official reporter to the Clark Campaign? Who needs MSM!
All things come to him who waits - provided he knows what he is waiting for.
--Woodrow T. Wilson
to hear General Clark answering questions on a wide array of subjects. I hope some of our posters will post this interview around the web.
Good job Reg in NYC!
Clark 08