Blogging from YKos
Submitted by shortie on August 3, 2007 - 8:00am.
Wes is actually here. He got into the hall about 20 minutes ago and greeted a few people then disappeared behind the curtain. There are clarkies everywhere at two of the front-center tables.
a stray edwardian talking to DonnaZ, Carol4 Clark, Melange, Nelsons, Arky Sue and gear, Dom and gear, Me and gear, some nice man reading the paper I don't know!
Larry is pacing and blackberrying.
Arky is showing her pic of Wes in the program! We have copies of A Time to Lead on the table with a framed A Time to Lead plaque and Dom is running around setting up like a mad man!
I will send back reports from Y-Kos, but I suck at live blogging. My fingers keep screwing up on laptop keyboards for one thing. Plus I get wrapped up in what I'm watching and can't break free to write.
OK! Jon Soltz is at the mike! Strap in for blast off. Here comes the intro.
"I think you all know that General Clark was right all along about the Iraq War..."
BIG APPLAUSE
to lots of warm applause
What to say to intro Clark he says. I think you guys all know that Gen Clark was RIGHT about the war (clapppppp) I wanted to talk to you about who he is - sometimes we talk about policies but not about LEADERS. Who Gen Clark is as a person....
Then he begins a story of when he was stationed in Germany and Clark was SUpreme Allied COmmander and didn't get to meet Wes, he was afraid of Gen Clark before he met him. Afraid to call him... (laffs) I was so afraid, cuz in the army if you talk to a general people have a problem with it...
Jon is remembering how intimidated he was before he met Wes, a nice funny moment...
Nobody has helped me in the last year as much as General Clark. We need leaders!
After screaming applause
"Thank you that makes me feel good. And I haven't even announced yet.."
PAUSE
"That was a joke--"
Your last two lines were below the bottom of my screen and I was absolutely PLOTZING here until I read the rest!
But wait... was that your joke or his?
If it was his, let the plotzing begin again!
I wanna see some plotzing going on! Whoohooo!
Oh, just as an fyi, I haven't said I won't run either.
Westcott 08! You deserve a better dog catcher! I can win! Plotz away! :D
white shirt, dark suit
Looks SO good on the big screen. SO GOOD!
LMAO! ;-D
If Wes does run, you ought to be his wardrobe person (assuming he would need/put up with one of those). Most southern men leave that stuff to their wives. However, when campaigning I guess that stuff is important as well.
Still displaced from my work office by that steam pipe blast a couple of weeks ago, I'm stuck working at a computer with no sound...So I can watch the stream but not hear. :( I hope the video will be archived somewhere so I can view and listen later...
The comments are great though...Keep 'em coming. :)
"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark
"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark
"Everything reminds Rudy of 9/11" -- Laughs
It took Michael Moore to take rescue workers of 9/11 to Cuba...
Talking about the bridge collapse and the money needed to put into our own highway infrastructure.
Adamant on Iraq now about the troops.
I am so filled with admiration for the men and women in uniform )appplause))
That's a BIG problem that entails more than the highways and bridges and someone better address it or the whole country's going to fall to pieces a little at a time.
"The mark of leadership is not to standup when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing" - Pulitzer Prize winning author Samantha Power, introducing Gen Clark
WOW what a globe trotter
He's now talking about how everyone loves Americans but don't understand where "we are"... Discussing farmers -- the Doha trade talks, how sincere are we or committed to alleviate world poverty.
"VP Gore has done a FABULOUS job, hasn't he?"
It was absolutely impossible to keep up with it, totally mind boggling, seemingly dozens, many multiple visits to the same lands. Wes Clark isn't guessing when he talks about the feelings people all over the world have about Americans today. They tell him directly, in all corners of the globe.
but did count; think it was 35 countries Panama twice;
"It seems everything reminds Rudy Giuliani of 9/11." - Wesley Clark, YearlyKos 2007
btwn Israel and the Palestinians
Not one person has come up to me in my travels to ask "What you've done with Saddam Hussein- thank you very much! Come to MY country to do that!!"
Where is America? We love America! (is what people are asking him} He has that emphatic tone now... WHERE IS AMERICA??
(sensing a theme)
I love America, and I know you do too. SOME people in America have never had it so good.... Why can't people inArkansas get their teeth fixed? Wealthiest country in the world and people are losing teeth.... 9 million children in poverty.
WHERE IS AMERICA? What do we stand for as a nation?
(theme, theme)
W'ere working two three jobs--- americans have a lot of energy. Lot of low paying jobs. Just treading water, hoping not to go bankrupt, struggling to stay alive out there in the greatest country in the world.
Why can't we have energy independence?
I'm gonna ask for your help in addressing our problems we have today. We need to be using this moment to reshape the international institutions.... addressing poverty health disease global warming human rights-- beyond any one country dealing with. We need to rebuild America to compete.
(lists all things needed to rebuild)
BUT we can't do that until we find a way out of IRAQ
APPLAUSE
Need your help. We gotta get out of there the right way. Unlike VIetnam, we'll still be left with worries about Iran, Palestinians, Israel, tha Arab gulf friends, and lebanon and the oil, and terrorism, those interests won't go away by pullling troops out. We have to come out the RIGHT way.
Now that was funny... "When George Bush gets tired of listening to the generals, he replaces them."
George Bush loves him cuz he always listens to Generals.
(claps, hollers)
When he doesn't listen to him, he replaces them.
(appplause, laughs)
"They hit what they shoot at and I'm proud of them."
We need to have an argument not about the troops or their tactics, but raise the debate to the Administration's policies and strategies.
"We've got to stop isolating people we disagree with."
That got some real applause. I don't think a lot of the Kossacks like the gyst of the conversation, though. I think they just want us the hell out and don't care how.
Are committed to candidates who are not advocated "out now," including VP Gore.
You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.--J. V. Marley
stop isolating people we disagree with and start
ENGAGING them.
(goes on to talk about Iran)
They all love americans and 61% think Iranian govt is no good (ClarkCast stats!!)
The US HAS to engage, it's time to engage. Bush says we don't have enuf leverage. We got aircraft carriers, military dominance over IRan, we can go in any time we want, they know it. Every org. Iran wants support from we control, or dominate. We don't have enuf leverage?
Remember the rule, when we talk about force, it's only, only, only, only as a last resort.
we are playing on george bush's court.
That's what he likes.
I wouldn't have gone in on this mission, but we never had enuf troops to do the job. We want the troops home. But I suggest if we raise the dialogue and take it away from george bush's safe ground, We're not questioning the generals!
Mr President we are questioning YOU!
All on their feet clapping thunderously now. SOltz is eyeing the response with great interest..
I'm sitting here in my pajamas, and that podium pounding moment caused major goosebumps and a shout of FREE WES CLARK!!! (The hound loves when I do that.)
WHOOO HOOOO! Man. Wish I was there, but I'd look silly in my pajamas.
Tell George Bush, "Mr. President, I'm not questioning the generals, I'm questioning YOU!" "Stop hiding behind Petraus and come out and debate your strategy."
because the army is over committed.
"Mr. Bush, the problem is not the troop strength, the problem is the failure of your leadership in the region!"
the problem in Iraq is NOT the troops, it is NOT the Generals
It is the failure of YOUR leadership in the region
"We can hope for a state where thousands of Iraqis are not dying every month."
about 100 billion a year
and our children need health care
and our roads need repair
We must act SOON
I'm looking to you this community.. You...Kossacks! Help with the intelligence with this debate, help america get it's priorities right. This country that's generous, that welcomes strangers, that gives to the world, it's selfless service.
isn't iraq all about cheney and the secret energy meetings?
(only the kossack took about 20 minutes to say that!)
It's not just oil, but youre right, oils a big factor because who's in Darfur right now?
Wes totally rocked! I'll be interested in hearing the buzz you guys in attendance pick up from this.
a nail biter, since the power went off here until just before WKC began speaking--I did get the thunderous applause and the wonderful speech and q/a--I think this is the best I have ever seen him. and I understand now his concerns about losing a race for POTUS--kind of follows what I had thought. Mark Warner is a great guy, but even he had to back out for family reasons (I bet he'll be a VP nominee, tho). and Mark Warner was a multi-millionaire before he ran. Think Nextel.
I hope I hope I hope something can help WKC to run and win. He has the only full-fledged, intelligent ideas out there.
I hope the Kossacks take to heart his suggestions for influencing Congress.
Bless all of you there for your FHAs.
The General gets it right.
Competence--What a concept!
"Just when the world is being dragged into the death spiral of an unending cycle of violence by a vision-less, coldblooded collection of think-tank warriors goose-stepping their way into the new millennium with a stunning lack of respect for human rights, the environment, or international law, along comes a man with the proven credentials of intelligence, integrity, and courage singularly equipped by his spirit and experience to lead us out of this mess. Don't listen to what the lying liars say about him; listen to what he says. Wesley Clark is a prayer answered. Peace"
-- Kris Kristofferson
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
Some Clarkies talked me into asking a question, so I sat through the last few minutes with a slow build up of stage fright, lol, I got the last question, and I said, though I am glad to see Democrats calliing for diplomacy, how can we stop them from defining diplomacy as, "Sure, I'm willing to tell the Iranians to their face that they are wrong and we will stop them if they don't stop on their own."
Clark did a great mock role play of what passes for diplomacy im many people's minds:
"You Dirty so and so, you damn well better do what I say now or you will be sorry because I can blow you away blah blah" (not an exact quote from Clark, but you get the idea)..."
And Clark then gave an intelligent short lesson on diplomacy, what it involves, and how to do it, that I hope a few of our current candidates for President actually get to listen to someday.
(Wes seemed quite pleased to see you.)
You were very good. And opened the door for Wes to not only give a great defining answer to the question, but also to show off that trade mark humor. Brilliant. I loved the "Jim Baker Diplomacy" - that Wes can just crack me up. It's great that all those Kossacks got a taste of just how approachable and down to earth (while scary smart) Wes is.
You did not hear my standing ovation for
Tom Rinaldo/Wes Clark's brilliant (brilliant, I say) Q&A all the way from the left coast?
...and I always enjoy Wes's impersonation of
uncaBaker's horse-trading diplomacy. :D
"Impeachment is NOT a Constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the CURE for a Constitutional crisis." -- John Nichols, July 14, 2007
Thank you, Tom. Did I hear some groans in the audience when he mentioned using diplomacy regarding Iran and oil? Even Kossacks can wear blinders.
As a conflict resolution mediator, I truly appreciated his lesson on how you set the groundwork for getting along. It's not about who is "right" and who is "wrong."
Eloquent and knowledgeable. His response is worth preserving in the archives to tell the country what real diplomacy is all about.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
Wes Clark -- Don't settle for less.
Make America All It Can Be!
Great live blogging........but I hope someone recorded it for we doofuses who forgot to tune in. Arrrghhh!
People want leadership......and in the absence of leadership, they will listen to anyone who walks up to the microphone.
Lewis Rothschild, in "American President"
I've snuck into the media panel (Left behind by the Right) for a bit, with John Dean and David Brock and supposedly arianna who is not here...yet.
I'll run back to the military panel down a few flights of stairs in a bit.
David Brock is saying he's a proud progresive no longer blinded by the right but surrounded by the light. He's funny! Discussing media matters, so busy documenting the lies of the right wing media , will confess that watching the repub debate-- he thought to himself "Thank God these are not my people"
He got in trouble in 96 with the conservative movement by publishing a bio of HRC that portrayed her as ... a "human being". he says. He reminisces about being in the living room with Laura Ingraham (hisses)"I left room for boo-ing in there...."
"I left the hatred, the prejudice, the hypocrisy behind"
I caught pieces of Wes' speech --- on dialup ---and with personal interruptions as well,
so I really couldn't gauge the audience reaction that well.
I hope that some of you who are there in Chicago (known in my mind as "The birthplace of Wesley Kanne Clark")
will post here giving us some idea of how you think his audience compared with that of other prominent national people who spoke.
thanks for the reports posted already --- really good of you,
Clearsky
Man. For those of us just waking up on the west coast, will there be a way to see video of the speech?
Hope so nocore. I caught most of it. Missed the Soltz intro and the first few minutes.
The feed wasn't all that good.
"Impeachment is NOT a Constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the CURE for a Constitutional crisis." -- John Nichols, July 14, 2007
So, having no clue what SA was, I tried some Googling.
And I came across RegNYC photos of Glenn Branca's 100 Guitars- a show I was at- including pictures of my friend erica who was playing in it.
A Clarkie who's into Glenn Branca?
Hm. Interesting.
Wesley Clark to Bush: "Stop Hiding Behind David Petraeus!"
---------------------
A Wes Clark Democrat
America Needs Wes Clark
Blogging Wes Clark for President 2008
Wesley Clark to Bush: "Stop Hiding Behind David Petraeus!"
« Yearly Kos Does Foreign Policy | Main
August 03, 2007
Wesley Clark to Bush: "Stop Hiding Behind David Petraeus!"General Wesley Clark delivered a humdinger of a speech this morning in Chicago at YearlyKos.
There's much to it -- and he puts the target for the failure in Iraq not on the military, nor on the Congress, nor other participants in this mess other than President George W. Bush.
Others will get the text and audio file up. I'll try to link later.
But his commentary on engaging our foes and rivals was right on target. He called Bush out and demanded that the President stop trying to look like a leader by chewing up the lives of American men and women in combat. He told Bush to stop hiding behind General David Petraeus.
I want to remind readers and journalists that getting a Democratic presidential contender to state that we ought to be negotiating with Iran directly used to be difficult. It was not Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or Bill Richardson or John Edwards or Joe Biden or Chris Dodd who were in that space first.
Wesley Clark was. He made his first major statement that we should be talking directly to Iran in September 2005 at a conference titled "Terrorism, Security and America's Purpose." (video link here)
Clark then underscored his position in a "Real State of the Union" address he gave for the New America Foundation in January 2006 and then shortly after on Meet the Press with Tim Russert.
Clark has an approach to national security and foreign policy that is very solutions-oriented. He has clear-headed views on how complex military, political, and economic systems need to be molded to achieve results. And he is open to the feedback of failure -- so that systems can learn.
It's probably late in the day for Wesley Clark to get into the race, but the various Democratic presidential competitors would find it well worth their time to learn from Clark who can both get beyond vapid, binary responses on foreign policy issues and still give a straight answer.
Very interesting morning here at McCormack Place Convention Center. The main hall was packed to the gills at 8 am. These folks attending are hyper-motivated.
The last time I saw this kind of enthusiasm in a huge crowd was at AIPAC's 2007 annual conference. Maybe balance will be restored to the American political universe.
-- Steve Clemons
People want leadership......and in the absence of leadership, they will listen to anyone who walks up to the microphone.
Lewis Rothschild, in "American President"
fabulous!
(also my favorite 'Do_not_mess_with_Wes!' photo)
"Impeachment is NOT a Constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the CURE for a Constitutional crisis." -- John Nichols, July 14, 2007
are sitting side by side listening to Steve Clemons live. There is another woman on the panel who just mentioned the General.
I'm amazed that this is happening. (3:27)
Juan Cole is coming up at 4:00.
You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.--J. V. Marley
Clark has an approach to national security and foreign policy that is very solutions-oriented. He has clear-headed views on how complex military, political, and economic systems need to be molded to achieve results. And he is open to the feedback of failure -- so that systems can learn.
---------
A great write up!
to ask people to actually think. That's what makes it so hard to comapre his speech to say the one Given by Howard Dean. Dean's speeech was intelligent, it had real content and important themes, Dean gets the big picture on domestic politics that many national democrats miss, which the netroots however get. So Dean gets on a roll and the energy builds and builds.
Clark got on several great rolls during his speech, and the energy built and swept over the room, like when he said, "We aren't questioning the Generals, we're questioning you Mr. Bush"! But then Clark shifts back into instructing, raising issues that most of us never think about, challenging our assumptions, framing new struggles rather than reenforcing the ones that we are already fully engaged in. That makes people stop and think.
Clark forced people in this crowd to be thoughtful this morning. He took this group of people very very seriously. He acted as if we can help save the world, if we are willing to be prepared to take the lead on changing critical parts of the public debate. And then he tutored us on what needs to be addressed,
So repeatedly Wes Clark wins the respect of the grasssroots, but refuses to just play to our emotional high about fightng the good fights that we are already good at fighting. People like to feel good about what we are already doing, and we want to be taken seriously. Clark took us seriously this morning. He told us what it is up to us to now do, to change the overall role the U.S. needs to play in the midddle east now.
He could have gone for the non stop instant emotional high, he could have completely intoxicated us this morning, but he made a different choice.
When I finally put my head on my pillow at 3:00 a.m. (I was watching the movie "A Bridge Too Far"), I didn't know it would be streamed live. So I missed it altogether.
Thanks, everybody, for your live reports. I'm now chopping at the bit to catch a video.
Any idea how many people signed the StopIranWar petitiion?
Did the "Meet Wes Clark" flyers get out to the people? Can you tell how they were received?
You guys have a great time at Gracie O'Malley's tonight. Have a martini on my behalf.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
Wes Clark -- Don't settle for less.
Make America All It Can Be!
I can't stop thinking about what an incredible leader he is. Wes is the best we have. Damn, why the hell can't he be President? Please tell more about the audience reaction to his speech. He must have rallied everyone to their feet. Wish I could have been there; but thanks so much for live blogging!
was "be all that you can be". Clark is talking now in the next workshop about progressives and the military. He is talking about how the military as an isstitution is on the communitarian side of the political spectrum - working together to help each make their maximum contribution.
He said one pole in politics is libertarian (
implied right wing libertarian) which is you get from life what you deserve, if you can't afford health care it's because you didn't earn it. The military tends toward the progressive pole on matters like that. He made a couple of jokes about coming from a socialist background.
he's certainly not NOT running...from the sounds of it
"Impeachment is NOT a Constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the CURE for a Constitutional crisis." -- John Nichols, July 14, 2007
and Edwards fading, next 4-6 weeks would be perfect
for wes to redefine landscape
that's all I'll say; I know everyone is tired
of speculation and avise etc etc
but, I still have hope
Bill (from RI)
He talked for a bit about a conversation he'd had with Mark Warner back in 2003. Mark told him how you have to be willing to lose. How you have to be willing to lose not just the race, but all your money, your reputation, your friends, and your family, and if you can do without it, don't do it. Politics isn't for everybody.
Then someone asked him, since he's not currently in the race, which of the current people he thought he was most aligned with. He said, "Well, I haven't endorsed anyone yet." And then he went on to say they were all good people and would all be much better at the job than GWB.
Yes, i heard. Over time, Wes has told the Mark Warner-story nearly as often as he's told his priest-story.
Interesting that I, (seemingly far more cynical
than you ever will be), haven't quite yet reached that place where you are.
"Impeachment is NOT a Constitutional crisis. Impeachment is the CURE for a Constitutional crisis." -- John Nichols, July 14, 2007
there's one clip where's he being interviewed,but I can't get the sound to work. The clip of his speech is here:
http://ustream.tv/channel/yearlykos-convention-2007
Thank you so much Clarkie live-bloggers. YOU ALL ROCK!!!
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right.
Janet (demokitty), Tom Rinaldo, marinerfan, bug, melange, nelsons, ms in la, KR, DonnaZ & MrZ, pilgrim, Larry, Mary Lee (of course), Luther, a bunch of people at a table with Eric Massa, Arky...