Clark:"Go ask them why they didn't stand up for me."
Submitted by Mary on October 7, 2008 - 8:35am.
Clark spoke to students at Northwestern Univ (Evanston, IL) on Monday night.
Wesley Clark urges audience to seek change in Washington
By Jason Plautz (a student blogger)
The last time retired U.S. Gen. Wesley K. Clark made a significant public appearance, he started a major controversy by questioning Sen. John McCain’s qualifications. Not this time.
Speaking at Owen L. Coon Auditorium Monday night in an event sponsored by College Democrats, Clark did acknowledge his recent flap, but primarily discussed the current administration.
Clark, a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, did not explicitly encourage the audience to vote for Sen. Barack Obama, but he did not shy away from using Obama’s buzzwords. “We need new ideas and new leadership in Washington,” Clark said.
Clark identified the problems of the current establishment and talked about the need for change. He compared the effects of major crises of the last eight years — Sept.11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Katrina and the current financial slowdown — to the impact of the Vietnam War. However, he warned against taking a partisan approach to debating those issues.
“It’s tempting to just say ‘This is all Bush’s fault,’” he said. “But you have to reach a deeper level of understanding and realize that these aren’t things you can solve with partisanship.”
Clark discussed the issues of foreign policy and the economy, saying that the country’s current problems had deeper roots in the general attitude of Washington. He disapproved of the idea of the “invisible hand” and people’s reliance on the government as the responsible party.
In his closing words, he encouraged the crowd to take action.
“You’re the educated leaders of tomorrow,” he said. “You’re here at this time, so listen to the debate. Ask yourself if we’re really getting to the ideas that put us at this impasse or are we just talking about lipstick on pigs.”
Answering questions from the audience, Clark addressed his feelings about the response to his comments about John McCain on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” During the show he questioned whether McCain’s military service qualified him to lead the country. He was criticized from both campaigns for the comments.
“It’s just politics,” Clark said. “The Obama campaign could have said they agreed with me. Go ask them why they didn’t stand up for me.”
http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2008/10/12071/wesley-clark-urges-audience-to-seek-change-in-washington/
I was just about to blog about his speech from a slightly different angle, but thanks for posting this, Mary!
Here's what I had written:
General Clark demonstrated again Monday night why he speaks for so many of us who feel alienated and disenfranchised by politics as usual and yearn for substance and reason in our public discourse. Not that we're likely to see that on the main stage any time soon, as both major campaigns this week signaled the beginning of the character assassination season, heading into the final weeks before the election.
Nevertheless, at an event Monday night sponsored by the College Democrats of Northwestern University, the General was the voice of sanity, urging students to avoid the hyperpartisan trap, which has obstructed solutions to our country's economic and military concerns, and listen objectively to both candidates in the presidential debate.
"It's convenient to blame Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney, but they're operating on a set of ideas that were mostly invalid," he said. "We need new ideas. We need a government to really take a lead in giving America a new strategy and purpose in the world. We need to stop dividing America into Republicans and Democrats ... We need to pull this country together."
Account from school newspaper, The Daily Northwestern. (Includes a video clip from the speech, which I can't get to embed here.)
so I did:
Nick Kelly
posted 10/07/08 @ 12:19 PM CST
Wes Clark is a very wise man, and Northwestern students were fortunate to have this opportunity. For anyone interested in learning more, please visit Wes Clark's website at http://securingamerica.com/ You may also participate in the Clark Community Network blog at http://securingamerica.com/ccn/
Nick Kelly
Wes Clark could still secure America as a national security candidate.
"She hopes to open shadowed eyes on a different world...." Robert Smith, borrowed from Penelope Farmer
“It’s just politics,” Clark said. “The Obama campaign could have said they agreed with me. Go ask them why they didn’t stand up for me.”
Yes indeedy.
Why have Obama and the New Democratic Party chose to rehabilitate the Republican Party at a time when it and conservatism has proven to be such a failure? Answer: "Because that's where the money is."
I'd like to know that too.
Someday, maybe candidates will choose their principals over politics as usual. Not in 2008 though, it seems.
The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off. ~Gloria Steinem
Here's another student's comments (talking to his buddies):
Alright guys unfortunately there were more eager and stupid college aged kids asking questions than I had anticipated, so I didn't get a chance to get any questions in.
In the Q&A portion most of the things he was asked were pretty stupid like "How will the don't ask don't tell policy be affected in the next administration?"
He did have some funny sh*t to say, and really came out hard against Iraq, but was also critical of partisanship in that he commented on how most of the Democrats were simply using the war as a rallying cry for their agenda without being truly pragmatic.
Really was impressed by him and would be thrilled if he got tapped as Secretary of State.
He spoke about how he was unfairly quoted and ambushed with regard to his comments on Face the Nation about McCain's service, since he was on the show to talk about foreign policy and was interrupted by Leiberman and given an out of the blue question by the host. In restating himself to the audience tonight, he said that military service is important to demonstrate that one does have some courage and dedication to America, but as a qualification for the presidency the most important part of military service is how one uses past experience to make sound decisions thereafter. In that respect, Clark said he felt McCain was a valiant American hero, but that he disagreed with how this heroism and experience shaped his leadership in politics.
Clark also spoke about some very interesting pragmatic solutions for Afghanistan, such as doing away with contracts to pay companies to spray and kill poppy. He said one group (Dynacorp or something?) got 400 million to do this, when we should be helping bring in irrigation so that the countryside can produce subsistence and mercantile food crops, rather than trying to fight a losing battle against demand-driven drug production. In that respect he put less fault on the individually impoverished Afghanis, even mentioning how a rational mother with multiple sons is wise to have one son assist the coalition forces, while sending another to aid the Taliban because it ensured they were insulated from attack by either group.
http://www.mmaupdates.com/52140_Going_to_see_Wesley_Clark_speak_in_an_ho.html
“The Obama campaign could have said they agreed with me. Go ask them why they didn’t stand up for me.” - Gen. Clark
He disapproved of the idea of the “invisible hand” and people’s reliance on the government as the responsible party.
Wow, that is almost maverick-like in its tone. Not a normal politician pandering for votes.
Bears repeating again and again.
“It’s just politics,” Clark said. “The Obama campaign could have said they agreed with me. Go ask them why they didn’t stand up for me.”
I'd like to know why he or any of his people never uttered a word that in any way showed Wes any respect for all of the years he served. Them not having the courage or the intelligence or whatever it would have taken to agree with him was bad enough. The total lack of respect they showed for Wes, while falling all over themselves to respect McCain, is just...argh!!!!....There are no words....
"She hopes to open shadowed eyes on a different world...." Robert Smith, borrowed from Penelope Farmer
urges audience to seek change in Washington.
Otherwise we gonna have GWB III.
Once again, out there - Wes being Wes. You have no idea how great it is to see this commentary this morning. Like no one else out there, Wes stays true to his convictions and speaks truth to power.
And also, I must interject:
"...he did not shy away from using Obama’s buzzwords. “We need new ideas and new leadership in Washington,” Clark said."
In the interest of truthiness, I want to point out that these are O's buzzwords only in that they've been co-opted from Wes in the first place. I seem to recall this exact phrase coming out of Wes mouth often, and since somewhere around 2003. And probably before that as well.
And finally, why didn't I hear about this appearance? It was five miles away from me for pete's sake!!
Harrrrrrumph. ;-)
“We need new ideas and new leadership in Washington"
Agreed, which is one reason I'm behind one of the four people on the major tickets that is outside Washington; even if she is a bit too right-wing for my preference.
Clark: "New ideas" needed in Washington.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
"We're no better than our own sense of humility."
...that this event was happening?
Thanks for the video, Carol. Nice little snippet. We'd heard the Condi Rice story, but this is a little more detailed than other versions I've heard.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
"We're no better than our own sense of humility."
Bill (from RI)
"Go ask them why they didn't stand up for me"....Yes, indeed.
I'm glad these students got a chance to hear from a real leader. No matter what happens in November, he'll continue to touch lives and make a difference.
"She hopes to open shadowed eyes on a different world...." Robert Smith, borrowed from Penelope Farmer