Wes Heading out to LA
Submitted by VaDem on October 29, 2005 - 9:24am.
Firsthand Accounts
I left Virginia today for a few days in Florida. We boarded the
shuttle at Dulles to head out to the gate, everyone packed on the bus
like sardines, when my husband said to me, "Look who's on the bus".
About 15 feet down the row, leaning against the window side of the
shuttle and traveling alone, was General Clark. Needless to say, I
managed to make my way through the rest of the sardines so I could say
hello. I'm not one to disturb the few quiet minutes that he has to
himself, so I just wanted to introduce myself as a supporter and say
hello. He said he was traveling out to see the grandchildren and go to a
WesPAC fundraiser. I mentioned that I had heard about the 4 Star
Democrats fundraiser in LA. He asked if I were going to be in DC for the
meeting in a couple of weeks and I said, ' Of course!" That was the
extent of our conversation. He had the phone in his ear and was
getting calls and I respect his privacy too much to keep jabbering, so
I told him to have a good time with the children and a successful
fundraiser. The shuttle started up and off we went. Even brief
encounters are special.
One interesting side bar to this...my brother in law is not what you'd
call politically astute and I've never tried to discuss my interests
and political leaning with him, so always figured him to be the good
ole boy type--red-neck Republican. He hadn't seen me go over to speak
to General Clark, but later told me he was standing beside a man who
said to him, "Hey, look at that guy over there...the one with the gray
hair leaning against the window. He's one of the CNN military
people". My brother in law turned to look and said, "Oh, you mean
Clark?" I had no idea he even knew who Wes is...then he made the
comment to me, "We'd be living in a different world if he'd been
elected instead of Bush". I think more people get it than we give
them credit for.
What a trip! Thank you so much for sharing this surprising, happy encounter!! It's awesome that General Clark's time on Fox is opening people's eyes to what we've known for so long!!
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia
I love that account...I wish I could run into Wes like that somewhere...Curiously the night that you had this encounter, I had a dream that I ran into Wes and Gert on the streets of Manhattan. Wes was holding a little child that couldn't be his grandchild because it was a little girl but I was so pleased that Gert, when she saw me, called out to me "Carol!" Then we all sat down at some sidewalk cafe to have some coffee and a chat. I guess that's the only way it's going to happen for me, in a dream..hehe
Guess Wes's presence made the flight a little better, lol. My Republican Bro-in-law saw Wes with me at the Clash of the Titans. I think he was favorably impressed. We've got to keep these family recruiting efforts going!! BTW, I also saw Wes for Tim Kaine in Norfolk--now that was a great day!!
The General gets it right. Competence--What a concept!
My three Republican brother-in-laws all became Wes fans...Two of them switched registration to be able to vote for Wes in their primaries. :)
I really do think that, on top of everything else he would do for this ocuntry, Wes really could be the uniter this country so desperately needs.
"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
Thanks so much for sharing this. We all dream of running into Wes somewhere......lucky you!
George Bush has had his day and he's bollixed it up.
Are you coming to S. Fla? I have to tell all of you that we here in Broward have been somewhat ignored, more by our local news than by national (CNN). It looks like a war zone, no power and still many without phone. The numbers in Red Cross shelters will go up as more homes are condemned. Schools are out and by far the majority will be without power for sometime to come. Then, how to people get to school and work without traffic lights, not nearly enough police to direct traffic? Thanks to Ice for getting the interview on Ed Schultz. I haven't really had a chance to listen lately. Our pinhead Gov. Bush finally figured out (after like 563 huricanes) that you can pump gas with generators at gas stations. So next time (!) we might have generators to help us get gas so we won't have to wait 8 hrs. Geez, what a mess.
We really aren't hearing much about Florida on the MSM. I hope things get better soon. Keep us posted.
What a nightmare. So sorry that you guys have to go through all of this.
As for Wes' appearance in Fla, it's still up on the WesPAC calendar so that's a good sign.
"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
So, does anybody out there know if Wes will still be at the fundraiser in Miami on the 11th of Nov. with Sen. Nelson or did it get bumped due to Wilma? God, I hope not. Come he-- or highwater (we've had both recently) I'm gonna find a way to get there.
No, ceforclark, we're in an area that doesn't look like it was touched by Wilma. Siesta Key off Sarasota. I've been reading and seeing a few things about your plight, those still without power and the difficulty getting around with no gas and no traffic lights. Seems that no one wants to show the negative side of this storm since it's Jeb's state! He was praised to high heavens after Katrina (esp by Joe Scarborough) as someone who handled hurricanes and their aftermath perfectly...we couldn't possibly show that Florida planning screws up too. Might be bad for Jeb. Sure hope Wes is able to come on on the 11th for Bill Nelson--that leaves a couple of weeks to get things up and running. Hang in there.
Thanks for sharing this with us, VaDem. Also the story of your bro-in-law.
Leadership means lifting people up. --Wes Clark
for sharing your brief encounter of the most special kind! =)
Have a nice time in FL, and maybe an in-depth chat w/your brother-in-law, finally!