Meeting the General, a second hand account
Submitted by mad4clark on November 11, 2005 - 1:59pm.
I just got off the phone with my friend, Danielle, who was lucky enough to meet Wes this morning at a private fundraiser for Senator Bill Nelson.
She (she is the Vice Chair) and the lady who is Chair of the Volusia Co. attended along with about 80 others in a beautiful private residence in down town Orlando. She said the majority were there to see Wes. :D
The cost to get in was $500 which was far outside of their personal capabilities so they had asked for donations and managed to raise the whole $1000. Funnily enough, some of the money came from Republicans who can't stand what has happened to their party. Wes had a lot of support from Volusia Co. Republicans in '04 and she said as soon as they heard he was to speak, they opened their wallets......all in cash, because they didn't want a record of it. LOL
She was so excited to tell me that she got the opportunity to talk with Wes one on one, and, listen up m_s in la.......she got the two hands hold the whole time he talked with her. ;)
Danielle, who is originally from France, told Wes her brother, who is in the French Foreign Legion, had made her promise to pass on a message to him if she ever got the chance.
The message was........In the over 30 years he has been with the FFL, he was never treated with more respect by Americans than when he was in Kosovo under General Clark's command.
Wes was absolutely delighted by this and wanted to know more. They discussed her brother and Kosovo in general then Danielle said "But don't worry, I'm American and I can't wait to vote for you again." which made Wes laughed out loud.
Wes made a short speech, mostly on the environment which was very well received but the bulk of his time was spent mingling with the crowd. Danielle said that he was very touched to see so many who supported him in '04.
She also said he had 4 or 5 other stops in Florida today and all of them had been arranged by Clarkies!
Danielle, who is very well connected, also shared with me that three independent sources have told her that Wes and Dean are working hand in hand for 2006. One source is a wealthy Clarkie, whom I actually know. He has a second home in VT right down the road from Dean. He has been to his house and has had many conversations with Dean so he knows this first hand. Another source is Barbara Boxer who Danielle is in contact with on a regular basis in her capacity as DEC officer. When Danielle first told Boxer she was a Clark supporter, Boxer exclaimed "That's so great, another Clarkie!" She has since confirmed to Danielle that Wes and Dean are working closely. I have forgotten who the third source was but the message was the same, Dean is listening to Wes.
Anyway, that's it. I told Danielle I would be blogging this and she said if she remembered anything more, she would call me tonight.
1. Show up * 2. Pay attention * 3. Speak your truth, and * 4. Don\'t be attached to outcome -- Angeles Arrien
Good for Danielle!! With or without the hand hold, you always get the one on one feeling of being the only person in the room/ space when you talk to Wes. That is if he isn't being tugged at by someone else who needs him! Fantastic news in this entire post, mad!!! Glad to see the Boxer commentary as well. I so love my Senator Boxer! (I heart Barbara).
Funny to see in the same post that "Wes and Dean are working hand in hand"...... Hmmmm....Dean gets the hand hold too??? ;P
Clark '08!
Yes you did.
In the over 30 years he has been with the FFL, he was never treated with more respect by Americans than when he was in Kosovo under General Clark's command.
I've always been so proud of being an American, even when I questioned the actions of a few in America, I just knew we would try to set things right. Even when my country shot at me at Kent State, I knew that our foundation built on the rule of law would see us through the nightmare.
But lately, it is very difficult to bounce back. My country and my fellow citizens have sanctioned torture, this horrible war, greed, selling our children's future to the Chinese, and somehow managed in to focus the eyes of the world on us in complete disgust.
It takes its toll. It wasn't until I caught those gracious words from your friends brother. Something nice was said about the US. I just didn't tear up, it was as a torrent bottled up by five bruising years, let loose. Yep. I cried. I really want that country back, the one that lured my grandmother from the hills above Prague.
Thank you for such a positive message. And thank you General Clark where ever you are for representing the best that is in us.
You have not converted a man because you have silenced him.--J. V. Marley
Many of us feel that same way that you do!!
(And I love Prague...! It is one of those loveliest of cities that helps we Americans understand politics in an historical, global perspective.)
Leadership means lifting people up. --Wes Clark
Wes and Dean are working hand in hand
The excitement was palpable over the phone. This is the first time she has met him.
George Bush has had his day and he's bollixed it up.
He - and some of the other veterans I've met who are training where I work - say that Clark always had the best troops, polite, smart, tough and capable. He ran a fantastic ship.
Gavin said that while post-war Bosnia was not only cold and damp, it was war-torn and hellish, but that troops under Clark made one forget all that "bad stuff" for a fairly pleasurable experience, not-with-standing.
This is great to hear, Lara! And because Wes so treasures info about and discourse with those he's served with, remember it and save it for a special time (introducing Gavin?), or writing Wes.
Wes has always and will aalways do America proud!
(((((mad + Danielle)))))
It's great to hear about Wes + Dean, mad, as I've already sent 2 complaints to 'media' about their neglect.
THANK YOU!
Listening to Howard Dean on the TV yesterday, my hubby and I both looked at each other and said, "He'sbeen talking to Wes!" Or more like LISTENING to him. :)
"...the measure of success is not 'Can you win?' It's 'Can you get your ideas adopted?' " ~ Wes Clark
I must have missed him in that picture. Of course, Wes's smile is so magnetic my eyes are only ever drawn to him! ♥
and I have a suggestion; the next time there's a Wes thread on DailyKos and they're all dissing us, could we get you to post the photo there? It might just shut some of them up and make them think instead of being nuclear reactive.
Leadership means lifting people up. --Wes Clark
we could possibly have. Thank you Madeline.
thanks for posting. especially pleased to hear of a positive comment about clark from Boxer. She seems to be so influential with a lot of the left wingers who distrust the military. Hope she'll say something good about Wes publicly.
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
This is a great story, Mad. Thanks for posting it. Made me feel happy! (Hey all, rate this blog up so it gets on BOB.)
What a great recap, I know Florida would have had tons of support for Wes. My son and daughter-in-law voted for him in their primary, even though he had stepped out of the race. I was so proud. I am proud to be a Wes Clark supporter and know he is the ONE our Country needs to clean up this horrible mess we are in. Poor Gen. Wes...I almost feel selfish wanting him to be our next President with all the mess in world, to clean up....:(
Quelle histoire magnifique! Merci à Danielle!
Oh...sorry about that. Got a little carried away.
What a wonderful story. This is going out to the Yahoo! groups.
Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world.
If not us, WHO? If not now, WHEN?
Aw, that's a wonderful account...Thanks for posting.
"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
I missed this earlier but I'm so happy I found it now. Now I will go to bed happy and all warm and fuzzy!! Thank you so much Maddy!!
(((((Clarkies)))))
Once in a while you get shown the light, In the strangest of places if you look at it right. - Hunter/Garcia
Glad you finally saw it, jen!
Just think of what Wes and Dean could accomplish! 2 strong, creative, devoted Dems, not hampered with the old-time 'religion!'
Thank you so much for posting this story. I, too, spent 25 years in France, but am a U.S. citizen who returned to the U.S. six years ago. While I was in Europe, I was very familiar with General Wesley Clark's achievements - as were most Europeans - while he was with NATO. This is also why I am such a strong Clarkie and always will be. General Clark will be good for us here at home, but most important, he will be so good for us on the international scene, where he is so well known and speaks so many languages. He already knows so many world leaders, and they also know him well. He understands the complexities of geopolitics, historical context, and the driving forces behind situations in individual countries and regions. He would definitely restore so much of the American image capital that we have lost since the current administration has squandered it so foolishly. I'm always proud and happy to be a Clarkie.
Camille
Thanks for sharing your perspective with us. Since bush seized power-- maybe "wrested" is the term?-- 5 years ago, our international perspective has become increasingly Amerocentric and our image overseas....well, I'm sure I don't need to inform you! I too lived in France on and off a few years and miss the awareness people in general have in Europe of politics and policies.
Your post made me imagine how nice it might be to have a Clark "testimonial" page on this site (not a blog that rolls away) with short blurbs and maybe pix from supporters around the world and their stories of how they became Clarkies. Here alone we have Phoebe in Australia, Vedran in Croatia, Charlotte in Sweden, Noel in Taiwan, Blackie in Canada.... and so on. I love his international outlook as well and think it could be one of the most important things we'll be needing in our next President to get things back on track.
Thanks for the post!
Once you've met Wes you realise there is magic in his smile and his gentle manner.He's a special individual and everyone he touches realises this in just moments. It's a special group that one joins.What a great candidate.......for uh say 2008....what a great president...........God knows we deserve one!!!!!!! Hope you join the ranks soon :)Kitt Proud Wes Clark Democrat
I'm glad to hear this confirmed. Clark is deep in there with party planning. No baloney about one segment or another, just working away, influencing events and policy. I love it! Thanks for the great report.
Let's Go Get Those Bush Bastards - http://ga4.org/campaign/prisonerabuse?source=gac_pa
I was hoping to hear about his Florida trip.