Better late than never. . .

What an intense and amazing day!

Getting There

I took the economy route; flew in to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) from Houston after work on Monday, and stayed at a hotel near there, then took the train into Union Station Tuesday morning. Only a 20 minute or so train ride, and the event was about 2 blocks from Union Station. I was a little anxious about all of it since I didn't know the area, but this worked out fine, so would be much more comfortable doing it the same way in the future.

Only problem was that the last train (Amtrak, anyway) back to BWI was 10 p.m., so had to leave directly from the event and missed the post-event party with the group at the hotel bar :-(.

The Event

Thanks to the WesPAC staff for having everything so well planned and organized. And thanks especially to General Clark for the generosity of his time with us for the better part of the day. And to all the special guests as well. It was wonderful to see and hear their great respect for General Clark.

The day was so packed and intense that it's hard to summarize adequately. Much has already been covered by others, so I'll just try to note a few highlights best I can remember.

Wes Clark - teacher and leader. It's clear he takes every opportunity to teach those in government and other positions of leadership. He doesn't just take convenient political positions. He brings his multi-faceted knowledge, tremendous intellect and pragmatic problem-solving skills to bear on the issues facing the country and shares them. The lunch session was more like a conversation than a speech. He was fluent with so many topics - education, history, science, politics, values, and of course foreign policy and national security. Among other things, he has a really thoughtful approach to help unions remain viable as well as to grow in influence and functionality.

He also made reference to several different books he'd read recently.  Keeps learning as well as teaching! 

On politics, says Dems can't win being "wonkish" - with everyone tied to their special interests. Will need an overall unifying vision that speaks to the hearts as well as the minds of the American public. But also feels Americans really do want to be "well-governed" - that competence does matter.

What a blessing Wes Clark is to this country!

Senator Levin - Noted his great respect for Wes and described the morning's work on Iraq in the Senate.  Among other things, he put the weapons of mass destruction issue into perspective. He said that lots of countries have WMD and we don't invade, so he didn't see that as a reason to invade even if they existed. In voting against the IWR, his rationale was based on imminence of threat, not the presence or absence of WMD. (By extrapolation, when the R's beg the question by saying that lots of Democrats thought there were WMD too, that becomes irrelevant with respect to initiating an invasion.)

Congressman Chet Edwards - Very clear and thoughtful analysis of how to win in "red" district and how he accomplished that. Define yourself before the opponents can do it. Respond quickly to any attacks or misrepresentations. Define your opponent - not with lies and smears - but with the truth about the effects of their positions on real people. He gave Wes and WesPAC significant credit for helping his fundraising.

Senator Salazar - Like Cong. Edwards, appreciated WesPAC's help in fundraising, and appreciates Wes' contribution to the national dialogue and to the Congressional Democratic caucuses. He, too, described his approach to winning in his "red" state, much of which was tied to his genuine link to the people of his state, especially those in rural districts.

Congressman Rahm Emmanuel - Dynamic, tough, takes no prisoners. Analytic approach to DCCC contributions to 06 elections. Could recite the facts and figures faster than I could take them in. Funny, at times, too. Among races to be targeted are some otherwise "unwinnable" ones but with ethically challenged Republican incumbents. Also, as stated by others, noted the key elements of a Democratic "contract with America".

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi - Articulate, poised and in charge, but warm and lovely at the same time. She, too, gives great credit to Wes for helping the Congressional Democrats shape an intelligent foreign policy vision. Was impressed that she's been increasingly able to hold together the Democrats in voting as a bloc on key measures like Social Security and destructive budget cuts.

Congressman Marion Berry - Wonderful warm and heartfelt tribute to Wes, noting that Wes speaks the truth and speaks from his heart. And that Wes was the only person he knew who could fix the mess in the Middle East.

Future Congressman Eric Massa - Strong, energetic and focused. A man with a plan to reach out to all areas of his largely rural and poor district. Will need our help financially as there are not a lot of resources in the district itself, especially to support Democratic candidates. Seems deeply in touch with the issues of the people of his district and passionate in his advocacy.

Attendees who are not bloggers - met some very interesting and impressive people who support Wes but are not part of the online community. Among them, a Johns Hopkins physician/professor, a neuroscientist and a political science professor/consultant on environmental issues.

And, of course, last but not least, good fellowship with others from the CCN/online communities.  Won't try to name names, 'cause I wouldn't want to miss anyone, but it's always great to be with you guys in person.

I only got a few good pictures.  (Got several great shots of shadows, though. . . :-).