From the diaries -- Larry 

I am sufferring from General Exhaustion.

Following the General around for just one day and night can be daunting, excitement levels being what they are when he enters a room.  I hope the Republicans will not discover that he has in fact been cloned, and that there are now three Wes Clarks for Karl Rove to deal with.   It is the only explanation for his being everywhere, and being everything to everyone within his circumference at all times.  The pace he keeps is too boggling to account for otherwise.

This is a Part One of a Three part day (Blogger meeting, Church Rally and WesPAC event) The subsequent portions to follow as soon as I can squeeze them in...

~~~~~~~~~

Everything was going right.  The alarm went off in time, my breakfast came out perfectly, the fog had lifted - the California sun shone through and there was no traffic going over Mulholland on my way to see General Wes Clark speak at the renowned United Methodist Church in Hollywood.  I felt glorious!

Reminding myself all the way over the hill "Don't say HI WES, Dont say Hi Wes, call him General Clark this time, Don't say HI WES"...

Upon arrival at the Church parking lot, a smiling young attendant graciously directed me to a reserved parking spot right by the front door-- Feeling so special--they really are learning to respect bloggers I mused to myself, this day is going to be perfection!  I glided into my VIP spot only to see the sign "RESERVED FOR MARY PALLANT" - (one of the Congressional candidates that was appearing.)  The nice young smiling parking attendant leaned over and said "You're Mary, right?" 

"Uhhh, no...I'm actually one of the Bloggers--"

"Oh.."--his smile dropped to the pavement as he swiftly directed me to go park at the back of the lot and scurried away.  So much for Blogger respect...

Dashing to the Church Parlor, where a handful of bloggers selected by Mark Kleiman were to meet, I passed by a rectory, peeked inside the open door, surprised to see General Clark, Wes jr. and their driver standing alone conversing. I do a double take, and what comes out of my mouth but "Hi Wes!!"  I just can't help it.  I give up.

On to the blogging "parlor" where the entire gang was already seated in a circle under the flourescent lit painting of Jesus.  I took a seat beneath the tableau... the room buzzed awaiting General Clarks arrival, which came imminently with some fanfare (film crew caught the entrance and opening bits--Good Morning America I believe, but do not know when it will air....sorry).  Many of the same faces from the last round table blogger session were present, Mark Kleiman, hekebolos, Stephen and Pam Anderson of SteveAudio.blogspot.com, Kevin Drum, Gary Abramson, and a handful of others I did not know.  Arianna and her grande Starbucks arrived about 10 mins later.

Oh, and to get it out of the way:  navy blazer with gold buttons on sleeves, blue shirt, blue print tie, beige pants, black shoes, big smile. Looking great!

Wasting no time, Wes immediately asked us to ask him...and we did.

THE C MINUS SOLUTION

First Q from Steve Anderson on IRAQ:

General Clark reiterated how he was against going in for the longest time.  "I knew better"-- Says he's not now nor has he ever been for stay the course... the course was wrong.  However he said we now have this chance to get out of it with either a "C minus solution" or an "F solution"-- and he prefers to aim for the C minus. 

To get us to that C minus scenario-- he says Khalizad needs to be given enough "flexibility to play the game", Wes seems to feel that he has a good handle on what's needed but is lacking the support from the administration, and the freedom to carry it out fully.  "We know that the Sunnis not IN the Government will fight against the Government, we know that."  He said that ONE side wrote the constitution at the exclusion of a major group, exacerbating the problems and paving the way for the Iranians to be the real winners in Iraq...again, he says Khalizad knows this..."They need to give him the authority to do something about it"...

He delicately pointed out the traditional class differences between the Sunni and the Shia-- Shia were the former foot soldiers in the Iraq/ Iran war whereas the Sunnis sat back and more or less pointed directions--"Take that hill!".  "In Americanese....the Shia are like the 'underclass'", he said, "so there is friction between the groups" This distinction created the right atmosphere and degree of resentment that brought us to where we are now, which Wes calls; "The Revenge of the Shias"  (Sounds like a low budget horror film...) 

"If the Sunnis are kept out completely... you've completed Iran's revenge.  What this administration has portrayed is simplistic-- is not the real situation."  He qualified that the situation is "not lost yet" and added that the Kurds are currently "spring loaded"-- this last statement gave him a cat/canary smile...I thnk he just liked the imagery.

Additionally, Wes laments that good people are leaving Iraq in droves now, because the situation has become too intolerable to remain.

Wes then pondered some future possible scenarios --  after a Constitutional reform....here he vaguely spoke of a four month window but clarified he was unsure of the timeframe -- stating that we could leave then, if we had to -- once the constitution had been reformed and was inclusive.  "A deal needs to be cut with the Sunnis..."  Kevin Drum felt that this mention of the fuzzy four month period may have been the General leaning more towards a timetable.  Several in the room agreed, however I felt it was an area that General Clark was only questioning as one possible eventuality. (My notes are unclear on this part, sorry...)

OOPS!  THE WRONG AXIS OF EVIL....

Wes; "I've been saying forever we were concentrating on the wrong Axis of Evil...in 2002 and 2003 on CNN I'd been saying that IRAN was the more dangerous country"  But does this country TALK to Iran?  NO!  {later-- at the evening event, he challenges the administration to send an emissary to Iran to TALK to them within the next 30 days!} He claims Ahmaninejad likes all the pressure and attenion he's been receiving, it make him a hero-- like an Osama Bin Laden <--(who?)

[call to Clarkies:  Can we dig up some of those old CNN transcripts where Wes is sound-biting the Iran threat?  Just an idea to show his prescience and overall correct assumptions in FP matters ie Richard Perle hearings pre Iraq-- add it to the credibility stack. Send it to Arianna... Good ammo.]

THE ARIANNA HUFF

"General, can we talk some Democratic politics here-- off the record?" 

Wes laughs and tells her "Arianna you know well that nothing is ever really off the record!"

She says it seems the Dems are "at sea", with no clear views on foreign policy and Iraq...How can we get a clear position? And then she launches into why she thinks Murtha's solution makes good sense.

Wes first tells her he reads her blog every day... then lists a few others he reads regularly (DKos, TPM...) Then he hits her with "I wish we wouldn't say 'Dems don't have views'" (OT but I wish that too, because in reality we're only doing Karl Rove's job for him by repeating his very own talking points)  He explains that when you are the party OUT of power-- with not one branch of government "in our hands"-- we don't get all the first hand info, or have the access to it....we Dems, he says, are left "out of the loop" on much of the vital information out of Iraq.  He knows this because he saw the same phenomena with the Republicans during the Balkans.

He clarifies that he likes Jack Murtha -- he's a friend, a good man-- but he too is "out of the loop".  Arianna stated he was talking with people on the ground in Iraq and not basing his theories on randomness or ideologies.

Wes shot back "Who?  Who has he talked to?  Majors?  Lieutenants?  Privates?  Who? How qualified are they to predict the outcome..."  It got kinda quiet about then...

I think that's where I suggested, if we Dems are in fact so splintered on Iraq, and-- as Karl Rove has already dictated that it's "all about National Security" again this round--- Then how about the idea of a Democratic Party generated panel of the top voices on National Security -- with yourself, Jack Murtha, and others in that league-- to try to reach a platform position together that we could use in the next round of elections, for clarity, and to put an end to this whining that we have no position...

It was the Libra in me, trusting implicitly in the art of compromise, I think. I was trying to add some Murtha to the Clark, blend for 10 minutes and see what turned up.

I agree with Arianna's concerns for the political hole we're left in as a party when we have several voices on the horizon espousing several widely varying theories on the same issue-- particularly an issue of this importantance and complexity.  I just don't agree with her solution.
 

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL and LOOKING FOR MANNA

"We've got to protect America!! We need to GUARD OUR DEMOCRACY!!! NOT just with weapons!  But with tolerance, by understanding...God help us if we can't save it..."-- Wes Clark, Patriot, Statesman, America Lover

"We need to convince the American people that WE are the best party to run this country."

"If we don't capture the House...It'll be like 40 years in the wilderness.....We'll be looking for Manna!"  (huge laughter around the room)

The REPTILE BRAIN AND AMERICA THE UGLY

Gary Abramson posed a question about Republican Rove fear tactics and the Reptile Brain which set Wes ablaze....he really enjoyed that topic! He liked it so much that he returned to it later when Mark Kleiman asked him about Saudi Arabia, Wahabbism and Bandhar Bush!  As Mark asked his question, Wes's wheels went a turning in his head and he listened intently as Mark elaborated.  But we never got an answer about the Saudis-- it went right back to reptiles! I think he relishes in this discussion so much because it ties in to his desire to see us elevate above the hate speech and distinguish ourselves apart from the Rovian techniques and rhetoric.  Here is what ensued:

WES:  Extremism begets extremism, partisanship begets partisanship, name calling begets name calling.... I remember back in the '80s...the Senate started to change, I knew people who were resigning..in 1983, due to the ugliness that was creeping into politics.

He said it became "less collegiate" and Senators had simply had enough. 

"Lines are sharply drawn", he claimed. As an example of, he told us the Eric Massa story about Duncan Hunter firing him upon learning Eric congratulated Wes on his entry in the '04 race.

"Five minute warning"-- pops in the door to the Church Parlor room.  Wes goes on undeterred....he's on a roll and clearly loves this subject.

Someone asks-- But how can we avoid the partisanship when they swift boat and smear us to death?

"We've got to BACK OUR WAY OUT of all the name calling and ugliness" Wes insists.....no, more than insists-- Wes commands!  He tells us it will assist us in bringing the currently APOLITICAL folks into the fold, into the Dem party, into voting and caring again.  We need to reach out to those people who've cut themselves off from politics.

More from Wes "You gain nothing by attacking people personally (stressing the word "personally")-- The Republican's real crime is not so much Abramoff.. but rather it's the meaness of spirit...the One Party--driving anyone out who doesn't agree with them... Help us to raise this thing UP."

At this point there are now several bodies hovering around the door periodically peering in to see why the General is NOT coming out of it!  Wes Jr. is leaning in closer to his Dad as if to nudge him as a subtle reminder, but Wes is discussing, and the truth of the matter is -- NOBODY wants it to end, including Wes.  I am taken back to the last blogger meeting when Gert had to prod him several times to get him out of the room. 

Wes just loves bloggers!!

Back with the Reptiles and the potency of the fear center of the brain-- "I saw this in the Balkans...Tito got the power, and he used fear, and got the war...Arianna knows better than anyone...she's from that part of the world."  (Ah, the skills of a diplomat at work are a thing of beauty!)

Somewhere in here the Kleiman Saudi question has been posed, but instead-- Wes has just recalled another story he wants to share from a recent evening in Little Rock--

(a few more suited figures pop their heads in the door, expressions a bit more concerned than earlier, but the General is mid-story!) 

The Clarks were out to dinner recently and Gert was in the restroom, when a nearby diner reached over and grabbed Wes, introducing himself being from some Arkansas city ("Fort something"?) that Wes recognized as the reddist part of the state.  

Uh Oh. 

The man stated he was a patriotic man and loved family, etc etc, then proudly said that all meant that he was a Republican and that Wes should be a Republican too.  This then brought another diner over to the table who joined in to the two part harmony version of "Oh to be a Repbulican in Arkansas" Duet and they both went after him.  The talk escalated and ended with the two shouting that they were going to kick all the Democrats out of Arkansas and make it a pure RED state and other such nonsense.  I guess Gert came back out at this point and was astonished to find her husband cornered by two shouting Republicans. (I was going to call them something else, but I'm trying to elevate the discourse... !) 

After they managed to extricate Wes, he told Gert ...  "I felt like I was at a Football game."  Like back in high school when rival schools were playing... And this he says is essentilly where they have taken our politics to....a football slugging bashing mentality.

"Uhhh....You've gotta go in there Pop"  Wes Jr. could no longer restrain himself. 

 Wes Sr.apologized to Mark for not discussing the Saudis but did tag on that our welfare in America has NEVER before in our history been so dependant on affairs abroad as it is now...and that thinking politics are "domestic" is an old fashioned notion.  

And he's out the door headed to the Rally. 

We rise to follow suit when Arianna requests we all take a short wrap up meeting before heading out.  We discuss what issues we need to hit on the blogs, and what Wes has just talked about.  There is back and forth about the General's position on Iraq vs the Murtha position.....She is reluctant to accept the Wes plan but I do feel from words exchanged that she is open to discussion, she may entertain it. I don't think she was aware of the extent of Wes's current travels and connections in the region.....but she is now.

It seems to me the pullout-now stance is a dangerously seductive antidote to a nation that's literally an open wound from this ghastly war --it's the simplistic, feel-good, myopic, ready made remedy in-a-bottle that comes without vision or due respect for the future of the region. The theory borne in a vacuum, where there is no vacuum in Iraq, unfortunately. 

But it sure is an easy sell.