RECAP from UCLA Rogue States Conference PART I:

Just in case anyone forgot, here is Part 1:
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/15014

And seeing as I was so late getting to Part 2 (insert very guilty faced emoticon) I thought you could use a recap. You can hopefully understand when you scroll down, and down, and down… why this took so long to pull together. Transcribing is a painstaking exercise in patience and rewind…

This intro is snipped from Part 1 to refresh your memory.

France's Le Monde published an interview with Gen. Clark last Thursday. Here's my translation:

Wes returns yet again, March 11, to UCLA Burkle Center for a Conference on Rogue States and how best to address them via our foreign policy.

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ROGUE STATES CONFERENCE PART I-

I arrived on campus around 2:30, just as the ABC and CBS trucks were packing up their gear to pull out (I have this effect on the media….) After Bill Richardson’s address – which I could not attend. I snuck into the large conference hall just as Panel 3 had gotten underway and grabbed the nearest seat in the back of the room – trusty recorder in hand. Dr. Suphamnonghkhuo (hereafter known as “Dr. S”) was discussing the famous six party talks with N. Korea while a man two rows in front of me was busily scrolling through his Blackberry…. Waitaminute! I know the back of that head--It’s Wes! And of course- I somehow always find myself lurking just behind him, over his shoulder, making it all the more difficult to dispel that notion of me being a Zelig-ian Wes-stalker. He turned around at one point -- smiled and waved. “Hi Wes!”. I mouthed. He must be used to looking behind him in L.A. by now to find the obligatory blond with tape recorder and notebook….

It wasn’t until right before Wes was scheduled to speak that I learned I would be able to attend. The event had been booked full already for days, and I had meetings to move around even if I could go. After a series of frantic last minute calls to UCLA media relations dept and then to the public affairs offices-- I finally got my clearance at the very last minute. I dropped everything to dash off to UCLA-- in record time.

Great Day for a Hike

Well, Wes addressed members of the Oxonian Society in NYC this evening. It was a wonderfully intimate affair, with seats for only about 100. The room was full, with a number of folks standing when all of the seats were taken. Among the audience were three new Oxonians -- me, Gordon and Perry Barber (a fascinating woman who umpires Major League Baseball games and makes great T-shirts). We’d all joined after we’d seen Wes was scheduled to speak.

General Clark went well beyond the mainstream Democratic Party in preemptively positioning himself, and those who stand with him, to confront a growing threat to peace, and also to our Party. For those who picked up on Clark’s stance early the lag between him sounding an alarm and more people hearing it has been hard to accept, but as hard as it’s been for the netroots to take that danger in, compared to the institutional Democratic Party they have been relatively quick to respond.

Link

July 12, 2007

Roll over the icons on the right to access full event footage from each panel and speaker.

The Center for American Progress and The Century Foundation hosted the “America in the World” conference to explore how the United States can restore its leadership for a more peaceful, prosperous, and secure world.

The conference brought together leading thinkers from government, academia, the military, and the non-governmental sector to discuss the peace and security issues that will shape the public agenda over the coming years. Keynote speakers included former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), and former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. Panel discussions focused on four topics: energy and the environment, the Middle East, America’s defense posture, and the global economy.

<snip>

Interview with General Wesley Clark

With Josh Berthume | 7/04/2007

The Texas Blue is a leading voice in Democratic politics in Texas, dedicated to advancing progressive ideas. Since launching on January 1, the Texas Blue has covered and commented on many aspects of statewide and national politics. In June, the Texas Blue published a multi-part series featuring stories from veterans about their experiences at war and at home, recognized medical experts on the impact of war, and family members of wounded combat veterans.

Lawmakers and veterans alike spoke about the issues facing veterans today on the Texas Blue's weekly podcast "Who's Blue," including House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Congressman Bob Filner; House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Congressman Chet Edwards and VoteVets.Org Co-Founder Jon Soltz.

This week, General Wesley Clark joins Josh Berthume on Who's Blue to discuss those issues, his political activism through WesPAC and VoteVets.org, and what he views as a dangerous foreign policy precedent being set by the Bush administration in regards to Iran and the Middle East.

Listen to the interview here!

Today, during a Foreign Affairs Hearing on the Iraq Escalation, Major General Batiste offered an astoundingly realistic and frightening rassessment of Iraq, US Foreign Policy, and the near-broken state of our Military. His 13 minute assessment can be watched here . I tried to embed the video but had no luck.

The neocons have selected the designated next enemy of the United States, and they are hard at work convincing Americans to fear Iran. The public comments we just heard Joe Lieberman utter about the need to bomb Iran are just the tip of the iceberg. They position populist right wing pitch man Glen Beck on the air nightly at CNN Headline News, ranting about Iran. They pepper Jewish media with polemics about Iran, playing up fears for Israel’s security where few non Jews will notice their efforts.