General Wesley Clark on Hannity & Colmes
January 23, 2007
Transcript by Melange
Alan Colmes: For more reaction, to President Bush’s State of the Union Address tonight, we’re joined now by NATO former Supreme Allied Commander and former presidential candidate, General Wesley Clark. General Clark, welcome back to Hannity & Colmes.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you, Alan.
Alan Colmes: How did he do tonight?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well I thought he had a really tough, tough pitch to give, you know the American public is against the war. Obviously that was the main message he buried the lead, so to speak, he put it down in the middle of the speech. He pulled out proposals on healthcare, he talked about energy independence, but the real story is: will he come up with a new strategy on Iraq? And he has not done so.
Alan Colmes: Even though he says he did. I thought one of the key things Jim Webb said in response was, when he talked about our leaders and we owe them loyalty, he says “they owed us sound judgment, clear thinking, concern for our welfare, a guarantee that the threat to our country was equal to the price we might be called upon to pay defending it.” I thought those were pretty strong words. It’s clear what he was hinting at in that statement.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I…I think Jim Webb did a great job at …in his eight minute talk about the President’s State of the Union. I agree with both points Jim Webb brought up. I think it’s true that uh, in terms of the economy there’s a lot of ordinary Americans out there working really really hard and not getting much for it compared to what the top level people are getting in this economy and I think in term of the War in Iraq, that adding 21,000 troops that it’s a political problem, it’s going to take diplomatic and political work, we need to talk to the countries in the region. This administration threatens Iran but it won’t talk to Iran. And Alan, my point is this: why will the most powerful country in the world not deign to speak to a country like Iran? You could…you’ve got all the trump cards you need on Iran, but can’t you at least…can’t we at least talk to them?
Alan Colmes: He had some really strong rhetoric tonight about Iran, about the threat from Iran, about terrorists working with Iran. Do you think he is preparing the country for a possible military action toward that country?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Yes, I do. I think that the…the…the statements about Iran continue to ratchet up the pressure and uh, lay the groundwork for taking action.
Sean Hannity: General Clark
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK:: And I think it’s very dangerous.
Sean Hannity: Sean Hannity here, your favorite conservative.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you, Sean.
Sean Hannity: You want to talk to Iran and here’s a guy…
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I do. Absolutely.
Sean Hannity: Hang on, let me, let me finish my question. He wants to…he’s the guy that’s denied the Holocaust, um he’s pursuing nuclear weapons, has repeatedly talked about annihilating Israel, wiping it off the face of the map, “down with the USA” is a chant that he often makes in public. What would the first words out of your mouth be to the Holocaust denier? Would you try and talk him into the truth?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well Sean, you know when I was the NATO Commander, I went down to Slobodan Milosevic and told him that if he didn’t comply with the UN Security Council resolutions that I would be told to bomb him and I would bomb him good.
Sean Hannity: But do you really believe there’s hope in talking to him?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I do believe that the United States, as the most powerful country in the world, should always talk to adversaries. I’m not saying take the military option off the table – it’s an option, but it’s a lot better for everybody in the region if we don’t have to use the military option.
Sean Hannity: But do you…I agree with that, but do you really believe there’s even a smidgen of hope that the Holocaust denier, that the guy that threatens the US and Israel, do you really believe this madman is somebody that ultimately can be persuaded?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK:: Well I don’t think he’s the only…Sean, he’s not the only guy in Iran. I mean there are a lot of people in Iran who are…who really want to see a change in the situation in the region. We’ve got to reach around Ahmedinejad one way or another. We’ve got to show a different vision for the region. We’ve got to help those in Iran who want a different vision in the region come forward. That’s our obligation as the most powerful country in the world.
Sean Hannity: I think the single best security we will have against Iran is to have the biggest, strongest, toughest military and the means to back it up. Let me ask you this, sir. You said, you said…
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well you know the military is the last resort.
Sean Hannity: I agree. You said
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: If we could change people’s mind without using the military, we’ll all be a lot more secure.
Sean Hannity: I don’t believe you can change the mind of a madman like Ahmedinejad. I think that’s false hope.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I don’t think he’s the only guy in charge, Sean.
Sean Hannity: Well I think it’s false hope and naïve.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think you’re making the same mistake we made with Saddam. I think you’re trying to personalize a country around a single person.
Sean Hannity: I’m not. I’m not, but he’s their leader.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: and that was the mistake in Iraq.
Sean Hannity: He’s their voice.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: He is one voice in Iran. That’s all.
Sean Hannity: If we could do anything, we ought to be working very hard with alternative voices in Iran and hope that the emerging, shifting, changing demographics and the desire…the…the inclination of the human soul takes over
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Sure.
Sean Hannity: and foster the freedom movement there. I think it would be a far better plan than
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: but to do that, you have to talk to Iran.
Sean Hannity: than any hope in Ahmedinejad. But you said talk to Iran.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: We’re going to have an embassy. We’re going to have to have relationships with them.
Sean Hannity: That’s right.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: That’s what this administration won’t do and that’s what it needs to do.
Sean Hannity: Alright. You said there was no new strategy. Let me tell you what the new strategy is ‘cause clearly uh I guess you’re missing what the President’s saying here. The prior strategy, and the President admitted that there were some mistakes made, was that they go in and they’d clear out the insurgency and they didn’t stay long enough or hold those areas long enough. Now the new strategy with the troop surge will be go in, remove the insurgents, hold the areas as pa…and also accelerate the training of Iraqi troops and police. That is a new strategy.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK:: I don’t think that’s a new strategy. I
Sean Hannity: Hold on a second,
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I’ve heard him for a year talking about "seize, clear and hold."
Sean Hannity: No. That’s what it is now.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: The problem is the US troops don’t do a good job of "holding". We don’t speak the language, we’re not there.
Sean Hannity: Are you saying that we could fail? Are you saying that you support the idea that we’re going to leave Iraq without being victorious? Do you not know on a humanitarian level what that would do in terms of the human toll? Do you not realize what…how we would embolden our enemies? Is there any other alternative but complete victory in Iraq, in your mind?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well I’ve written a lot about this Sean, and I’ve always said we’ve got to do our best job there and we don’t want to leave peremptorily, but what we have to do is work for a political solution in Iraq and more troops trying to smother the conflict when it’s a political conflict is unlikely to resolve the political issues.
Alan Colmes: General Clark, we thank you very much for being with us tonight. We certainly appreciate it.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you.
Alan Colmes: Thanks for your time.
