General Wesley Clark on The Ed Schultz Show

February 22, 2007

Transcription by Melange

Ed Schultz: I appreciate the call but stay... I... I've got to move along here but I want you, because you said that you are really anxious, Dennis, to listen to General Wesley Clark. He's on the line with us right now. General Clark, good to have you with us today.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thanks a lot, Ed. Great to be with you.

Ed Schultz: You've got a fan in Ch... oh, he left. He left us on the line. I wanted Dennis to ask you the question, the first question. <laughter>

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Oh.

Ed Schultz: Well, we'll try to get some other time. Good to have you with us, General.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thanks a lot. Good to be with you.

Ed Schultz: Are you going to jump in this presidential race?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I haven't said I won't.

Ed Schultz: I like that. What does that mean?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I've got a lot of different issues I'm working right now. In particular, I'm really working policy issues and once you get into a race, it's all about politics. People don't take seriously what you say, they just... they just grade you on your sort of litmus test, where you are on a spectrum of left to right and it's a... it's a horse race for coverage. I'm interested in serious issues – not only Iran, but also the issues you talked about that I came in on the end of. I'm interested in what the American family, what the worker, what the middle class family is going to do five years and ten years and fifteen years from now. A lot of us have been out there living on our real estate earnings, you know when you refinance a house you get a lot of income from it and uh, it's a lot of disposable income but the refinancing binge is over. Uh, price of money is pretty low, interest rates aren't high but they're not going any lower and so there won't be another round of house refinancings. It's very tough for ordinary Americans to make ends meet on a single wage earner's uh, income. So, wives work, sometimes the husbands or wives have a second job they work at part time. There's a lot of people really working hard out there and they're just barely holding their own. Where are we going to be five or ten years from now? That's what I'm worried about.

Ed Schultz: General Wesley Clark with us here on the Ed Schultz Show. A very unselfish view and I think the point you're making is that when you announce as a candidate, you don't get taken as seriously because you're out there you know, trying to gain people favor and some people will say anything to do it.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well... you know, that was my perception last time. When I ran the last time, I... it was very difficult to cut through the politics to get to the points I was trying to make. I think when I ran the last time, it was probably a little early for many in the Democratic Party to understand that the war in Iraq was the greatest strategic blunder in modern American history. I think the Democratic Party understands it now.

Ed Schultz: Would you uh, be in favor of cutting the funding for this surge, General?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: You know, I'm really not in favor of that at this point. What I'd like to see us do is demand that the administration put the non-military resources into the Iraq mission that have been required - and missing - for a long time. I'm talking about economic advisors, um justice advisors, agricultural advisors, petroleum experts, uh all of the non-military skills that it takes to run a modern economy. They're missing in Iraq. They need help from us and we've been really remiss in not providing it. Instead we've dumped all the burden on our soldiers. And our men and women in uniform are great but they can't make up for a lifetime skill in let's say the oil industry or an understanding of justice and... and, and how to set up courts and things like that. So there's a lot of work that needs to be done over there. I don't think we needed the surge, but the fact is that the policy's been announced at this point and I know there's tremendous anger out there that Bush is ignoring the wishes of the American people, but I think what we really need to do is find a winning strategy in Iraq and then get our troops out.

Ed Schultz: General Wesley Clark with us here on the Ed Schultz Show. He has joined VoteVets.org in a launch of a new website and that website is StopIranWar.com, S-T-O-P-I-R-A-N-W-A-R dot com. It's a one-stop resource for all Americans to weigh in on this. Uh, General, tell us about this and do you really think that the President's making a case to do something militarily with the Iranians?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I think the President has a military option and he's had it for a long time and he's got the pistol loaded and cocked. It's there. Now, he doesn't... I don't think he's going to do it if there's a reasonable alternative but I also don't think the administration's trying very hard to find a reasonable alternative so I'm very worried about the direction of US policy.

Ed Schultz: When you say "not trying hard," you mean not negotiating with the Syrians or the Iranians?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well I don't call it negotiation, how about unconditional dialogue?

Ed Schultz: Mm hmm. Now, how do we interpret another carrier group in the region? How do you interpret that?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well it puts a little more military pressure on Iran. The question is how Iran interprets it. And, they know we've got lots of aircraft carriers and besides they're not sailing around, you know in sight of the Iranian coastline everyday. So it's not like you know, worried Iranian citizens are calling off... calling up and saying ‘my goodness there's all these aircraft carriers, please surrender to the United States.' I wish it were true but it's not happening. What it does is it probably hardens their resolve that they're not going to be bullied by the United States.

Ed Schultz: How would you do diplomacy right now? Would you have the President of the United States in front of Ahmedinejad?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: No way. No way. They're not... absolutely not. But, what I would do is I would put a team of very senior representatives of the Defense Department, the Department of State and the White House and do a shuttle in the region, talking to the leadership, not just Ahmedinejad but the leadership in Iran, Syria, um Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, all the countries that are most affected. And I would be looking for areas of common interest on which a statement of principles could be agreed. I'd be opening a regional dialogue and hoping to promote a forum where matters of security concern could be brought directly in front of governments and received prompt resolution.

Ed Schultz: What do you make of the Brits leaving Iraq?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I think that the Brits had a... they basically... they failed in the mission of democratizing southern Iraq. It is under control of the Shia militia and there's a lot of Iranian influence but they also reached the point where they just didn't have any other means of gaining traction so in a way the mission became superfluous. The radical elements down there got what they want... wanted. And um, there's been a lot of ethnic cleansing going on in southern Iraq and it... it's over.

Ed Schultz: Bush and Cheney are saying that this is a sign of success.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, they have to say that. Um, but it's not the kind of success I'd want for the United States.

Ed Schultz: And, do you think that this is a clear break from President Bush on the part of Tony Blair?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: No, I don't think so. I think they'll... I think they're totally dependent on each other. I think they'll find a way to stick together.

Ed Schultz: And our next best move with Iran would be at this point?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Shuttle diplomacy. Get over there and talk to them.

Ed Schultz: When will you be making a decision on your presidential run?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I don't have any timelines on that. I'm... like I said, I'm working the policies, not the politics.

Ed Schultz: General, it’s always a pleasure.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you.

Ed Schultz: Our audience loves to hear from you. Thanks so much.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Good to be with you, Ed. Thank you.

Ed Schultz: You bet. General Wesley Clark with us here on the Ed Schultz Show and that web page is StopIranWar.com. It is a one-stop resource for all Americans to help stop the looming conflict with Iran.