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General Wesley Clark on the Stephanie Miller Show
November 26, 2008
transcript by Reg NYC
Stephanie Miller: Let's get on with the important business of taking back America. If only someone-
(phone rings)
Stephanie Miller: Oh, it's-! Who is it Christopher?
Christopher: It's General Wesley Clark. Hey!
Stephanie Miller: Ooh, he's one of our-
Christopher: Our favorite.
Stephanie Miller: -our personal favorites
Christopher: About some- about time somebody classed up the joint.
Stephanie Miller: (laughs) Good morning, General Clark.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Good morning, Stephanie. How are you.
Stephanie Miller: I an, I am fine, Sir. I, I have a number of things to talk to you about. But you wrote a great piece, first of all, in the Sunday New York Times that I, I hadn't thought about, about that saving the U.S. auto industry is, is not just important economically but for national security. Could you tell us what you meant by that?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: You need that manufacturing skill and that capability to take us to a new level of technology for the Armed Forces. Things like batteries, electric motors, hybrid vehicles - the things that we need for a 21st century land force are going to be produced in mass in Detroit. That's true, you could buy your batteries from let's say China-
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -or Japan, and you could buy your electric motors from China. But normally countries like to have their own things for their own security, and this has been a big factor in America's national security in the past. Detroit is what made us the arsenal of democracy during World War II.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And you just never know what the future holds. So, I wouldn't give away the, the centerpiece of the American manufacturing industry just because we don't like some guys flying around in private jets.
Stephanie Miller: Yeah, exactly. I- Well, you know, somebody did make the point, General Clark, is why didn't they ask that of any of these, you know, Citicorp guys or bankers or anybody else that, that came in and asked for money? I mean, you know, granted it was a bad PR move, but it's not really the point, is it?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It's not the point. The real point is: This is a bigger issue than any single person. It's no longer about the so-called 'moral hazard' of people trying to get away with things, and there's a lot of people who've gotten away with a lot of things, a lot of them on Wall Street. But now we've got to take care of the country, and that means we need to restore consumer confidence. We need to keep people in their homes. We need to build up demand. We need to protect our industry and give it a chance to, to reform itself and meet new demands in the marketplace.
Stephanie Miller: Well, and you know, I, I think that you, you've talk about Iraq, and I'm not sure people are aware that their participation, that you know, companies such as GM in the, i-in the Iraq war was something that we couldn't've accomplished - all the armor-plated vehicles and all that, we couldn't've done that that quickly without the American auto industry, right?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, that's right. It wasn't so much Ford and GM, but it was their supply base-
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -that if you were trying to put together an armored vehicle, you could, you could find somebody who could make axles. You could find someone who could make steering assemblies. And these are the same technologies and the same tools and the same die makers that work for the, for the Big Three automakers. If the Big Three go out, you wouldn't be able to find that same supply base in a future emergency.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm. General Clark, speaking of Iraq, tell us the-, 'cause you know, the, for the average person this gets a little confusing what's happening with this Iraqi Security Pact.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, basically there's an agreement that the United States is going to leave, pull all the troops out of Baghdad and move them out into the s- out into the countryside by the summer of 2010, sorry by next, yeah-
Stephanie Miller: Yeah.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -2010 I guess, and then be out of there in the next year or so.
Stephanie Miller: Right.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And-
Stephanie Miller: 2011, right.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think that, I think it's a, just a common sense approach by the Iraqis. It's an attempt to deal with their political system. It may not hold up. There may be troubles in getting it implemented. The terrorists may be back. But look, I think we should, we should be happy that the Iraqis are trying to make a political expression rather than just fighting it out.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm. What, now what is your take on the news that Barack Obama intends to re-enlist Defense Secretary Robert Gates as head of the Pentagon, if only temporarily?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think it's a good move on a couple of grounds. First, he is experienced. He's dealing with the issues and he's dealing with the issues in a non-idealogical way. He's a pretty pragmatic decision maker, and so that's a good thing. I think secondly that if you think back to Democratic President in general, they usually get hammered by the right wing on national security.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It's what happened to President Carter. It happened to President Clinton. I think having a, a, a Secretary of Defense who's a Republican, who's been in good standing with the Republican Party at a critical juncture when you're initiating some changes in defense policy, I think that gives you a little-
Stephanie Miller: Well-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -political margin.
Stephanie Miller: Right.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: The most important thing for Barack Obama is the economy, and he knows it. It's the most important thing right now-
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -for Americans. And so, we don't want to get distracted by a big national security dust-up.
Stephanie Miller: Well, you know, General, it seems to me like not only is he walking the talk on the or, or, excuse me, walking the talk on what he said about, you know, bringing in rivals and putting a Republican, Republicans in his cabinet. I mean, I also think that he has said, I, I, don't know, even know of I ever say that right about that we need to get out of Iraq as, you know, cautiously as, as uncautiously as we got in. And that seems to, to go to that, doesn't it, to, to you know keep some continuity-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Yeas, it does.
Stephanie Miller: -c-continuity?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Absolutely.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think it's a, it's a smart move. It's smart not only politically but it is smart politically, but it's also smart substance-wise.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm. Well, because that was a lot of fear-mongering, that 'Oh, he's going to do something radical and leftist and pull us out in two days and..' you know. And Barack Obama has always said that he's not going to do that, that we, that we-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Right.
Stephanie Miller: -need to be very cautious in, in how we do that.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Right. Now there are those people who say, 'Well, this would somehow indicate that there aren't Democrats who can handle national security.' Well, I don't think is the case. There's lots of Democrats who can handle national security, and I think everybody knows that. This is simply a smart move at this time, and it should be recognized as that.
Stephanie Miller: And you, I, I have to get your thoughts on the, you were of course a big Hillary Clinton supporter, on the Secretary of State that it's apparently he's, the word is he is, he has now officially offered the post to Hillary Clinton, which I think is great. What, what's your take on..
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I'm delighted. I think Hillary is going to be a fabulous Secretary of Defense (sic) and a great representative for the President and for the United States of America.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And I mean, I think that, you know, she wants to be in the thick of things. She wants to help make a difference, and she's made her personal choice that she (dropout) to work this arena.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think she'll be grand at it.
Stephanie Miller: Mm hm. Well, I mean, I have to say I, you know, I at first I really was, you know, kind of pulling for Governor Richardson, but I, I must say this to me seems like leadership, that he really is pulling in rivals and people from the other party and, and that's what you need to do to lead ultimately. Right?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I, I think you have to bring in talent, and, and she certainly has the talent and she's able to get this done. She'll be, I think, a great Secretary of State. And, and Bill Richardson's still available as Secretary of Commerce.
Stephanie Miller: Yeah.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: He's going to be working a lot of international issues. He's going to be there as a right hand advisor. You know, that's always sort of been the position that was the President's best friend, and, and he'll be there in a very supportive role. I think it's a smart move all around.
Stephanie Miller: Well, you know, I think it was George Stephanopolis that said he has never, he has never in his lifetime seen so far such an assemblage of star power, political power, political muscle, brain power, in a, in a cabinet. You know, th-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well-
Stephanie Miller: -thus far.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think we, I think the Democrats can be pretty proud of who they have.
Stephanie Miller: If only there was a place for a someone that was maybe a Supreme Allied Commander of NATO-
Christopher: (laughs)
Stephanie Miller: -or something like that-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: There is.
Stephanie Miller: -someone who is personal favorite-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Jim Jones-
Stephanie Miller: (laughs)
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Jim Jones is going to be the National Security Advisor.
Christopher: Yeah.
Stephanie Miller: That's not who I mean. I mean-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: He's a different Commander of NATO.
Stephanie Miller: I mean you, General Clark.
(bell rings)
Stephanie Miller: Come on.
(laughter and applause all around)
Stephanie Miller: I mean my favorite General.
Christopher: Yeah.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, you're nice to say that.
(laughter)
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I, I, I'll do whatever I, I can if somebody needs my help. I'm happy in the private sector. And I'm just proud that our country's made a good choice, and I'm proud for Barack Obama that- and his family. He looks so great in that position.
Christopher: Yeah.
Stephanie Miller: Yeah.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And I think he's going to have a great cabinet.
Stephanie Miller: Well, we appreciate the time you take to serve on the Stephanie Miller Newscast. It's a-
(laughter all around)
Stephanie Miller: It's a great sacrifice-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It's a Stephanie-
Stephanie Miller: -but helping, helping your country.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It's a Stephanie Miller Order of Merit, right?
Christopher: Yes.
Stephanie Miller: Right
Christopher: Yes, you do.
Stephanie Miller: So done.
(inaudible background talk, laughter and feedback)
Stephanie Miller: Happy Thanksgiving, General. Ha-
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you.
Stephanie Miller: Have a great one.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: You too and all the listeners.
Stephanie Miller: Alright. There he goes, General Wesley Clark.
(applause and cheering)
Stephanie Miller: There's got to be a place for him and Gert. Come on.
