Wesley Clark Interview in The Advocate

This part is interesting, especially when you consider that Newt Gingrich is no longer in Congress, and hasn't been for some time now:

Advocate: So you support Massachusetts's calling it marriage?
Clark: Yeah, absolutely.

Advocate: How do you think Congress would react to that?

Clark: Well, they'll love it. This is exactly what they're looking for. Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay and all those guys are looking for a real hand grenade to throw into the Democratic Party.

Do you think that just because Newt is not in Congress that he is still not pulling strings? Gee, you are naive!

Actually, bobbie, it is you who are naive. Newt is not that well-liked on Capitol Hill right now and has lost most of his influence there. He's even earned the ire of the Bush Administration with his comments about Iraq before Saddam was captured.

So MIB, why is Newt not so well liked? Curious minds want to know!

I cant understand why someone wouldnt like Newt, the family values man now on his third marriage.

At least we know who is and is not a member of Congress. Wes Clark. He be smarrte.

At any rate, as someone who lives in Washington and has friends who work in House and Senate offices, I can assure you Newt doesn't have much pull in Washington these days. He's on TV a lot, but that's about it.

[ January 21, 2004, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: William1865 ]

To be fair he didn't say that Newt was a current member of Congress, and I don't think anyone would doubt that Newt has been and will be all over Fox News talking about this at some point. While his current influence in Washington can be debated, he is a senior fellow at the influencial AEI in DC. Plus, I don't think that anyone supporting Bush has any business making comments about the smarts of other major candidates. This seems more like nit-picking to me.

The question specifically asked how would Congress respond. Clark said "they," again he said, "they," then he said DeLay and Newt, and "all those guys." I'm not clear on what other group was mentioned here besides Congress. Perhaps Clark was referring to everybody in Congress as well as everybody who's not in Congress.

If we're going on television/media appearances, why didn't Clark say "Tom DeLay and Ann Coulter" instead of Newt? Ann's a much bigger media whore than Gingrich. Gingrich is pretty much only on Fox, I think he has some sort of contract with them. Most people hardly remember him at this point, except for Wes Clark, who apparently never got the news that Newt's not in Congress.

Or perhaps Clark's just time traveling, and when he answered this question Newt was still in Congress. Who knows?

[ January 21, 2004, 02:29 PM: Message edited by: William1865 ]

Interesting how they dressed Clark all metrosexual 'n' all for the Advocate cover...

Actually, he looks like a Castro clone, ca. 1978. Or would he need a big, bushy 'stache for that?

I bet Clark probably messed mixed up who's in office as William is implying, so I sincerely hope he figures out quickly that Dennis Hastert and Tom DeLay are the Republican powers in the House, and Bill Frist runs the Senate, and isn't living back in the 1990s when Clinton was his boss and he was battling Bill Cohen. But then again, ignorance of the world has never been a disqualifier for the presidency (scary though it is to many of us): look at the current occupant and his previous mis-statements--from "Grecians" on.

This interview is a very small part of the overall campaign. It certainly gives me pause, but since I live in Texas and have always voted here, I don't really get to participate in the choice of candidates.

Anyway, I would suspect that Clark is a little bit stuck in the time when he was dealing with Congress on a regular basis, when he was a general. And Newt was speaker for a good portion of that time, and probably one of the most active and vocal speakers he ever had to deal with. It's not a good thing that he hasn't moved on from there, but it is by no means a deal breaker if it comes down to voting for him. If he is the nominee, he would have my vote over Bush without a second thought. If elected, he'll be more involved with Congress than he ever dreamed. And he will know all the key players.

If dismantling "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is your number one issue then Clark should be your pick.

The only way the entrenched homophobes in the Military (and it goes all the way to the top) will move on this issue - regardless of the official policy - is if one of their own looks them in the eye and says “fix it.”

But does he know who the governor of Florida is?

"I talked to my little brother, Jeb - I haven't told this to many people. But he's the governor of - I shouldn't call him my little brother - my brother, Jeb, the great governor of Texas."
Chimp, April 27, 2000

Duh, everybody knows Walt Disney is the governor of Florida.

Well, Clark move over, cause here comes Dumbya:

"One of the most meaningful things that's happened to me since I've been the governor—the president—governor—president. Oops. Ex-governor. I went to Bethesda Naval Hospital to give a fellow a Purple Heart, and at the same moment I watched him—get a Purple Heart for action in Iraq—and at that same—right after I gave him the Purple Heart, he was sworn in as a citizen of the United States—a Mexican citizen, now a United States citizen."—Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2004

But hey, he doesn't only realize that after FOUR YEARS he's been president, he's still unsure about his GENDER!

"So thank you for reminding me about the importance of being a good mom and a great volunteer as well."—St. Louis, Jan. 5, 2004

You guys must REALLY be scraping the bottom of the barrel when you start bringing up stuff like this, fantomas.

The first paragraph I liked. Thought it was funny. The very end of it and the stuff that followed was really petty. Simply petty.

Bush comments that a soldier was first a Mexican citizen, then a U.S. citizen. So?

Then Bush calls himself a "mom." So? When I babysit my nieces and nephew, I often tell folks I'm mom for the day.

Petty, petty, petty. You guys are no different from those idiots of the far right who would pick out every little damn thing Clinton did that out of context seemed funny or stupid.

Get some glasses, Judge. W claimed he was a GOVERNOR still, then said he was PRESIDENT, then said he was GOVERNOR, then...oh well, if it wasn't obvious to you, I guess I've given you far too much credit already.

Anyways, I'd rather have a leader who mistakes Gingrich for Delay than one who can't even figure out what position he holds--especially the week before he's giving the damned State of the Union speech! Dumbya indeed!

So he's not good on the stump--who cares? A few of my peers stumble and fumble all over the place when speaking publicly, but if they have a chance to write out what they will say, you'd think their oratorical skills rivaled Plato's.

On one of the blogs I go to, they wrote "If Clark wanted gays to vote for him, he should have had his son, Wes Jr., on the cover of the Advocate. He'd get out the vote".

I'm sure Clarks' faux paux was part of his strategery.

I wouldn't vote for any cute, mature military stud who shows a little chest hair on the cover of the Advocate, but he certainly attracted my attention and interest.

And if he has an even cuter son who wants to do the same I say "BRING IT ON!!"

About time our community got the chance to be exploited like the rest. So when's Edwards gonna get with the program? He could knock 'em out in a Johnny Cash outfit - three buttons undone.

Hmmmm. Wesley Clarke Sr and Wesley Clarke Jr.

OH GOD HELP ME. I'm having impure thoughts.

Many, Many, Many impure thoughts.

I think I need a cigarette.

eek!

But are they the President of the United States? Are you saying there should be no standards for self-expression or intellectual clarity--that our leader--the leader of the richest and most powerful nation on this earth--should operate like your "peers"? Scary.

PS Are you Chief Justice Antonin Scalia?

[ January 27, 2004, 10:39 AM: Message edited by: fantomas ]

From this morning's Hotline Wake-Up Call!

BREAKFAST FLAKE

"It's very late here in Dicksville Notch, New Hampshire" -- Wesley Clark, in an email to supporters announcing his win in DIXVILLE Notch (Wake-Up Call! sources).