General’s orders: Exclusive interview

[demdave]

Retired four-star general Wesley Clark thinks “don’t ask, don’t tell” needs to go and same-sex unions are here to stay. Can these pro-gay positions win him voters’ support—and the Democratic presidential nomination?
It has been more than 10 years since a Democrat from Little Rock, Ark., first took on the military’s ban on gay service members, winding up with a compromise that was quickly dubbed “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Now another Democrat from Little Rock is tackling that compromise, saying it clearly doesn’t work and must be dismantled. As president, Gen. Wesley Clark is prepared to fix what his former commander in chief, Bill Clinton, left broken.

In a testament to how much has changed in the decade since “don’t ask, don’t tell” was born, all nine of the Democratic presidential candidates who are currently elbowing their way across the country say the policy is discriminatory. But the 59-year-old Clark, a retired four-star gen- eral and former NATO commander, could be the only one with enough brass to make a difference. As Steve Rawls of the military watchdog group Servicemembers Legal Defense Fund explains, “Military leaders will have a lot of sway in convincing Congress to change the policy, and General Clark obviously has a lot of stature within the military community.”

http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/907/907_clark.asp


Admins....I realize this is an interview, but I believe the fact that he gave it is news.

[Democrats unite]

1. It just doesn't get any better with Wesley Clark.

I love this man!

[Moderator]

2. Not LBN... locking.

It's a really great interview, but interviews don't usually qualify as LBN.

There are a few good GD-2004 Primary Forum threads about this subject; please feel free to continue the discussion there!

Thanks,

DU Moderator