Scheer: Why Wesley Clark could be an Eisenhower for our time.

[QC]

...clearly Clark's main strength is in challenging the neoconservative clique that has brainwashed our naive president into a harebrained scheme of remaking the world into an American empire. In the process, they have declared war, as Clark noted, "against anyone who expresses dissent, questions their facts or challenges their logic."

And just as with Vietnam, where Clark was wounded, Iraq is proving to be a quagmire sucking up massive U.S. resources that prevent us from addressing pressing domestic problems: Social Security, healthcare, education, jobs, violence.

Last week, in calling for an "independent, comprehensive investigation into the administration's handling of the intelligence leading to war in Iraq," Clark raised the key issue facing this president. "Nothing could be a more serious violation of public trust than to consciously make a case for war based on false claims," he said.

And there you have it -- the basic issue that the Democrats must address in the next election, or it isn't worth having one.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/scheer/2003/10/08/clark/index.html

[aquart]

1. Eisenhower was a good thing?

[Syrinx]

2. he warned "us" about the military-industrial complex

And his worst fears have unfolded.

[Larkspur]

4. And Ike toppled Iran's democracy in 1953

setting up the mess we have now. He also sent the Marines into Guatamala in 1956 to help the United Fruit Co.. Ike may have warned us about the MIC, but he profited from it by being President and using them.

And Ike is the one who got us first involved in Vietname by sending military advisors there.

Ike was a mediocre president, who inherited an economy saved by Harry Truman, who had to deal with a flood of WW II GI's coming home looking for jobs and who led America when our industry had basicly no competition from Europe and Japan.

Clark won't be much better than Ike, and could be worse because he supports the corporate cronies that Bush does. I don't see Clark doing much to put this country back on course with our nation's democratic ideals. He's got no history supporting democracy in a civilian role.

[DFLforever]

3. And apparantly prevented war with China - which some elements of the

government and military were eager for. I don't like the 'man on the white horse' type of image I see some people proposing for Clark but I think he has already shown that because of his military stature he can say things no other Democratic candidate is able to -such as his reference to this administration's planning for six more wars in the Mideast and No. Africa and his demand for an inquiry into the intelligence claims on which the Iraq invasion was justified.