My sympathies to Wesley Clark's supporters

[IndianaGreen]

This is a cautionary tale from a Dean supporter to the Wesley Clark supporters. As you are being flooded by the sudden onslaught of anti-Clark stories, ask yourselves the following questions:

Who is planting these stories?

Which campaign is behind them?

Is the GOP playing a role in this (Duh!)?

Instead of spinning your wheels trying to answer every anti-Clark charge that comes your way, only to have a new out come out before you get a chance to debunk it, you need to focus on the source of the stories and the people behind the ones that are putting the stories out.

We all benefit if we focus our efforts in smoking out the people behind the smearing of our antiwar candidates. We might be surprised in what we find out. If you don't believe me, just look at what happened in past primary campaign seasons. I remember one Democratic candidate in 1988 having a real hard time defending himself against charges of flip flopping on the issues (there was a TV ad in which a look-alike was shown doing flip-flops). It was not until after that candidate had dropped out, that the story came out that it was one of his Democratic rivals that had approached the media with negative stories about him.

[cmd]

1. Excellent points, IndianaGreen

I almost skipped over this post. Your title suggests pig wrestlng. I stay away from that sport.

Every one of us needs to keep your questions in mind no matter what candidate we support.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Thanks

I can't help but noticing what appears to be an organized effort to smear Clark, and effort that has obviously been long in the making.

[jumptheshadow]

3. Nice post

Thank you for a well-reasoned post.

My own feeling is that the GOP will try to defeat Clark during the primaries because of all the candidates they fear him the most. Watch for more Drudge "scoops" on issues that might alienate Democratic primary voters. Watch for a relentless and baseless insult and innuendo campaign from the talk show creeps. Watch for sophisticated disruptors on Democratic forums like this one.

Sure, there's stuff coming from the left as well, but IMO some of it focuses issues that needed to be looked at and carefully considered. The Pristina airport story spawned countless stories and posts, which in turn inspired writers to research the incident and give us context about it.

The folks who question whether they want a military man in the White House have a valid and thoughtful point. As a Clark supporter (and I can only speak for myself) I welcome their posts, as long as they are reasonable and are written to encourage dialogue, not destroy it.

[hayu_lol]

7. Here is one attack from Dan Frisa @ Newsmax...9-17-03...

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/9/17/10044.shtml

Tried to find out who Dan Frisa was. An ex congressman from New Jersey who served 95-97. Was beaten for re-election by a 52 year old pro-choice widow. No evidence that Frisa(military expert)ever served.

[jumptheshadow]

10. This is a PERFECT example of the RW talking points

1) Clinton, Clinton and more Clinton. My comment: The question you want to ask here is will a NATO general who becomes president feel that he needs to report to the Clintons? I don't think so...

2) Wacko, wacko and more wacko. My comment: I've seen this insult repeated in three or four RW locations and *there's never one shred of evidence.* It's damnation by false insinuation.

These paragraphs would make my laugh if they weren't so smarmy:

>>Take a close, hard look at this wacko when he makes his announcement.

Notice his unsettling beady eyes and the ill-fitting collar of his suit: not exactly the embodiment of presidential stature.<<

It's unbelievable how repulsive this is.

On edit: The Repugs seem to be setting up any genuine Democratic contender as a "wacko." (For example: The RNC commercial with footage of Dean during a particularly passionate moment.) Is this a "best defense is a good offense" move protecting their own candidate? If so then the Dem Photoshoppers and the Dem grassroots movements should plaster flyers of Bush during his "odd" moments all over this nation.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

4. Thanks IG

I appreciate this post!

DTH

[arwalden]

29. What he said!

:-)

[Red_Storm]

5. Good Points Raised

and about the Anti-Clark smear campaign already underway....It's really no surprise at all.....the velocity and volume of it....

[jonnyblitz]

6. sorry IG... but SOME (not all) of his supporters her at DU are a bit much.

:hi:

[Tyler Durden]

12. Think so?

Try being a Clark supporter. It's like standing underneath the ass of an elephant on EXLAX.

[JVS]

16. lovely description

[bicentennial_baby]

15. And that is relevant how?

:shrug:

[otohara]

8. How About Columns Written By The General Himself?

As for the political leaders themselves, President Bush and Tony Blair should be proud of their resolve in the face of so much doubt


http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0917-14.htm

[IndianaGreen]

9. A fair question

However, one can also argue that Clark may have been overcomed with the same emotions many Americans felt when they saw Saddam statue being toppled in Baghdad after relatively small number of US casualties.

Leave it to those of us on the Left to be the ones that discovered that the toppling of Saddam statue was a carefully scripted event in which the crowd, made up mostly of Chalabi supporters, had been bused from Northern Iraq by the US.

Even Clark, in the article you mentioned, speaks of the troubles the US was going to face:

Diplomacy got us into this campaign but didn’t pull together the kind of unity of purpose that marked the first Gulf War. Relationships, institutions and issues have virtually all been mortgaged to success in changing the regime in Baghdad. And in the Islamic world the war has been seen in a far different light than in the US and Britain. Much of the world saw this as a war of aggression. They were stunned by the implacable determination to use force, as well as by the sudden and lopsided outcome.

Now the bills must be paid, amid the hostile image created in many areas by the allied action.

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0917-14.htm

[Tyler Durden]

14. VERY fair.

And well said.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

22. Thank You, IG

I really appreciate your fair (unlike the ironically named FAIR whose incredibly misleading title alone should make them ashamed) commentary on this issue!

DTH

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Novac, Hannity, Limbaush, Coulter and the other mad dogs of

the right are already attacking him but I have seen some Republicans of good conscience applaud Wes Clark's service to his country and limit their attacks to his political stances....

That's fair game....


on edit-I spelled Limbau(g)h wromg but I like it that way...

[Tatiana]

13. Thanks for the great post IG!

I like Dean. I like Clark. Hell, I like Edwards and Kucinich too. A few months ago I was almost decided on Kerry.

I hate it when we allow ourselves to be distracted from the fact that we have a PHENOMENAL array of candidates. Perhaps we have feasted on such a lean diet of slim pickings that we don't know how what to do when we are presented with a huge buffet of candidates representing a full spectrum of center to far-left politics.

There is a smear in effect against Clark, just as there was againt Dean. Time and time we underestimate the Right. They smell front-runners. They see the excitement that Clark and Dean inspire. The Right's greatest nightmare is for the Left to get the base fired-up and inspired to actually go out there and VOTE the Pretender out!

No candidate is perfect. No candidate is all-knowledgeable. That's why the President has a Cabinet and advisors. It is quite likely that a good number of our democratic candidates will end up in the Cabinet or administration of whoever the Democratic nominee (and eventual winner of the '04 election) is.

This new smear campaign against Clark reeks of the GOP. We need to wake up and smell the blood. We have THEM on the run! I've contributed to 3 campaigns already, and Clark will be my fourth because regardless of who wins the Dem nomination, I want the brilliant ideas of these candidates in the mainstream media. We need the brainwashed public segment to be deprogrammed and educated about Bush's trashing of our country and the world.

Bush has been a miserable failure at everything!

We need a health care policy that covers everyone!

We need a Department of Peace!

This war in Iraq is based on lies and we need to bring our soldiers home!

These expensive tax cuts need to be repealed!

We need a sound, fiscally responsible economic policy!

I could go on and on.... All of our candidates articulate these positions and a lot more. Let them push these positions until they catch on with the rest of the public.

There is nothing wrong with asking questions about the candidates. We are entitled to do that. But let's not eat our own. As Clinton said, the Right has accomplished so many of their goals because when the time comes for unity, they "fall in line." Whoever our nominee is, we're gonna have to fall in line to achieve the most important goal we have at the moment - defeat Bush.

[calimary]

17. Ditto! Remember OUR BENCH STRENGTH!

They don't have any. They bet it all on the bushies. They figured that's all they'd need.

And yes, as a Dean supporter (who does like Clark), my condolences about the Clark bashing. The only bashing we should all be doing - MUST be aimed at The First Dog Dropper.

[jumptheshadow]

18. LOL

The First Dog Dropper! I love it!

[Tatiana]

23. I love that term! BENCH STRENGTH!

Bush bungles our relationship with the U.N. And off the bench we come with Edward's brilliant foreign policy experience!

Bush cuts benefits to Veterans. Off the bench we come with Kerry's brilliant defense of Veterans.

[buddhamama]

19. i'm a DK supporter but am open to every candidate in the race

i read an article about Clark this morning, and wrote in a thread that the article raised some questions and concerns for me and that i'll have to do some research.

here's my concern, am i now going to be branded a Clark basher/trasher or anti-Clark because i have questions,concerns,etc? branding people has been a reoccuring theme here lately so i ask in all sincerity.

[Forkboy]

20. I say just fire away and to hell with whatever label...

...people try to pin on you.

[buddhamama]

21. you're right

the truth is i really don't care what i am labeled as
but this branding stuff really makes it hard to have a discussion about the issues; and if i can't discuss the issues i'd like to know that up front so i'm not wasting my time.

[Eloriel]

24. Yes, you will

And what's amazing to ME is that afte all the bashing Dean supporters have gotten -- a good bit of it by Clark supporters before he announced -- and now all the Clark supporters are squealing like stuck pigs. Toooo funny.

Eloriel

[Atlant]

26. Didn't you know? Clark was going to finally be the one candidate with...

Didn't you know? Clark was going to finally be the ONE (candidate) with
Special Superman-like Invulnerability to attacks. That's why all of
his supporters wanted him (as compared to any of the NONE, whom they
daily proved could be attacked 'cause they were busy doing it).

Oh well, I guess the General doesn't have the NEO-Teflon either.
Maybe there's yet-another candidate for messiah arising that they
can switch now their loyalties to, or maybe they'll finally understand
that the Republican Smear Machine is geared up to smear ANY AND ALL
OF OUR CANDIDATES and the best we can do is defend them ALL while
recognizing the smears for what they are; just shit thrown at the wall
in the hopes that some of it will stick.

Atlant

[IndianaGreen]

28. The Cleland vs Chambliss race in Georgia

shows that being a highly decorated veteran, and a capable incumbent Senator, matters little when the GOP propaganda machine goes on the attack.

A large reason for the GOP success lies in that the American media is controlled by about 15 individuals that owe their allegiance to rightwing causes. As long as the news content has a conservative ideological spin, there is little chance of getting our message out.

To think that at one time news programs were treated as public service by the networks and the FCC, instead of entertainment and profit centers.

[Kahuna]

25. Thanks again IG... We don't agree on the candidates..

or even all of the issues. But you are one class act.

:yourock:

[MrPrax]

27. When do 'smears' become

legitmate criticism?

Sure the crap from the GOP is 'part of the game', but there are critics of Clark from all sides.

I mean isn't undermining democratic debate by suggesting people should shut up if they have reservations about this or that candidate

[Nederland]

30. Naive

Is the GOP playing a role in this (Duh!)?

How naive to think that all of the other Democrats running for the nomination would be above planting stories that discredit their opponents. This is politics IG, and its been this way for years.