David Hackworth likes Clark

[mainer]

This was posted on Hackworth's site, Soldiers For The Truth. I'm a Howard Dean supporter, but I find it interesting that Hackworth (who opposed the Iraq attack) is so supportive of the Clark candidacy.

------------------



By David H. Hackworth



With Wesley Clark joining the Democratic presidential candidates, there are enough eager bodies pointed toward the White House to make up a rifle squad. This bunch of wannabes could make things increasingly hot for Dubya – as long as they don’t blow each other away with friendly fire. Since Clark tossed his steel pot into the inferno, I've been constantly asked, “Hack, what do you think of the general?”



For the record, I never served with Clark. But after spending three hours interviewing the man for Maxim’s November issue, I’m impressed. He is insightful, he has his act together, he understands what makes national security tick – and he thinks on his feet somewhere around Mach 3. No big surprise, since he graduated first in his class from West Point, which puts him in the super-smart set with Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur and Maxwell Taylor.



Clark was so brilliant, he was whisked off to Oxford as a Rhodes scholar and didn’t get his boots into the Vietnam mud until well after his 1966 West Point class came close to achieving the academy record for the most Purple Hearts in any one war. When he finally got there, he took over a 1st Infantry Division rifle company and was badly wounded.



Lt. Gen. James Hollingsworth, one of our Army’s most distinguished war heroes, says: “Clark took a burst of AK fire, but didn’t stop fighting. He stayed on the field till his mission was accomplished and his boys were safe. He was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. And he earned ‘em.”

[mainer]

1. the full article

http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Hacks%20Target%20Homepage.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=32&rnd=532.1824349300557

[Dogmudgeon]

2. "Hack"

I don't always agree with him, but I like his columns.

He didn't like Clinton one bit, but he'd be ready to call down hellfire on Dubya.

--bkl

[MasonJar]

3. And meanwhile back on the ranch

And meanwhile back in Texas our usurper was taking dope and skipping out on his committment. He should be tried as a deserter in time of war. We must get this comparison out and out and out. Why this fallacy that he is a strong leader? He has alienated the entire world. He is not funding homeland security. He is stripping the military of its well-deserved pensions and health care. He went to war for nothing and is costing us lives and money. How could anyone think that is success?

[Skwmom]

4. The more I read about Clark

the more I like the man.

[EagleEye]

5. Where does he stand on dometic issues?

[mainer]

7. domestic issues

From what I've read, he actually seems to stand pretty close to Howard Dean's beliefs. He was against the tax cuts, is pro-choice, is pro-balanced budget, and says his attitude toward gays in the military is: "Don't ask, don't misbehave." And he even came out on the Bill Maher show and defended liberals, saying that he is one himself.

[Skwmom]

13. Dean wants to repeal all the tax-cuts, Clark wants to leave

the middle class tax cut sin place.

[dfong63]

16. the more i read about Clark, the less i trust him

first he wouldn't admit he was a democrat.
finally, after months of stalling, he admitted it.
then it comes out he voted for Nixon and Reagan.
he claims to have been converted by Clinton in 1992, but then it is revealed that he fundraised for repubs in 2001.
now it comes out that he says he "would have been a repub" if Karl Rove had returned his phone calls.

folks, these are not the actions of a true dem. Clark is a democrat of convenience only. he's just using the dem party to satisfy his ambitions. if he claims to support dem ideals now, who knows how deeply held those convictions are. he has no track record as a dem. he has no track record of fighting for dem candidates or causes. he does have a track record of helping the repubs. this is not the man who should be the leader of the dem party.

[iambe]

17. why should I believe you?

Do all Democrats have to pass your test?

[RummyTheDummy]

18. No.

Thank God they don't, otherwise it would be Repukes in the White Hosue forever. I have a feeling the only dems he/she likes are ones that are thoroughly unelectable.

[zekeson]

20. The woulda been a Repub has been rebuked

and I'm certain you just haven't gotten back to correct that yet, cuz I am certain you have no interest in slamming Clark for no reason, right?

[kayleybeth]

22. I voted for Reagan and Bush 41

I was converted by Clinton in 1992. And I consider myself very much a "true dem".

BTW, I know quite a few folks who were until very recently Republicans. They don't want to see shrub win next year anymore than we do. I welcome them to our party, as should we all, IMO.

[FDRLincoln]

6. hackworth is influential

Hackworth is VERY influential among the rank-and-file military, not so much the officers, but the grunts. If he likes Clark, that's big news, folks. Big news. Clark on the ticket, particularly in the first slot, strips a lot of military votes from PutschCo.

[HawkerHurricane]

8. Hackworth has influence with officers, too

His "The Third World War" is required reading on board.

[Donna Zen]

9. Military Families

have formed some chapters and written to Clark (note: this is not first hand knowledge but safe)

I think Clark paid attention to the rank and file. I remember seeing one piece, maybe Esquire, where he is described as knowing and remembering everyone's names.

[IndianaGreen]

10. Hack is a lying sack of shit and he is dishonest as hell (Boorda case)

Clark needs Hackworth's endorsement like a hole in his head!

After Hackworth made a federal case of CNO Admiral Boorda's wearing of a ribbon to which he was not entitled (there is still some controversy about this, it was not open and shut case), it turned out that Hackworth himself was wearing two combat ribbons to which he was not entitled.

Hackworth is a lying snake, and he is no better than the scumbag Geoff Hoon, Blair's MoD, that disclosed David Kelly's name to the British press.

Boorda and Kelly committed suicide!

WHO IS GUARDING US AGAINST THE GUARDIANS?
Arianna Huffington
Filed May 30, 1996

Adm. Mike Boorda had been dead six days when David Hackworth zeroed in on him: "By wearing false awards," he wrote in his column, "he lived a lie. He was not true to himself."

What cosmic impudence allows Hackworth to declare from his journalistic perch high atop Newsweek's peacock masthead that a man he did not know was not true to himself?

The media are about to close the book on the subject of Boorda's suicide. But many questions remain. The first one is: Who is David Hackworth?

<snip>

Hackworth's column following the admiral's suicide could be the credo of "gotcha" journalism. He uses his code as a soldier -- "I will not lie, cheat or steal, nor tolerate anyone who does" -- to justify his chilling self-righteousness.

"Integrity is not negotiable," he informs us. But when I asked him about his own conduct, he told me that his "battalion operated very effectively" during his exploits with his Vietnamese paramour.

http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/files/053096.html

Hackworth says error doesn't compare to Boorda suicide case
May 16, 1997 Web posted at: 11:00 a.m. EDT

From Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- David Hackworth, the retired army colonel turned journalist who questioned medals worn by the Navy's top admiral -- who later killed himself -- acknowledges he wrongly claimed credit for two of his own military honors.

The awards, which had been listed on Hackworth's personal Internet page, have now been removed.

Hackworth, once a columnist for Newsweek magazine, has described himself as America's most decorated living veteran. He was scheduled to interview Adm. Jeremy Boorda, chief of naval operations, on the day Boorda committed suicide one year ago.

Boorda, 56, committed suicide less than two hours after he learned that reporters would be questioning him about two pins on ribbon decorations that he had worn.

He left notes lamenting the coming disclosure that he had improperly worn the two bronze "V" pins, which normally are awarded for valor in combat.

http://www.cnn.com/US/9705/16/hackworth/

[dfong63]

15. that's an interesting story, but

i don't think it's fair to blame Hackworth for Boorda's death. it's right for journalists to raise questions like this. Boorda should have defended himself instead of committing suicide.

[Tinoire]

11. Well, well, well

This is indeed an 'endorsement' (not sure if I should call it that) that carries a LOT of weight. Hackworth is a blood and guts type of officer who only cares about the troops and getting the mission accomplished correctly.

Frankly, I'm amazed. This is good for Clark... It carries a lot of weight for military people.

Now it would be even better, go a lot further, if Hackworth were to re-address all the other points he made about Clark and tell people how he feels about them because he hasn't quite eaten crow here.

Anyway, congratulations Clark supporters.

[IndianaGreen]

14. Hack's role in the Boorda case

makes him out to be a sorry ass snake, with a cult following, but a snake nevertheless.

[Donna Zen]

12. mainer writes:

interesting that Hackworth (who opposed the Iraq attack) is so supportive of the Clark candidacy.

Because Clark opposed the war. The resolution to go to the UN is a separate thing altogether. And actually, when one thinks about the resolution, it did gain the traction it was supposed to; the inspectors were in. The problem was not going to the UN, the problem was going to war.

Imagine in some alternative universe that instead of going to war, we had kept and strengthened the inspectors with blue helmets on the ground with NGO's. (Carnegie Foundation plan) Today_Iraqis would be a stronger people, Saddam would remain in his palace but growing weaker by the day because 40,000 troops were on his borders. The more humanitarian aid and contact with the outside world the UN supplied, the more hearts and minds could be won.

We all know that PNAC's goals have little-less-nothing to do with the people in Iraq. That's why the regime never wanted "yes" for an answer.

[gulliver]

21. Madeline Albright said as much on Sunday's MTP

She said something to the affect that she was surprised Bush didn't just stop short of war and claim victory for getting the inspectors back in.

[union_maid]

19. I'm not that surprised

I was just at a meeting with several Clark supporters. One is a veteran who set up http://www.veteransforclark2004.us/ for veterans who support Clark. The response it's gotten is more than he anticipated. He says that he gets tons of e-mails from veterans asking how they can help and his bandwidth charges are more than he bargained for.