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The following is an account of the NAACP forum
by another Clark supporter:
______________________________________________
Behind the scenes at the NAACP Forum
As the forum began at 5:45 only 3 candidates had arrived: Congressman
Kucinich, Reverend Sharpton and General Clark. Sharpton had some
really good quips in his opening statement, saying that Bush can't
find Osama, he can't find Saddam, he can't find WMD. Sharpton said
that next year he was going to help Bush find Crawford, Texas.
Sharpton also said that what Dean, Kerry, Edwards and Lieberman had
done to General Clark on Thursday night was a disgrace, that the true
enemy was Bush.
The moderator was a fellow from local Charlotte NPR and he was very
good, setting a relaxed tone. Each of the 3 fellows got a chance to
answer the same questions, questions covering a broad range of
topics. All 3 guys treated each other with great respect, as it
should be. A favorite line from General Clark was that in order to
win Bush would need brothers in the other 49 states. Another good one
was when he said that the main problem with the Patriot Act is
Attorney General John Ashcroft. Clark said that Ashcroft is not much
of an attorney and he sure isn't a general.
As the forum continued it became clear that the folks stuck in
Phoenix weren't due anytime soon. Dennis Kucinich had a plane to
catch so he made some closing remarks then left the stage. About 15
or 20 minutes later Reverend Sharpton had to do the same. No one, and
I mean no one, from the audience was getting up to leave at this
point and, as reported by the media, it turned into the Wesley Clark
Show.
I believe that divine providence had a role here. This is a forum
that General Clark was not originally scheduled to attend, a forum
that was to have 7 people on the stage but General Clark was there
and he had the stage and the room to himself. The General spoke from
his heart about affirmative action, immigration and racial profiling.
In one shining moment he asked all of the veterans in the audience to
stand. I am not a very emotional person, for better or worse, but I
have to admit that this was a very, very powerful sight to behold, my
jaw was clenched about as hard as it could be in order to maintain my
composure. General Clark also took questions directly from the
audience, he got up from behind the desk and walked right over near
the questioners. It was quite intimate and personal, he bonded with
the crowd on a very direct level. The forum ended with only General
Clark on stage and as he walked out he paused at every single row to
shake hands, chat and take pictures. He is simply one of the most
decent, one of the most human men I've ever met. I wouldn't have
thought that such warmth would come from a General but of course this
is no ordinary officer.
After leaving the room we headed down the escalator together and over
into a bar/lobby area. The General spoke with several folks one on
one, he wasn't rushed, he treated every person with the same respect.
When a new volunteer approached him with some ideas the General took
out his PDA and made notes for several minutes while his campaign
staff waited and watched. It's been said before and it's more than
worth saying again: this guy is the real deal. Onward and upward.
________________________________________________________
I know a lot of DU'ers seem to hate General Clark but I
like him and I like what he stands for.
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