Joe Conason on the Right's attacks on Wesley Clark

[WillyBrandt]

Why is it that when it comes to Wesley Clark so many so-called Democrats sound like a gaggle of wingnuts (perhaps it's because they are quoting the wingnuts directly...)

"The higher he rises in national polls, the more often Wesley Clark will be smeared by Republican operatives who can depend on assistance from their friends -- and Clark's enemies. Among the favorite criticisms voiced by conservatives is that Clark was relieved from duty as NATO commander because he maneuvered around his Pentagon superiors during the Kosovo conflict. That accusation probably won't damage Clark politically, but various right-wing pundits are now feigning shock over it. (For historical context, see the career of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Although cashiered by President Truman in 1951 for insubordination, the old soldier was idolized by right-wingers and promoted the following year as a potential Republican presidential candidate.)

"Most of the attacks on Clark coming from his former Army colleagues are rather vague, focused on his personality rather than his unassailable service record. Yesterday on "All Things Considered," a retired lieutenant general named Funk told NPR's Eric Westervelt that he "frankly wouldn't trust Wes, either. I think it has to do with character issues. I don't think it has to do with integrity. I never knew him, for instance, to lie to me or anything like that. But I wouldn't trust him under pressure. I've seen him get a little bit hyper under pressure. I'd worry about him in combat under pressure."

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2003/10/17/clark_attack/index.html

[leetrisck]

1. "Worry about him under combat pressure"

I believe ole Wesley has performed admirably under combat pressure.Believe I would take him any day in the fox hole or as a boss - thank you very much, Sir.

[rucky]

2. While our Generals are Busy Fighting Satan...

Wes knows who the real enemies are. The more they open their mouths, the more the Pentagon higher-ups sound like catty little schoolgirls.

[OKNancy]

3. I was feeling kind of down about all the negative

press.....and then I read this:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45166-2003Oct18.html

Lots of new news and biography I didn't know. I didn't realize that Clark had many articles written about him when he was younger. Someone said he committed the sin of fame.

[sendero]

4. I heard that attack piece on NPR....

... against Clark and I swear, Goebbels would be proud. A bunch of former colleages and peripherals, all uttering vague distaste for Clark, and I swear, trying to equate him with Clinton with comments like "thumb in the wind" and such.

It was absolutely shameless and absolutely unfair. I defy anyone to listen to it and claim NPR is "balanced". It was *pure propaganda*.

In the name of full disclosure I'm still a Dean supporter but I will admit Clark is interesting....and also, screw NPR - if you are giving them money you are paying for the demise of journalism in this country.

[Cocoa]

10. my reaction to the NPR piece

I thought sounded like a pretty accurate picture of how other generals see Clark, and it had both good and bad. And I think it's valid to ask the question of what generals think of him.

My further reaction was "who cares?" If a candidate was a CEO, I think it would be valid for NPR to go around asking other executives who'd worked with him what they thought of him.

But as far as inlfuencing my opinion, the opinions of CEOs or the generals wouldn't mean much to me at all. I'd assume they're motiviated by some interest that's not even on my radar screen. CEOs and generals are pretty much a different species than me, politically speaking.

[AP]

14. The point is that the PNAC'er generals don't like him,

and there are probably a ton of generals who believe in democracy who believe in Clark.

This isn't an issue of counting heads, seeing how many like and dislike him. This is about poltical philosophy. It's shameful that NPR would air the opinions of the PNAC'ers but not explain the underlying debate.

Do you think Americans would agree with Shelton's opnion if they were then given enough information which would allow any reasonable person to conclude that Shelton might like chaos because it creates a lot of Republican-friendly scenarios and it generates lots of arms sales and profits for companies upon whose boards he'd like to sit?

Someone said (and I augmented) this analogy: this is like going out and finding old patients of Howard Dean's, and reporting the opinions of only the ones on whom he committed malpractice without bothering to note that they're suing him.

[FrenchieCat]

5. Like I said in a previous thread...

mainstream media are on board with the GOP in doing all they can for their man Bush....I believe that the defeat of Wes Clark is #1 on the agenda....as of September 17, 2003.

The General will have to fight the good fight....hope he wins out!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=551145&mesg_id=551145

[Donna Zen]

6. Write to NPR!

Westervelt's attached to the Pentagon and did some early Iraq reporting....shillin' for the power brokers.

I wrote a long letter to NPR...gritting my teeth, but quite restrained---if anyone would like a copy (useful links) pm me.

You want to know the truth about the trashing of Wes Clark, roll out the electoral map.

BTW, Rove knows how to push every button, and that includes the left's. Liberal (sic) or main steam shills for the WH are not going to hit progressives with the news that Clark is in favor of affirmative action. No, Rove would mix up a few Kissinger-MIC-Big-Brother crack-pot stews for the left to dine on.

Now I will post this, leave the thread, and wade through the usual Clark-hater guilty-by-seven-degrees-of-separation innuendos.

[gulliver]

7. The NPR piece was not a hit piece on Clark.

It's actually very positive.

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1468300

Funk is the only complainer. Another guy named Scales (sp) has more quotes, all glowing with admiration. And Scales is much better spoken than Funk. Funk sounds like he probably just didn't measure up to Clark's stature.

You can't listen to Funk in this interview and not get the strong impression that the Funk's and Shelton's of the world are just disgruntled, no-talent, good old boys who are jealous of Clark.

Scales and Hackworth (also in the interview) as much as say so.

And the entire first part of the interview paints a picture of Clark as heroic and brilliant.

[WillyBrandt]

8. not really

The NPR piece spends the first portion lauding Clark, and then leaves the last(ing) impression to be placed by bellyachers like Funk. NPR should have lived up to journalistic standards and asked just what specificially these guys meant.

[AP]

16. Repeating for emphasis, every quality they attributed to him

in the first minute, they spent the next 5 turning into a character flaw.

"Smart" became "cold, ambitious and detached".

And remember, this is all an implict contrast to Bush. Smart is NOT meant to be a compliment.

[AP]

15. That is just not the truth.

First of all, the damned him with the praise of being smart (do you think, with a guy like Bush as president this is meant to be praise?). The attributed a few other qualities to him, like ambition (which has also become a perjorative in America today).

After that, they spent the next 5 minutes turning every quality they attributed to him as being extremely negative.

Also, you may project those negative qualities on Shelton and Funk, but there was NOTHING in that interview to make them sound anything but objective.

Conason is right about this.

It is so intellectually dishonest to call this piece positive.

[Bread and Circus]

9. I emailed Joe Conason about his book....

and his balance views on the race. He
wrote me back and said thanks.

Also, get a load of this text regarding
Cohens comments on Clark:

http://www.dod.gov/speeches/2000/s20000502-secdef.html

[SaintLouisBlues]

11. Knee-jerk Clark bashers please look in the mirror

n/t

[Ksec]

12. Like they say

They are just Clark haters, partisan politics . They shouldnt get any play from this because the just hate Wesley Clark. Ignore the haters.

[AP]

13. I'd just like to say that I am not Joe Conason. Thank god someone with a

bigger audience is addressing this.

[OHdem10]

17. Those who gave us Iraq should not be concerned about Clark.

Pure and simple --bottom line GOP does not want anjyone with a respected military background standing on the stage with Bush.
The are trying to smear Clark hoping to torpedo his nomination.
People who live in glass houses --should not throw stones--Who are these people to think they can criticize Clark and have it stickl. It just makes the Miliarty look bad not Clark.

Make you a bet---If Clark wins nomination Bush will pull an
Arnold and not debate.

poljunk10

[maine_raptor]

18. I wouldn't take that bet..........

no matter who the Dem's chose.

No way, no how will Karl and his minions allow pResident W to appear on anything that might, not matter how remotely, require him to actually think of an answer on his own.

Nope, look for a "Rose Garden Campaign", with lots of todies running around "bashing" the "evildoer's" (i.e. D's). Any and all appearances in public will be carefully scripted and have the perfect backdrop for whatever is the message de jour. (Cue the addoring mulitudes).

"Gee look Ma, it's Morning in America again."

[Donna Zen]

19. At the most one debate

....junior will have all of the questions in advance. All of the questions going to the Dem will be loaded with any answer sure to piss off somebody or be critiqued as mealy. Don't count on a majority of our fellow Americans to know the difference.

The war will be off of all of TV's by June, although it will still be going on.

Are we fucked?


Edit: I'm trying to think of back doors around all of this. So far all I can come up with is our own newspaper, broadsides. We have many writers here, great information, and the power of "meet-up," there must be an action that can by pass the corp. media. The internet has been great, but it has its limits.