Daily Howler: Rapidly Gelling Media Script on Clark Says He's "Confusing"

[BurtWorm]

If he's the nominee, or if he becomes too scary to the Bushists, that will probably be the daily word out of both the RNC fax room and the national media.


http://www.dailyhowler.com/dh102903.shtml


A CLOWNING CLOWN’S CLOWNING CLOWNISTRY: We’ve told you the script about General Clark: Clark (a big fake) can’t explain his positions. This morning, Katharine “Kit” Seelye of the New York Times cut-and-pastes the key script once again.

Seelye has followed Clark to New Hampshire, scene of so much past clowning clownistry. She’s programmed to type the key scripts about Clark. So this morning, she offers us this:

SEELYE: Right after health care speech, the general introduced some new confusion into his stance on the administration's request for $87 billion in emergency spending on Iraq and Afghanistan. He has said that he opposes the request, and he repeated that position on Tuesday. But he told one woman who asked him what he would do about Iraq, “We broke the dishes, we’re going to pay for them.”

Asked later by reporters to reconcile his opposition to the $87 billion request with his assertion that the United States should pay for the damage, he said, “Eventually we’re going to have to do our part in the reconstruction of Iraq.” But, he added, he will not support any appropriation until Mr. Bush has a strategy for getting out.

More “confusion” from General Clark! Readers, the god of scripts is an angry god, and Seelye paid her god this great tribute.
But readers, let us ask a simple question. Is there anyone on earth—except a paid journalist—who would be “confused” by what Clark said?

[OKNancy]

1. Stupid people

It seems really clear to me. Don't authorize the 87billion until there is a plan.
Tell us the plan, then we'll see about the bucks.

What is so hard about that?

[BurtWorm]

2. Even Seelye sees it. The "new confusion" bit is a blatantly

gratuitous dig. More world weariness from the nation's elite press corps. If they hate their jobs so much, why don't they just fuckin' quit?!

[xultar]

5. Didn't he say that he wouldn't do the

blank check thing!
Absolutely...he opposes it as it is currently. When they have something that he'd wanna work with then he'd go for it.

[livinontheedge]

3. Weeeezly clark wants it both ways.

He wants everyone to think that he's against it, but everyone knows he's really for it. Just like he was for the war, then against it, then for it, then against it. He'll say anything to make people believe he's a better Dean than Dean. Ain't gonna work. There is only one Dean.

[BurtWorm]

8. Even a Dean person (like me) should be able to see that

the problem is not Clark but the way he's being reported on.

[OKNancy]

13. AND

Your guy could be next.

[AP]

4. I HATE the media whores.

They are so obvious. Why don't more people see this.

There should be a mood in the country that, when you read something from this group of NYT, WashPost, etc., reporters who have showed their stripes viz Clinton, Gore, Davis, you automtically assume that the opposite of what they say is the truth.

[BurtWorm]

6. The first question you ask yourself when you read them is

What's the script? Because that's what they do: they write about politics as though it's nothing more worthy of serious attention than a network TV show.

[Sinistrous]

7. Wesley Clark does have an annoying penchant for

giving complex answers to questions about complex issues. He really needs to master the sound bite to enhance his appeal to the lumpenproletariat.

[BurtWorm]

10. I wouldn't be so sure you're not being fed a line.

I'm willing to give him a chance to get his campaign act together before I write him off as a nominee.

[Sinistrous]

14. Er, Ummm

</sarcasm>

There. Does that put my post in a different light?

Fact is, I am in awe at Clarks grasp of the issues and the intelligence he brings to their solutions.

[DemNoir]

9. But, I think the point is

Regardless of media spin he just plain stinks as a candidate. He should have gotten his feet wet running for school board or something. He just is not ready for this.

Who can deny the fact that this guy looks terrible on television. I know its superficial, but its important.

[BurtWorm]

12. He looks terrible on television?!

You mean he looks awkward in the debates, I think. Could be.

This thread is not supposed to be an appraisal of Clark but evidence that the national media superstar reporters are back at their tricks, doing their usual miserable work.

[Kusala]

11. I read that

it's a great article. Must read, even for non-Clark supporters

What a scam these "journalists" are pulling.

[sandnsea]

15. Oh of course he is

Since my candidate has been stuck with the 'confusing' label for months and months, I am so not surprised they're trying to stick Clark with it too. Heaven forbid we have someone who actually thinks as President. That might show the average American how fucking stupid he/she really is.

Don't sweat it Clarkies, most Democrats realize this is just political rhetoric. For what purpose is the real question.

[maggrwaggr]

16. I'm starting to wonder if Clark isn't regretting getting into this

The guy seems like he really doesn't have the patience for the childish bullshit that's involved in the campaign. He seems to be in a state of shock and disbelief that people could be so stupid and churlish and dishonest.

I really like Clark and I have a bad feeling you're seeing the main reason a lot of good people don't get into politics.

He's being Gore-ed big time.

[RichM]

17. Clark, & the media treatment of Clark, are 2 separate matters.

As far as Clark goes, it's undeniable that he has already waffled on numerous subjects. One can't really argue that the media has no right to notice this.

But the media treatment of him is another matter. Right now, they probably want to see the weakest Democrat nominated. That would be Dean, who would doubtless get creamed in the general election. So at a deeper level, there is something despicable in the media treatment of Clark, even if they're making fact-based points against him.

If Clark becomes the nominee, the media treatment may change. The whole point of Clark's becoming a candidate, from the viewpoint of the ruling class, is to have an alternative available in the event that they decide next summer that Bush is just too reckless & is causing too much instability. They may decide that a new face should be brought in to carry out a program that is a toned-down version of the Bush program, & which is very UN-threatening to them. They would regard Clark as very reliable for a task like this. He would start getting good press at that time.