Wes Clark to deliver Democratic radio response today

[Adelante]

Listen online at 2:50PM Eastern on C-Span Radio.

I suspect no matter what President Bush decides to say in his radio address to the nation today, Clark will talk about the Democratic Party's Real Security plan. I'm hoping he talks specifically about implementing the 9/11 Report's recommendations, since the media so happily glossed that one off the board. That's one I'd bet the country wants to hear.

As it goes, and as Media Matters points out, the "Media uncritically repeated Republican criticism of Democratic national security plan." But let's not be so hard on the media. After all, Nancy Pelosi's holding a booklet upside down for five seconds is much, much more important to the nation, or so the media circus would have one think.

As Chairman Dean said, "The failed policies of President Bush and the Republican-led Congress have undermined the safety and security of our country and left Americans less safe. From their permanent commitment to a failed strategy in Iraq to a pre-9/11 mindset that has kept them from closing vital gaps in our homeland security, Republicans in Washington have proven to be dangerously incompetent when it comes to protecting the American people."

That's the story the media should be telling, but I guess they're not tired yet of playing April Fools year round for the Bush Administration.

Read Dan Froomkin's voice in the wilderness column in Friday's WaPo about Bush's press conference being rescheduled and elongated just to keep the cameras off the Dems.

Yesterday, you almost got the feeling that he was just talking to run down the clock.

But why would he do that? One possible reason yesterday was: To preempt any television coverage of a press conference at which leading Democrats were unveiling their Bush-bashing security agenda.

Indeed, Bush's event had originally been scheduled for 1:20 p.m. yesterday. But Tuesday afternoon, the White House suddenly moved it up to 12:50. The Democratic press conference was scheduled to start at 1. Bush finally wrapped up his talk at 2:22. Anyone know when the Democrats stopped talking? Anybody see anyone in the audience giving him hand signals?

Anybody see the Washington Press corps stand up and leave at 1PM? That's what it will take to snap the chains that have bound journalistic integrity for the past five years. We're mad as hell, etc.

[DanCa]

1. Thank you so much for posting this link.

I got it book marked. Wes is the best isn't he?

[tishaLA]

2. ABC radio news just played some!

And man oh man was it stinging! Clark was completely balls to the wall with a forceful indictment of all the fuck ups.

[saltpoint]

3. Just a quick comment here on General Clark...

I am assuming that he will be much better funded and stronger staffed this time for a presidential run, and that with those two enhancements, his candidacy will be formidable.

Just want to say that if those two components are in place, he has one more thing in his favor besides being so intelligent and experienced: his voice. It's one of the most listenable voices of all our candidates. I think General Clark's voice is a powerful tool because he uses it to explain, inform, and to ask others to reconsider a position. It's very persuasive and should put him in good stead in the living rooms and coffee shops of Iowa in 2008.

[Adelante]

28. What an interesting observation

And a nice thing to hear :)

[saltpoint]

29. Hi to you, WesDem. Hope things are going your way these days.

Clark is a force to be reckoned with, and one of the two or three, maybe four people who could put a swift halt to Senator Clinton's White House aspirations.

He's very persuasive.

[Jai4WKC08]

31. I happen to agree with you

About Clark's voice and persuasiveness, and add in forcefulness. He can always be counted on to give it to us straight-up about how fucked up BushCo is. But in a "nice" way. :D

I don't think we're the only one who thinks so. There were a whole lot of high power Dems, both elected and otherwise, involved in putting together our Real Security Plan. And from the pictures I saw, pretty much all the Senate Dems attended the roll-out yesterday. Any one of 'em would have loved to own it.

But "they" (Reid and Pelosi? Dean or his DNC staff? Not sure who makes the call) chose to have Clark deliver the plan on the Saturday morning radio response. Only three possible reasons:
1) Clark has more credibility than anyone on security issues
2) Clark "earned" the priviledge by helping to organize the effort (which he did), or
3) Someone figures Clark has the best ability to sell it to the voters.

I would think reason #3 would trump #1 or 2. It should anyway, but who knows when it comes to our party. ;)

[Sparkly]

32. Good points, Jai.

He mentioned working on this way back in August, when I met him. He said he was talking to Democrats in the house, I believe, and I asked if they were listening. He said they were, but it's hard to get people in our party to march in one straight line. (Which is when Husb2Sparkly quipped, "You know what that's called, don't you? Sailors." The General cracked up.)

[saltpoint]

33. Hi, Jai. All strong points. If someone like Bill Frist, the Cat Butcher,

is the GOP nominee, and Clark is the Dems' nominee, the Security question will be settled in favor of the Democrats. McCain is the only one who could even have an intelligent conversation on the subject, seems to me.

Otherwise our team looks pretty good and General Clark looks especially good.

I expect Reid and Pelosi must have sensed this and asked him to deliver a strong blow to BushCo about Iraq.

[Jai4WKC08]

38. Yeah, but turn the scenario around

If McCain is Repub nominee, who on our side can have the "intelligence conversation on the subject"?

To be truthful, I think most of our leaders can. Certainly any of 'em who have been around for a while: Feingold, Biden, Richardson, Kerry... probably Clinton and Bayh as well. Whether they can do so convincingly enough to counter McCain's popularity and the media behind him is another question.

Personally, I don't think McCain will win the nomination. He's made too many enemies on the wing-nut right, and I doubt the powers behind the party trust him. But if I'm wrong, it's gonna take someone like Clark to take him on.

[Totally Committed]

51. Right you are...

I sincerely believe that Wes is the ONLY DEMOCRAT that can win against McCain.

TC

[Sparkly]

53. I agree -- for so many reasons.

The appeal of McCain is supposedly that he's such a "maverick" with "moderate" appeal. (Nevermind that on the left, the images of him smooching Chimpy will not disappear, and on the right, he's not sufficiently radical. Plus, I don't think he looks real healthy.

I think Clark's got MORE appeal to moderates as a simple result of his biography. He's got McCain beat when it comes to military experience and expertise. He's got the southern thing going on, his "outsider" trumps McCain's "maverick," and (sit down and brace yourselves) -- the fact that he was independent and voted for both parties is a PLUS when it comes to independents, moderates, and Republicans who want a reason to switch sides.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

57. Agreed. He doesn't do talking points. He says what he thinks.

What comes through is what drew so many of us to him a while back.

His purposefulness. His sincerity, his insight, and his down to earth style.

I am so heartened to hear General Wes Clark giving the Democratic radio address dealing with a new Democratic policy.

[CarolNYC]

68. That's an interesting...and good...observation.

He has a commanding, yet calming voice...very reassuring.

I think the first time I noticed the effect of his voice was right around the second anniversary of 9/11, I guess...I don't know if it was actually 9/11 or right before but someone at work had the NY Post and it featured some big story on some kind of intelligence they had about terrorists planning to release some kind of deadly gas or something in the subways. I know how this Administration is all about scaring people and all of the false alarms and I know the Post is a Republican rag not above totally fabricating stories...but you can't control your emotions, and even if there's no threat from outside terrorists, I'm thinking who's to say that this Administration wouldn't "allow" an attack like that to happen here to get the people back in line. I think the city still gets a little bit jumpy around that date anyway...We did go through traumatic times after all. Anyway, reading that piece just got me all freaked out, even as I knew it was crazy to feel that way. As I said, you can't control emotions.

It was just a few days before Clark announced he'd be actually running for the nomination and he was being interviewed for an hour on some NPR program which I was streaming on my work computer. I came back to my desk, freaked out and jittery and mad at myself for being so...and Wes started speaking. I couldn't even really listen to what he was saying because I had to concentrate on work but just the sound of his voice in the background was so calming...By the end of the interview I was back on track, calm, relaxed and settled for the day...Just the sound of his voice made me feel safe again....and at just the time that I needed to feel that way.

[saltpoint]

71. Loved your accounts of encountering Clark. I think maybe a lot of

people appreciate his voice, not just his political role but as you say, his voice itself.

I picture him governing with it -- plus that excellent mind he has -- a HELL of a lot better than a certain pseudo-cowboy from Texas.

Not that I'm namin' any names!

[Tom Rinaldo]

4. Clark: U.S. Needs New Plan on Terror War

WASHINGTON - Former Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark accused the Bush administration Saturday of taking the nation on a "path to nowhere" with misguided moves on national security.

The retired Army general and NATO military commander argued in the Democrats' weekly radio address that the United States needs a new plan to win the war on terror after failing to find Sept. 11 terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, fighting an unnecessary war in Iraq and stumbling in halting weapons proliferation in North Korea and Iran...

"This administration has taken us on a path to nowhere — replete with hyped intelligence, macho slogans and an incredible failure to see the obvious," Clark said in the broadcast.

A candidate in 2004 for the Democratic nomination, Clark has been mentioned as a possible contender again in 2008.

The administration "has shown tragic incompetence in everything from nation building in Iraq to disaster relief in Louisiana," he said. "Let's face it: We're not going to win the war on terror unless we start making more friends and fewer enemies in the world, and we're not going to be able to protect the American people without a new strategy."

...Clark offered a litany of missteps, from the failure to get bin Laden to the more than 2,300 U.S. military deaths in Iraq and the thousands wounded. Domestically, he cited several challenges, including rising gasoline prices, illegal immigration and the impact of global warming.



http://tinyurl.com/n9pz9

[Adelante]

6. Kicked ASS!!

"This administration has taken us on a path to nowhere -- replete with hyped intelligence, macho slogans and an incredible failure to see the obvious."

[saltpoint]

12. A view strongly and widely held here on DU and elsewhere and

stated beautifully by General Clark today.

Bravo.

[Sparkly]

8. Rate that one up!!

And the photo accompanying it, too!! :woohoo:

[Tom Rinaldo]

21. Freepers are trying to pull the rating down. Figures

This is a story they don't want widely seen.

[Sparkly]

22. I was just thinking about the possible GOP/RNC response to this

Will they start smearing the General, or will they pretend he doesn't exist?

[Jai4WKC08]

26. Repugs been working on the smears

Since at least January. Not just Clark, of course. Gore's been taking a lot of hits too.

[Sparkly]

27. I think if the talking heads come out tomorrow and actually discuss

what he said, and they start smearing, it'll be a GOOD sign. I think they'd much prefer to marginalize him by ignoring him, pretending he doesn't exist, and hoping nobody else notices him. They'll only take him on if they don't think they have any other choice, imo.

[blm]

42. I'm sure they've been working on smears against Clark since 2003.

They'll unload when they feel most threatened.

[Jai4WKC08]

44. You are correct, sir

But some of us have noticed an acceleration in the last several months. Probably because of how much Clark is getting out to help Dems running in '06. If he can be discredited, it makes his endorsements less effective. So far doesn't seem to be having much effect in the red states--fundraising is going well. But we won't really know until November.

[high density]

63. "Path to nowhere" indeed

It's so sad that so many lives have been lost in this corporate money grubbing fiasco.

[Sensitivity]

5. Great! Pelosi-Reid presentation did not work well. Thanks for link

[Ice4Clark]

7. Here is the AUDIO of Wes today

DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE

I thought he kicked some ass........what do you think?

[Sparkly]

9. I can't get that to work...

Is there another format available? :cry:

[Ice4Clark]

11. What format do you want?

I'll try to comply

[Sparkly]

13. Real Player?

All I can hear is "Good morning, this is retired ggggggggg" and then I get an error message and my internet crashes.

Don't go to any trouble though!! Well, unless you want to.. ;)

[Ice4Clark]

14. What I have online is mp3

I'll convert to rm for you. Will that be ok? or do you want windows media?

I'm waiting.........bwahahahahaha

[Sparkly]

15. Whichever!!

:spank:

[Ice4Clark]

16. Here's a Media Player version for you

Don't want you to miss out.

Democratic Response - Windows Media version

[Sparkly]

17. Thanks!!!!

:hug:

[Ice4Clark]

18. Is it working for you?

nt

[Sparkly]

19. Yes -- I just listened!!

Thank you SOOOO much!!! :loveya:

That was truly outstanding!!!

[Ice4Clark]

20. Your welcome

We have to spread the democratic word far and wide and I'm so proud Wes is one.

[capi888]

23. Terrific Ice,

Thank you so much for the audio...I am so proud to be a Wes Clark supporter. He loves his country and will fight to the end, to see we restore our Democracy.

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. Just listened to it, Thanks! Clark laid his full prestige on the line

against this chicken hawk administration, what a pleasure to listen to him dress them down. And I think Clark did a damn fine job as the Democratic Spokesperson, given the responsibility of representing our whole Party on this one. I think Clark pulled it off perfectly, holding a strong line of Party unity against Bush.

[Sparkly]

24. Yup -- his voice, and all it represents, saying "our nation is in danger"

from the incompetence of BushCo, is a STRONG statement -- and a hard one for them to ignore.

[judy from nj]

25. He was great

Thanks for this Ice.

[election_2004]

30. And Yahoo! actually gave it a main page headline

It's nice to see a prominent headline given to someone other than Hillary, for a change.

[Donna Zen]

34. The freepers are trying to vote it down! (gasp)

May all DUers rise to the challenge.

[Sparkly]

52. Even the photo, apparently!!

I'm sorry, but anybody rating THAT photo down is just plain dishonest...

[Jai4WKC08]

35. I've been googling around the news media

The AP and UPI accounts of Clark's words are being carried all over, and without the usual Repub bullshit at the end. I'm getting well over 10 pages of google news hits. Obviously that doesn't include print sources that don't maintain websites. I have heard part of it was carried on ABC tv as well. Altho, I just now heard MSNBC carry a portion of Bush's adddress without a single word of the Democratic response. Bastards.

Anyway, my point is that this morning's radio response is getting WAY more coverage than the actual roll-out of the plan. Which is really sad, but the corporate media whores pretty much covered Bush's well-timed but last minute address and ignored the Democrats. Again.

I think it must have been Clark's most excellent use of sound-bytes, especially "path to nowhere," "hyped intelligence," "macho slogans," and "an incredible failure to see the obvious." He's really seems to have gotten the hang of what the media will carry.

[Tom Rinaldo]

36. Yes. Clark is giving them the sound bites they want and

saying exactly what needs to be said at the same time. Very well executed. Clark is on to this politics game now, he understands the rules it is played by. And he is taking his message all around the nation in support of Democratic candidates for 2006.

[Auntie Bush]

37. Kick....Coming up in a minute.

Right after the stupid one is finished.

[Clarkie1]

39. It's was a great soundbite on the radio this morning.

I got in my car, turned on ABC radio, and the first thing I heard was Clark. And I wasn't even expecting it! (Planned to listen to entire address later.) Then, they played the same soundbite 1/2 hour later!

This soundbite is being repeated regularly today...awesome!

"This administration has taken us on a path to nowhere — replete with hyped intelligence, macho slogans and an incredible failure to see the obvious. It started with a fight we didn't finish with Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, and included a war we didn't have to fight in Iraq."

[CJCRANE]

40. Clark is the Anti-B*sh.

Clark is for REAL everything B*sh PRETENDS to be, and more.

On edit: a real Southerner, a real military man, a compassionate man, down-to-earth etc.

[blm]

41. The press is our enemy's FRONT LINE AGAINST DEMOCRATS.

It has been since the mid90s.

Clark and Kerry were GREAT today and should have made ANY Democrat and ANY true American proud to have them as leaders in this country - and that is why neither will get the press coverage that is deserved.

[Clarkie1]

43. Not the press coverage that is deserved, but today I'm at least

grateful that the address seems to be getting significant and repeated airplay.

[JNelson6563]

45. Hear! Hear!!

Well said, every word BLM. :toast:

[Notoverit]

46. W preempted Clark's speech on plan in Iraq during the primaries, with his

own "plan" that just so happened had to be aired at the same time. W and his media went to great length to silence Clark during the race - and unfortunately many dems took the bait and joined in.

[Donna Zen]

48. Too true

I'd forgotten about that outrage. How? Well, there were so damn many of them during the primaries, it's hard to keep them all straight. Karl Rove's worse nightmare....Had people listened to Clark, we would have never entered Iraq.

[FrenchieCat]

49. The GOP kept praying that Clark....

was going to fade away!


Fooled those Fuckers, didn't he! Bwa wa Hahahahahah! :rofl:

[FrenchieCat]

47. Just Excellent! Just Excellent!

[politicasista]

50. kick!

Go General! :kick:

[ProSense]

54. Cool! Love that title: Real Security. n/t

[Sparkly]

55. A Poll for Clark Supporters....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=235x8175

(Edited to add: No, I'm not pushing polls! Just encouraging people to share the points he made.)

[Dinger]

56. I Think This Address By Future President Wes Clark Will Be Historic

How refreshing it was to hear him nail bu$hCo. Hopefully this fall's elections will go well, and Congress can impeach the giggling murderer.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

58. It is also included in a special ClarkCast Alert you can get at

iTunes if you're subscribed to his podcast.

:applause:

[Donna Zen]

59. The podcasts are so easy

I opened my itunes and voila. BTW, Clark and Cleland were in ND today.

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

61. Yep, once you sign up they just kinda come to you. n/t

[CarolNYC]

60. Aw, that was good....

Good job, Wes! And he was the perfect person to deliver the message. Good job by the Party choosing him for this week's address. We are lucky to have him fighting on our side.

Here's the DNC link to the audio and transcript, BTW:
http://www.dnc.org/a/2006/03/retired_general.php

[snowbear]

69. Awesome! Thanks for the link Carol!

:patriot: ~ ~ :patriot:

[Gloria]

62. FOX News Radio picked it up ....was dialing around trying to

hear the actual address (ultimately picked it up streaming on CSpan Radio when I hit 690 KTSM El Paso which turns out to be Fox News Radio. Anyway, after Paul Harvey, on comes the female reader who launches into "Going After the President....Wesley Clark..." etc. They played a few of the choice tidbits, with the word "failure" a standout.

Interestingly, they DID NOT play anything of Bush's talk about taxes.....it was just Clark, all the way!

[FrenchieCat]

64. Clark will be on Faux tomorrow to further straighten them out....

in reference to the False Myth that "Democrats have no plan"...if anything they've had too many plans. Looks like the Dems are uniting on this one finally.....very smart.

Bush got hardly any media for his same ol' same ol' tax cut bullshit scam and plea!

We are making a bit of progress!!

Thank You General Clark!

[FrenchieCat]

65. Clark did well in promoting the Democratic Security Plan!

and got a lot of press for it....which is good for all of us Dems.

Thank You General Clark....again! :patriot:

Gen. Clark: Bush took U.S. on 'path to nowhere'
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/01/dems.radio.ap/index.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/04/01/wes-clark-bush-administr_n_18313.html

http://digbig.com/4hacx

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=122357§ion=News

http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqid=13117-qqqx=1.asp

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dems30mar30,1,649936.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2631&ncid=2631&e=1&u=/ap/20060401/ap_on_go_co/democrats_clark_1

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/roundups/article_1151740.php/News_Roundup

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Democrats_Clark.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-04-01-dems-radio-address_x.htm

[Jai4WKC08]

66. The one I liked best was in the Boston Globe today

And they saved it for the Sunday edition. :D

Wesley Clark reports for duty
By Nina J. Easton, Globe Staff | April 2, 2006

It could have been the 2004 Democratic National Convention. American flags. Gold eagles sprawled across banners advertising REAL SECURITY. Uniformed personnel on stage. But instead of Senator John F. Kerry ''reporting for duty" at the microphone, a probable '08 rival was front and center: General Wesley K. Clark.

Last week's unveiling of the Democratic Party's ''Plan to Protect America" turned out to be a showcase for Clark -- and his diplomatic skills in helping get badly divided Democrats behind a single message.

Clark, who ran against Kerry in '04, stepped to the microphone to condemn President Bush's ''incompetent" leadership, while Kerry's 6-foot-4-inch frame was crammed in alongside dozens of other lawmakers standing on risers in the back; even Hillary Rodham Clinton, widely thought to be the 2008 frontrunner, was barely visible in the last row.

That Clark was the one presidential prospect allowed to speak owes much to his role alongside the Senate Democratic leader, Harry M. Reid of Nevada, and the House Democratic leader, Nancy P. Pelosi of California, in crafting the national security plank in which the party pledges to ''eliminate" Osama Bin Laden, better equip the US military, and ensure that 2006 ''is a year of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty."

Iraq was the most difficult point of agreement for party lawmakers. Over the past months, Clark spent hours on the phone and in meetings with lawmakers ranging from centrist to leftists. Last fall, he urged Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania not to make his famed call for immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. And while Clark calls the Iraq war a ''strategic blunder," he continues to disagree with such lawmakers as Kerry who propose specific reductions of troops.

''No Democratic should put numbers" on an exit by American troops, he told the Briefing.

Asked about his '08 plans, Clark was coy, saying that this year's midterm vote is ''the moment of decision," an election that deserves all-out focus. But doesn't the retired general's visit to New Hampshire last month suggest some presidential water-testing?

''I went up there to get my batteries recharged. The people in New Hampshire really know the issues," Clark said, , before pointedly mentioning that his two favorite sports teams are now the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/04/02/wesley_clark_reports_for_duty/

[Sparkly]

70. Ooh, nice one!!

:thumbsup:

Thanks for posting that, Jai!!

[wiley]

67. It was great.

Go Wes. We're going to win BIG in 06 if we just keep focusing and energizing. People are truly sick of the corrupt, deceptive Republican assault.