A Typically Hard Hitting Clark Expose: "Wesley Clark Buys a Sweater"

[stickdog]

Dean's getting torn to pieces for everything from saying something arguably true but currently impolitic some four years ago to once raising charity money for VT schools to daring to talk about his religious beliefs.

Meanwhile, what type of hard hitting stories are we seeing about General Clark?

http://slate.msn.com/id/2093722/

Wesley Clark Buys a Sweater
With the candidate in the dressing rooms of New Hampshire.
By Chris Suellentrop
Posted Friday, Jan. 9, 2004, at 2:07 PM PT

Does this make me look fat?

CONCORD, N.H.—"This is so unfair, really," Gen. Wesley Clark moans from behind the dressing-room door. He's at the L.L. Bean Factory Store, and all he wants to do is try on a sweater, a plain, green, wool crewneck sweater, in private. But such is the plight of the presidential candidate in the surveillance society. Eight reporters and three minicams wait outside.

For better or worse, this is the most exciting event of the day. It's Thursday just after noon, and the press corps is getting antsy. Clark spent the morning doing interviews on television and radio, while the traveling press was shipped to a Panera sandwich shop to loll about. But after the tedium of watching a man deliver the same speech over and over and over again, watching him try on a sweater feels like entertainment.

When Clark arrived at the store, he was the one doing the razzing. "You need a new jacket. That looks like an Arkansas jacket," he said to Paul Barton, a rumpled reporter from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, who doesn't look adequately dressed for the below-zero temperatures that are about to hit New Hampshire. (We're at L.L. Bean because several reporters wanted to stock up on winter clothing. "How do you pack for six weeks?" one reporter explains.) Clark gets a kick out of teasing Barton, who hails from Clark's hometown of Little Rock. "He used to be on the TV show Columbo," Clark says. "But now he's traveling with us." Later, Barton strikes back, calling out, "General, do you want this atlas of Vermont?"


What in the hell in this article about, folks?

[BigMcLargehuge]

1. HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

I can see the in-depth sequel:

Chose pair of matching socks.

This is how the media works once they settle on taking down a candidate. Look at what they did to McCain in the rethug 2000 primary. He couldn't even get his mug on TV to answer the charges that Rove and co threw down in S. Carolina about his religious beliefs and "lack of patriotism".

[glarius]

23. Clark should counter by making a joke out of his wardrobe change.

He could say something about deciding to go to sweaters 'cause they're easier to pack for travelling and then have a good laugh about it....I'm sure he could think of lots of funny quips to make....he's a smart man.....If he just ignores what they're saying, they'll keep hammering at it....Anyone agree?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

2. Clark hasn't been giving them as much ammo as some have....

n/t

[stickdog]

4. What ammo has Dean been giving them? It's all dug up, warmed over bs.

Clark was a fucking lobbyist. Do you really think there's no expose there?

Clark skipped out on the last debate.

Clark has had Kerry, Gep & Lieberman to do his Dean bashing for him.

[KittyWampus]

9. No Stickdog... "Lobbying" Is Legal

and Clark wasn't the stake out Congressmen and bribe them type anyway.

Dean skipped the last debate as well.... the one in D.C. (thanks for reminding me to kick t hat thread)

Clark is drawing huge crowds because he spends most of the time at Town Hall Meetings answering questions... guess people like his answers. So he doesn't have to bash Dean or anyone. His Candidacty and platform is selling on its own merits.

Clark has been on ignore to a large extent in the media... I've already cited examples in your threads yet you choose to ignore the.

Clark is still accessible to the media and knows how to deal with them effectively. He's smart enough to get o n their good soide.

Dean, has not limited his access cause he's a crappy Candidate who makes too many gaffes (like Jr.). He also isn't as chummy with reporsters from stories I've read.

It must kill Dean supporters that Clark is doing this well with the extent he has been ignored, belittles and slammed.

[stickdog]

12. Sealing your papers is legal. Speaking fees are legal. Not lying to

army docs about your back condition is legal. Saying that caucuses are more dominated by special interests than regular primaries is legal.

When has Dean broken the law?

And Clark skipped the debate in DC as well.

[deminflorida]

26. Dean a great skier to, I bet he's got some nice ski sweaters....

Ya think?

[Bread and Circus]

29. Excellent Post cryingshame

spot on.

[bearfartinthewoods]

48. legal? yes...problematic? yes

there used to be a lot of disgust on this board for the cheneys of the world, who slip in and out of government and business at will.

now. 20% of this board is actually backing someone who wants to do this with even more hubris than cheney.

out of the military and into lobbying.
out of lobbying and into the oval office.

now tell me why that doesn't suck? has there ever been a professional lobbyist who ran for president before?

[bearfartinthewoods]

58. .. .. .. .. ..

crickets

[shivaji]

71. Lobbying is legal, but Clark lobbyed the military using his

military connections.

[bearfartinthewoods]

74. just the kind of thing that_used_to drive us bonkers.

that's why i don't understand the support for him,especially here.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[kerry-is-my-prez]

11. Gawsh... major scandal The 60% of the country who voted for Reagan are

going to especially be scandalized.

[killbotfactory]

14. Is Clark a Reagan Democrat?

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Pepperbelly]

34. You really, really, really don't know who Clark is and that is a fact.

You are so far off in your analysis that a starting place eludes me completely and the assertions you made so baseless that all one can do is chuckle mordantly over the state of discourse.

[Name removed]

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[Pepperbelly]

43. a non sequitur

does not feed the bull dog.

"It is bona fide PNAC" is what you asserted, and "It is bona fide PNAC" is patently absurd.

[Lurking Dem]

52. The United States Senate did.

[ajacobson]

59. Oh forget it

I wrote a nasty comment but you know what, your ultraleft bullshit isn't worth it.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[ajacobson]

75. Wrong again,

but you must be used to that by now.

[JaneQPublic]

16. But he has to win a Dem primary before the general population can vote

I like Clark a lot, but you'd have to count me among the Dems who don't cotton to his voting for Reagan.

On edit:
Sorry -- this was intended as a response to Post #11.

[cally]

38. Did you read the thread where you oh so innocently asked about that

and assured everyone you were just curious. Clinton gave him 3 of his stars and the Senate has to confirm Generals.

[Dookus]

3. umm...

it's an off-the-campaign-trail profile of a candidate. I've seen plenty of them about Dean.

I'm sorry you're upset that Clark's not getting the bashing you'd like, but maybe he hasn't earned one.

[stickdog]

5. "Wesley Clark brushes his teeth."

Please.

[jonnyblitz]

8. "Wesley Clark praises School of the Americas"

:eyes:

[ClarkGraham2004]

56. Honestly, who gives a fuck?

Who the hell even KNOWS what the School of Americas is? I'd say 5% of the voting electorate.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

60. yeah, keep it quiet!

:bounce:

[Closer]

7. Hilarious!

Clark is the one Rove wants. And the RW media will see to it that Rove gets what Rove wants.

[SeveneightyWhoa]

55. Now THAT is hilarious.

What you just said is even wackier than the older thread claiming that "they are scared of Kucinich".

[tedoll78]

10. I'd much rather..

see Slate do some actual reporting. This is news worthy of a fake newspaper dreamt-up by my baby sister while playing with her Malibu Barbie and Ken.

Slate, tell us about the candidates' plans for the future!

[Cocoa]

13. PBS reported on the sweater scandal

The two pundits, and Lehrer, all agreed, Clark looked like Mister Rogers!

It begins...

[readmylips]

21. Bill Moyers, NOW, reported some big scandals about Clark...

Clark was a lobbyist for the airlines, making thousands, while cheering on the Iraq war on CNN. Clark is a republican plant, placed there by Rover and little man boosh. It's all a show to help booshie win. The booshies got all the dirt on Clark and will create even more. They'll use it to keep the democrats from winning the elections. Clark is also a huge admirer and friend of Cheney. No big loss for Clark, he'll go back to making millions as a lobbyist for the repigs.

Clark is a Big SetUp by the booshes.

[Cocoa]

24. I know all about that

but it has nothing to do with the sweater.

[Dookus]

31. and yet....

he's considerably to the left of most Democrats running for President.

Your un-corroborated smears just look sorta desperate.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

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[Dookus]

47. lol...

yeah, ok :eyes:

[w13rd0]

53. If he talks so far left...

...why hasn't the DLC gone after him for being "out of step with mainstream American values"? Why haven't the "establishment Dems" pointed out that his "anti-Iraq war" stance makes him an unpalatable candidate? Why the silence?

[LoneStarDem]

32. No!

No! You've got your memes crossed. "PNAC Stooge" was a couple of weeks ago. This week is reserved for "Haitian Man-Tits". There is to be multiple repetitive postings by all the regulars on this "latest discovered information", along with a generous helping of "Can I ask the Clark Supporters an honest question....about Haitian Man-Tits?".

And you need to impact the post a bit more; you simply can't throw out the GOP-plant line without commenting on the fact that a Clark presidency would obviously lead to a dramatic increase in time-travel research (funded by a non-progressive tax on Vermont maple syrup producers), allowing Clark to travel through time, collect the most evil despots and mad men of History (Hitler, Pol Pot, the once and future Saddam, George Steinbrenner, etc) for the Cabinet in his new Trans-Governmental/Military-Industrial OmniCorp.

Remember: "Haitian Man-Tits". Try to stay on message.

P.S. We're gonna do a poll to see whether next week should be "Clark is actually a cybernetic killing machine sent back through time to kill John 'Howard Dean' Connor (both saviors of humanity, kinda makes you wonder...)" or "Clark admits to being second gunman on grassy knoll". Make sure to vote.

[Rowdyboy]

72. I laughed until I thought I would cry

then I read the second half of your post and cracked up again!!! You are my hero, my heart!.....Steve

[Name removed]

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[retyred]

65. You forgot the kittens

and tripping blind people.

If anyone thinks Clarks military past will somehow hurt him because of anything Rove says or does you're dreaming, Rove is no dummy, he won't dare bring up military with Clark, jr. can't even spell military.

While Clark was getting wounded in NAM, jr. was sent on beer runs.

[bearfartinthewoods]

28. well i hate to pile on but when she-bear saw that clip she asked "what's

with the sweater." before i had a chance to explained she said."let me guess, his polls suck with women?" i confirmed her guess and she said "well that's pretty disgusting, that he thinks all it takes is putting on a sweater to win over women"

stuff like this...so obviously a ploy, like dean's rolled up sleeves is so damn insulting to anyone with even passing intelligence.

[cally]

42. Ummm, maybe he was cold??

And was tired of his clothes.

[KittyWampus]

49. Too Bad You Didn't Read The Article -THE REPORTERS WANTED TO GO TO LLBEAN!

But apparently you needed some way detract from Clark. Maybe your wife's observations aren't as astute as you think:

(We're at L.L. Bean because several reporters wanted to stock up on winter clothing. "How do you pack for six weeks?" one reporter explains.)

Further, perhaps Dean has already gotten the bulk of his puff pieces... and now that his inability to speak in public has caused him to give limited access to the press... there will be even less of them.

Maybe Clark's savvy enough to cozy up to reporters & smooze.

Anyway, you won't acknowledge that Clark is where he is without getting pumped up by the press the way Dean has.That's for sure.

[KittyWampus]

50. Oops

[glarius]

15. This all seems SO familiar...a la Al Gore

I have seen the comparison made several times now on CNN....."Clark is just like Al Gore...He doesn't know who he is!".....They have gone on and on about his switching to sweaters and away from suits.....Is this what they are going to be beating on from now on?....Clark isn't his own man but depends on advisors to point him in the right direction?....This is really pathetic...The American media should be ashamed of itself....

[Cocoa]

25. the Howler covers this beautifully

the media's fixation on clothing.

My favorite is him catching Fineman praising Bush for exactly the same behavior that he bashed Gore for.

http://www.dailyhowler.com/h121101_1.shtml

[cally]

46. Amazing, they're using the clothes thing against a candidate again

Read some of the paragraphs from Cocoa's link at the Howler. Here are a few.

Dubyah loves to wear the uniform—whatever the correct one happens to be for a particular moment. I counted no fewer than four changes of attire during the day trip we took to Fort Campbell in Kentucky and back. He arrived for our interview in a dark blue Air Force One flight jacket. When he greeted the members of Congress on board, he wore an open-necked shirt. When he had lunch with the troops, he wore a blue blazer. And when he addressed the troops, it was in the flight jacket of the 101st Airborne. He’s a boomer product of the ‘60s—but doesn’t mind ermine robes.

snip....

It’s strange that Bush’s "changes of attire" are a sign of the president’s "comfort." Because, back in 1999, Fineman cited this very same conduct as a sure sign that Gore was a nut. Gore, like Bush—like everyone on earth—would sometimes dress in suit and tie, and would sometimes wear less formal clothing. And when he did, there was Fineman, always prepared to tell Chris or Brian that the conduct made Gore a big nut.

Let’s start with the vacuous Brian Williams, obsessed with Al Gore’s polo shirts. As early as September 27, 1999, E.J. Dionne had begun to notice the fashion trashing which Gore was receiving. "If he wears a suit, he’s a stiff guy in a suit," Dionne said, in his Post op-ed column. "If he wears an open shirt, he’s a stiff guy in a suit faking it." And no one was more obsessed with Gore’s clothing than the vacuous Williams. Gore was "wearing polo shirts twenty-four hours a day," he complained on his October 6 MSNBC program. (Williams anchored a nightly, hour-long, misnamed show, The News with Brian Williams). The polo shirts "don’t always look natural on him," he grumbled two nights later. On and on the grousing went. Plainly, Williams thought Gore was wearing the shirts in some sort of effort to fool female voters; he repeatedly asked his guests when Gore’s clever strategy would "all start becoming so transparent no one is fooled" (October 6) or (October 8) whether the strategy would "become absolutely transparent when they go out into the hinterlands and try to sell it?" Incredibly, Williams raised the question of Gore’s polo shirts on five separate occasions in one week alone, from October 4 through October 11 (see today’s "Daily update"). And on that last date, Howard Fineman was there—eager to play a helpful role in the utterly dim-witted trashing:

http://www.dailyhowler.com/h121101_1.shtml

[w4rma]

18. Lack of substance, lack of information, lack of depth to Clark? (n/t)

[windansea]

20. poor little frontrunner Howard

he gets all the attention!!

:cry:

[deminflorida]

27. Howard won't be frontrunner next week, at least Nationally...

n/t

[ecstatic]

22. Trust me, if Clark takes the top spot, he'll be bashed just as hard

Right now, the goal of Bush & some Democrats is to knock Dean out the picture completely. If they succeed in paralyzing Dean, then Clark will be next.

[windansea]

30. I doubt Clark will whine about it n/t

[Pepperbelly]

33. Just in case you missed it last go-around ...

Wardrobe comments are just one more weapon in the arsenal of the propagandists to try to minimize someone. Remember how they did with Gore?

I think you misunderstand what is occurring. This is nothing more than the press attempting to position itself to eviscerate both candidates so that regardless of how the contest ends, they will be able to get out their already sharpened knives.

[Renew Deal]

35. Hey

Welcome Back :hi:

[Pepperbelly]

36. Peace and love, my friend ...

I just stick my head in every now and then.

Take care!

:hi:

[Renew Deal]

37. Clark is the ONLY candidate people want to see naked

This is tough stuff. He had to deal with rabid reporters that wanted to see him unclothed.

[Jack_Dawson]

40. "Clark rolls up his sleeves"

to his elbows. C'mon Dean supporters, how many puff pieces have we seen on YOUR guy? Your entire campaign has been a love fest up until two weeks ago when the press decided to actually do their job. Clark IS a better looking, more athletic candidate than your guy, so sweaters and speedos are fair game. It's all good.

[ClarkGraham2004]

41. The article then goes on to talk about Clark being naked.

And how the press wants to see him swim.

[davidinalameda]

62. those naked pictures will be coming to an internet site near you

nakedcandidates.com

:bounce:

[babzilla]

51. this article is about the gi-normous size of the ego of reporters

What in the hell in this article about, folks?

It is about the fact that the press thinks that the real story of the election is all about the press pool.

It is about the fact that any piece of fluff turned in before the deadline will be published because there is a space to fill.

It is about the fact that modern day editors have no shame nor pride as long as the 24 hour news cycle monster is fed with whatever pablum happens to come in across the wire.

In summation: it is all about laziness.

[w13rd0]

54. This article is sloppy stupid content-free crap...

...but the press hasn't even BEGUN to go after Clark. Furthermore, the DLC and pro-war Dems haven't gone after him for his being "out of step with mainstream American values"...why is that?

[ClarkGraham2004]

57. Because they want to prevent Dean from becoming the nominee

who they view as a sure-fire loser.

[Auntie Bush]

64. The article is really not so minor

It's setting him up so they can comment on what he wears like they did to Al Gore. They are trying to Gore him! Also they can talk about his clothing instead of some meaningful press coverage.

[Clark4VotingRights]

66. stickdog, Dean has been attacked for the most inane reasons lately.

That's true.
His Iowa statements were, IMO, obvious fact.
He could have gone farther and said all aspects of American
campaigns are dominated by special interests. The response
should have been "duh."

Same for his remark that we're no safer after Saddam's capture
(by the Kurds :), my addition here). Another point where he
showed an excellent grasp of the obvious, to the obvious distress
of the media.

And while Dean has often been attacked for his own statements
of obvious truth, Clark has been consistently attacked for
other people's vague politically motivated smears.

For example the infamous dig at Clark for unnamed "character issues,"
from a retired military man who, not coincidently, works for another
campaign. And then a second retired military man parroted the
smear, and later timidly had to admit he hadn't met Clark in 12
years and really didn't know him and was just repeating hearsay.

This crap was repeated ad nauseum in the media, and Clark was asked
about it by every media whore in the house.

So the media lackeys have and will trash(ed) them both.
Right now they seem stunned by Clark's surge, and are grudgingly
obliged to give him some coverage.

Soon they'll be back to attacking the leading Dem candidates,
and propping up King Chimpy.

[stickdog]

67. Yep. They have already swung way harder at both than they've EVER

swung at Bush.

However, the Dean eats babies stuff is really getting out of hand.

[Clark4VotingRights]

70. You speak the truth.

But then they're employees of Bush.

Don't piss off the boss...

[KoKo]

68. ROFL! Thanks! I needed that! N/T

[Clark4VotingRights]

69. Hey, that argyle sweater was dang nice!

Do any of you dispute that!!!???

:)

(Argyle is classy...)

[maxanne]

73. Argyle is not classy

argyle is old men playing golf, or chubby guys in sweater vests. :eyes: