On The SPAN RIGHT NOW!!! Vietnam and the Presidency...Wes Clark!

[in_cog_ni_to]

"Lessons of the war" :bounce:

This is the second panel. Dan Rather was on the last panel.

C-SPAN 1.:hi:

[mdmc]

1. posted too (changed to dupe)

Did you hear Wes say "This was not a war of neccessity" (referring to both Vietnam and Iraq).

[in_cog_ni_to]

2. YES! "Neither war was necessary. They were both wars we CHOSE to enter

into." :thumbsup: Go, Wes!

[Tinksrival]

3. I'm watching too!

Pete Peterson is great too! Chuck can't seem to get his words out.

[Tinksrival]

4. I don't get why

Brian Williams thought it was necessary to introduce Bob Herbert as "first man of color" on the pannel.
Haven't we gotten past that stuff or am I missing something?

[in_cog_ni_to]

Well, most NORMAL people have gotten past that, but Williams is

a repuke. They always make an issue of color, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ect., ect., ect....

It makes them feel superior, in their warped minds.

[mdmc]

6. He is the only black guy up there...

We haven't gotten there yet, by the way...

[mdmc]

5. OK. I LOVE WES

There it is DU,

on 9-11-01, w. was getting ready to attack Iraq. WOW!!!!

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. Wes knew that a long time ago.

During the campaign he talked about being at the Pentagon and some military people told him BEFORE we attacked and before ANYONE ELSE KNEW, that they were planning an attack on Iraq.

[Tinksrival]

7. Can I just say.....

I LOVE MY GENERAL!!!!! :applause: :applause: :applause:

[mdmc]

9. he impressed me today

or 3-11-06 at this panel. THE GENEVA CONVENTION IS NOT QUAINT!

[in_cog_ni_to]

10. HOLY SHIT! Pete Peterson just said

"for anyone to think the Geneva Conventions are QUAINT, brings FIRE TO MY EYES!" OMG! He is pissed as hell about the tortures.

[Tinksrival]

13. Wow Pete Peterson has really been tested in life.

He is very inspirational.
Check out this sight:

http://www.pbs.org/hanoi/

Snip>

Peterson family
Life in America in the years following his release from prison included many new opportunities and challenges. After serving 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, Peterson retired as a full Colonel in 1981 and joined the private sector. The Peterson family initially settled in Tampa, Florida where he started a construction company.

click to enlargeThree years later, Dougie, the son Peterson had not met until he was seven years old, was killed in an automobile accident. "It just collapsed our lives," he said. Peterson's wife, Carlotta, was diagnosed with breast cancer on the very same day. She became a valiant crusader for a cure for the disease that would ultimately take her life.

Following his son's death, the family moved back to its "home town" of Marianna, Florida. There, as a member of the Florida State University faculty, Peterson turned his attention to a program for juvenile offenders. During his headmastership of the Dozier School for Boys, he battled Florida officials' efforts to close the school. He won the battle, and it became the stimulus for his subsequent interest in politics.

Peterson runs for Congress
In 1990, Peterson, then 53, decided to run for U.S. Congress to represent the 2nd Congressional District of Florida.

snip

Nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam
One day, shortly after that announcement, his colleague in Congress, Bill Richardson, approached him and suggested he consider becoming the first U.S. ambassador to Vietnam in 22 years. Peterson decided to take the gamble. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton in March, 1996.

The appointment met with strong opposition on Capitol Hill. It wasn't Peterson himself who was in question, but the issue of whether to re-establish diplomatic ties with the United States' former enemy, Vietnam. Senator Jesse Helms, (R-North Carolina), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Bob Smith, (R-New Hampshire) opposed Clinton's decision to normalize relations with Vietnam. POW/MIA groups and Vietnamese-Americans also made their opposition to normalization of relations with Vietnam very clear.

The stalemate went on for over a year. In April, 1997, on the eve of the balloting on the nomination, no one was certain the votes needed for confirmation would be there. Then a last minute compromise on the wording of a specific POW/MIA issue was worked out. The nomination passed with a unanimous voice vote.

[Tinksrival]

15. One more post on Pete

"How often does one have the chance to return to a place where you suffered and try to make things right....the opportunity to make something good out of something bad.. Ultimately I decided I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do something that is very rarely given to someone. I took on the challenge and I'm very happy I did so."
----------------
Amazing man!

[in_cog_ni_to]

16. Oh man. What a life. I LOVE that guy. I hope we hear a LOT more

from him! Thanks for the posts. :hi:

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. Are you concerned about PTSS?

Wes is concerned. Beyond the physical injuries there's the mental stress. The killings and deaths they have witnessed in Iraq will be with them for a long time. No kidding.:cry:

Not to mention the Veteran's benefits that have been cut. I HOPE they talk about that tonight.

[in_cog_ni_to]

12. Chuck Hagel just said WES CLARK would be elected in 2008 as PRESIDENT!

:wow:

[Tinksrival]

14. That was interesting!

I wish I could have seen Wes' face! I bet he had that big grin he gets sometimes!

[Tinksrival]

17. Wes is determined

to do all he can to get the 54 Dem Vets elected so mistakes like Vietnam and Iraq won't be made!

Brian William seems to be gaging for some reason.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. damn! missed it

replay at 1:20 AM Eastern

[Tinksrival]

19. Do catch it

if you can. It was really good. Chuch Hagel whined a bit about the Iraq talk but Williams had to admit that "You can't ignore the white elephant in the room (Iraq) when you talk about veitnam.