Currently, Who Is Your Favorite Politician??

by minimus 102 Replies latest social current

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  SixofNine

  Actually, Wes Clark is very much a team player minimus. His work with NATO in the Balkans almost redefines and sets new standards for "team play". btw, I almost hate to "jinx" it, lol, but I think you're wrong. I think Clark will be the next president, and I think the only thing that will stand in the way is the democratic nomination. Once the resumes are on the peoples' desks, I can't imagine anyone hiring GW Bush over Wes Clark.

  Crownboy:

  The economy trails "homeland security" big time in pols over what Americans care about most (whether this is a good sign or not is debatable), so Wes Clark's military experience, while admirable, isn't that important.

  It's important to me for the reason you alluded to when you said "whether this is a good sign or not is debatable". But national security (and world security for that matter) aside, I don't see Dean as a financial genius or economic powerhouse anyway, so I think it's a wash. Clark gets the nod for me in this case, because I think he "get's it" where economic things are concerned. On the one hand, he's been a low paid public servant most all his life (top wage was 140k as a 4star), and on the other, he has earned a masters degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar, just like Fred Franz, lol.

  Besides which, John Kerry would fulfill the military angle just as well,

  Just the fact that they both were in Vietnam? Both wounded? The comparisons stop there it apears to me. Wes Clark had a very big hand in building the amazing volunteer military we have today, and he also has experience using it in the crazy times we find ourselves in. Eman, you and I know that homeland security is more important in post 9/11 America than the economy (even if voters in general don't), because it doesn't matter if your job goes kaput, if a terrorist makes you go kaput first. That's not to minimize the economy, it's always a huge factor.

  Howard Dean seems to have inspired new voters to come on board in the next election, something that could really make the difference in the end.

  So has Al Sharpton, and I think those voters will make a difference. But I think that difference will be in favor of Wesley Clark. The question would be can Dean inspire old voters to come on board? Frankly, I think he's hit that wall. I can think of groups of people one could generalize and say will never join the Dean camp. I can't really think of any group that you can say the same about for Wes. He even has the potential to get a fair number of republican votes.

  he'd rather have a high level cabinet position than be vice president

  I agree. He's in it to do what a president can do, not what a vice president can do.
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  Yerusalyim

  I still like Bush...who will be our President for another five years.

  Clark...no way...even the military guys don't like him because he's NOT a team player...he's an opportunistic SOB. I worked under his command in Kosovo...I heard the talk.

  Dean is fiery, but can't be elected either.

  Lieberman is the only DEM running I could ever see myself voting for...and he's not gonna get the Nom.

  Billary could maybe beat Bush...it depends...but she's waiting for 2008.

  The Economy is improving...Bush has the right position on National Defense...and Clinton steals the thunder everytime a Dem Candidate tries to make a flash in the pan...it's Bush in 04.
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  SixofNine

  I don't know Yeru, the facts show he did an amazingly good job of team play in Kosovo. Maybe another smear would be more appropriate? Cuz I don't think this one is gonna stick, lol. Hey, maybe Cohen will run for office!
• 

  SixofNine

  This "Cris" guy showed up on the Clark blogs the other day. He worked for Wes Clark on his security detail, and seems to truly love and admire the guy. In fact, he loves him so much he posted his personal phone number for anyone to call if they wanted to talk to him about Clark... not sure if it is still left up on the blog, but if it is, I'll go get it.

  ---

  If you are lucky, once in your lifetime a truly exceptional person will cross your path. I met and know such a person: General Wesley Clark. For three years, I had the privilege of working for General Clark when he served as Supreme Allied Commander-Europe. I can attest to the fact that he is a general's general and a soldier's general.

  I first met General Clark in June 1998 on a special assignment in Maastricht , Belgium , in support of General Hugh Shelton. I was immediately struck by two things. First, although General Clark wore the uniform of a four star General, he spoke as though he were a polished diplomat. He seemed comfortable in both worlds - as a General and as a spokesman for NATO.

  The second thing I noticed was the way he treated his subordinates. He treated everyone equally, regardless of their rank, and he listened - really listened - to what people had to say. And the General's security detail clearly loved working for him. This is not common; most security guys don't get to know their principals on a personal basis.

  A year later, I got a call from my assignment officer. He told me I could either work at the Pentagon for the Secretary of Defense, or I could work for General Clark. After my memorable first encounter with him, there was no question what I would do. I said that I wanted to work for General Clark.
  

  In the weeks before I arrived at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), I thought that I would be the "token Hispanic." When I arrived, I quickly found out that I was mistaken. I had never seen so many minorities working in any high-powered setting. I learned that it was because General Clark values diversity and wants to give everyone a chance.

  And from the moment I arrived, General Clark and his wife did everything they could to make me feel welcome. My first assignment was to take the General to his quarters and then to a dinner engagement with NATO officials. After the event, the first thing General Clark asked me was whether I had gotten anything to eat. To most four-star generals, security is an instrument. With General Clark, it was a different story. He always treated his staff like family.

  During the war in Kosovo, I saw how deeply compassionate General Clark is. He worried about the pilots who were out on night missions, and he would not go to sleep until he knew the last pilot had bedded down. Instead, he would work in his study, going over the latest intelligence reports and providing updates to the alliance and officials back in Washington . When he finally went to bed, it was only for two hours, and more often than not, he would be awakened by calls. His instruction to me before going to bed was: "Cris, push every call through." No rest for the General.

  In fact, I don't think anyone in the U.S. armed forces worked harder than the General. His superiors in Washington , DC knew this. They would often preface their calls by saying, "Don't wake General Clark." All of us who worked for him were amazed by his constant upbeat tempo and energy. We wanted to do everything possible to take care of him because he was doing so much for America and NATO.

  And no matter how pressing a situation became, General Clark always stayed calm. I recall when an F-117 went down - the only plane to go down during the entire campaign. In contrast to other officers I knew who would explode in tense moments, General Clark remained calm and efficiently took the necessary steps.

  I don't think anyone else could have done what the General did at NATO. For anyone who thinks that was a small accomplishment, just get nineteen friends together for dinner and try to pick a restaurant as a group. General Clark took nineteen countries and built consensus through dialogue. He gave Milosevic a chance, and then took action only as a last resort.

  General Clark is an extraordinary leader. People trusted him because they knew that he was honest and a straight shooter. And there was no mincing words with him. He always wanted to hear the truth. You didn't put things off. He wanted to know what had gone wrong so that he could make corrections and get back on the right track.

  But most of all, General Clark is loyal -- loyal to his country and to the United States Army, the organization that brought him up from West Point cadet to Supreme Allied Commander. I have worked around a lot of generals, and I can say that the Boss is one of the best I've ever worked with. He cared deeply about the soldiers he led, treated all of us who worked for him with the highest respect, and served his country with dedication, courage and honor.

  Front the right front seat

  Cris Hernandez Jr, Chief Warrant Officer (Ret)

  Former Personal Security Officer to the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

  Casa Grande, AZ
• 

  Phantom Stranger

  Recent polls indicate that Yeru might be posturing a wee tad when he says Bush "will" be our next president:

  http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=732

  President George W. Bush?s job performance ratings have reached the lowest point since his pre-Inauguration days, continuing a steady decline since a post-9/11 peak, according to a new Zogby America poll of 1,013 likely voters conducted September 3-5. A majority (52%) said it?s time for someone new in the White House, while just two in five (40%) said the president deserves to be re-elected. Last month, 45% said re-election was in order, and 48% said it was time for someone new.

  Just two in five (40%) said they would choose Bush if the election were held today, while 47% said they would elect a Democratic candidate. In August polling, respondents were split (43% each) over President Bush or any Democratic challenger

  www.pollingreport.com

  The percentage of people who now believe that Bush and his administration were presenting evidence they knew to be false to justify the decision to go to war last March has doubled from ten percent five months ago to 21 percent in the new PIPA polls, which conducted its survey of more than 1,000 adults contacted at random from October 31 through November 10.
  
  Moreover, there was an 11 percent rise in the percentage of respondents who say Bush's performance on Iraq would make them less likely to vote for him in next year's presidential elections--from 31 percent in September to 42 percent--according to PIPA director, Steve Kull.
  
  An overwhelming 87 percent of the public said they believe that the administration portrayed Iraq as an imminent threat to the United States before the war. While 42 percent believe that the administration was justified in that depiction, 58 percent said they now believe the administration did not have the evidence to sustain it.
  
  On the specific question of the administration's claims about Iraq's alleged WMD programs, a total of 72 percent (up from 63 percent in July) said the administration did not have the evidence to support such claims, with 21 percent saying the administration knew that the evidence it was presenting was false and 51 percent saying that the administration was ''stretching the truth."

  Significantly, a large number of those polled believe that Bush was determined to go to war regardless of the actual evidence. Sixty-three percent said the president would have attacked Iraq if U.S. intelligence agencies had told him there was no reliable evidence that Iraq possessed or was building WMD or was providing substantial support to al Qaeda, according to the poll.
  
  These figures help explain the decline in Bush's credibility with the public. Only 42 percent said that the president is honest and frank in his public statements, while 56 percent said they have doubts about what he says.
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  minimus

  I'll betcha $100 that Clark won't be the next president. What Yeru has said is something I've read quite often. Just because someone may be viewed as a good general, it doesn't mean that he's electable and has a strong political base. If the General likes to do things HIS way, it means he doesn't yield to making deals. In politics, you must work with everyone. You can't have a lot of your own people believing that you're not a team player. This may will never get the nomination.
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  SixofNine

  I'll betcha $100 that Clark won't be the next president.

  really?
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  minimus

  Only if you agree to put up $100, too. Here's a toast!
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  SixofNine

  minimus, friendly wager. How about 50 bucks on the nomination, and 100 bucks on the election?
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  SixofNine

  oops, posted while you were posting. Either way, you decide. Cheers, may the best man win, lol.