Clark to launch 2004 presidential bid Wednesday

[Rokenn]

I can't wait to see a debate between the the General and the Texas Air National Guard deserter

Also Clark is not afraid of being called a liberal, a very refreshing change [img]smile.gif[/img]
from Michael Moore's open letter to General Clark:

The other night, when you were on Bill Maher's show, he began by reading to you(Clark) a quote from Howard Dean where he (Dean) tried to run away from the word "liberal." Maher said to you, so, General, do you want to run away from that word? Without missing a beat, you said "No!" and you reminded everyone that America was founded as a "liberal democracy." The audience went wild with applause.

Clark to launch 2004 presidential bid Wednesday

(CNN) -- Former NATO supreme commander Wesley Clark will announce his presidential candidacy Wednesday, becoming the 10th Democrat to seek to unseat President Bush in 2004, sources close to the retired general told CNN.

Clark told reporters Tuesday to expect "a marked change" in the Democratic field but would not confirm his decision to run.

However, he said the country is "hungry for dialogue and looking for leadership."

He is expected to launch his candidacy in Little Rock with an announcement at noon (1 p.m. ET) Wednesday, and has assembled a team of campaign operatives that include veterans of the campaigns of former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

An outspoken critic of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Clark said the country "is in significant difficulty, both at home and abroad."

[Chewbacca]

Sweet! I like this guy. I saw him on Maher's show and in other interviews recently. I look forward to hearing more on his domestic platform, he has already admitted this will be one of his weak spots.

Of course all the Repubs who say Dems are weak on defense will hafta say a U.S. general is weak on defense to make this point anywhere near true. Of course it wasn't really true before, but with Clark running maybe they will hafta put a to put a sock in it for good and find some real issues to debate.

[Djinn Raffo]

The 'incident' in Kosovo when he ordered British troops to attack some Russians who had beaten him to an airfield looks pretty bad on his resume. Sir Mike Jackson refused his request to take the airfield by stating: "I'm not going to start the third World War for you."

Their is also this very embarrasing pic of him with war criminal Ratko Mladic, a genocidal maniac.. well the hat seems to fit:


This pic ranks right up there with this one:

[Chewbacca]

Whoa Djinn Raffo, that's news to me, the Russians at the airfield bit!

[Donut]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: Whoa Djinn Raffo, that's news to me, the Russians at the airfield bit!

Absolutely true and widely reported in the UK.


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The British officer leading NATO peacekeeping troops in Kosovo defied the alliance commander and refused to confront Russian troops who burst into the province unannounced last June, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Henry Shelton said.

British Lt. Gen. Michael Jackson opposed orders from NATO Gen. Wesley Clark, an American, to move tanks onto the Pristina airfield to block the Russians' arrival, Shelton said Thursday. Shelton detailed the confrontation during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his renomination for the top U.S. military post.

"General Jackson said, 'No, I'm not going to do that. It's not worth starting World War III.' I believe was the quote that was used,'' Shelton said.

Jackson appealed to senior British military and political authorities in London, who then convinced U.S. leaders not to press the point. Shelton, who favored NATO occupation of the airfield in the Kosovo provincial capital, said his British counterpart called him at 4 a.m. to lobby for Jackson's position over Clark's.

The June 12 showdown took place in the tense first days of peace in Kosovo after 78 days of NATO bombing. Most Serb government forces were leaving or en route out of the province, and NATO peacekeepers, with Jackson and the British in the vanguard, were moving in.

Shelton described the confrontation in response to a question from the committee's chairman, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who said he was troubled by Jackson's insubordination.

"I goes to the very heart of NATO, its ability to function,'' Warner said.

Shelton said Clark and Jackson resolved the situation quickly, with the United States and NATO agreeing that there was no need to block the airfield.

The Russians did move in, embarrassing NATO, and later joined in the ongoing, NATO-led peacekeeping operation in Kosovo. Russia disapproved of the bombing campaign, which was aimed at expelling Serb government troops from Kosovo and stopping ethnic violence there.

Many Serbs regarded Russia as a protector, and cheered the unexpected arrival of Russian troops.

[Ar-Cunin]

At the time it was feared that the Russians would occupy the NE part of Kosovo - thereby creating a serb-only zone in that part of the region. The NATO troops would then 'only' be able to occupy the remaining (and poorer) part of Kosovo - effectively partitionating the region in two ethnic zones.

[HolyWarrior]

C'mon, the loony left will never support anyone in the military. And the loony left is who runs the Demonrat party.

[Djinn Raffo]

Originally posted by HolyWarrior: C'mon, the loony left will never support anyone in the military. And the loony left is who runs the Demonrat party.

Great argument! You've convinced me.

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by Ar-Cunin: At the time it was feared that the Russians would occupy the NE part of Kosovo - thereby creating a serb-only zone in that part of the region. The NATO troops would then 'only' be able to occupy the remaining (and poorer) part of Kosovo - effectively partitionating the region in two ethnic zones.

I see, this makes sense.

Good, it seems General Clark can make tough choices and yet remain flexible in the face of sensible dissent. Two qualities I look for in a leader, though he doesn't have my vote yet by far.

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by HolyWarrior: C'mon, the loony left will never support anyone in the military. And the loony left is who runs the Demonrat party.

Every serviceman and veteran who is a Democrat thanks you for this statement.

edit- this is sarcasm BTW.

[ 09-17-2003, 03:45 PM: Message edited by: Chewbacca ]