Wes Clark's dKos Revival w/poll

I've been coming here since the old days of Haloscan comments, several months before Dean-mania took hold on the site.  I was instantly a "Clarkie" when I learned about the "Draft Clark" movement and reading up on the man.

But, after Clark held off from jumping in early dKos was Howard Dean country. By the time Clark jumped in, this was not only Dean country but it seemed at times as if no one else was welcome.

We had the so-called "Dean-Clark" wars here on Kos where Deaniacs called Clark a Republican and Clinton schill. Things got so heated for me I went away from the site for awhile and even changed my username. But, Clark soldiered on and has more than proven himself as a progressive and Democrat. He'd already proven himself as a great American, but that wasn't enough for some.

I only wish he'd jumped in earlier and people would have given him a chance. Those of you who got to see him last night now understand how foolish Bush would have looked next to him in Presidential debates.

But, that opportunity is gone. Perhaps we'll get another shot...even a VP slot would be nice and deserved.

•  If he would just get

  off of FoxNews, sane people could enjoy him also.

  by citizenx on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:22:43 AM PDT

  •  Clark on Fox is brilliant

    What a courageous, strategic choice for him to go on Fox!  He has a chance to open some closed minds over there.

    by Geronimo on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:25:54 AM PDT

    •  agreed

      Especially when he's counterpoint with chickenhawk Bill O'Reilly. I just wish he wasn't so nice to O'Reilly. I hope next time he sees that windbag he'll lacerate him for his Malmedy smear and followup "apology" smear straight out of McCarthy's Nazi sympathizing.

      by brainiacamor on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:48:12 AM PDT

  •  He's the only Democrat I want on foxnews

    He's the only one they can't attack easily. He's more accomplished, he isn't a chickenhawk, he's smarter and knows how to handle them.  I too wish he'd cut o'reilly a new a**hole, but all in all he does well. I think his contract is up fairly soon anyway.  I don't imagine he'll renew it.

    by dougymi on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 10:05:07 AM PDT

  •  Smart move...

    ...even from a political perspective.  Name recognition, and his thinking gets out.  I'm not gonna watch to hear what he has to say, but still a good thing in the long run.  One of the problems with the current war in Iraq - aside from that it never should have happened, of course - is that the decisions about running it are made by people who don't know much about war.

    Even Rumsfeld probably never studied military history, read Sun Tzu, and so on.  Though he did actually serve in the military for awhile.  But the rest of 'em?  Cheney, Wolfowitz, Bush, Rove, Condi?  Never occurred to one of them that there might be an insurgency?  No plan for looters?

    In the 2004 primary, it wasn't easy for me to choose.  I wanted all of them to be in power.  For one we don't talk about anymore:  How much better would it have been to have Gephardt running labor, instead of the "new rules" to limit overtime pay?

    With this mess of war going on, we need someone with real knowledge, and SMART, to try and unravel/extract from this horrible misadventure in Iraq.

    by Land of Enchantment on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 01:03:50 PM PDT

•  I was always a Deaniac...

  But I always liked Clark.  He gave the best speech at the convention, bar none.  I could never figure out the damn Dean/Clark wars and I only participated when something stupid was said about one of them.  I would have loved for either one of them to be the nominee.

  by RichM on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:23:28 AM PDT

•  I love Wesley Clark, but never see him anymore

  My husband and I both support Wesley Clark, but he has disappeared off the radar screen. Because I do not watch Faux News, I have not seen him in awhile.
  He has got to be more visible, or he is not going to be considered.  Do you think it helped him or hurt him to be associated with Faux. I suppose a case could be made that he would convert some crazies over there on Faux, but I think he would get more visibility somewhere else.

  by linnie on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:25:40 AM PDT

  •  the FoxNews crowd

    is never, ever going to vote for a democrat. The job might be great at sharpening his debating skills but he will always be an outcast at that network.

    by citizenx on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:28:29 AM PDT

    •  A co-worker told me yesterday that he watches Fox

      but then in the next breath, he told me how much he now cannot stand Bush and the Republicans.  This guy used to be an obnoxious card-carrying Republican.
      I wanted to just blast Fox News, but I restrained myself for the good of harmony in the workplace.

      by linnie on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:42:23 AM PDT

    •  Not true.

      There are many Fox News viewers who watch because it's easily available, has punchy graphics, they just don't know any better, etc.

      Clark appearing on Fox strikes me as a brilliant tactic, as there are Fox viewers who could and would vote for a Wesley Clark - and - I admit - any vote a Democrat gets from a Fox news viewer is a net +2 votes - cause we GET one - and they LOSE one.

      by bobdevo on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 10:12:05 AM PDT

      •  The remaining moderate Repubs here in Seattle

        Are getting squishy and Clark on Fox may be contributing. Several I have contact with react favorable to my Clark08 bumper sticker and these are Rep party stalwarts who are beginning to become afraid of their own parties authoritarian tendencies.

        Since as a General they feel safe ignoring his own multiple declarations that he is a liberal, they say "I could vote for him".

        Of course that won't mean anything unless he can get past the Ultra left purity test of the primaries, so I am preparing for another 8 years of fascist consolidation under whichever thug buys the media.

        by NCrefugee on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 11:48:36 AM PDT

    •  huh uh, Clark converted one of my FOX-watching

      neighbors.

      Clark knows from experience how to enter the enemy camp...there's alot to be said for that.

      by Sybil Liberty on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 12:54:44 PM PDT

    •  Depends on what you mean by 'FoxNews crowd'

      There was a Pew poll a while back (in the last year) that showed over 20% of Fox viewers self-identify as Democrats, and another 20+% as independents.  You gotta figure that of the remaining 60%, some significant portion are moderate enough that they might consider voting for a Dem.  That's a whole lot of people.

      Add to that, Fox's total viewership is larger than all the other cable news networks combined.  And I know that, in this red state, you can hardly go to any business establishment that has a TV running and not have it on FoxNews (unless it's a sports bar).  So all those poor working stiffs who are stuck in these places all day get to hear... FoxNews.

      I don't think Clark worries so much about whether he will be an outcast among the people in the newsroom, if that's what you mean.  I think he's just trying to get a different point of view out to Fox viewers who might otherwise never hear one.  And not solely for his own political asperations, but to help change attitudes toward Democrats/liberals in general and get more of us elected to office in 2006.

      by hfjai on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 03:00:17 PM PDT

•  He's great...

  I saw him speak about half a year ago and he was really impressive.  He's come a long way since 2003.

  by Fro on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:32:45 AM PDT

  •  I saw him speak in 2003

    And he was very impressive then. He didn't shine in the 10-person debates but then only Al Sharpton really stood out in that format.

    by brainiacamor on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:50:00 AM PDT

•  I've always loved the guy

  but I've got to ask how much of this rave has to do with the fact that he was picking up the beer tab last night?  and yeah its just snark

  by the OTHER rasmussen on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:46:48 AM PDT

•  Vote for your favorites

  for president and vice president in 2008 here.

  Alex
  Choose Our President 2008

  by ourprez08 on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 09:54:58 AM PDT

  •  Screw you and your *other* BS

    Back under your rock.

    by NCrefugee on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 11:50:58 AM PDT

    •  Fight the power

      Rage against the machine!

      Alex
      Choose Our President 2008

      by ourprez08 on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 12:33:56 PM PDT

•  He was great on the science panel

  at YKos this morning.

  Just as watching Al Gore gave one the sense of refreshing common sense and true intellect, Clark renews one's faith in the idea that there are some politicians out there who can communicate reality to the country at large.

  I know I could support him if he ran, depending on who else was in the field. He might not be my first choice, but he would certainly be an acceptible alternative.

  by murphy on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 10:17:07 AM PDT

•  impressive in person last night

  also impressive to watch the whole infrastructure that communicates 'presidential', between the staff photographer, security, aides, and whole style of interacting. It raised my consciousness (combined with seeing NM Gov. Richardson this AM)  of how we need to change the system while working with it, what kind of lines candidates have to walk around hot-button issues.

  by raines on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 10:36:01 AM PDT

•  impressive in person last night

  also impressive to watch the whole infrastructure that communicates 'presidential', between the staff photographer, security, aides, and whole style of interacting. It raised my consciousness (combined with seeing NM Gov. Richardson this AM)  of how we need to change the system while working with it, what kind of lines candidates have to walk around hot-button issues.

  by raines on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 12:32:24 PM PDT

  •  It's called 'Command Presence'

    And Clark has it in spades. He looks presidential and he speaks with such gravitas.

    John Hlinko used to say he was the "President we were promised as kids"

    by pelican on Fri Jun 09, 2006 at 01:10:00 PM PDT

•  Signing with Fox was brilliant.

  Political op guy over at Clark's blog said his office fell dead silent when the news first hit.  He's bound to announce after Nov. elections.  Looking forward to seeing him guest on other networks then.

  by venatrix on Sat Jun 10, 2006 at 12:41:29 AM PDT