I was amazed by how affable and accommodating
General Wesley Clark was when I met him at a Louisville home, at a fundraiser for Colonel Mike Weaver, who is running against Republican Ron Lewis in Kentucky's 2nd District.
Clark was not merely a nice guy - he was forthcoming with a great deal of important information, including the likelihood that BushCo will strike Iran.
Clark also made some very good points about the nature of political campaigns, and the path to Democratic victory in November. Follow me below the fold for details.
About Iran: General Wesley Clark said that Bush is painting himself into a corner on Iran. The General feels that the only chance to stop a strike on Iran is the election of a Democratic Congress in November, assuming BushCo does not manage to start dropping the bombs before the election. The only good news about Iran is that Clark feels there are clear divisions in the Administration, with Rice showing some misgivings about striking, and CheneyCo wanting war with Iran ASAP. The bad news is that with RiceCo wavering, and CheneyCo chomping at the bit, a strike is simply a matter of "when, not if."
One of the saddest parts about that portion of General Clark's discussion is that we know diplomacy can make a difference. Clark related stories about Yugoslavia, when we sat down with some very bad people and averted a war. Later, when Milosevic pursued ethnic cleansing in Bosnia, and diplomacy was not working, we used appropriate force to cause Milosevic to surrender. The cost in U.S. lives: ZERO. And we worked with our allies effectively to achieve successful results. Clark does not claim that everything was perfect in Yugoslavia, or that diplomacy with Iran is guaranteed to work. But he made it clear that Democrats have a much better track record of dealing with complex foreign policy in modern times.
Clark feels the best way to deal with Iran is to engage, not to isolate. He thinks a diplomatic campaign with democratic ideas, Iranian ex-pats, and "blue jeans" is more likely to have a positive impact than a strafing run with bunker-busters. We have to win back Congress to have a chance at success.
Clark thinks a strike on Iran will be a two week bombing, typical of the start to any modern conflict, targeting power, command and control, mobility, etc. Since our ground forces are stretched too thin to invade, there will probably be some special forces teams sent in, but not much else on the ground. Clark does not think BushCo has the guts or political clout to start the draft at this time. Interestingly, Clark is not anti-draft. He feels there is a time and place for the draft, and when the American public is in agreement about that time and place, America will use the draft again. But Iran will not be that time and place.
About political campaigns: Clark said that "generals and colonels can only lose wars, not win them." It is the job of the generals to make sure the troops are equipped and arrayed in a way that will allow them to accomplish the mission. But the fighting and winning comes from the troops, not the top brass. It is the grunts and the low-level officers that actually make the sacrifices and deliver the victory. "Political campaigns are no different. I can stand in front of this room through November 7th, and not deliver victory. Fancy speeches will not win back Congress. It is you, donating what you can, talking to your friends, making phone calls, and knocking on doors. It is you, sacrificing time that could be spent with your families because you believe we can build a better future together. It is only you on the front lines who will deliver victory in the fall."
About the man himself: It was an honor to meet Wesley Clark and to shake his hand. Clark is clearly service oriented. He has a passionate belief in community, teamwork, and shared sacrifice. He does not believe in easy answers or sugar-coating. He understands that tough choices must be made.
For example, the hostess, an ex-Republican, asked why Democrats do not focus more of the Democratic message on fiscal responsibility, since "we are clearly more responsible than the Republicans." Clark did not simplify his answer or talk down to the group in any way. His response was indicative of the way he interacted with everyone at the event. He made it clear that the public does not understand the impact of deficits, because they "do not see bread lines, nor are they forced to stop purchasing." Spending Democratic resources on a message that does not have a discernable impact on the public is not as effective as focusing on issues the public feels is more relevant. "There are dozens of issues or areas where Democrats outperform Republicans. We have to choose the issues that the American people perceive to be the most important, and focus there. That is the reality of politics in a popular democracy." Educating voters on the other issues is also important, Clark acknowledged, but is more of a long term public relations/perception effort than is practical in the heat of a political campaign.
Clark also has a phenomenal work ethic. He had spent the entire day flying around the state in a chopper, working his tail off for Democrats from the local, state, and national races. What a trooper!
About the attendees: Colonel Mike Weaver, the candidate for whom this event was held, spoke at the event. He is a conservative Democrat - the only kind that can win in KY-02. But he is not the kind of man who would commit our troops to unnecessary war. He "has carried the lifeless body of a 19 year-old soldier off the battlefield." He has carried a critically wounded soldier to an evacuation chopper, not knowing if the soldier would live or die, but knowing that the life of that soldier and their family would never be the same again." (The nature of the grievous wounds was not specified.) Weaver knows the importance of sound military policy. He is the kind of guy (like Clark) that perfectly rebuts the Republican assertion that Democrats are weak on defense. Weaver is a simple man. He was raised on a farm, served decades in the Army, and 10 years in the KY State House. If anyone can defeat Ron Lewis, it is Weaver.
KY State Party dignitaries like Chairman Lundergan, Speaker Jody Richards, Auditor Crit Luallen, former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry, and others were there. Charlie Owen and his wife hosted the event.
Ex-military abounded! There were a handful of generals, a few 2 star and at least one 3 star (Clark is a 4 star). There were various grades of Colonel (including the candidate), and even Lt. Col. Andrew Horne (who lost in the KY-03 primary) was there. And of course, there were many former enlisted and lower ranking officers present.
My most embarrassing moment: Weaver had answered a question about patriotism and defense, and he had worked himself up slightly, going into a narrative on duty and honor. You can tell he gets mad (and rightfully so) when he thinks about the way the Republicans impugn the patriotism and toughness of Democrats like himself. I felt the moment after he answered the question was a bit awkward, due to the emotion settling in the air, and decided to break the tension. (Bad idea - never do this!) So I tried to pull a Stephen Colbert. (Colbert is a comedian who pretends to be a right-wing media caricature, thus mocking such folks as O'Reilly and Limbaugh.) "Colonel Weaver, you probably get this question a lot, since you are such a liberal." The audience chuckles, because everyone knows Weaver is pretty conservative. Weaver even smiled - a rare event. "My question is this: Why do you hate the troops?" Dead silence. Nobody in the room is breathing. Uh, oh. Bad move. Quick, clarify! "Sir, you know what I mean. Republicans are always saying that Democrats hate the troops and blame America first. This seems silly to us, but they did it to Kerry and they are doing it to Murtha. How do you respond to such baseless attacks?" Fortunately, at that point the Colonel understood the question and answered it based on his service, etc., etc. But he clearly does not watch the Colbert Report, and neither did many others in the room. Lt. Col. Andrew Horne, aged 44, was a youngster in that audience. He was one of the few who caught my reference. The room simply did not have the critical mass of Colbert fans required to get them to break out chuckling. God, that was awkward!
Toss a few bucks at Mike Weaver: I'm not in his district, and I am much more socially progressive than Weaver, but we need his vote to take the committees, and we need his service ethic and military expertise in Congress. Please help take down Ron Lewis.
Diarist:
Mike Bailey, co-organizer
DFA Change for Louisville
http://dfa.meetup.com/...