CLARK NATION

Wes' Santa Barbara speech

is here.

Wes Clark in Santa Barbara, October 27

Cross-posted from The Broad View

[Please see the Notes and links at the bottom of the post (after the jump) including links to the audio of Wes' speech and to an album of photographs of the event.]

If Wes Clark was tired he sure didn't let it show. He'd been on the hustings for months, stumping for Democratic candidates the length and breadth of the country. Two days before, he'd been in Milano. Yet here he was, sizzling — full of energy, full of warmth and good humor, ready for the eager handshake and face-to-face encounter with members of the record-setting crowd who'd come to hear him deliver the keynote speech at the Santa Barbara Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

For many of the nearly 500 people at the dinner, the Wes Clark they heard and saw was a revelation. Some knew him only from the so-called "debates" of the 2004 presidential primary season, whose very format gave him scant latitude in which to express his knowledge and passion. (As for his regular appearances on Fox News, well, I doubt that among Democratic partisans anyone but Clark's devoted cadre of volunteers and active supporters would know to tune in.) But I had experienced the "Wes effect"; I had been privileged to hear him in person before — at DePauw University in 2003, in Keene, N.H. at a townhall meeting in 2004, and at various informal Los Angeles gatherings since — so I knew he would charm the pants off the audience and deliver a speech that would rouse us to a standing ovation.

Which, of course, is exactly what he did.

Mr. President?

Anyone who knows me knows that Wes Clark has been one of my heroes since his nightly sit-downs at Aaron Brown's CNN anchor desk during the early stages of the Iraq war. Friends who watched with me (we called it our "sacred hour," reassuring moments of sanity in a world gone mad) thought that we'd invented the idea that this man should be president. When Wes intimated that he was giving it some thought — it was on Meet the Press, mid-June 2003 — I discovered the Draft Clark movement and leapt onto the bandwagon. I've been riding it ever since.

There is active speculation that Wes will run again in 2008. He gracefully deflects the question whenever he's asked by saying "I haven't said I won't." I asked him how Gert (his splendid wife, whose flight from Little Rock was delayed, and who was therefore unable to come — to my keen disappointment) felt about his re-entering the fray. "She hates it," he said simply. "Why wouldn't she?" I replied, thinking how political campaigns take a terrible toll on spouses. Wes is deeply devoted to Gert. One can imagine that her feelings in the matter will be a major factor in his decision.

However, there is something in his intensity when he talks about high office that says he believes he is the right man for the job at this moment in our history. The belief doesn't seem to emanate from an excess of ego, but rather from a clear-headed assessment of what the country needs and what he brings to the table. He is a strategic thinker, a cerebral pragmatist. He is deeply schooled in history and economics, seasoned in diplomacy, equally at home in matters of foreign and domestic policy. Dedication and brilliance bore him from first in his class at West Point to a Rhodes Scholarship to the pinnacle of active command in the United States Army. He is the intellectual as man of action. He is, in a word, a leader. Which is why, if I read him correctly, he is primed for the top job only.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

He is also a charmer who engages easily with people and gives the person he's talking to his full attention. (I did catch him multi-tasking a couple of times with his Blackberry, but he was waiting for word of Gert's safe arrival in Los Angeles, and once he got it he was all ours.) He "worked the room" to great effect, both at the dinner itself and at a reception beforehand for our major donors and other honored guests. He bantered, got serious, listened intently, focused on what was said to him and on what he said in return. He seems to take genuine pleasure in the give-and-take. There is nothing intimidating in his manner — perhaps surprising to newcomers to the "Wes effect," given what we assume about a general, all that gold on his cap, the panoply of ribbons on his chest. But we also don't expect generals, even retired generals, to have "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "Blowin' in the Wind" on their iPods.

But Wes does! And he wants RJ Eskow on it too, along with Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan. RJ writes anti-war songs and sang several for us; Wes followed the lyrics closely while RJ was singing "I Wish More Christians Loved Jesus" and "Gunplay," and several times murmured "This is fantastic!" Later he requested that RJ make him a recording. "I want that man working for me," he said.

" . . . there were people with tears in their eyes"

For me the most touching moment of the evening came when Frank Kelly, once a mainstay of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions and before that, among other things, a speechwriter for Harry Truman, presented to Wes a signed copy of his Truman memoir. Frank is one of Santa Barbara's treasures, and there was the symmetry of greatness in the exchange. (That's me, Zelig-like, looking on.)

There was someone I most particularly wanted to hear Wes and to speak with Wes personally. He's chair of the California Democratic Party Veterans' Caucus, and he had not been a Clark supporter the last time around. Unfortunately, he was recovering from an operation and unable to attend; but his family was there. The other day he e-mailed me to say how truly sorry he was to have missed it; his wife and daughters told him that at the end of Wes' speech, "there were people with tears in their eyes."

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Wes on the march this week in San Francisco, Los Angeles

Wes Clark is popping up in a lot of important places. With superb ideas. Here's one example, Clark's take on health care — single payer! — with the force of his creative intellect behind it. I knew there was a reason I didn't give up my WEZPREZ license plates!

The good General is making appearances in California this week...a Thursday evening fundraiser in San Francisco (details here). And, on Saturday in Los Angeles, two events (information courtesy of Michael Webber, president of the 4-Star Democratic Club):

General Clark will be active in the Los Angeles area on February 4th at a huge Rally to Take Back the House during the day and a fundraiser reception that evening.

At the FREE rally on February 4th General Wesley Clark will be joined by Stephanie Miller of LA's Progressive Talk AM 1150 to inspire the troops and lead the charge to take back the House of Representatives in 2006!

We are bringing Democrats together from all over Southern California to support Democrat Francine Busby, who is running for indicted Republican Duke Cunningham's old seat (CA-50) in a special election April 11th. Democratic candidates in red districts across Southern California will unite behind her by sending “Buses For Busby”— filled with local activists—to San Diego this Spring to help win this first important battle in the war to clean up the House and reclaim a majority for Democrats.

DATE: Saturday, February 4th, 2006
TIME:
11:00 a.m. Parking Lot Opens

11:15 a.m. Progressive Fair Opens (sign up for activities and purchase books, shirts, & bumper stickers!)
11:30 Doors Open

LOCATION: Hollywood United Methodist Church, 6817 Franklin Ave. (at Highliand), Hollywood, CA

PARKING: Free parking available at the church (first come first served), with overflow parking at the Hollywood & Highlands complex one block away. Or take the Metro Red Line to the Hollywood & Highlands stop.

Sponsors: SoCal Grassroots, The 4 Star Democratic Club of Los Angeles, Courage Campaign, West LA Dem Club, Dem Alliance for Action (Santa Clarita), San Fernando Valley Young Dems, West Hollywood Dem Club, Lawndale Dem Club, DFA-LA, DP- SFV, Valley Dems United, Dems for Neighborhood Action, Dems for Israel, Southern California for Democracy, LAX Dem Club, Metropolitan Dem Club, Young Democrats of California (Women's Division), PDA-LA, New Frontier Democratic Club, Pacific Palisades Dem Club, & others.

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Later that evening, The 4 Star Democratic Club of Los Angeles invites you to join us for An Evening with General Clark in Culver City, CA. General Clark will mix and mingle then make remarks followed by Q&A. Featuring a special musical performance by Grammy-nominated artist Mike Melvoin and Keith England.

DATE: Saturday, February 4th, 2006

TIME: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Culver City (details to follow after RSVP)

MORE: Non-alcoholic Drinks and Appetizers will be provided.
Contribution: $100 ($50 for Veterans and Members of the Military).

Please RSVP now to (310) 815-8912 or grassroots@rarejules.com.

Gordon Suber captures a Clark family moment

Gordon Suber is a Clark loyalist from the earliest moments of the Draft. He was in Ohio the other day to attend the festivities celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, in which Wes Clark played a significant role. (See also Richard Holbrooke's To End a War.)

Gordon sent an e-mail recounting a poignant family moment (so very Wes), and has graciously given me permission to post it here:

Dayton, Ohio — November 18, 2005

"I'm General Clark's second cousin," Carla Steiger told me as we lunched on Chilean Sea Bass sitting next to a melange of fingerling potatoes at the Dayton Convention in Dayton, Ohio.

I had come from New York City to attend a two day Forum on the Tenth Anniversary Commemoration of the Dayton Peace Accords. Carla lives near Dayton.

"But I've never met him," Carla explained as she handed me her business card which said that she is an artist/teacher/writer and humanities champion.

"On which side?" I asked.

"His father. Our grandparents were siblings."

_________

That evening, General Clark would address more than six-hundred people at The National Museum of the United States Air Force on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base not far from Dayton.

Clark blog mentions

The Hotline talks about the Virginia governor race, Mark Warner and presidential prospects. Commenters weigh in on a Warner/Clark ticket.

Clark pressure critical in reinstating Ed Schultz on Armed Forces Radio

An e-mail from WesPAC today:

Dear Ellen,

I wanted to dash off a quick note to you with some exciting news. Today, we learned that the Ed Schultz Show will now be aired on Armed Forces Radio.

Ed Schultz stated, "I would like to thank General Clark for his efforts to help bring the Ed Schultz Show to Armed Forces Radio Network. To have the support of one of the highest ranking military officers in the history of the country is an honor."

Clark & Clinton: Schlesinger's Dream Ticket

Note: As I just said in a comment of my own there, Schlesinger is not suggesting H.C. at the top of the ticket. :-)

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Party graybeard Arthur Schlesinger Jr. on HuffPo says

If only the Democrats could unite on an Iraq exit strategy! Maybe Hillary should go to Iraq, as Ike went to Korea, and take along General Wes Clark — a possible dream ticket for 2008.

The anti-Hillary animus is clear in the comments. But there are lots of Clark supporters in that crowd. Take a look.

Georgetown panel

From ABC's The Note:

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark (D-AR), Dr. Richard Land, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and others participate on various panels of the "Bipartisan Conference on Human Rights: Uncommon Leadership for Common Values" taking place this morning at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Per WesPAC, Wes will participate in the panel called Putting the 'Never' in 'Never Again' — Halting Genocide.

Wes Clark in Los Angeles X 2

On April 16 of this year, during the California Democratic Party convention, Los Angeles supporters of Wes Clark threw him a party. I reported on it at BOPnews, and reproduce that post here, below the fold, complete with audio snippets.

This past Friday, the same stalwart organizers — Michael Webber and the Four-Star Democratic Club — got the General together with some 150 people at the home of a Los Angeles Clark activist. Michael said they did it all on a week's notice. Bravo! Mrs. Clark was there, too, and Wes Jr. (who is always warm and charming to me; we talked babies — he's recently become a father for the second time). I was glad to see fellow bloggers Mark Kleiman and John Amato there as well.

Wes was, well, Wes — vigorous, passionate, voluble. At his best, as he is in when he's in direct touch with people. [A software glitch has kept me from transcribing his remarks from my digital recorder; I hope to solve the problem tomorrow.] As I noted in the April post, I'm holding onto the WEZ PREZ license plates. I've taken them off the car for now, but they're ready to be remounted, any time he gives the word.

Wearing my heart on my car