Bravo to Clark on Hardball - He may have changed my mind tonight [View All]

[kysrsoze]

Let me first say that I'd ordinarily never consider a military man for president. I remember laughing when people suggested Norman Schwartzkopf or Colon Powell should be president. But this guy seems like the real deal.

Last week, my dad asked me what I thought about him. I said I didn't know much, but I have tried to find out more. My dad mentioned the guy is a Rhodes scholar and evidently has some business experience. Two points make him really stand out:

1. He is a general who was against the war and explained that he thought the WMD claim was blown way out of proportion, we didn't even bother to try a diplomatic solution (hell, Rummy and Saddam know each other all too well), and we have done nothing but increased our risk of terrorism. That absolutely destroys the claim that we needed to go to war.

2. He's one of the most well-spoken, and seemingly HONEST, well-intentioned people I've heard speak in a long time. I see shades of Clinton speaking ability.


Granted, Tweety was really sucking up to him, but he was completely honest about alterior motives for the war - I've always thought that in addition to Iraq being an oil grab, a military contractor boom, a replacement for Saudi military bases and a favor for Israel, but one thing I've always considered is that this Iraq war was a demonstration of how much @ss the U.S. could kick in attempt to scare other countries into submission.

On the California illegal alien drivers license issue, he also pointed out it may be a way to identify people - which I believe is a good thing. Also, if you'e an illegal w/o identification, you have some explaining to do. And hats off to the guy for his opinion on gays in the military. He acknowledged it's reality in every country's military. He dodged just a bit, but he did give the indication that "something needs to be done about the issue" and I really don't think he meant kicking them all out. I would really like to know what the guy thinks about the economy and treatment of the un-privileged poor.

I've been a Dean supporter (don't care what any you think of that). I still am - would have to put a clothespin on my nose if I were forced to vote Bush out by voting for Gephardt or Lieberman. I'd still prefer to vote for Sharpton over Edwards and I don't think Kucinich has a realistic chance. But I'm really excited about the thought a combined Dean/Clark or Clark/Dean ticket. I think combination of Dean's veracity and Clark's foreign policy experience would steamroll the right.

Bring on the flames, but you'd better have some good reasoning for it.