S.C. NAACP forum turns into the 'Wesley Clark Show'

[pruner]

JEFFREY COLLINS
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Three Democratic presidential candidates turned their focus back to a familiar target at an NAACP forum here Friday night.

But a day after other candidates ganged up on Wesley Clark at a debate in Phoenix, the retired general got a free pass as his opponents turned their anger toward President Bush. Then scheduling problems left him the only candidate on the stage for the last 25 minutes, turning the forum turned into the "Wesley Clark Show."

<snip>

North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt and former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun all arrived too late for the forum because of mechanical problems with their plane in Phoenix, the site of Thursday night's debate.

The three spoke with people outside the ballroom after the forum ended.

Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman met with South Carolina NAACP leaders individually Friday, but had to leave Charlotte before the forum started so he could return to Washington before sundown to observe the Jewish Sabbath.

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was attending parents weekend at his daughter's college and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry had a long-standing commitment to campaign in New Hampshire.

South Carolina NAACP President James Gallman said that organization would not punish any candidates who did not attend.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/6985412.htm

[Cha]

1. Great! And I say Good for Dean "attending a parents

weekend at his daughter's college"....I know she was so proud of him and her mother. :bounce:

[tabasco]

5. Absolutely right!

Nice to see a politician that walks the walk on family values.

[democracyindanger]

2. What sloppy reporting

What did Clark do with his time? Not only that, but the AP guy writes:

"The debate later turned to the death penalty, overcrowded prisons and other civil rights issues, but by then Clark was the only candidate around.

Sharpton, clearly the crowd's favorite, touch on those issues briefly, bringing loud cheers from the audience each time."

Wait, so if Clark was "the only candidate around," then how was Sharpton around to speak? Or was that meant as a slight against Sharpton?

Jeez, I hate amateurs.

[pruner]

4. Sharpton has been there earlier

Clark was only alone for the last 25 minutes.

[democracyindanger]

6. I understand

I'm just disgusted by the sheer crappiness of the reporting.

[Skwmom]

9. I read on the Clark blog that Clark really rocked however,

the posters could have been a little bit bias. :}

[Skip Intro]

3. Sharpton f'n rocks - this line cracked me up!

snip:

The ovation continued as he ripped Bush for failing to find Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein or the leaker who identified a supposed CIA operative to reporters. "I intend to help him find Crawford, Texas," Sharpton said of Bush's home.
---------

lol!~

[Nancy Waterman]

7. I heard some of this on CSpan radio

but couldn't find it on TV. Sharpton was his usual incredibly articulate and charasmatic self. Clark answered questions. I will summarize what little I remember.

Clark criticzed Bushco for their ideology: specifically tax cuts and Iraq, to which they later fit the changing situation and facts. He had all the veterans stand and gave them thanks and applause for their service. He pointed out how little we hear of the many wounded who have come back, often missing a limb. He spoke of protecting their benefits and criticized Bush for not visiting the wounded ones at the hospitals. He was asked about the death penalty, and said that if Osama bin Laden was caught, he should get the ultimate punishment for what he did. But he felt that we have great scientific methods for proving guilt, and that every single person on death row should be given such testing. He was asked if he thought minorites were disproportionately represented on death row, and he said he absolutely thought that they were. He had had a friend from college (I think) that was in some aspect of the legal profession that helped him to understand how true the disproportion of minorities on death row is. He answered simply, directly, honestly. He doesn't have the charisma of a Sharpton, but then who does. Sharpton, by the way, pointed out how he is getting a lot of minority people registered to vote, reminding people that his candidacy was about far more than winning or losing the presidency.

[TacticalPeek]

8. ROFLMAO!

Sharpton rules.


:toast:

[mot78]

10. Sharpton's a great speaker

Even though he's not a serious candidate, he's able to get dialogue going, and knows how to stop media whores like Woodruff.

[Voltaire99]

14. "Even though he's not a serious candidate"

More's the pity! He's clearly more interesting and compelling than some of the, er, serious contenders.

Go, Al!

[catforclark2004]

11. Clark showing up at the NAACP was a

Good thing. There is a boycott going on right now in South Carolina. It's about the refusal of the state to take down the Confederate Flag. Kucinich, Sharpton and Clark were the only ones there. I believe this shows, in my opinion, that Clark is for real.

Most politician are so chicken, they rarely want to get involved in controversial issues. Clark was supposed to come to S.F...(I know cause the breakfast which I was to attend to meet the General was cancelled).

I am admiring that man, our next president more and more everyday.

[Myra]

15. I'm very pleased

That the General addressed the NAACP early on.
The NAACP has fantastic leadership, and is a
great org, and deserves to be treated with
respect by the candidates and taken very seriously.

Good move General Clark.

[Rowdyboy]

12. Well, lets see what they thought in San Francisco

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/10/10/national2112EDT0770.DTL

Yep, the Wesley Clark Show...

Everyone had the chance to be there. Dean deserves his pass. The others need better schedulers.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

13. Or Better Airlines

;-)

DTH