Clark Outlines Four-Pronged Strategy for Winning the War and Exiting Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAGGD2TOMD.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former general turned presidential candidate Wesley Clark says he has a four-prong strategy to win the war in Iraq and bring home the troops - including turning over leadership of the reconstruction to a civilian from outside the United States.

In a speech prepared for delivery Thursday at South Carolina State University, Clark says the United States should bring in more foreign help, reconfigure the military forces serving in Iraq, give Iraqis a stake in the country's success and rebuild partnerships with European allies.

Clark said even though he opposed sending troops to Iraq, they must stay to finish the job. "Early exit means retreat or defeat. There can be neither," he said. snip

"Consider us, after the American Revolution, we would not have wanted a Frenchman in here - even though they were helpful to us - we wouldn't want a Frenchman in here for seven years running this country while we debated the Articles of Confederation and worked to write a Constitution," Clark told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday.

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[Justice]

1. Really Good Point About the Seven Years

Clark has a great way of expressing ideas and bringing the message to the people. I thought the point about Americans taking 7 years does two things:

1. Makes people begin to see that we could be occupying Iraq for a very long time - lots of $$$. Public opinion regarding the war really started falling when people realized how significant the price tag was going to be (unfortunately the thousands of American and Iraqi deaths weren't enough to convince them).

2. Helps Americans to identify in some way with what the average Iraqi is thinking about the occupation and being able to rule their own country.

[Ouabache]

9. another minor point about that 7 year period in US History

The British were gone during that seven years as well. If the Iraqi people see us as the main enemy, which it is looking like they do, then we will have to be gone 7 years as well ?


on edit: I see that Clark is hinting that we may have to be gone at some point sooner than the 7 year period, that an Iraqi civilian authority has to take take over during the 7 years.

[meti57b]

2. Clark is the candidate most able to beat bush and once in office ....

he will get us out of Iraq.

[Catch22Dem]

3. I like that analogy

Using the French experience from the Revolutionary War. It's not insulting to the French (which would have pissed me off,) and it acknowledges the French role in our own independence.

The analogy I always use when discussing the attacks on Americans in Iraq when I talk to freeper types is what I like to call the Red Dawn analogy. You all remember the movie Red Dawn with Patrick Swayze, Lea Thompson, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Grey & several others? Well, when the Soviets invaded the US, they all hid out in the woods near their rural town and formed a resistance of sorts. They carried out attacks against Soviet troops in the town, then retreated back to the woods to hide out. We cheered them on as they planted bombs in the buildings where Soviet officers were meeting. We loved it when they would fire rocket propelled grenades at the Soviet vehicles. In the movie viewer's eyes, the Wolverines (which is what they called themselves, after their high school mascot) were beloved heros, right? Well, the resistance in Iraq is EXACTLY the same thing. When I explain my very simple theory to freepers I run into, they stare blankly and say, "yeah, I see what you mean, but..." Yes there's always a "but" what are ya gonna do?

[HootieMcBoob]

4. Do you think the GOP run media will stop saying -

that Democrats just complain and have no real plan for what they would do in Iraq. Clark has a clear plan, other candidates have ideas too. It's never kept them from saying that though. Hopefully, they'll wake up and stop repeating the GOP talking points, but i'm not gonna hold my breath.

[fizzana]

7. No

n/t

[Ouabache]

8. Media mouthpieces of the GOP have other fish to fry today

There will be no room for Clark's Plan in their coverage until they pick their next meme, co-ordinate their response and decide which day to blast fax it out into the echo chamber. We could run a pool for when they do coordinate the refutation of Clark's Plan. That might be fun. I say the earliest being middle of next week. Nov12. We won't here anything in mainstream media/wingnut radio about Clark's Plan until Nov12.

[bushisanidiot]

5. Dean Has A Plan To Fix The Economy, And Clark Has An Exit Strategy For Irq

I hope these two guys are running mates!! I think it's a winner!

[tabasco]

6. For some reason, I trust this guy ...

more than a chicken hawk, alcoholic, drunk driving, AWOL National Guard pilot of an obsolete plane, who spent the Vietnam War protecting us from Mexico (at least before he went AWOL).
Eight years of Clark, then eight years of Edwards, and maybe this country can undo the damage of the incompetent and corrupt Bush administratiion.

[leesa]

10. He is wrong that there cannot be a defeat or retreat.

"The job" is an illegal, unethical deed and it should simply be stopped. The same old military mentality of not questioning the rightness or wrongness of what you are doing. Get OUT of Iraq now. The Iraqis will be capable of taking care of themselves with the assistance of the international community and with our financial repayment for the wrong we have done them.

Clark is wrong.

[mikehiggins]

11. Unfortunately, he is right

If the US pulls out of Iraq at this point there will be chaos, and increased warfare throughout the region. Thousands more Iraqis will die, Iran will insert itself into central Iraq, the Kurds will declare independence and end up confronting Turkey who will seek to secure their own borders, and so on and so forth.

Plus, we will be seen to have retreated in the face of attack, which will encourage our enemies even more.

As Ambassador Bruan said, we broke it and we have to fix it.

I know you and I didn't do that, but it was done in our name by our craven elected politicians so we are stuck with it. The only way to effect a change in policy, and prevent further military adventures into other Arab nations (and Cuba) is to remove the GOP from the White HOuse AND control of the Senate and House.

Of all the Democratic candidates, I beleive Clark has the best chance of doing that, which is why I support him. I do NOT beleive beating Bush is going to be easy and I do NOT beleive "any" democrat has a shot. Bush has too much going for him, despite OUR dislike for the man and his insane policies. We are not going to defeat him with another Beltway politician (aka, insider) and we are not going to defeat him with Dr. Dean. I truly beleive that Dean is the guy Rove and company hope to face in 2004 because he has no real credentials other than populist rhetoric and limited domestic experience.

I heard some babble recently about how Bush is like all commanders, and respects his troops. THe idea of Bush being a "commander" made me gag. Standing him up against a real one diminishes him and weakens him in an area none of the other Democrats can actually touch him on.

This may not count for much among Democrat partisans, but there aren't enough of us to get Bush out, even if we all vote.

Iraq may prove to be Bush's Achilles' heel but Clark is the only guy out there with an arrow.

[Donna Zen]

12. Today's conversation:

At lunch, a republican said that they wished that junior could be in office for three more terms to straighten everything out that Clinton messed up.

No one could make this fuckin' shit up...that's America.

As far as Clark's 4 point plan, two observations: 1) It would work, he would work the situation and in his words "tool and resource" the plan. A successful departure from Iraq would become more important, higher on the national agenda, than say....cuttiing cedar in Texas or fund raising 2) The plan will never, ever see the light of the main stream media. At least not in its true form, without bastardization. I'm sure Tucker Carlson will dream up some smarmy knuckle-head comment for this evening.

[KittyWampus]

13. He Makes Sense

IMO