FYI Clark supporters - a Dems Abroad conference call

[DemExpat]

Wes had laryngitis that evening, so Richard Skar stepped in to take his place....


DEMOCRATS ABROAD
General Wesley Clark Conference Call
17 October 2003
Minutes taken by DA Belgium

General Clark, suffering from a severe case of laryngitis, was represented
on the call by Ambassador Richard Sklar, Chief Operating Officer of Clark's
campaign. Listening in on the call were over 300 members of Democrats
Abroad in 15 countries and 26 locations. Ambassador Sklar made a brief
statement and then fielded questions for the remainder of the 30-minute
call. Various individuals from a number of cities asked their questions
directly of Sklar. Over 300 people were on the line, with South Korea and
Spain with us for the first time, as they are new committees just forming.

Sklar made the following opening statement.

I was one of you until last year. Peter Alegi and I knew each other in Rome.
Rather than launch into a campaign speech, I can say how I got into this –
75,000 people pressured Wes to join the race.

President Clinton drafted me in 1996 to go to Bosnia. Wes was in a key role
and ended the negotiations with Milosevic. I went to Bosnia as UN
Ambassador and watched Wes to get rid of Milosevic in Kosovo. He is a
general, a diplomat, a scholar, a skilled negotiator and warrior.

Last January, I told him to run for President because I thought he was the
most electable Democrat. But it wasn’t the call from us; it was 75,000
people who organized themselves. I saw them at a Meetup in San Francisco
last week. They put pressure on him to make a decision. It was not easy,
and it was late. He wanted to see if someone could win and be a successful
president, and he decided that he could serve better and win the election.
He decided on September 17 to join the race. I left San Francisco, and we
are now managing the campaign. We are in our 27th day and we’ve become a
structured organization. We have brought in skilled people for
communications and fundraising, and he makes us more proud every day.

I have seen elections, and I have never been so depressed about our
government. I would like the country to be one for our children and
grandchildren. Wes is a hero, not an action hero like Schwarzenegger, but
from Vietnam to NATO he has looked after our country’s security. He stands
for people, the environment, jobs, a woman’s right to choose, and all of the
things that make America what it is. He calls it ‘new patriotism’, which is
not waving the flag but public service and sacrifice – because we have tough
times ahead.

He believes in inclusiveness. I’m not talking about the Milosevic victory
and the liberating of Kosovo. 15 countries fought together, and that was a
huge task. World leaders describe him in such a way that you wonder whether
it is a commercial. He wore two hats as US commander and SHAPE commander.
He has beaten every academic record, having been top of his class in West
Point during all four years.

He believes in service – Wes only knows service, and he is committed. There
is a gang who has decided to see if we can elect him, and we have to
convince the press that he’s a legitimate, important and serious candidate.
We have to raise tons of money – Bush already has 180 million dollars to
prove that he is a “compassionate conservative”.

Question from DA Taiwan
The Patriot Act is being used for non-terror activities. How would Clark
strike a balance between civil liberties and security concerns?
Not the way John Ashcroft is doing it. This intrusiveness is unnecessary.
Some parts have to be put on the shelf. We didn’t necessarily need new
legislation. We certainly don’t need to stifle dissent – dissent is key to
patriotism. We don’t want to stifle freedom of speech, freedom of movement.
But still we have to deal with a new sort of war. The war is against people
who hate us, who are not afraid to die and are using methods that we are not
familiar with. So we have to fight terrorism but not intrude on Americans’
lifestyles. The Patriot Act is not the way. Wes does not want to destroy
on what has made this country great.

Question from DA Belgium
Will Clark support a fair, proportionate and equitable distribution of land,
a real Palestinian state, the right of return for both Jews and
Palestinians, and a shared capital in Jerusalem?
There is no more intractable problem than that issue. We need two viable,
secure states, not Bantustans, and not a state under assault. We need
security and viability – physical viability in terms of geography and
natural resources – but first security. We are don’t think that it’s the
place of the US to intervene publicly in the solution. But the absence of
US participation and pressure will lead to no solution at all. Two viable
and secure states that can protect their own people, and strong US
participation to help find a solution are what we need.

Question from DA Mexico
Please state Clark’s position on using our military to prevent illegal
immigration across the Mexican border.
The military is not civilian police; it should not be used in cities except
in crises. We ought to have an effective border program, but the question
of immigration is complex. With a disparity in income and people anxious to
support their families, immigration will occur, legally or illegally. Bush
promised and failed to build a new relationship with Mexico. He has
forgotten Mexico. We have to solve this problem together by being Mexico’s
partner. Mexico wasn’t with the US regarding the Iraq war. Bush turned his
back on our neighbor.

Question from DA Korea
There is concern about the North Korean effort to develop nuclear weapons as
well as questions of security in North Asia. What is Clark’s opinion of Bush
’s handling of this problem?
During the Clinton administration, Defense Secretary Perry engaged in
discussion with North Korea. We can’t solve this by standing aside. Six
powers have to deal with this. There has to be an understanding on both
sides. The alternatives to talking are intolerable. We don’t know the
answer, but North Korea has to act responsibly toward the rest of the world.
If it acts responsibly, assistance will be forthcoming. Threats are
counterproductive. This society has been outside the mainstream, and we
cannot afford to have an isolated North Korea threaten us all. We must
talk.

Question from DA Hong Kong
The US has the largest fiscal deficit in history and has experienced the
greatest reversal from surplus to deficit. What are Clark’s priorities to
restore fiscal health?
The next economic speech will deal with the fall from the greatest surplus
to the greatest deficit. Tax cuts for the rich with no controls on spending
are not the way. We are mortgaging our future. Wes says we should give
priority to our children. We will eliminate the tax breaks to the
wealthiest and work on the great deficit in job creation. The economy is a
disaster – 3 million lost jobs in 2.5 years is unacceptable. Robert Rubin
and Laura Tyson and those who worked with Clinton know that we cannot
continue to saddle the country with debt. The foreign money that’s funding
our debt may one day cease to come – we are at the mercy of lenders. If they
cannot have economic security, we will have a catastrophe. We have to
reverse the tax cuts for the rich and get to balance. We have to move
beyond reversing the Bush actions and reform, and get rid of the tax havens
in Nassau and Bermuda. A worker pays 13% for social security tax and some
of the wealthy pay less than that. Tax reform and acting against tax cuts
for the rich will help us get the economic engine going.

Question from DA Thailand
If Clark becomes President, what will he do about Guantanamo Bay?
Are you asking about the treaty rights or those detained?
The detainees.
We have an interesting dilemma. We have a definition of a non-combatant
entitled to Geneva protections. We are finding that the gross locking up of
individuals regardless of whether they were terrorists is a mistake. We see
them mistreated, and we don’t protect ourselves by acting like the people we
are fighting. Isolation and treating them as a threat is not the way to go.

Question from the DA Netherlands
What is Clark’s policy on Star Wars?
Our threat is coming not from outer space and not from launched missiles.
It is coming from car bombs, hijacked airplanes, suitcase bombs and
shoulder-launched missiles. We have to face that threat that exists today.
To continue the policy of massive armaments like in the Soviet era makes no
sense. The threats are in cars and suitcases and cargo. That is where we
have to focus.

Question from DA Thailand (?)
How do we stand in the world? How will Clark reposition the US – not only on
Iraq and the Middle East? Given the revolutionary changes in policy in the
Bush administration, what will be Clark’s priorities?
In this administration we have reversed 50 years starting in 1945 of
bipartisan effort to be part of a world community and to solve world
problems. Wes and I believe (as he demonstrated in NATO) in the concept
that we must be part of an international community – and we can’t impose a
solution. I partnered with the EU and the World Bank and the EBRD and the
IMF in Bosnia, and there were troops from 27 countries working with us. Not
one American has been killed or shot at in Bosnia, and not one European has
been either. We have to get back to the understanding that we need our
allies. The UN is not perfect, but it is essential. We must try to resolve
the issues together. We have a disaster in Iraq, and we are nearly alone
there. We are the target, both physical and intellectual, of all anger and
desperation there. Internationalism, not unilateralism, and respect for our
friends. We are in this together.

How fast will you repeal the Disabled Veterans Act?
I don’t know what Wes’ views on this are. I can only tell you that it seems
to be something that is unjust and doesn’t make sense, but I am not very
well-informed on the subject. Justice for veterans is a must.

Question from DA UK
Would you reverse the current policy of penalizing Americans who visit or
contribute to Cuba?
We have a problem with Fidel Castro, but it is counterproductive to keep
Americans from visiting and Cuban-Americans from sending money. We will
have to build relations and open up borders and access and rights to travel.
Commerce, people, money and trade work better than isolation.

Let’s all do our part to make this “like father, like son” – a one-term
President.