Is there any truth in this Freeper Rumour about Clark and Waco?

[Fescue4u]

specifically that he played a major role in the Waco massacre?

Smells more like typical spin to me, but I know I'll get the truth here.

tia!

[Racenut20]

1. NO TRUTH whatsoever

Just more wingers trying to descrecit him.

[Fescue4u]

2. Thats what I thought.

thxs!

[Old and In the Way]

3. More like character assassination.

Something they do quite well. Has the US Military ever been involved in an internal matter? They can't by law, I believe.

But it makes for great delusionment on their part.

[Wonk]

4. http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn09182003.html

(ymmv)

http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn09182003.html

(snip)

The tanks were from Fort Hood, where Wesley Clark was, in early 1993, commander of the Cavalry Division of the US Army's III Corps. In our last issue we cited a congressional report commissioned in the aftermath of Waco which described how Texas governor Anne Richards had consulted with Clark's number two at Fort Hood. Then, on April 14, there was a summit at the Justice Department in Washington, where Attorney General Janet Reno, top Justice Department and FBI officials and two unnamed senior Army officers reviewed the final assault plan scheduled for April 19.

The two Army officers at the Justice Department that day were Colonel Gerald Boykin, and his superior, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the head of Special Forces at Fort Bragg. Though Clark (who had served with Schoomaker) was not directly involved in the onslaught on the Branch Davidians, the role of the US Army in that affair throws into harsh relief the way prohibitions against the use of the US military for civilian law enforcement can be swiftly by-passed.

[leetrisck]

5. John Danforth - saviour of Clarence Thomas

said there was no involvement and freepers don't even believe that, but think they have forgotten about Danforth/Thomas if they ever knew.

[oasis]

6. NO

[karlschneider]

7. I watched the thing as it unfolded - wouldn't call it a massacre.

The Waco thing began before Clinton became president. Everything I got from the huge media coverage led me to believe that the 'Davidians' were just a bunch of crazy fucks. I still believe that. Here's a link that addresses your question, though.
(Koresh was just like Jim Jones in Guyana, as far as I'm concerned)

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4238741.html

[liberalmuse]

9. I was home sick that day...

turned on the tube, saw the tanks ramming the compound and thought, 'Gee, what a dumbass thing to do.' Having been acquainted with many people having a persecution complex, it wasn't too hard to guess what was going to happen next.

[Fescue4u]

10. I did to.

Proably an attrocity is a better description.

Doesnt matter what you call it, it was apalling to see those children fried alive. (and yeah, the davidians were crazy loons)

But I don't want get into a Waco, I think everyone involved agrees it was horrible thing, I just wanted to confirm that Clark was not involved.

[Terwilliger]

16. hmmm

if he'd been more involved? then what?

[Fescue4u]

20. Then my opinion of him would decrease.

But Im leaning towards Dean myself, with Clark as a backup.

What are you trying to infer?

[Terwilliger]

26. There is a certain group of people who have a problem with Waco

I have found most to be Libertarians and/or gunnies...

So, do you think Waco was some kind of execution of Koresh and his members committed by the government?

[Fescue4u]

32. No I dont

Im a bit moderate on Waco.

Koresh and his followers did ALOT to bring on what happened to them, but theres plenty of blame to go around.

While I don't believe the government executed those folks, they bungled things to such a level of negliance that I believe it to be criminal.

[soothsayer]

11. i think it was a massacre

Just a terrible, terrible thing. I think of it as Janet Reno's Iraq war: It started based on false intelligence info (he's molesting children---not). It involved a desire for good PR (ala jessica lynch's 'rescue'---the whole waco thing was supposed to be covered by the media as a big rah rah for the jackbooted BTFA). And it turned into a debacle that got a whole lot of innocent people killed. And lots of it got covered up by the gov (who started the fire, for example).

[Pastiche423]

12. While most everyone

will agree that Koresh was nuts, blaming the whole debacle on the Davidians is wrong and untrue.

Is it democracy to kill misguided women and children? The entire operation was handled horribly.

[neuvocat]

13. So do you blame Clinton for what went wrong?

[Pastiche423]

19. Did you read

where I blamed anyone in my post?

[neuvocat]

21. Well let's see...

"...blaming the whole debacle on the Davidians is wrong and untrue."

That pretty much says that they aren't the only ones responsible. If you aren't blaming Clinton, then who are you trying to blame?

[Pastiche423]

24. My sympathies

for your reading deficiencies.

Whole = entire.

I-believe-that-blaming-the-entire-debacle-on-the-Davidians-is-wrong-and-untrue.

[liberalmuse]

8. The answer is in the question...

'Is there any truth in this Freeper rumor...' 'Freeper rumor' and 'truth' are two parallel universes that will never meet.

[IndianaGreen]

14. BINGO! Freeper + rumor = LIE

This Waco bullshit has been raised several times today. Are the Freepers worried that Clark could topple their Boy King?

[FrenchieCat]

15. Who was the governor of Texas at the time

of Waco? Anybody know?

[neuvocat]

17. Anne Richards

[Fixated]

18. Check out the WaPo article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19181-2003Nov28.html

"Internet chat rooms and several news stories speculate that Clark played a role in the tactical planning for the operation that ended with the deaths of about 80 followers of the Branch Davidian religious sect and its leader, David Koresh."

Of course! The chat rooms...

(I posted about this on http://kicktheleftist.blogspot.com)

[seventhson]

22. One Word

Yup.

Clark's subordinate contributed the tanks. He had to have had Clark's okay, I believe.

It looked to me like a fascist and unnecessary attack and incineration of innocents. Kinda like the bombing of civilians in Kosovo.

Clark's m.o. IMHO.

[oasis]

23. "one word"? So much for your crediblity.

[IndianaGreen]

28. Gee seventhson, I am disappointed that you would accept such drivel

at face value. There is not enough evidence in here to even start an investigation!

What is going on is that whoever is spreading this story is appealing to those rightwingers that see WACO as the ultimate evil and create a conditioned response in them by constantly repeated the name "Clark" whenever they show a picture of the Branch Davidian's compound in flames.

While I am one of those rare leftists that believes the FBI purposedly set out to murder the Branch Davidians (Gerry Spence was right!), I also believe that this latest incarnation of anti-Clark McCarthyism is as baseless as Shelton's charges about Clark's integrity.

[FrenchieCat]

25. you can always read the few other threads

from earlier today - Amazed on how much an ap article from none other than an alledged deranged writer can generate....More Peter Yost slime First he slimes Clinton about Kathleen Willey. He was writing for the Moonie Times back then. Then he moves to AP and defends Bush about Harken insider trading. God bless the searchable Daily Howler. from a cleander source Guys, we are in the big leagues: we get Boyers, Yost, Mattai - the guys they used to smear Clinton and Gore. Me thinks Clark be noticed?

Here's background on Peter Yost:
http://www.drudgereport.com/Weiss/082000.htm
with this quote "Mr. Yost is obviously a resourceful fellow. But honor, it seems, is a motive he is not equipped to understand."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=790029

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=791098

[FrenchieCat]

27. Me thinks this is pretty much the pattern.....

Guess we had to have a thread for morning, noon, and night...

I am sure that Wes Clark is honored from all of the attentions and right wing smears! Boy, they are fearful, aren't they?

[IndianaGreen]

29. I can't wait for tomorrow's Clark smear.

What will it be? Clark seen with Jacko in Satanic ritual?

[FrenchieCat]

30. Worse, I am sure! (n/t)

Those Freepers are throwing out all of the ammo.......damn!

Didn't think anybody could scare them that much....

Since Clinton.

I guess that's what CLinton meant when he said 2 stars in the Dem party.....and one was Clark..

Cause Clark is definitely getting the Freeper "star" treatment!

That's for sure!

[Wapsie B]

31. That's right!

They're crapping their diapers with the thought that a 4-star general may be on the ticket.

Geez, and we sit here and wring our hands on the story where chimpy supposedly molested his daughters. Get a grip people! Before this is all over, the Democratic nominee and his VP will be guilty of every crime known to man.

Learn this point; burn it into your brains: THERE ARE NO RULES!

[Fescue4u]

33. Not trying to create a pattern

Just didnt search the earlier threads thats all.

[TahitiNut]

34. Duplicate

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=790029

I'm locking this thread. Interested DUers are welcome to continue discussing this in the referenced thread.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,
TahitiNut - DU moderator