Mark A. R. Kleiman post on Bush/Clark/Dean

[FreeperSlayer]

http://www.markarkleiman.com/
Mr. Kleiman's post:

"Nick Confessore at Tapped does a nice takedown of a Weekly Standard hit-piece on Wesley Clark.

The basid idea of the Standard piece is that when Clark states a fairly obvious inference from things the people in and around the Bush Administration has said and done -- that Iraq might not be the final target of the neocons' policy of pre-emptive war for the purpose of regime change -- he's engaging in crazy conspiracy-mongering. Confessore provides some of the public-source docmentation underlying Clark's concern.

The WS piece seems to be written from the same RNC talking points that underlay the silly Andrew Sullivan slander that Glenn Reynolds endorsed and I objected to.

Just remember, Mr. Bush's friends aren't doing this to Dean, because Dean is the one they want to run against."



Please read that last sentence again; I couldn't agree more. The Dean campaign reminds me of 1968, the first time that I volunteered, and my most personally humiliating election experince (until the Selection of 2000, that is!).
Bush beats Dean 65-35. Please never forget that when you have an average IQ, half of the people are below it; and we know who they support.

[unfrigginreal]

1. I could care less about their labeling Clark a conspiracy theorist

What I want to know is why Clark did not use this information to keep us from going to war with Iraq? Did he inform the Democratic congressfolk that something larger and and more ominous was planned for the military? Why was he silent?

[mikehiggins]

3. Do you imagine they did not know?

Maybe in Bizarro land but not on this planet.

The PNAC has a website and put their stuff on it right out in the open. The letter they sent to Clinton is in the public record. How much more evidence do you think Ted Kennedy or Dick Gephardt needed?

Do you think that only the folks in the secret corridors of the Pentagon knew what Kristol, et al, were preaching and what positions Bush's cabinet leaders had been beating the drums for since 1992?

The only difference between them and Clark is that Clark talks about this stuff out in the open where people can see and hear it.

SHould he have talked about it before 9/11? Who would listen?

After 9/11 he did start talking about it but everyone wanted to label him a liar and loon for daring suggest Iraq might be more important to the administration than Osama bin Laden.

It wasn't all that long ago, after all.

[unfrigginreal]

6. Look, Clark is pretty much basing his entire campaign

on the theme that he is the best to handle foreign affairs. If he had information prior to this Iraq fiasco, that would have helped sway public opinion our way, and he sat on it, then he fails the test.

In the bizaro world that I live in, folks in a grassroots effort, drove the polls from approx. 20% against the war to almost half against the war. This despite media propagandizing and spineless congressional Democrats refusing to ask questions. Can you imagine the impact on the public if they knew the long range plan was attacks on 8 countries?

[KittyWampus]

7. #1 Clark Wrote A Book And Mentioned it

#2 Clark stated his reservations about Junior & Co. as an analyst on CNN
#3 Ever hear of the concept of "Ripeness". There's a time and place for everything
#4 Ever hear of Cynthia McKinney?

[helleborient]

2. Selective reading from Mr. Kleiman?

I'll ignore the vicious crack about IQ...another ridiculously rude slam against Howard Dean supporters.


I suppose Mr. Kleiman ignores this oft-quoted article in the Weekly Standard:

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/073ylkiz.asp

"Indeed, Dean has taken many positions that should make life easy for the Republicans' opposition research team. As governor, he supported and successfully enacted a whole menu of dimwitted liberal causes: a state-funded universal health care system (which as president he would take nationwide), government-subsidized child care (even for the rich), a higher minimum wage, a mega-generous prescription drug benefit for seniors with incomes up to four times the poverty level, one of the nation's most liberal mandatory family-leave laws, and taxpayer-funded campaigns. It's no wonder the "Almanac of American Politics" calls Dean "one of the four or five most liberal governors in America."

At one time or another, Dean raised just about every tax he could get his hands on. During his 12 years as governor, he upped the corporate income tax rate by 1.5 percentage points, the sales tax by 1 percentage point, the cigarette tax by 50 cents a pack, and the gas tax by 5 cents a gallon. Sure he balanced the budget every year--by digging deeper into Vermonters' wallets."

[mikehiggins]

5. Why do you think the GOP would prefer to battle Dean?

They think (or thought) they could hammer him as a tax and spend Democrat and a wild-eyed liberal. That was before they became borrow and spend deficit hawks themselves. Things might be different right now.

You can't criticise Dean for raising taxes to pay for what Vermont spent, when you are picking the pockets of our kids to pay off the rich and the influential.

With Dean, the GOP should be careful what they wish for.

[Larkspur]

8. Yet Dean was re-elected by Vermonters 5 times

Amazing for a Democrat who balanced budgets, "raised taxes", and provided healthcare to nearly every child. The RNC must be pulling their hair out trying to figure that out.

[killbotfactory]

9. Yeah, Americans really hate quality health care

A higher minimum wage, good family leave laws, and effective social programs which reduce child abuse dramatically.

What planet is this idiot on?

[farmbo]

4. Whoever the hey Mark Klieman is, he needs to take a smart pill!

Here's just ONE example of the Weekly Standard absolutely skewering Howard Dean (from November):

http://www.theweeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/367iseie.asp

This wise sage of the internet (of whom I was completely unaware until reading the instant Dean bashing post)needs to learn the technical complexities of doing a Google search before he spouts off about how Mr Bush's friends aren't attacking Dean.