Clark takes control of FOX interview re: Kerry and redirects focus to failures of administration.

[Clarkie1]

Again and again, the host tries to get him to condemn Kerry, and discuss Kerry, but Clark keeps bringing the issue back to Iraq and the real problems facing the country. Clark has become tremendously skilled at this...




Steve Doocy: You wore the uniform with honor for many, many years. John Kerry's comments where 'If you study hard, you get ahead in this life, and if you don't, you're going to wind up in Iraq,' - so many have said it's such an insult to the men and women who serve our country proudly. What do you say?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I say John Kerry probably tried to, maybe he thought he was going to give a joke or something, but he, he screwed up. It was a bad comment. But on the other hand, I don't know why there's so much focus on it, because the truth is John Kerry's not standing for election. John Kerry's not in charge of anything right now. He's just out there, and there's so many other issues, Steve. Peop- the American people are deeply concerned about what's in Iraq. I, I was on the phone yesterday with a couple of my old military buddies. They're headed back into Iraq on their second tours, one of them on their third tour-

Steve Doocy: Mm hm.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -I guess, and you know, we, the, the unit that's going back has just lost its first soldier to an improvised explosive device. They've been in the country two or three weeks. I mean, it's a very tough environment for our troops. They need the best leadership.

Steve Doocy: Hm mm.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: They need the best policies. Now, I think right now the American people are very- the, the people are scratching their heads, they're saying 'Nobody wants to lose in Iraq but-

Steve Doocy: Absolutely, General.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: - but where are we going?

Steve Doocy: Absolutely, General.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Where are we going with this policy?'

Steve Doocy: Exactly right, and people also, General, say, 'Well why doesn't he just apologize?'
Gretchen Carlson: Exactly.

Steve Doocy: And instead he's gone into hiding.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I don't, I, I- you know, that's up to John Kerry, but you know, for us, for the American people, what they're looking for is they're looking for some answers. They're looking for an understanding - how did we get here and, and how do we get out of this, because we love our men and women in uniform. They've been, they've been really doing everything we've asked them to do. They've made tremendous sacrifices.

Steve Doocy: Absolutely. Yes, indeed.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: But the thing is we're not succeeding in Iraq. We're in a spiral toward failure, and Steve Hadley, the President's National Security Advisor made a secret trip over there. He's been trying to straighten out the political situation. Prime Minister Maliki apparently got tired of our stopping cars, looking for our missing soldier in Sadr City. He, he basically called in General Casey and said, "Stop those roadblocks." I mean, okay, it's their country, but that's our soldier.
Gretchen Carlson; But general, if John Kerry-

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And there are a lot of issues here.
Gretchen Carlson: You say there are a lot of other issues there, but if John Kerry would have just simply apologized, would the story have not gone away a lot quicker?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I-
Gretchen Carlson: By the fact that he's not apologizing, he's calling more attention to it.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: You know, I just don't know. I think that, I think the real issue here, in this election, it is about our foreign policy, because if you look at where we've gone - it's not about the personalities - if you look at where we've gone since 9/11, when we had to go into Afghanistan, we've now got NATO in charge.

Steve Doocy: Right. Gotcha

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And the NATO commanders over there are warning-

Steve Doocy: Right.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -that we're in trouble.

Steve Doocy: Right.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Iraq is in trouble. North Korea, okay they're going to come back and talk, but it's trouble.

Steve Doocy: General-

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think the American people are looking for leaders with answers who are standing for election now.

Steve Doocy: General Wesley Clark, we thank you very much for joining us this morning from Little Rock.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you.

http://securingamerica.com/printready/transcript_061101.htm

[JDPriestly]

1. Masterful management of the interview by Clark

[SharonAnn]

35. He's good! He's really good!

[originalpckelly]

2. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

:rofl:

Go Clark GO!

:rofl:

How wonderful, Fox is so intent on making the most of this story, because the Republicans are so desperate. Out of all their last words, these people choose to make them "Look at John Kerry" instead of talking about real issues.

SAD!

[Clark2008]

20. ROFLMAO!!

Faux "News" Person: But, John Kerry...

Clark: Iraq...

Faux "News" Person: But, John Kerry...

Clark: is a...

Faux "News" Person: But, John Kerry...

Clark: ...collasal failure.

:rofl:

[TacticalPeek]

3. Nobody does it better.

:patriot:

[dchill]

9. Oh, you mean....

Steve Doocy? ;) (He wasn't even a very good weatherman.)

[johnfunk]

23. Steve Dookie

Poster child for bad television

[badgerpup]

4. This makes me proud...

Sir! Thank you, General Clark sir! :patriot: :toast:

[democrank]

5. This is the man.

So proud he`s a Democrat. A smart, strong Democrat.



CLARK 08

[ddbaj]

6. CLARK!

WOHOO! YIPEE!

[wisteria]

7. General Clark at least did not condemn Kerry,

and throw him under a bus. The General is a good Democrat. He is more of a leader than many of our so called Democratic leaders. it would of been good if he had added that Kerry would never belittle the troops. I am sure General Clark knows this.

[NCarolinawoman]

30. At Huffington Post, today, Clark wrote that Kerry,

--I believe he referred to him as "John", would never belittle the troops--or words to that effect.

[Lex]

8. "he screwed up."

Clark agreeing with the repub spin?

[New Earth]

12. no

i think he is just meaning Kerry screwed up his line, which he did. don't read so much into it

[Ilsa]

15. It probably took them off guard, and Kerry did misspeak. Clark kept

turning the interview away from what Kerry said and back onto the issues and failed Bush Administration and lack of leadership. They couldn't argue with him, so he beat them at their game.

[Bucky]

26. Speaking of spin!

The reason Kerry apologized today is that the whole thing is no big deal and we all would benefit from moving past it. I suggest you accept that he apologized and move past it, because that's what Kerry wants to do.

[Lex]

32. You suggest that I accept that he apologized?

WTF do I have to do with it?

Thanks for the suggestion though. :shrug:

[Roy]

43. YEP, just long enough for them to shut up, so he can change the

subject.

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

[Spazito]

10. General Clark did an excellent job of keeping the focus on...

the REAL issue as usual. No matter how the host tried to change it to the red herring of Kerry, Clark was way ahead of him.


Thanks for posting this!

[GainesT1958]

11. Boy he's putting those West Point debating skills to some good use...

Isn't he?:D

Killing 'em with kindness--and insistence--all at once. Every time he speaks, he makes me more proud that I supported him in 2004. We don't have a better mind--or a better man--out there representing us than the General!

B-)

[Roland99]

13. Steve Douchey kept trying to focus on Kerry while Clark ignored his ass.

[jlayson]

14. Wes Clark

Don't just love it .....He makes 'em squirm big time ..way to much truth for Fox News

[BrotherBuzz]

21. LOL, so the General was the culprit that stole my damn DU sticker

Happy to see it went to a good home. :rofl:

All kidding aside, Clark is a 1st echelon leader and fighter, and that little exchange with Fox demonstrated it in spades.

[tanyev]

16. Diabolical RWers. They're going to convince everyone not

to vote for Kerry for president this year. x(

[Jo March]

37. LOL!

:spray:

[David Zephyr]

17. Thanks, Clarkie1 for the transcript. Greatly appreciated.

Just listen to how this man speaks to even the most confrontational:

"...you know, FOR US, FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, what they're looking for is they're looking for some answers. They're looking for an understanding - how did we get here and, and how do we get out of this, because we love our men and women in uniform."

This is why General Wes Clark continues to impress me. He doesn't sound like a politician. He doesn't sound phony. Americans can smell a phony in television studio thousands of miles away right through their satellite and cable hookups.

He quietly, humbly turns the subject away from the issue du jour into what Americans ("for us") want to know and are asking. And he deftly undercuts the Administration on Fox.

Thanks, Clarkie1.

[LonelyLRLiberal]

18. Let's face it, those bozos were outclassed, outwitted and no match for Gen. Clark.

I'm proud he is an Arkie.

[usregimechange]

19. On focus, we can ALL learn from this!

[FrenchieCat]

22. That was just plain weird of Fox! Wes Clark was talking about the

issues that matter, and they just kept asking about John Kerry....

What was up with dat? :wow:

How "off-Topic" could they have been!

[Bucky]

24. The thing about these transcripts is, you can see his mind at work here

If you parse his errors, it shows something about the man. He is trying to speak with the same discipline that he organized our winning military forces with. He knows the phrase "the American people" resonates with an audience, so when he's talking on the fly he's alert enough to catch himself mid syllable and consistantly hit those touchstones:

"He's just out there, and there's so many other issues, Steve.
Peop- the American people are deeply concerned about what's in Iraq."

Even the art of the phrase "He's just out there" is a nice re-direct. It's the equivalent of saying "that's a good question" before dodging a question. But with Clark it's not so much dodging as it is running circles around the question. He also, not surprisingly, seems to deeply identify with the troops going over to Iraq, accidently calling them "we" instead of "them":

"I guess, and you know, we, the, the unit that's going back has just
lost its first soldier to an improvised explosive device. They've been
in the country two or three weeks."

Again, his discipline of mind follows the speed of him mind by just a fragment of a second. I've met lawyers and professors with minds like this before--they're thinking and talking on two different tracks at the same time. Finallly Clark finds his focus for diffusing the silly line of questioning and driving home his real point:

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: You know, I just don't know. I think that,
I think the real issue here, in this election, it is about our foreign policy,
because if you look at where we've gone - it's not about the personalities -
if you look at where we've gone since 9/11, when we had to go into Afghanistan,
we've now got NATO in charge.

Steve Doocy: Right. Gotcha

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: And the NATO commanders over there are warning-

Steve Doocy: Right.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -that we're in trouble.

Steve Doocy: Right.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Iraq is in trouble. North Korea, okay they're
going to come back and talk, but it's trouble.

Steve Doocy:: General-

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think the American people are looking for
leaders with answers who are standing for election now.

[upi402]

25. Proud I was a delegate for General Clark

:patriot:
Permission to carry on?

[Brundle_Fly]

27. Doofy

[upi402]

34. WOS

Waste Of Skin

[goclark]

28. gpclark! nt

[sandnsea]

29. Better than a bash

Of course, I'd preferred he pointed out that the entire 'scandal' was concocted by the White House - but at least he didn't throw him under the bus the way some others did. And did the best job of getting the focus on Iraq - which is right where Bush doesn't want it to be.

[Vidar]

31. At least, Clark & Dean get it it right.

[johnnydrama]

33. Gen Clark

You gotta admire the guy for working there. I mean, he must want to just tear his hair out when he goes on the
air with those phony newspeople.

To me, working for FOX, and to show the composure he does in not calling out these idiots that are asking him these
lame questions shows he's got presidential potential.

[Cameron27]

36. Yep, you're right,

but imagine all the hair pulling and gnashing of teeth by the fox weasles! I'm surprised they're still even TRYING to trip Wes up...maybe there's a bonus for anyone who does. ROFLMAO, ain't gonna happen!

[Clark2008]

46. I've heard he thinks it's rather amusing how much crap they spew.

He just concentrates on keeping on HIS topic and ignores them - he says it's all worth it, though, because he reaches an audience that most Dems don't EVER reach.

[shadowknows69]

38. It still baffles me why Murdoch ever hired Wes

Rupert must know that he will just shred whoever they throw at him.

[CJCRANE]

39. That's how you do it!

This should be SOP for Dems being interviewed - redirect the discussion onto the real issues.

[JAN8525]

40. clark one of the best

i hope he runs for pres 2008 hillerys okay but the ageing wh male population will never elect a women so i would love to see my favorite guy clark in that office !!!!!!!!

[bullwinkle428]

41. General Clark vs. Steve Douchey? This is like Muhammad Ali in

his prime getting into the ring with Pee-Wee Herman!

[young_at_heart]

42. Wes Clark for president!

The more I learn about him the more I like him. He's got a real chance in 2008.

[judaspriestess]

44. Clark broke out a can of whoop ass on them

bottom feeding CREEPS

[ReadTomPaine]

45. Clark learns fast and plays hard.

He's a real asset to the Democratic Party. I'd be quite happy to see him in the WH.