MEMORY HOLE - 8/20/02 -- WES CLARK'S interview foreshadowing an IRAQ Invasion by the US and Britain

[FrenchieCat]

Wes gave a 65-70% chance of the Iraq war happening in this interview, and a 100% chance that Former PM Poodle Blair would sit on Bush's lap.

And so, he analyzed the situation quite correctly, although Wes underestimated just how well the White House would "play" congress and muscle enough "assistance" to help Bush legitimize his false claims to start a war.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/38206000/rm/_38206766_iraq07_clarke.ram

[BOSSHOG]

1. Lord I hope the next president has sense enough to appoint the General Secretary of State

The world would love us once again after the last four years of condi incompetence. Can anyone tell me why george bush even has a state department?

[FrenchieCat]

2. Did you hear the part where Clark states that it would be hard of

Bush to justify war if he doesn't make his case?

Do we realize that Bush didn't make his case, but he got his war anyways....and it really wasn't quite as difficult as Clark had anticipated? That's why the IWR was so powerful; it was a way of legitimizing Bush's assertions with the American people by giving Bush a blank check.

[rusty quoin]

3. I don't understand why he didn't run for office this time around.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

Because the Back office "Power that be" won't have it. Having a Democrat run who has "real" national security creds AND was correct on Iraq all along just wouldn't do. The media didn't like him the last time, and they certainly didn't appear to want to in anyway promote him this time either. With Wes in the race, there wouldn't be a horse race as just about all who are running were Blank Check supporters of the Iraq debacle.

I don't think that Wes was or is prepared to run if he doesn't truly feel that he can win....as he has been there, done that. I believe that Wes is about attempting to make a difference via some other route....rather than to have to depend on our controlling media who appears to make most of our political decisions for us these days.

[rusty quoin]

5. Thanks for the explanation and welcome.

[AtomicKitten]

6. Clark warned the powers that be of the consequences of an ill-conceived war.

He's been right all along on this.

[FrenchieCat]

9. Yep....but it appears that folks prefer to support those who were wrong

for too long on this.

That's the sad part; integrity and good judgment aren't worth as much as a pretty face saying "feel good" words these days.

[Adelante]

7. He did a BBC interview today

Anybody get to watch it?

[FrenchieCat]

8. That's how I located the interview that I posted in this op......

rummaging around for the one he did today....but I couldn't find it...as it wasn't radio today, but BBC Television.

Well, he's to be on CNN this Sunday morning on Late Edition; so that's some solace.

[Texas_Kat]

It should be up at Securing America later today

There's a tremendous archive there..... they seldom miss anything.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Thanks!

Please post the link here if you happen to see it! :hi:

[Texas_Kat]

15. Will do!

[Cameron27]

10. He was right, of course

K&R

[killbotfactory]

11. Wouldn't it be great if we could replace the people in the White House

With people who warned against this war and all the disaster it brought with it? Wouldn't that be novel? Having smart people who know what they are doing running things? You know, people who don't have to start every explanation of their Iraq stance with "If I knew then what I know now I would have voted differently, but...".

One can dream.

[FrenchieCat]

12. You mean have real "leaders" that have really led running the country.........

instead of politicians calling themselves leaders but who have already quite clearly demonstrated a lack of true political courage unless there is something in it for them? Yes, that would be Novel!

Politicians who are hailed as "leaders", but who in reality simply "followed" Bush over the cliff and unfortunately for us, didn't even realize that they were free falling. Now they ask for their reward for their wrongness, and many of us are willing to call them leaders for it. It only proves that there is no justice in these United States, and barely any common sense. :shrug:

[CarolNYC]

16. leadership

Kind of bizarre what passes for leadership here some days.

I kind of like Samatha Power's statement, made while introducing Wes : 'The mark of leadership is not to stand up when everybody is standing, but rather to actually stand up when no one else is standing.'

[FrenchieCat]

14. Kicking so that relatively recent memories don't go back down the memory hole

without a bit of reminiscing. :)

[earthlover]

17. It would be a sad thing indeed if Clark's vision were not part of the next administration

So sad that someone with the clarity of Clark would not be the runaway front runner for pres by now. The "contenders" are such light-weights by comparison.

[Tom Rinaldo]

18. It is a sad thing already that he is not a part of the Presidential race

I am now reading Clark's new book; "A Time To Lead". I doubt that in my lifetime we will ever again get the chance to elect a President as fundamentally progressive as Wes Clark is who has the capacity to appeal deeply to such a broad cross section of Americans as Wes Clark can.
A am a third of the way through "A Time To Lead" (we have family visiting which slows me down, lol) and I am struck by how sincere a book it is. Clark relates the momenets both big and small that shaped his life, both how and why. If DU members who were skeptical about Wes Clark's progressive values and convictions had this book to read back in 2003/2004, 90% of the debates we had here then about whether Wes Clark was the real deal for liberals would never have happened.

[Major Hogwash]

19. Was this interview with Clark while Bush was on vacation down at the ranch?

It seems likely since it was in late August, but I can't remember if Bush and his war cabinet were down there planning the Iraq invasion or not.

I think that was the week that Senator Ted Kennedy was referring to when he said that they planned the Iraq War at Bush's ranch during the summer.

[BeyondGeography]

20. Obama/Clark '08

Two patriots, two leaders, two generations, two different walks of life...one great ticket.

[Tom Rinaldo]

21. I find this part of the interview chilling

After Clark says that the chances for an American attack on Iraq at that point were 60% to 70%, he gave an explanation as to why. To my ear it exactly describes where the Bush Administration now finds itself in relation to Iran. Clark is explaining why it is probable the United States will attack:

"I think it's going to be very difficult for President Bush, having set the conditions for the discussion by having labeled Iraq an "Axis of Evil", having called for a regime change, obviously applying covert action;, I think it's going to be very difficult if the covert action doesn't work, if international consensus doesn't come together, it's going to be very hard for him to find another course of action."

I am reminded of the news stories over the last few days that report that since Germany is not now in lock step with the U.S. regarding extreme sanctions toward Iran, the Bush Administration considers diplomacy to have failed and now expects to attack Iran in the summer.

[Texas_Kat]

22. Video and transcript are at Securing America

http://securingamerica.com/node/2659

[Tom Rinaldo]

23. Thanks Kat. n/t