Wesley Clark Tells AP He Wouldn't Back Iraq War (Another Flip-Flop)

AP ^ | September 19, 2003 | Mike Glover

[Shermy]

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark backtracked from a day-old statement that he probably would have voted for the congressional resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, saying Friday he "would never have voted for this war."

The retired Army general, an opponent of the conflict, surprised supporters when he indicated in an interview with reporters Thursday that he likely would have supported the resolution. On Friday, Clark sought to clarify his comments in an interview with The Associated Press.

"Let's make one thing real clear, I would never have voted for this war," Clark said before a speech at the University of Iowa. "I've gotten a very consistent record on this. There was no imminent threat. This was not a case of pre-emptive war. I would have voted for the right kind of leverage to get a diplomatic solution, an international solution to the challenge of Saddam Hussein."

Clark's initial remarks left members of his campaign team a bit flummoxed.

"That caught me off guard a little. The general has been very critical of the war," said George Bruno, a New Hampshire activist.

Clark launched his bid for the Democratic nomination on Tuesday with the type of media attention candidates crave, but early missteps underscore the dangers facing his late-starting campaign.

The former NATO commander and his campaign staff went back and forth on whether he will participate in a Democratic debate next week — all in a single day. Creating more confusion were Clark's comments on the resolution that gave President Bush the authority to use U.S. military force to oust Saddam, remarks that were at odds with his opposition to the war.

Veteran Democrats pointed out that Clark is in the unusual position of trying to put a major presidential campaign in place and clearly lay out his positions in the glare of the media spotlight. Other candidates have had months to hone their message below the political radar.

"If politics were theater, you get to open in New Haven (Conn.)," rather than on Broadway, said veteran Democratic strategist Bill Carrick, who warned of the dangers of "policy on the fly."

Added Carrick: "Howard Dean has been out there for two years rehearsing his act."

Carrick compared some of the difficulties Clark has faced to the early days of Edward Kennedy's 1980 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, also a late-starting campaign where the Massachusetts senator tended to blurt out comments that reshaped the race. Kennedy predicted, for instance, that he would beat President Carter in Iowa; Carter easily prevailed.

Twenty-five years later those gaffes stick in Carrick's mind. "It completely changed the expectations," he said. "It was all triggered by the late start."

The nine other Democratic candidates also have spent the last few months meeting with Democratic activists across the country, getting feedback on various issues and testing their campaign lines.

"I'm sure Howard Dean has tried a variety of things along the way," said veteran Iowa activist Jeff Link. "By the time people began paying attention, he had it down pretty good."

Iowa casts its votes in four months, giving Clark little time to smooth out the rough edges.

"The question is, is he ready to jump into a huge national campaign that's just a few months away," Link said. "That is a pretty good sized organization with a lot of moving parts."

In the interview, Clark sketched out a checkerboard of positions, saying he would leave in place a tax cut for middle-income Americans and indicating his support for gun rights, although he supports a ban on assault weapons.

Clark said the helter-skelter effort to build his campaign was "like trying to bottle lightning," but he shrugged off the early stumbles.

"It doesn't bother me a bit," he said. "It helps you get the message out across America. When you start late, you need that."

[quark]

Amateur Hour with this clown and betrayer of the U.S. Armed Forces. He'll say anything his Clintonista handlers tell him to so as to win left wing 'RAT votes.

Clark = HellzaBubba sock puppet

[Shermy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/985547/posts

"...Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark said today that he "probably" would have voted for the congressional resolution last fall authorizing war, as he charged out into the presidential campaign field with vague plans to fix the economy and the situation in Iraq.

Clark said his views on the war resemble those of Democratic Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) and John F. Kerry (Mass.), both of whom voted for the war but now question President Bush's stewardship of the Iraqi occupation. "That having been said, I was against the war as it emerged because there was no reason to start it when we did. We could have waited," Clark said during a 75-minute session with four reporters. "...Clark, relaxed and chatty, portrayed himself as a different kind of Democrat, one without strong partisan impulses. He said he "probably" voted for Richard M. Nixon in 1972 and backed Ronald Reagan. He did not start considering himself a Democrat until 1992, when he backed fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton. "He moved me," Clark said. "I didn't consider it party, I considered I was voting for the man."

Clark said that as recently as last week, the former president and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) both encouraged him to run, as did many of their close friends. (George Soros?)

[Dane]

(Another flip-flop

Whew pretty soon Wesley Clark's picture will be the defintion in the next Thesaurus of the adage, "fish out of water".

[Diogenesis]

Clark's Domestic policy [Waco]

Clark's Foreign policy [Yugoslavia]

Clark's Detailed Plan

[swarthyguy]

[Uncle George]

Well now we know he's a REAL D-RAT. Will say anything, do anything, steal anything, slander anything, turncoat on anything, flip-flop on anything so we know he will sell out his Country for the RAT PARTY just like his lord and masters, the Clinton gang.

[Shermy]

Ping-pong.

[Tacis]

Wow, it certainly is a good thing Arkie Clark is not a Republican, otherwise the ultra-left wing media would be jumping up and down screaming, "He's a liar, he's a liar!"

[Sir Gawain]

"I'm sure Howard Dean has tried a variety of things along the way," said veteran Iowa activist Jeff Link. "By the time people began paying attention, he had it down pretty good."

Translation: Flip-flops (lies) are ok. It's just the politician trying to find his message.

[Dog]

Wes just flopped again!

[glock rocks]

Clark said that as recently as last week, the former president and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) both encouraged him to run

you best run now. don't be difficult like vincent.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

Wesley Cliar is clearly Not Ready For Prime Time.

[cwb]

Just one more example of his strong leadership qualities.

[Shermy]

Just one more example of his strong leadership qualities.

Best said, he "probably" has leadership qualities, "as [the campaign] emerges.'

Regardless, this shouldn't hurt him with the delusional elements of the anti-war reflexionaries. They forget history quickly. The only thing that could please them more if Chirac joined the race.

[RobFromGa]

Clark is exactly the kind of man we need in the White House, someone who will send a consistent message to the people who want to destroy America and our way of life, day in, day out regardless of the politics of the moment.

Leaders like President Bush, who argue against the War on Terror one day, and then argue for the War on Terror the next day, should be kept far away from power.

/s

[Shermy]

"I've gotten a very consistent record on this."

Such a lie it's embarassing. He's "gotten" nothing consistent.

"I would have voted for the right kind of leverage to get a diplomatic solution, an international solution to the challenge of Saddam Hussein." "

Wesley likes to march to La Marseillaise and Deutschland Uber Alles.

[PISANO]

There was no imminent threat (IRAQ)

Well General what was the IMMINENT threat to our security in KOSOVO?? Were you just following orders? Why didn't you resign when ordered to attack KOSOVO? Why did you NOT criticize President Clinton after you retired about the war in KOSOVO? Questions that will never be asked by the mainstream media!!

[hosepipe]

Whoever promoted Clarke should hunted down and exposed... If this guy is not a Barney Fife, I have no sense of humor... How many more Clarks are in the various services..
Wesley Clarke is a symptom of a deeper disease. Reminds me of the Bradley fighting vehicle debacle...

[Tarl]

You nailed that one! "let me clarify" is not a statement used a day later. The statement is normally a pretense to a following lie. His whole campaign will be defending/"clarifying" previous talking points taken to task.

[dts32041]

Maybe he should read a biography of Little Mac?

[q_an_a]

Good 60% of america thinks Huessin supported terror and that he was a mass killer. They may get the details wrong, but they no evil when they see it. We ahve another much admired RAT who thinks the war was all wrong. He will make GWB look better every day. On top of that as a senior advisor to Klinton he makes that family look like the white trash they are.

[Shermy]

Whoever promoted Clarke should hunted down and exposed

Try some of these in a search engine matched with Wesley:

"Jackson Stephens" "Axciom" "DARPA & Total Information Awareness" "george soros"

[Cicero]

He's not very bright. The clinton handlers told him that he was supposed to be against the war now in the run up to the primaries, and for the war next year in the run up to the elections, but he got it backwards.

Lies can be confusing.

[glock rocks]

you want some fun... try a google of clark and gun control.

there's no there there. happy everyone. happy.

[Sir Gawain]

Maybe he should read a biography of Little Mac?

The boxer in Mike Tyson's Punchout?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Does Clark think he is such a media darling that he also believes that the press never publishes his remarks and every flip-flop? Sure, they may not call attention to it, but if people can read...

[jimbo123]

Hitlery Rotten is not pleased that her pool boy is flubbing things up so early in the campaign.

[Sir Gawain]

Yeah, and how can you not remember who you voted for?

He said he "probably" voted for Richard M. Nixon in 1972 and backed Ronald Reagan.

[Neenah]

Have any of you seen the DRAFT HILLARY site , along with the articles from NYC on the Clark/Clnton ticket ?

" Hillary, our country is in great danger....."

[dts32041]

No the copperhead canidate in 1864.

[dennisw]

Wesley Clarke will be tightly scripted, same as Hilary. Only problem is his campaign staff of Bill Clinton hit men are still hammering out the script, with Bill Clinton's input. My prediction is the weekend after this is when Clark will be on all the Sunday shows rolling out his grand vision for America.

His obvious hook is he is the general who conducted the war on Serbia with minimum US deaths while GWBush has gotten us into a Vietnam quagmire. Ad nauseum he will go on about the coalition Clinton built to bomb Serbia while Bush the cowboy went in alone. Clark served in Vietnam so he can state this with impunity. Will be his talking points. Bill Clinton's bet is this war is GWBush's Achilles heel.

[AHerald]

Here's looking forward to the gaggle of NewFreepersWhoClaimToBeConservativeButJustHappenToBePassionateAboutDefendingWesleyClark to show up in this thread and explain to us that Clark never really said what he really said or really meant what he really meant, and that we never really heard what Clark really said in the first place.

[ChadGore]

Not a single democrat has vowed to continue the war of terror. Why ???

[cwb]

Interestingly, according to the WSWS story on Clark, it was he who tried to pressure Clinton into war with Kosovo using the Racak Massacre as the pretext. According to them, Clinton first prefered to give Ramboullet a last try before launching the attack. It does fit his personallity as he was also the one who was discouraged with the orignal bombing plans saying they weren't aggressive enough. Soon after that, civilian infrastructure was brought into the equation.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Gee, how can we not vote for Clark? How else can we show our appreciation for the Waco barbeque, the Oklahoma City hoot nanny that bombed, Combat from thirty thousand feet, and the invention of the revolving door?

The best part is that whether we get Clark or whether we get Hillary, it will be just like getting four or maybe even eight more years of slick willie. This time we get three for the price of one, and not worth a cent of it.

I'm all for supporting four star generals-privates too-but only those who are on our side.

[RoseofTexas]

You see, it's ok when a RAT does the FLIP-FLOP bandango, but HOLY MANGO, if a pub would've backtracted on any stance, the liberal press WHORES would've been ALL OVER THE DUDE like flies on crap!! But because the flip-flopmen is a product of the BEASTfromNY it's ok!! Gosh I hate the liberal media whores!

[arasina]

Some general he is, eh? Would've voted for a "diplomatic solution." I guess that's what Xlinton meant when he said that about a sack of guts.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

[SwinneySwitch]

General George B. McClellan, the Democratic candidate for president in 1864, was hampered by the party's plank calling for an end to the war, which was labeled a failure. He denounced the plank and was for the rigorous pursuit of victory. At first it appeared that he would defeat Lincoln, but Union victories in the field diminished the public's war weariness. Winning only three states, he resigned from the army on election day.

[F.J. Mitchell]

"Not a single democrat has vowed to continue the war on terror. Why?"

Because they, more than the radical muslim terrorists, are the major part of the problem, and any solution would create a serious challenge to their own survival.

[Warren]

Hell, ask him again tomorrow.

[Warren]

Hell, ask him again tomorrow.

[Warren]

Hell, ask him again tomorrow.

[PhiKapMom]

You mean that "Weasley" already lost the "maybe" -- he has Goreitis and Clintonitis big time!

[jmstein7]

Wesley Clark buzzword = INDECISIVE

Someone as indecisive as Clark would make a horrible candidate and a horrible President.

[jmstein7]

Wesley Clark buzzword = INDECISIVE

Someone as indecisive as Clark would make a horrible candidate and a horrible President.

[mt tom]

when you tell the truth your story never changes

[bootyist-monk]

[KQQL]

Clark 'Probably' Would Have Backed War On First Campaign Stop, Democrat Lacks Specifics but Rallies Crowd.

But Clark took some shots at Bush, too. He compared Bush to Nixon in abusing his power to bully Congress and U.S. allies.

Clark, who said he does not consider homosexuality a sin, said the military needs to reconsider the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gay service members.

He said he supports universal health coverage that includes preventive care and a "freeze" on Bush's tax cuts that have yet to take effect for people earning $150,000 or more

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

OOPS HE LIED...About voting for the WAR