Were you there, in person or just caught it on one YouTube?
Those who were there said to a person that the room was packed at 0800 for this keynote, and the reception for Wes was rousing.  He's not afraid to say what needs to be said loudly and clearly, and he's asking others to help him say it.

Watch the immediate post-keynote interview with TPM here http://www.youtube.c....  He delivers this important message with more legitimacy and credibility than anyone else can.

...bummed that I missed it.

General Wesley Clark delivered a humdinger of a speech this morning in Chicago at YearlyKos.

There's much to it -- and he puts the target for the failure in Iraq not on the military, nor on the Congress, nor other participants in this mess other than President George W. Bush.

Others will get the text and audio file up. I'll try to link later.

But his commentary on engaging our foes and rivals was right on target. He called Bush out and demanded that the President stop trying to look like a leader by chewing up the lives of American men and women in combat. He told Bush to stop hiding behind General David Petraeus.

I want to remind readers and journalists that getting a Democratic presidential contender to state that we ought to be negotiating with Iran directly used to be difficult. It was not Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or Bill Richardson or John Edwards or Joe Biden or Chris Dodd who were in that space first.

Wesley Clark was. He made his first major statement that we should be talking directly to Iran in September 2005 at a conference titled "Terrorism, Security and America's Purpose."

Clark then underscored his position in a "Real State of the Union" address he gave for the New America Foundation in January 2006 and then shortly after on Meet the Press with Tim Russert.

Clark has an approach to national security and foreign policy that is very solutions-oriented. He has clear-headed views on how complex military, political, and economic systems need to be molded to achieve results. And he is open to the feedback of failure -- so that systems can learn.

It's probably late in the day for Wesley Clark to get into the race, but the various Democratic presidential competitors would find it well worth their time to learn from Clark who can both get beyond vapid, binary responses on foreign policy issues and still give a straight answer.

Very interesting morning here at McCormack Place Convention Center. The main hall was packed to the gills at 8 am. These folks attending are hyper-motivated.

The last time I saw this kind of enthusiasm in a huge crowd was at AIPAC's 2007 annual conference. Maybe balance will be restored to the American political universe.

-- Steve Clemons

Gen. Clark's answer to the last question (about 10 minutes from the end of the video) consists of a discourse on diplomacy.  He discusses three levels of diplomacy:  the "do what I want or I'll kill you" level, the Jim Baker approach which says, "If you do this, I'll do that," and real diplomacy in which the parties adopt shared principles, find ways to implement the principles, and work, step by step, through common interests.

But I can't do his words justice.  You will have to listen on your own.

Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO

is in this presidential race, every time Clark comes out with something like this I think of how much easier it would be for me to vote for the Democratic candidate if it were he.  The man is on target all the time, every time. 

"The man is on target all the time, every time".  And he was on target today.

"[Clark] is on target all the time, every time."

I love it.  Says so much in so few words.

Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO
Wes Clark...Don't settle for less.
Make America All It Can Be!

General Clark is willing to stand up and say what he believes even when some in the audience may not agree.  He has a deep understanding of the roles that the military, politics, and diplomacy must play together in reaching acceptable resolutions to major international problems like Iraq.  He is right that when it comes to Iraq, we can't just focus on bringing the troops home.  That is a very important message that needs wide dissemination.

The political landscape seems quite barren without him this time.

Kossacks were priivy to a real treat this morning and thanks to TPM, yKos and US Stream we all got to live it too.

Thanks Wes for elevating the discussion past the current squabbles happening in the Democratic primary. 

supporting Clark for President four years ago was one of the smartest decisions I've ever made, politically or otherwise.

of Bush is the crux of the speech in my opinion, and Clark is absolutely right. We need to be discussing the strategy which informs the entire Iraq War and American efforts in the Middle East. The only problem is: What if Bush really has no strategy?  At least, not one which he can articulate? What if his strategy is based on Biblical Revelation, which means he is expecting and seeking to enable Armageddon and the Second Coming? That would explain his refusal to work on Israeli-Palestinian peace, or doing anything which might ameliorate the Iraqi situation since that might delay Armageddon.

Both Bush and Rumsfeld at first loudly proclaimed that "we are not seeking Iraqi oil," only weapons of mass destruction, ahem. So, if you believe that, heh, then you have to go on to the other shifting subsequent rationales for the invasion of Iraq, like getting rid of a brutal dictator... but that is not a strategy, where is our national interest in that; besides, there were many other brutal dictators around, why pick on Saddam?

Therefore, what Gen. Clark must have been getting at is that, by raising the discussion to America's strategy in the Middle East, Bush will be revealed to have none. The Emperor Has No Clothes. The Iraq invasion was--- a Bush ego trip?

Clark has said this repeatedly over the last couple of years.  He recognizes there's no strategy to "win" in Iraq, but if we don't extricate ourselves based on stablizing the greater region, the conflict will broaden quickly.  Bush is looking at this through a straw, if he's looking at all!  Clark has a panoramic view and the smarts to recognize what has to be done and how to do it.  He's trying to pound it home that it's going to take all our voices to get this message out before there is total collapse and wider problems.

How many times have we heard Jim Webb say something very similar?  No question these two men are very wise and we should be listening to them both, carefully so we can help Wes Clark accomplish what needs to be done.  I'm frequently amazed when I hear politicians that have never served or have been a family member of a troop, pontificate on the best thing to do in Iraq, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with Iran, or any of the hostile hot-spots.  We have two of the most credible, authentic and patriotic men in the entire leadership of the Democratic Party in Wes Clark and Jim Webb.  People should be turning to them.

If he's not running for President, I'd love to see the General get a slot on the Democratic ticket--he'd roast all the neocon rethugs and assure victory in '08.

There were at least two responses along these lines in the speech and the interview.  He's clearly considering it and feels he has a lot to offer the country.  I feel he does too, so until he tell us he's decided not to run, I'm sticking with him for the top job.

The line "and I haven't even announced yet" right at the beginning was cru-el. I guess it's not going to happen, although I still can't (completely) give up hope on him, and I still have the "Clark '08" bumper sticker on my car.

First love is always the deepest, I guess. 

It was worth the cost of admission just to hear him talk. I've never gotten goosebumps at a live speech before, but this speech did it.

The Clarkies from WesPAC gathered Friday night to celebrate and talk, and I was invited by a staffer for Eric Massa to attend. Massa delivered a great speech to the gathered crowd, and I hope people here look into him and his campaign in rural New York. He came real close last time, and would be an asset to our country in Congress. The mood of the crowd is that they think he won't run, but I am still hopeful.

The presidential contenders frankly look weak in comparison to Clark -- it's not really their fault, because the General is one of a kind.

I'll write up a full yKos summary of my experiences tomorrow for those interested, but it was really a blast to meet so many great people and candidates for Congress in '08. No Virginia candidates, though, and that's something we need to work on.

I'd enjoy reading your summary, Ron1.  I'll check back later for it.  First hand accounts are always the best.

for the Dems to win the presidency in '08.  I am so sad that the crazy system in our country essentially shuts out all but professional politicians and billionaires.  Clark is a zen master of strategy.  Democrats need to provide the impetus for his ideas.