From Balls 4 Dean, Brains 4 Clark Pika Brittlebush, Quirky Burque Blog
The problem is, Dean’s got the vision of a highschool robotics club dork that just lost the Science Fair to a football star. He’s MAD and he’s RIGHTEOUS. And he and his nerd-herd are totally blind to the BushCo Monster Truck Rally building violently in the highschool parking lot. Football player meat-heads with No Fear stickers on their trucks, eager to pounce.
And pounce they will, with the Heartbeat of America and all its cherry pie Christian wallop on their side. THEY WILL WIN. And the papers will gloat and the cheerleaders will fuck them and Meat-Heads will continue to rule the world.
Wonderful analogy, Pika (no sarcasm).
I’m not a Deaniac (though I like his fire), but, then, I was a nerd 35 years ago. I’m a bit disturbed that Clark has made so much money as a lobbist: over $800K; clients include the major company behind the Fatherland Security database; Clark met with Cheney to lobby for them (see citations below). Of course, doing business with fascists doesn’t necessarily hurt (ask Bush’s granddad) — you can still call yourself a businessman — Americans like that.
I strongly object to Clark’s support for a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning (not a lot of that going on, y’know). Less freedom is NOT more American, no matter what Big Brother says.
More importantly, Clark has had a free ride, which ended last night. Think endorsements from Michael Moore and George McGovern are purely positive? Kerry, in particular, will feel the need to bring Clark down a few pegs (and vice versa — did you catch Clark’s snipe about heroics from “junior” officers). Dean may step over their corpses.
I’m actually glad it isn’t a done deal. I’m such a liberal I’d gladly vote for Dean/Braun (ok, I don’t have the guts to say Kucinch/Sharpton); but I’ll vote for Kerry/Edwards or any combo. Bush gotta go.
mjh
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NOW with Bill Moyers. Transcript. January 9, 2004 | PBS
BILL MOYERS: You report that when General Wesley Clark retired from the military, he earned over $800,000 lobbying former pals and peers for airline and homeland security contracts and that he didn’t tell us that when he appeared on CNN as a commentator on the war on terrorism. Why would a man do that, thinking he’s going to run for President? Because that’s bound to be harmful when it is ultimately disclosed?
CHUCK LEWIS: Well, that’s sort of what I thought. It’s the first time I know of a major Presidential candidate running who’s also currently a lobbyist. When he announced, September 17th, he was still registered in Washington as a lobbyist.
[Chuck Lewis is the founder of the The Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit, non-partisan watchdog in Washington. He was speaking to Bill Moyers, host of PBS’ Now.]
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NEWSWEEK: Wesley Clark Lobbied Bush Administration for Contract for Arkansas Firm to Get Security Work
As an Arkansas businessman, Wesley Clark lobbied Vice President Dick Cheney, Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, aides to FBI Director Robert Mueller and his former chief deputy commander in Europe on behalf of a company eager to get post-9/11 security work, Newsweek reports in the current issue. The aim: to get a contract for Acxiom, a Little Rock firm whose “data mining” techniques are useful in tracking terrorists.
The lobbying — for which Clark was paid about $400,000 — must have helped: Acxiom got a contract.
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Clark picks up McGovern endorsement in N.H.
Clark, at the pancake breakfast, said after Sept. 11 he considered it “his duty” to lobby for Acxiom, a homeland security company, in order to make a contribution since he was no longer wearing a uniform.
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NPR : Wesley Clark Interview Transcript, The 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidates
BOB EDWARDS: You’ve accused the Bush administration of not tolerating dissent and yet you’ve said you would support a constitutional amendment outlawing flag burning.
WES CLARK: That’s right.
EDWARDS: Isn’t there a contradiction there?
CLARK: I don’t think so. I think there are many, many ways of disagreeing and expressing your concern with the government. But I’ll support just about anything that protects our flag. I love that flag.
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FactCheck.org Was Wesley Clark a Republican?