By that I mean startling in a profound sense, not just outraegous. I was listening to a radio interview with Wes Clark back in Novemeber of 2003, when these words almost jumped out of the speaker and kicked me:
"I think we're at a time in American history that's probably analogous to, maybe, Rome before the first emperors, when the Republic started to fall... I think if you look at the pattern of events, if you look at the disputed election of 2000, can you imagine? In America, people are trying to recount ballots and a partisan mob is pounding on the glass and threatening the counters? Can you imagine that? Can you imagine a political party which does its best to keep any representatives from another party — who've even been affiliated with another party — from getting a business job in the nation's capital? Can you imagine a political party that wants to redistrict so that its opponents can be driven out entirely?...it's a different time in America and the Republic is - this election is about a lot more than jobs. I'm not sure everybody in America sees it right now. But I see it, I feel it."
That's when I knew for sure, if I ever had any doubts before, that Wes Clark got it. He was seeing the same world I was.
The interview was broadcast on New Hampshire public radio on November 5, 2003. It was part of a series of extensive personal interviews they did with all the candidates prior to the New Hampshire Primary that year, with Laura Knoy as interviewer. Fortunately it is still archived by NPR.
Here is New Hampshire's NPR's blurb describing it:
"The retired General who grew up in Arkansas, attended West Point, and later served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, is on the program. We'll delve into his background and find out what motivates him, who inspires him and why he wants to be the next President of the United States. Laura's guest is General Wesley Clark."
There is a lot more worth listening to in this interview, including Wes Clark talking about the Military Industrial Complex. If you want a good sense of who Wes Clark is, what he believes, and why, then this interview is a great place to start. Here is the link:
