Anyone Have Serious, Polite Questions for General Clark?

I will be attending a fundraiser for him on November 1, and it indicates he will be answering questions. I probably won't be able to ask more than one, but if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to let me know. I'll go with the best one I can come up with or read here.

(People posting snide, hater-type questions will be ignored, of course.)

DTH

I'd ask him if he would repeal the Patriot Act. I guess I'd ask any of the Dem candidates that.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

Or, do you recognize that no President in the last 80 years, expect for Kennedy, has lost Ohio and won the election.




Actually, if I was there. I would ask him to schedule an event at my university (Big swing county in Ohio).

What kind of heath care reform do you support - and do you consider getting uninsured Americans health insurance a domestic priority?

Enjoy the night with your candidate - that's always exciting!

I'd ask him about the don't ask--don't tell policy. He's been kind of circumspect in his answers thus far--the others have been clear in saying it should be repealed--all I've ever read is that he's said the issue needs to be examined.

Under your command?

I have heard that Clark did the following for the men & women under his command:

Worked to improve Daycare & Educational opportunities.
Helped get assistance for abused women on his base.
Improved race relations

However, I've heard NO specifics.

If Clark did these things then they are indiciative of a Progressive leaning individual.

So it'd be great to hear more about them.

What, when and where.

Just found this testimony by Clark to Congress- it deals with Education & Military Families. Clark CARE ABOUT EDUCATION & HE CARED ABOUT THE WELLBEING OF THE TROOPS UNDER HIS COMMAND!!!
http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/107th/edr/impaid110801/clark.htm

Impact Aid: Making the Commitment to our Military Family
Hearing before the Subcommittee on Education Reform Committee on Education and the Workforce- U.S. House of Representatives
November 8, 2001

General Wesley K. Clark United States Army, Retired

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me to testify today on the critically important subject of impact aid and the education of the young people in the military family. Let me commend you for holding this hearing, and for your willingness to address this issue.

Put simply, the quality of youth education remains a key factor in the retention and recruitment of personnel in the Armed Forces. Beyond mere expedience, our nation must assure that the children of its Armed Forces personnel are provided a top quality education. The United States' military force is highly educated and its members hold the same expectations for their children's education. More of our men and women are basing their decisions to enter or leave the military on perceptions of the quality of
education their children will receive. It is significant that as the ranks of our Armed Services have fallen, funding for impact aid has fallen short of the level needed by our children's schools. If we want strong, educated, committed men and women in our Armed Services, then we must provide for their families well being.

Currently, there are approximately a half million military dependants who attend school in districtssurrounding military bases. Less than 15% of military children are in DoD schools; the rest attend public and private schools off-post. In my home state of Arkansas, in the vicinity of Little Rock Air Force Base, there are approximately 2500 students who attend school off post. The three school districts are eligible to receive assistance under the federal impact aid program. However, the impact aid program is funded nationally at only around the 60% level. What does this mean for Little Rock? This means that the three school districts in Little Rock bear a great burden in meeting the educational requirements of each child, both military and civilian. Currently, the three districts receive $575,000 in federal impact aid. If the program were fully funded, the school districts would receive somewhere around $3.8 million. This significant shortfall translates into a decrease in the number and quality of academic and extracurricular programs the schools can provide to its military and civilian children. It also means a decrease in armed forces retention and recruitment, which is cause for great concern. We do not want to see our military children losing out on the quality education they deserve and their parents expect.

CONTINUED...

?

Pentagon budget

Asked how he would pay for it, General Clark said he was open to some cuts in the budget he is more familiar with — the Pentagon's. "The armed forces are a want machine," he said. "They are structured to develop want."

Along with healthcare, homelessness and poverty are once again becoming crises in this country. More Americans are sinking into poverty each year. In some areas parts of the US, even some above 200% of the federal poverty line are becoming homeless as housing costs skyrocket above the reach of even those with moderate incomes. Our social safety net is all but gone. Considering the difficult fiscal position this administration has put us in, what can a Democratic president expect to be able to do about this and how soon can something be done?

foreign policy? If not, what is your take on the Project for a New American Century? Should pre-emptive attacks be part of America's foreign policy?

I recently received an email from someone with a PHD in American Social and Political History. I'll share it with you. Also, Clark is well aware of PNAC and has spoken about it specifically and in the abstract as a bad policy. He slammed it in his Iowa speech, and I am told he goes after the policy again in his book. Anyway, the critque:

Yea, I did a big bookstore run over the weekend, and Clark's new one was on my list. I finished it on Tuesday. I didn't find it as "insightful" as Waging Modern War, but in contrast, it is just a very small canvas, namely the run up to, and the Iraqi War -- and not the near 40 year canvas he had to work with in the first book. But still there are many themes that I expect will serve as good debate points. I read it pretty closely, and marked it all up. It does have a fairly elaborate critique of the approach to Afghanistan, particularly the post Tora Bora period. Clark presents a good body of evidence supporting the proposition that Afghanistan was robbed so as to do Iraq -- and that this is important because Afghanistan is much more important as a locus of Terrorist effort than Iraq ever was. He also has a good deconstruction of Bush's failure to do more about Homeland Security other than move pieces around on the chess board. It is a good campaign agrument, but it needs to be more politically focused than it is in the book. For example he has a critique of "market mechanisms" as the end all method of doing everything -- and making an argument for appropriate regulation -- but he doesn't connect this up to specific Bush Failures. He needs to understand that in campaign debate you have to dramatically heighten some specifics. But it is all there and it will be useful in town meeting settings and maybe the press will take the hint and ask some questions based on his arguments.

He also does a very thorough destruction of Rumsfeld and some of his claims. In some ways, I think he has set a number of traps for both Bush and Rumsfeld with his critiqe of planning for post conflict action in Iraq. In order to counter Clark they almost have to argue against their own previous statements and policy positions. I think in particular he sets up the argument that the military should not be expected to "do everything" -- such as rebuild schools, health clinics, organize town councils and all the rest -- and basicly what he then does is show that over the years the Republicans have hamstrumg or simply abolished the civilian groups that should be around to do these things. Done right he can have Bush and the Republicans arguing with themselves on this one.

Recently I took a couple of days off work and spent them reading up on all of the candidates. I sent the following message to all of the Democratic hopefuls, including General Clark:

"I would like to know how (fill in the blank) feels about the Project for a New American Century and their agenda. Would he (she) continue the policy of pre-emptive strikes if elected president? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!"

No one responded to my inquiry. No one. Kinda disheartening, isn't it?

If this man becomes President he works for all of us.

He is the one that needs to show humility, not any of us.

That said, I would ask the following:

Will you outlaw the overseas outsourcing of American jobs?
Will you outlaw L-1 and H-1b visas immediately?
Will you renegotiate NAFTA and WTO agreements immediately?
Will you outlaw offshore ghost corporations immediately?
Will you enact new legislation that mandates a "hire them here" and "make it here" policy by American Corporations?

Just politeness. There's a difference. Your questions are polite though. Hope you didn't strain yourself.

Here's my polite two-part question:
What is your opinion on the No Child Left Behind Act, and how will your administration promote public education?

and be the VP on an "insert name here" ticket?

Who's going to take a candidate seriously after that.

That is not the decision nor the contest at hand.

What are his thoughts on the continuing rise of the mercantile class in the world and how it relates to the increasing economic disparity between the poor and rich, and if he disagrees with it what specific proposals will he try to enact to counter the "social darwinism" movement.

You could also ask him who is favourite Political, Economic, and Metaphysical Philosophers are and why. Maybe his thoughts on Bertrand Russell or the rise of postmodernism and how it is shaping western civilization culture and maybe where it may lead us.

GREAT QUESTION!!! :thumbsup:

Jeebers, remember when Junior says his favorite philospher was jesus? :eyes:

How many of those corporations are unionized?

1. Why are you running for President?

2. Why are you a better choice for the Democratic nomination than the other candidates?

3. Since you haven't had to run for elected office -- and face the intense media and opposition scrutiny that goes along with it -- do you think you would be a riskier choice for Democrats?

That last one is the polite version of the "Do you have any skeletons in your closet?" question.

I don't have any questions.

I'd like to hear more about exit strategies as well.

n/t

I do have some words of advice for him, though.

DON'T LET THE BASTARDS WEAR YOU DOWN!

We here on DU stated often that we would be able to tell the candidates that the pugs hated and feared by how badly they smeared them. Looks as if they are scared to death of our General Clark, Gov. Dean and Sen. Kerry. We are truly blessed to have their caliber among us.

and open them up to NATO allies? What about Iraqi and other arab companies as well?

specifically, What finally made him decide to run?

I think it's a legitimate question because it seemed to be so difficult for him. Usually we are given to believe that these guys are compelled to run to promote some specific agenda or perhaps because of their leadership position within the party, but what drives Wesley?

whole draft thing.

I really think that's got to happen soon. Thanks ;)

General Clark, like on a military holiday or
even regular day would you ever wear your General
uniform? Boy I think it would really get peoples blood
a bumping and a thumping. Don't overdo it but just
a few times by surprise at some speeches or a debate.
I bet it would get people going at a debate if you
showed up dashed out in the uniform, hat, stars, etc.
Thanks.

this is no banana republic ruled by military junta. the image of a fully-uniformed general at the helm does NOT go well with the spirit and intent of a constitutional republic.

He wouldn't be President yet and I think it
would snazz up the debate. I think those other
yahos would think twice about snipping at
a four star General in full regailia. I can see
General Clark standing there in the hat and
everything, maybe aviator glasses and even
a riding crop he could wave around and smack
his hand with for emphasies every once a while.
I think somebody should ask him if he would.
Maybe General is too shy to bring it up himself.

specifically the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Afterthought, if I can ask two--position on campaign finance reform.

Specifics- no talking around the issues, promising a future statement or offering only positive-sounding platitudes without commiting to a position on controversial issues.

Foreign Policy:

Clark has stated in the past that with the end of the Cold War the American policy of containment fell from grace. He also speaks of extensive work on forumulating a new policy. 1) Has this work been completed and if so, what would he title this new policy.

2) How has the repub deregulation affected America and what changes would he make?

....what his position is on privacy issues, such as biometric data banks and increasingly intrusive surveillance, since the opportunity to limit dissent comes with the technology.