A Citizen' s Appeal to a General in a Time of War (at Home)
by Michael Moore
Dear General Wesley Clark,
I' ve been meaning to write to you for some time. Two days after the Oscars, when I felt very alone and somewhat frightened by the level of hatred toward me for daring to suggest that we were being led into war for " fictitious reasons," one person stuck his neck out and came to my defense on national television.
And that person was you.
Aaron Brown had just finished interviewing me by satellite on CNN, and I had made a crack about me being " the only non-general allowed on CNN all week." He ended the interview and then turned to you, as you were sitting at the desk with him. He asked you what you thought of this crazy guy, Michael Moore. And, although we were still in Week One of the war, you boldly said that my dissent was necessary and welcome, and you pointed out that I was against Bush and his " policies," not the kids in the service. I sat in Flint with the earpiece still in my ear and I was floored -- a GENERAL standing up for me and, in effect, for all the millions who were opposed to the war but had been bullied into silence.
Since that night, I have spent a lot of time checking you out. And what I' ve learned about you corresponds to my experience with you back in March. You seem to be a man of integrity. You seem not afraid to speak the truth. I liked your answer when you were asked your position on gun control: " If you are the type of person who likes assault weapons, there is a place for you -- the United States Army. We have them."
In addition to being first in your class at West Point, a four star general from Arkansas, and the former Supreme Commander of NATO -- enough right there that should give pause to any peace-loving person -- I have discovered that...
1. You oppose the Patriot Act and would fight the expansion of its powers.
2. You are firmly pro-choice.
3. You filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of the University of Michigan' s affirmative action case.
4. You would get rid of the Bush tax " cut" and make the rich pay their fair share.
5. You respect the views of our allies and want to work with them and with the rest of the international community.
6. And you oppose war. You have said that war should always be the " last resort" and that it is military men such as yourself who are the most for peace because it is YOU and your soldiers who have to do the dying. You find something unsettling about a commander-in-chief who dons a flight suit and pretends to be Top Gun, a stunt that dishonored those who have died in that flight suit in the service of their country.
General Clark, last night I finally got to meet you in person. I would like to share with others what I said to you privately: You may be the person who can defeat George W. Bush in next year' s election.
This is not an endorsement. For me, it' s too early for that. I have liked Howard Dean (in spite of his flawed positions in support of some capital punishment, his grade " A" rating from the NRA, and his opposition to cutting the Pentagon budget). And Dennis Kucinich is so committed to all the right stuff. We need candidates in this race who will say the things that need to be said, to push the pathetically lame Democratic Party into have a backbone -- or get out of the way and let us have a REAL second party on the ballot.
But right now, for the sake and survival of our very country, we need someone who is going to get The Job done, period. And that job, no matter whom I speak to across America -- be they leftie Green or conservative Democrat, and even many disgusted Republicans -- EVERYONE is of one mind as to what that job is:
Bush Must Go.
This is war, General, and it' s Bush & Co.' s war on us. It' s their war on the middle class, the poor, the environment, their war on women and their war against anyone around the world who doesn' t accept total American domination. Yes, it' s a war -- and we, the people, need a general to beat back those who have abused our Constitution and our basic sense of decency.
The General vs. the Texas Air National Guard deserter! I want to see that debate, and I know who the winner is going to be.
The other night, when you were on Bill Maher' s show, he began by reading to you a quote from Howard Dean where he (Dean) tried to run away from the word " liberal." Maher said to you, so, General, do you want to run away from that word? Without missing a beat, you said " No!" and you reminded everyone that America was founded as a " liberal democracy." The audience went wild with applause.
That is what we have needed for a long time on our side -- guts. I am sure there are things you and I don' t see eye to eye on, but now is the time for all good people from the far left to the middle of the road to bury the damn hatchet and get together behind someone who is not only good on the issues but can beat George W. Bush. And where I come from in the Midwest, General, I know you are the kind of candidate that the average American will vote for.
Michael Moore likes a general? I never thought I' d write these words. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I want to know more about you. I want your voice heard. I would like to see you in these debates. Then let the chips fall where they may -- and we' ll all have a better idea of what to do. If you sit it out, then I think we all know what we are left with.
I am asking everyone I know to send an email to you now to encourage you to run, even if they aren' t sure they would vote for you. (Wesley Clark' s email address is: mailto:info@leadershipforamerica.org). None of us truly know how we will vote five months from now or a year from now. But we do know that this race needs a jolt -- and Bush needs to know that there is one person he won' t be able to Dukakisize.
Take the plunge, General Clark. At the very least, the nation needs to hear what you know about what was really behind this invasion of Iraq and your fresh ideas of how we can live in a more peaceful world. Yes, your country needs you to perform one more act of brave service -- to help defeat an enemy from within, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, an address that used to belong to " we, the people."
Yours,
Michael Moore
Lottery # 275, U.S. military draft, 1972
Conscientious Objector applicant
mailto:mmflint@aol.com
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πνεύμα γ*μισα
"Error never shows itself in its naked reality in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself."
-Irenaeus of Lyon
Micheal Moore has a ranking of " lower than whale crap" in my personal rating index.
I had a brief exchange on this board with vc1111 the other day in reference to the General. So....as a result, I am holding my " up-front" opinion of him in check untill I learn a little more about his policies and opinions.
BUT......
If micheal moore is in his corner cheering for him, Then THATS enough reason alone to NOT vote for him.
DAMN RIGHT Dave, Michael Moore is THE sorriest piece of crap this country has ever produced (well ok so he' s just behind most Damocrap politicians). Wesley Clark likewise is a traitor, liberal sellout. Dont let the stars on his shoulder fool you!!!
Damocraps is damocraps and the person running is only a ticket to the drivers seat for those who control the party. When are Americans gonna wakeup and realize this? [:@][:@][:@]
RA
I couldn' t vote when Bubba Klinton got elected, but I wouldn' t over my dead body voted for him, just like I won' t vote for Wesley Clarke.
Shoot, I don' t sway much, you' ll never see me vote for a liberal anything...whether he' s from my state or not. Hopefully the country learned from the past things that have come outta Arkansas (excluding myself) and won' t vote in Clarke.
I just wanted to point out that if Micheal Moore is voting/endorsing Clarke, he must be...uh...well, if it was me, I would tell Moore to stick that letter right up his...cause he' d be " murdering" my campaign!
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πνεύμα γ*μισα
"Error never shows itself in its naked reality in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself."
-Irenaeus of Lyon
I would add that serious competition brings out the best...on both sides.
Shake it up anyway you want...we deserve better in the way of leadership than what has been paraded on the platform for the last 2 decades, and that includes the likes of President GW Bush.
Competiton, serious competition forces the cream to rise to the top.
Let the Democrats have a serious chance and we' ll see better Republicans in the same process.
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark' s year-long flirtation with running for the presidency is becoming absurd. Not since Mario (Hamlet-on-the Hudson) Cuomo' s ultimately fruitless presidential dalliance in the eighties has a non-candidate received so much press coverage, most of it uncritical. Mr. Clark is posturing himself above partisan politics, presumably deciding which party he will represent should he actually run for president based on an undisclosed calculus of self-interest. He doesn' t seem to grasp that there are clear philosophical differences between Republicans and Democrats, and that choosing sides is a matter of principle, not expediency. Mr. Clark' s actions in the presidential arena make him the equivalent of a political mercenary.
Before Mr. Clark campaigns for the White House, he needs to go through basic training in American politics. His first lesson should be to memorize Lincoln' s adage about the impossibility of fooling all the people all the time. Mr. Clark has been posturing as an independent who doesn' t know whether to run as a Democrat or a Republican. In August, he told CNN' s Aaron Brown that " for me, it' s not about partisan politics." Yet Mr. Clark' s track record is plainly partisan. In Georgia' s Senate race last year, he endorsed the Democratic incumbent over Republican challenger Saxby Chambliss. Mr. Clark votes as a Democrat in primaries in his home state of Arkansas. The " Draft Clark" Web site lauds him for having " progressive social principles in line with our Democratic ideals." Time magazine reported last year that Mr. Clark' s presidential prospecting included meetings with top Democratic donors and fundraisers.
Mr. Clark' s evasiveness regarding his Democratic Party affiliations is troubling, but his ignorance of American politics is more disturbing. Last week on ' ' Crossfire,' ' Mr. Clark said: " The majority of the people in this country really aren' t affiliated with parties, they' re independent." This is dead wrong. Three-quarters of the voters register as Republicans or Democrats, and another five percent or so belong to minor parties. Four out of five voters identify themselves as partisans because they embrace the particular set of political ideals for which their chosen party stands. They grasp something that apparently eludes the general: Politics is about principles.
Mr. Clark is a mature man whose intellectual formation includes West Point and Oxford University. If choosing between political parties is so difficult for him, it reveals a core lack of principles. This mercenary mentality raises serious doubts concerning his fitness for the presidency.
Mr. Clark could be attracted to the commander in chief component of the job. Ambition may tell him it is the only rank left to attain higher than that of four-star general. But that is only part of the president' s job description. The majority of a president' s duties involve working with other elected officials. This requires keenly-honed political skills. Mr. Clark' s dismissive attitude toward the role of parties on America' s governing process suggests he would fail miserably as our top politician. Mr. Clark says he is considering running because of a " groundswell" of public support. He seems to be the only political observer who has spotted the groundswell. We rather doubt that the people are, or will be, clamoring for a political mercenary in the Oval Office. They know that the presidency isn' t a matter of choosing a flag of convenience.
Washington Times
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Awesome 4! ANYONE that would vote for a Damocrap from Ark is plainly a MORON that obviously wants a handout from DC. Anyone that loved Klintoon simply was a spineless mooch whose sense of self gratification exceeded their own responsibilities to their fellow taxpayers and more importantly, future generations.
Clark is nothing but a typical liberal politician. Stick a wetted finger up in the air and see which way the winds of " self gratification" are blowing. Al Whore was the MASTER of this, as he learned from his Jedimaster Klintoon himself! It appears as if Clark is no different. What makes him even worse, is that he has actually lived a life and seen what happens to people in other lands who depended on the govt for their " cradle to the grave" existence. The fact that he can turn a blind eye to those realities for his own self service, proves him a lower form of life than even clueless maggots like Klintoon/Whore.
RA
Citizen' s Endorsement of Wesley Clark
