Gen. Jello

Gen. Jello
: He has been a candidate for only hours and already Gen. Wesley Clark is flopping around like a bowl full of Jell-O in a Humvee. Damnit, can’t we get a decent Democratic candidate for President? I had hopes for this guy. They are being dashed against the rocks.

In the NY Times, we see this pathetic bit of flip-flopping:

Gen. Wesley K. Clark said today that he would have supported the Congressional resolution that authorized the United States to invade Iraq, even as he presented himself as one of the sharpest critics of the war effort in the Democratic presidential race.

General Clark also said in an interview that he would probably oppose President Bush’s request for $87 billion to finance the recovery effort in Iraq, though he said he could see circumstances in which he might support sending even more money into the country.

On both the question of the initial authorization and the latest request for financing, General Clark said he was conflicted. He offered the case on both sides of the argument, as he appeared to struggle to stake out positions on issues that have bedeviled four members of Congress who supported the war and are now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination….

“At the time, I probably would have voted for it, but I think that’s too simple a question,” General Clark said.

They don’t let you vote “maybe, if…”, General. It’s “yes” or “no.” So which is it?

I read that this morning on the PATH and practically got arrested for shouting at my newspaper: WOULD YOU MAKE UP YOUR DAMNED MIND?

But it gets worse. Now I read the latest on the AP:

Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark backtracked from a day-old statement that he probably would have voted for the congressional resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, saying Friday he “would never have voted for this war.” …

“Let’s make one thing real clear, I would never have voted for this war,” Clark said before a speech at the University of Iowa….

Clark’s initial remarks left members of his campaign team a bit flummoxed.

Dean’s a self-righteous twit. Kerry’s all hair. Lieberman has the presence of a mop…. And on and on it goes.

I’m sorry, but I have been driven to the edge, I have to say it:

DRAFT HILLARY!

13 responses to “Gen. Jello”

  1. Mara Avatar

    But I got a nice Clark Bar with Clark’s picture and his resume on a business card stapled to the top end of the wrapper from an Americans For Clark volunteer.
    I mean the man supports free candy give-aways in Times Square, something to consider….

  2. Charlie Avatar

    Re: “Hilary for President!”
    Oh, puh-leeeze doan’ throw us in that briar patch, Bre’r Fox!

  3. Michael J. Totten Avatar

    I hear ya, Jeff. And what’s the alternative? Bush?
    Ugh. Whoever I end up voting for, I’ll hate myself in the morning.

  4. KMK Avatar

    Good Lord man, get a hold of yourself.
    Maybe it’s time for something blog-drastic. Who would the Dem bloggers like to see run? Pick your own candidate. A lil research and a lot of blogging and who knows.
    Picture the headlines – Blogsphere picks the next Democratic Presidential candidate.

  5. Dann Avatar

    I beg.
    I plead.
    I pray.
    Anyone but Hillary.

  6. CharlesWT Avatar

    Hmmm…looks like it’s going to be Bush Lite and the Sweven Dwarfs.

  7. long shot Avatar

    I long for another Rhodes scholar to step into the mix, the calming, well-informed voice of former Senator Bill Bradley.

  8. Sisyphus Avatar

    Hillary will let you flop around a bit more and then reel you in.

  9. Royce Dunbar Avatar

    Mr. Jarvis,
    I’be been a daily reader of your site for over a year now and this is the first time I’ve read your work and said: “What!!!???”.
    As someone who has been an ardent supporter of the war on radical Islam, Islamo-fascism… whatever name one chooses, I am amazed that you would even consider supporting Hillary Clinton as a candidate for President.
    I’m a registered Libertarian and ex-Democrat. In my opinion, Bush 43 has many faults (pandering to the religious right, expanding the size of government, the Patriot Act/Ashcroft/DOJ shinanagans, utter lack of carisma/presence/verbal skills). Yet, in my assessment he has done an admirable job of assessing the threat of radical Islam and taking the war to THEM.
    September 11th has (at least until we have dealt with this threat to Western Civilization and the Enlightenment) made me a single issue voter. As long as Bush and his cabinet pursue the war with intelligence, flexibility and vigor. George W. Bush will get my vote.
    What do you think would have happened if Al Gore (or heavens forfend Hillary Clinton) had been President in September 2001?

  10. Andy C Avatar

    I have to agree with Royce on this one. I disagree with Bush on a lot of things and think we could do a lot better in many areas. Having said that, the only issue I care about at the moment is the safety of this country, and on that point Bush has done and continues to do a good job. I have nightmares trying to imagine what would have happened had Gore been in the White House on 9/11, and the thought of Hillary in the White House scares me even more.
    As far as I’m concerned, the only issue worth voting on is who will protect us. Bush has shown that he will, no democratic candidate has shown me they will do anything more for our defense than have Chirac for a sleep-over in the Lincoln Bedroom.

  11. tom grey Avatar

    [this comment was lost in a server migration and i’m posting it again here – jeff]
    Hey, GREAT identification: General Jello will prolly stick to Candy Clark like glue. Were you really the first?
    As a libertarian neo-con pro-Human Rights War-ish, my one Dem vote for Carter was a mistake.
    As a hater of Big Bush spending, I really wish there was a better alternative to Bush — in policies. 2004 is most likely to go to Bush;
    Hillary 2004 is too soon in any case, she’s too hated — she guarantees that weak Reps who don’t like Bush’s spending will vote against her.
    Dems need to identify the long-term 2008 issues, and support a senator/gov now who can be a remain a front runner in 2008 on the issues. Even if some other personality gets the nod. Of course, with so many expecting Hillary in 2008, I wonder what happens if it’s against Condi Rice?
    Why not form a moderate Dem wing in support of Dean (at least he has fire, and a chance to reduce Nader’s vote) and better policies.
    Of course, what ARE better policies? Everybody is so quiet on this point …

  12. Tommy Avatar

    What? And none of these people are better than Bush? Isn’t this just more of the same Democratic feshitizing for that perfect candidate? Why does every G-Damned presidential election have to turn into another version of “Waiting for (the Democratic) Godot?” Let me reiterate: None of these people are better than Bush?

  13. Bryan Avatar

    To answer your salient question Jeff, no, you can’t get a decent Democrat candidate. That’s because there’s no decent Democrat party left, and it’s creating the candidates it deserves.