I'm giving the General a great big salute. The man has balls the size of Mt. Rushmore, IMO!
The General walked into the DNC Winter Meeting as an undeclared candidate to Johnny Cash's "I Won't Back Down" and does the job he came to do against CW calculated odds!
Here's the set up;
Wes Clark was scheduled to speak in between two of what the media has consistently labeled as the greatest political orators of our current times; Barak Obama and John Edwards.
Sen. Barak Obama educated as an attorney, became a top Presidential contender based on, among other things, a single speech he gave at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. With his rich baritone voice, Barak offers an effective rhythm and cadence reminiscent of a preacher/scholar with an unconventional approach to the subject of politics. Barak is simply a natural.
John Edwards, billed as a politician who can talk owls out of a tree since his single speech the “Two Americas", was highly touted during the 2004 Primary campaign as a great speaker. On the strength of his one speech describing the state of poverty here in the United states, Edwards became a top 2004 primary contender and was later selected by popular demand as the Vice Presidential candidate by John Kerry, then the nominee.
Edwards is one who can pump a crowd up with his Trial Attorney manner of setting up a jury. He'll tell his crowd what they want to hear, and in that respect appears to have an innate quality to understand what that something is. Former Sen. Edwards is a trained public speaker, and effective speechifying is one of the major tools that allowed him to earn his personal fortune which in turn provided him with the ability to go forth into politics.
.....and so, we find in the billing of the DNC Winter meeting, sandwiched between two speaking legends, a non politician who the media had quickly labeled "not ready for primetime" during his initial foray into elective politics. It is, in fact, this specific meme that greatly hampered Clark during the 2004 primaries; the media had pre-labeled him and used the tag whenever it wanted to discourage those who might have been curious about the Democratic General. It should be said that Wes Clark still ended up doing rather well in those primaries despite the odds.
Gen. Clark background was initially that of a lifelong soldier trained to give orders. It can be said that Clark's diplomatic abilities to quietly converse with both world allies and adversaries at a negotiating table also didn't necessarily prepare him for the job of political orator. This art was a new challenge to be learned on the fly just a few short years ago.
The General's early classical debate training at Wes Point did prepare him for a formal and non personal manner of speaking but not that of a politician. This training must have been of some help but could not be a substitute to compete with the likes of lifelong courtroom attorneys and seasoned politicians. Clark learned to persuade based on providing facts and information; not based on arousing and agitating via emotional public appeals.
The DNC line-up for the 2007 Winter Meeting, instead of having the 3 top contenders (Obama, Edwards and Hillary) back to back in order to contrast and compare, chose to insert Wes Clark between two of them. There are some of his supporters who looked upon his placement on the speech roster as a great testament to Clark's abilities. Personally, I looked at it as a possible set up to benefit the two speakers that he was placed smack dab in the middle of. Obama being easily the most difficult speaker to follow, and Edwards, who would need a break between himself and Obama as to not provide the contrast that might sell him short (as Edwards speaking feats have never been thought of as consistent following his disappointing 2004 Dem Primary convention performance).
In addition, the roster listed Kucinich going before Hillary, providing her with a big ass break, IMO, as Kucinich's speaking style does not arouse in a way remotely close to that of either Obama or Edwards.
So me...I take my hat off to Wes Clark who did not flinch or hesitate. The man, undeterred, walked in, performed his duty very effectively, and walked out. He did not receive any standing Os...but then, he wasn't telling the crowd to stand up either....and he hadn't been touted by the media for months and months as a contender, let alone in the top tier.
And so I ask that you attempt this exercise; isolate Clark's speech away from where it was inserted, and see what you truly think. I consider this speech as an introduction as to who Clark is, aimed at those uninformed voters who never really got to know the General. It is a speech that covers for a large length the seriousness of war and what it truly means. Certainly, I didn't find it to be one of his better speeches in certain respects. I have heard him throw out much more "red meat" and convey domestic policy issues at other venues. This speech was much more quiet and reflective. The usually humble public servant spoke of himself and his accomplishments more than he had in the past. Certainly the speech’s length didn't enable him to list all that he has done that would have given meaningful insight as to why he should run (something the others are not handicapped with, as the media has already talked of the qualities to death).
Personally, I found Wes Clark to be no lightweight in this self taught art of political speech giving. Instead, I believe that, along with the other long list of valuable attributes that he offers (that others can't) as a presidential candidate, Wes Clark clearly showed to anyone who was listening that he is indeed ready for primetime along with the political current crème de la crème front running crop.
Watch the speech here.... http://securingamerica.com/
Lyrics to:
I Won't Back DownWell I won't back down, no I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back downVerse 2
Gonna stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground and I won't back downChorus
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground and I won't back downVerse 3
Well I know what's right, I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I stand my ground and I won't back downChorus
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
Hey I will stand my ground and I won't back down
No I won't back down.
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/cash-johnny/i-wont-back-down-750.html
