RAPID FIRE - Silver Bullets

During the last presidential Democratic Primary, there was what I would term a "swiftboat whisper campaign" that began as soon as General Clark, the most decorated officer since Eisenhower, decided to enter the presidential race. Whisper campaigns are what members of the GOP do best (see Bush vs. McCain, Bush vs. Kerry. Allen vs. Webb), in particular to anyone who threatens their monopoly on National Defense or their political well being and in most cases if there is little else in harmful "noise" at hand.

The attempted swiftboating campaign revolved around the unsubstantiated opinion of one General Hugh Shelton who uttered a smear against General Clark when asked if he would vote for the man. Gen. Shelton, a Republican, who just happened to have been the military advisor for John Edwards, another Democratic candidate who was running at the time, responded by attacking Wes Clark's integrity and character but conveniently left out the fact that it was he, Shelton, who had played a major role in Clark's early retirement in 2000.

John Edwards was queried in writing by the Clark campaign as to why he would directly associate with someone speaking nonsubstantiated smears against one of his Democratic challengers yet call himself a "positive" campaigner? "By associating with General Shelton on this campaign, you seem to have given in to the negative politics that you say you have risen above," Clark's Communications Director wrote to John Edwards.....to which John Edwards snootily replied without really addressing the issue of the smear; "Whatever your personal views on General Shelton, I'm sure you agree that he is a respected military leader who served our country with distinction".

Although Shelton never publicly elaborated further than his initial statement, low and behold, our Corporate press didn't "bother" to request further clarification from Shelton, , but instead went on the hunt, armed with the smear, to locate co-operating opinions from the rest of the military brass. As hard as "they" tried, "they" couldn't find any other high ranking generals to back up Shelton's comments, and "they" had to dig deep to find a few who had never worked with the General, but had "heard" of him. In fact, what the press found was that many of the General's cohorts held and hold the General in High opinion.

General Colin Powell on CNN - 9/28/03: "I've known Wes Clark for 20 years. He's one of the most gifted soldiers that I have ever had work for me. And beyond that, I really feel it's appropriate for me to recuse myself from any further comment now that he is a political candidate."
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0309/28/le.00.html

The Late Col. David Hackworth who initially pinned the "Perfumed Prince" tag on Clark, but later recanted commented on the whispers...."No big surprise, since he graduated first in his class from West Point , which puts him in the super-smart set with Robert E. Lee, Douglas MacArthur and Maxwell Taylor."
'All this book leanin' is unbecoming for an officer. The yankees got all the smart ones, and look where it got them."
http://www.command-post.org/oped/2_archives/008539.html

General McCaffrey:
"(He-Clark) is probably the most intelligent officer I ever served with," McCaffrey said. "(He has) great integrity, sound judgment and great kindness in dealing with people. He is a public servant of exceptional character and skill."
http://www.projo.com/extra/2003/candidates/content/projo_20030921_wpclark.6873b.html
McCaffrey told the Washington Post: "This is no insult to army culture ... but he was way too bright, way too articulate, way too good looking and perceived to be way too wired to fit in with our culture."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1044293,00.html
"I have watched him at close range for 35 years, in which I have looked at the allegation, and I found it totally unsupported," said retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who taught with Clark at West Point in the 1970s. "That's not to say he isn't ambitious and quick. He is probably among the top five most talented I've met in my life. I think he is a national treasure who has a lot to offer the country."
McCaffrey acknowledges that Clark was not the most popular four-star general among the Army leadership. "This is no insult to Army culture, a culture I love and admire," McCaffrey said, "but he was way too bright, way too articulate, way too good-looking and perceived to be way too wired to fit in with our culture. He was not one of the good old boys."
http://www.projo.com/extra/2003/candidates/content/projo_20030921_wpclark.6873b.html

In this day and age being heralded as an everyday plain ol’ ordinary Superstar Hero is a “mixed” bag, at best. In particular if it is the media that’s doing the heralding. One only has to recall the initial stories on Iraq Hero Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch and Afghanistan/football Hero Pat Tillman . The hero status given to these two young people was somewhat reworked by the facts and their initially reported heroics were long ago toned down; for Lynch, because the original heroic notion didn’t stand the test of the facts , and for Tillman, because what made him an hero became overshadowed by a possible cover up with his death while serving in Afghanistan. We should remember that Pat Tillman’s earned hero status because he freely chose to join the Armed Forces although he could have earned star status as a pro on a football field and gotten big bucks instead. However, disputed controversies does not a Hero make, and Pat Tillman heroic act was layed to rest as to not bring attention to nefarious governmental actions. In any case, it cannot be disputed that for different reasons, both Lynch's and Tillman's “hero” status were repackaged to simply --Two young brave people no longer talked about as the paragon of glorified hero-hood.

The media currently has three high profiled “heroes” that they showcase consistently. Coincidently these “heroes” just all happen to be rumored or confirmed candidates in the quickly approaching 2008 presidential race. All have had the hero label surgically implanted by the corporate media as though it is part of their names; POW War Hero Sen. John McCain , 9/11 NY Mayor Hero Rudi Giuliani , and Common/Poor Man’s Hero John Edwards who's legendary feat in the name of poverty are still "a work in progress".

These notables' are fortunate that the media is heralding them as "special", but my questions is, are they really heroes, or are they just wearing the label gifted them by the media or bolder still, that they have crafted themselves?

I’m one who looks beyond the labels to the facts surrounding the pronouncements and since Hero Rudi’s profile in courage has come under scrutiny as of late , I”m wondering how much longer he will be allowed to keep his title?

In reference to McCain, I believe that his profile in courage as a POW has been questioned for many years, althought the media has yet questioned their gift to him. There are those souls who would prefer to simply calling John McCain a “survivor” rather than a Hero.

In terms of concrete actions for the poor, prior to his 4 years run for the presidency, I can’t locate anything in John Edwards' 6 years legislative record worth mentioning in reference to the direct issue of his assisting the poor. Certainly Edwards’ has made many laudable statements in reference to poverty since late 2003, and effectively gained himself a short lived gig at a poverty center as proof which isn’t a bad thing, but Heroics are based on much more than what comes out of someone’s mouth when they speak, or situations created after the fact of making their grand aspirations known. Heroes are about action; actions performed while incurring personal risk. In the three men I have listed and who have been lauded as heroes, I find no such documented chosen risks.

In fact, what exactly is a Hero defined, and what does the word really mean?

he·ro (hîr'ōo) Pronunciation Key , n. pl. he·roes
1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.
2. A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war.
3. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field: the heroes of medicine. See Synonyms at celebrity.
4. The principal male character in a novel, poem, or dramatic presentation.
5. Chiefly New York City See submarine. See Regional Note at submarine.

I personally choose the number 2 definition of the meaning; “A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of p urpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life”.....and I would add one additional phrase.... and sacrificed personal comfort. In searching for profiles of heroes, I find a couple, but not the ones heralded and labeled so by the media.

John Kerry really was a bonafide hero of presidential timber, from all that I see. Not so much for his (now controversial and unfairly disputed) stunt in the military as so much what he did when he returned from serving his country. John Kerry took risk, layed aside personal comfort, and testified and agitated against a controversial war in 1971. That was 35 years ago, but John Kerry is still a hero specifically for this act, to this day. Certainly if the John Kerry that was so ready to sacrifice himself for a cause he believed in had manifested in a forceful form in 2004, John Kerry should and could have been president...which goes to confirm my suspicion of the media; one who was hero yesterday, may not be tomorrow's.

A personal favorite hero of mine is Gen. Wesley Clark. His is a story that repeats Hero several time over a life span. Certainly Clark was a Hero based on his Vietnam valor, having been shot 4 times and still managing to lead his platoon to safety.

So what has Wes Clark done to deserve my Hero label? Well, there are several things, which is why this is a multiple part series. I'll start with this story here written up in an Esquire article, based on Richard Holbrook’s book, “To End a War”.

Stories of Gen.Wesley Clark’s background, tribulations and acts of heroism.....

Family Background--Wesley Clark was born Wesley Jay Kanne on December 23, 1944 at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. His mother, Venteta Updegraff, was an Arkansas native from a large family. Her father was a lumber mill worker and both of her parents were born in Arkansas. Pretty and independent, she left home at eighteen and took a job as a stenographer, eventually moving north to Chicago after a short marriage and divorce. Wesley’s father, Benjamin Kanne, was an attorney who worked for the city as legal consul and in private practice. Benjamin’s parents were Russian Jews that had immigrated to the United States to escape the pogroms of the late 1800’s. His legal career was intertwined with his involvement in politics; he made a run for a seat on the city council while an assistant prosecutor and as alderman of the Fourth Ward in 1927. He was a Delegate at the 1932 Democratic Convention. When Veneta and Benjamin married in 1939, they entered into a “mixed marriage”; Veneta was a Methodist and Benjamin a Reform Jew.

In 1948, the family was shocked when Benjamin died in his sleep of heart failure, despite apparent good health. He was only 51 years old. Clark remembers, “My father was a tremendous influence in my life, and then one night he read to me, and I woke up in the middle of the night and there were a lot of adults in the apartment. They kept me from going in the bedroom, and that was the night he died.”

Veneta said the memories of her surroundings were too painful and decided to return to Little Rock. She was not close to the Kanne clan and living in Chicago was expensive. Left with little after her husband’s death, she took a job as a secretary at a local bank and moved into her parent’s apartment, depending on them to watch over Wesley while she was at work (her father had now retired). Working full-time, she eventually saved enough money to buy a home in the upscale neighborhood of Pulaski Heights and brought her parents with her. “I was the poorest kid in the richest neighborhood” in Little Rock, recalled Clark.

Fearing the prejudice her son would encounter in Arkansas, Veneta made the decision to keep his Jewish ancestry hidden, even from Wesley himself. Clark would not learn of this until he was a young adult.
http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/index.php/Wesley_Clark

Youth -- Wes joined the Boys Club when he was seven years old, originally attending a class to overcome his speech impediment, it became a central part of his life. Here he took up swimming, which he excelled in, socialized, became a camp counselor and found a father figure, Jimmy Miller. Miller, who was the swimming coach and ran the Kwanis summer camp, was committed to instilling in the boys under his charge ideals of character and leadership. He found an eager student in young Wesley, who attended his Saturday leadership classes. Clark has retold the story of Miller’s challenge to a group of boys to jump to from a high bridge to the water below, an activity Miller indulged in himself, which he assured them was safe. Those who dared would be allowed to become camp counselors. They had been skinny dipping at the time and the approach of a car full of women gave the incentive that had been floundering. Wes took the leap. “The afterglow lasted a good two weeks, at least. Or maybe forty years. You have to have courage and faith. And you have to expect to go through some trials to be a leader.” As a counselor with 16 boys under his charge, Clark found satisfaction in learning the basics of leadership. He would go on to win the Boys Club “Boy of the Year” award, chosen out of 5,400 members. http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/index.php/Wesley_Clark

More than 40 years ago, a high school swim team here showed up one man short for a state meet. Everyone assumed they would forfeit the relay race -- the organizers, the school, even the team, which was resigned to loser status. But the teenage captain had a different plan.

Young Wes Clark announced that he would swim twice in the relay so the team could compete.

"I just couldn't believe it -- no one could. I was ready to forfeit," said Phillip McMath, a member of that team and today a Little Rock attorney. "But the guy just won't let himself lose, and he doesn't tolerate failure in others."

Wes Clark won the relay for Hall High School that day, demonstrating the traits that would define his life and his career: a supreme confidence in himself, an absolute disregard for conventional wisdom and a relentless force of will. Those gifts, and an undisputed brilliance, would carry him through a modest childhood shaped by profound loss, through West Point to the highest levels of the Army, and into the presidential race today -- his first foray into politics.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A45166-2003Oct18?language=printer

Mr. Clark-- Veneta met and eventually married Victor Clark, a bank vice-president, in 1954. He was divorced and had one son from his previous marriage. He also had a drinking problem, which he overcame, but not before it had ruined his banking career. His employment thereafter was sporadic and Veneta was often the sole breadwinner for the family. Those periods were stressful for the family, Clark remembers. “I loved him dearly, but he hardly ever made any money because he’d been divorced and was an alcoholic. And he just had a hard time getting a job that was commensurate, really, with his ability.

Let it be known that Wes Clark, because of his academic brilliance really could have gone to college anywhere. It is clear to those who know even a little about him, he could have become whatever he chose. He liberally chose service to his country. He was quoted as saying, "It was my belief in service that led me to West Point. It was the year after John F. Kennedy admonished us to ask not what our country could do for us, but what we could do for our country...."