28 Wesley Clark Quotes on Politics

Wesley Clark quotes on politics

1. I am saying what I believe. And I'm being drawn into the political process because of what I believe and what I've said about it. So it's precisely the opposite of a man like Tom DeLay, who is only motivated by politics and says whatever he needs to say to get the political purpose. And so, you know, it couldn't be more diametrically opposed, and I couldn't be more opposed than I am to Tom DeLay. You know, Wolf, when our airmen were flying over Kosovo, Tom DeLay led the House Republicans to vote not to support their activities, when American troops were in combat. To me, that's a real indicator of a man who is motivated not by patriotism or support for the troops, but for partisan political purposes.

2. We live in a liberal democracy....That's what we created in this country. I think we should be very clear on this. You know, this country was founded on the principles of the Enlightenment... It was the idea that people could talk, reason, have dialogue, discuss the issues. It wasn't founded on the idea that someone would get struck by a divine inspiration and know everything right from wrong. I mean, people who founded this country had religion, they had strong beliefs, but they believed in reason, in dialogue, in civil discourse. We can't lose that in this country. We've got to get it back.

3. But you don't have a chance if you can't find a job. I don't think it penetrates the minds of this Administration what it must be like for a factory worker to arrive home to his family with the news that he's been laid off. What it must be like not to know what the future holds for your children, because you don't know what the future holds for you. What it must be like to see the government take hundreds of billions of dollars that could be used to fund job training, unemployment benefits, or jobs programs - and instead to send that money off to people who have such staggering wealth that the new money won't make the tiniest improvement in their lifestyle. What it must be like to be told that tax cuts for the rich are necessary to create jobs for working people, and then to see jobs fall month after month for more than 30 months. If that doesn't break your heart, you don't have a heart.

4. Nothing could be a more serious violation of public trust than to consciously make a war based on false claims.

6. I think General Eisenhower was exactly right, I think we should be concerned about the military-industrial complex. I think if you look at where the country is today you've consolidated all these defense firms into just a few large firms - like Halliburton - and with contracts and contacts at the top level of government. You've got most of the retired generals are one way or another associated with the defense firms - that's the reason that you'll find very few of them speaking out in any public way - I'm not. When I got out I determined I wasn't going to sell arms, I was going to do as little as possible with the Department of Defense because I just figured it was time to make a new start. But I think the military-industrial complex does wield a lot of influence - I'd like to see us create a different complex. And I'm going to be talking about foreign policy in a major speech tomorrow, but we need to create an agency that is not about waging war but about creating conditions for peace around the world. We need some people who will be advocates for peace, advocates for economic development abroad, not just advocates for better weapon systems. So we need to create countervailing power to the military-industrial complex.

7. I think we're at a time in American history that's probably analogous to, maybe, Rome before the first emperors, when the Republic started to fall... I think if you look at the pattern of events, if you look at the disputed election of 2000, can you imagine? In America, people are trying to recount ballots and a partisan mob is pounding on the glass and threatening the counters? Can you imagine that? Can you imagine a political party which does its best to keep any representatives from another party - who've even been affiliated with another party - from getting a business job in the nation's capital? Can you imagine a political party that wants to redistrict so that its opponents can be driven out entirely?...it's a different time in America and the Republic is - this election is about a lot more than jobs. I'm not sure everybody in America sees it right now. But I see it, I feel it.

8. I don't have labels. I believe in human beings, I believe in a strong national security, I believe in maximizing freedom... I can give you a whole list of things i'm for, but I believe in solving problems. I guess, more than anything else, I'm a pragmatist with strong beliefs in people.

9. I'm not running to bash George Bush. A lot of Americans really love him. They love what he represents, a man who's overcome adversity in his life from alcoholism and pulled his marriage back together and - and moved forward. But I'm running because I think this country must have better leadership in moving forward.

10. The time has passed in America when this party can be the party of compassion and let the executive branch run foreign policy. It won't work. We have to be the party that can stand toe to toe with George W. Bush on national security, as well as the party of compassion.

11. I made the decision that I couldn't not run. I had to run. This country is in great danger. It's in great difficulty. It's being taken the wrong way by a leadership team that has no real vision for the country other than trying to posture and pose and aim for winning the next election. I think Americans deserve a more visionary, a more selfless and a more dedicated leadership than that.

12. Well, last I checked, there was no 'if' in the 15th Amendment. One person one vote isn't just a slogan - it's the highest law of this land. As president, I will not rest until every single American can cast their vote, and every single one of those votes is counted. We shouldn't have to wait for another Florida to fully fund election reform.

13. George W. Bush has helped those who have most, hurt those who have least and ignored everyone in between.

14. Maybe it's because I've never been in politics, but I don't believe that America is run by politicians in Washington. I believe it's run by people like us, in places like this.

15. I believe in open, honest government, where we hold our leaders accountable. I believe in putting the national interests over the special interests. I believe in putting principle above politics. The bottom line: I believe we can do better. I believe we must do better. And if the system's broke - fix it.

16. I've forgotten more about national security than George W. Bush will ever learn.

18. G. Gordon Liddy says that Democrats haven't given the president enough credit. I think the president deserves full credit. In fact I think he should be held fully accountable.

20. ... they said, 'Sir, we want to tell you a joke.' I said, 'You don't have time to tell me a joke.' They said, 'Oh, you gotta hear this one.' So I came in, they shut the door, and they said, 'Here's'- I said, 'What's the joke?' I said, 'What's the joke?' They said, '9/11. Saddam Hussein. If he didn't do it, too bad. He should've! Because we're gonna get him anyway.' I said, 'But that's not funny.' I said, 'That's not very funny.' They said, 'It sure isn't.'

23. They killed in the name of God. But they are not the first. This began in pre-history; the tragedy is that it persists today. Some would characterize the events of 9-11 as a clash of civilizations, and a conflict of religions. And to many it seems a simple and satisfying explanation. But others would suggest, correctly in my view, that such an interpretation is both wrong-headed and dangerous. They recognize a civil war within Islam itself, as contending factions compete for power. They would argue that we must influence the struggle where we can, by supporting greater attention to the secular structures in the Islamic world, and by encouraging our own American Islamic community to speak out in support of America's democratic values. Ultimately, your generation will have the decisive voice. You will determine whether rage or reason guides the United States in the struggle to come. You will choose whether we are known for revenge or compassion. You will choose whether we, too, will kill in the name of God, or whether in His Name, we can find a higher civilization and a better means of settling our differences. And this is not a new choice, not for your generation - it is a choice that many others have faced throughout history. Only now, we can hope that with your help and engagement we can find a new answer.

31. I'm pro-choice, pro-affirmative action, pro-environment and pro-labor. I was either going to be the loneliest Republican in America, or I was going to be a happy Democrat.

33. Somebody once told me in business that when you're going to negotiate a business deal, you stake out your position and stand on it! Don't go in there and ask what they want. Say, 'Here's what I want!' You've got a Republican Party under Gingrich and Tom DeLay that says, 'Here's what I want.' Then you've got the Democrats over here saying, 'Yeah, ah, yeah, we could, some of what you say makes pretty good sense.' The result is the American people don't see the full spectrum. Before the 2002 election there were a lot of Democratic politicians apparently who said, 'I don't have the information. I can't battle with the president on the information. He's got the intelligence. What if there is a smoking gun in there? I can't fight the president in my congressional district.' What we've got to do is stake out our position. For instance on tax reform, stop saying you agree with simplification of the tax code. : We stand for progressive taxation. We're proud of it. If you make more, you should pay more, period!

34. The American people will trust the Democratic Party to defend America when they believe that Democrats will defend other Democrats.

35. I've never endorsed a presidential candidate before. But when I talk to General Clark, and when I listen to him, I can see him as a president for all Americans.

37. Wes Clark is a man of whom you can ask a question, and he will look you directly in the eye, and give you the most truthful and complete answer you can imagine. You will know the absolute truth of the statement as well as the thought process behind the answer. You will have no doubt as to the intellect of the speaker and meaning of the answer to this question....So you can see, as a politician, he has a lot to learn.

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

39. To those who say that Wes Clark has never held political office: anyone who can command NATO, and keep all those forces together, and win that war without losing one American life, knows what it means to hold political office.

41. There are a lot of good Democrats in this race. But Wes Clark is the best Democrat. He is a true progressive. He's the Democrat's Democrat. I've been around the political block - and I can tell you, I know a true progressive when I see one. And that's why he has my vote.

42. I've read his environmental statement. It's very good, and I agree with it. Clark's environmental position is spelled out very well and it hits the important points. He handles the tough questions better than anyone else.

46. The corporate scandals of the last two years have shown us that we need to bring a new standard of openness to government and to business. I believe Wes Clark will play it straight with the American people. The Bush administration has put the fox in charge of the hen house time and again, placing former industry advocates in charge of the very government organizations that should be policing them. We have seen the results of such cronyism: the average working American loses, the average retiree loses, the environment loses, the average investor loses. We need a leader who will stand up for our interests and not the special interests. I think Wes Clark is that leader.

47. I asked a whole lot of my friends who were generals and colonels and majors, who served over General Clark and under General Clark and every last one of them said to me that this is a good man, and if he were leading our nation they would be proud. [He is a] son of the South capable of making a dangerous world a safer place for everybody. A man we are going to make the next president of the United States.