GENERAL CLARK PRAISED CONDI, POWELL, RUMSFELD AND BUSH: 'WE NEED THEM THERE' **World Exclusive** Democratic presidential hopeful General Wesley Clark offered lavish praise for the Bush Administration and its key players in a speech to Republicans -- just two years ago, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal! MORE During extended remarks delivered at the Pulaski County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 11, 2001, General Clark declared: "And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice... people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We need them there." A video of Clark making the comments has surfaced, DRUDGE can reveal. MORE Clark praised Reagan for improving the military: "We were really helped when President Ronald Reagan came in. I remember non-commissioned officers who were going to retire and they re-enlisted because they believed in President Reagan." Clark continued: "That's the kind of President Ronald Reagan was. He helped our country win the Cold War. He put it behind us in a way no one ever believed would be possible. He was truly a great American leader. And those of us in the Armed Forces loved him, respected him, and tremendously admired him for his great leadership." Clark on President George Bush: "President George Bush had the courage and the vision... and we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and statesmanship." Clark on American military involvement overseas: "Do you ever ask why it is that these people in these other countries can't solve their own problems without the United States sending its troops over there? And do you ever ask why it is the Europeans, the people that make the Mercedes and the BMW's that got so much money can't put some of that money in their own defense programs and they need us to do their defense for them?" "And I'll tell you what I've learned from Europe is that are a lot of people out in the world who really, really love and admire the United States. Don't you ever believe it when you hear foreign leaders making nasty comments about us. That's them playing to their domestic politics as they misread it. Because when you talk to the people out there, they love us. They love our values. They love what we stand for in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights." Impacting...
It was reported today that the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for Clinton, Gen. Hugh Shelton, offered comments at a college forum that Clark was recalled from europe over "character and integrity issues". No wonder he's Clinton's favorite general. Shelton also added that he wouldn't be voting for "Wes", even though he's known him and worked with him for many years. This disaster follows a horrifying first few days of "official" campaigning, during which Clark demonstrated he either couldn't recall his core beliefs or just hasn't thought very deeply about the very issues he's supposed to be running on. He changed his position on the wisdom of Iraq two or three times in the first two days. As much as I detest politicians, there is something to be said for having candidates who are at least minimally professional.