Listening to the Democrat candidates for President on the radio last night, my girlfriend commented on how much she dislikes politicians because they all sound the same (there Gabrielle, I mentioned you). In this instance, the front runners were promising to change Washington if elected President, and presenting themselves as political outsiders.
A quick Google search using "Wesley Clark" and "Washington outsider" yields a number of search results. One result links to a CNN report from 27 January 2004 that quotes Clark as saying, "I'm an outsider. I'm not part of the problem in Washington. I've never taken money from a lobbyist. I've never cut a deal for votes".
My particular interest in General Clark was driven by an article in this morning's Washington Post providing a rather detailed history of his lobbying on behalf of a number of technology companies, and the considerable money he was paid for his efforts. The article also mentions how Clark used Washington connections- Colin Powell for example- in his job search after leaving the Army.
None of the activities reported in the Washington Post article are illegal. In fact, if one parses the final three sentences of his quotation above (and we have learned the importance of parsing in this post-Clinton world), one could conclude that they are not inconsistent with his lobbying and job search activities. But the first sentence, "I'm an outsider." is so obviously untrue as to be laughable.
Posted by publius at January 29, 2004 05:01 PM