It Makes a Difference to the Sheep

THE WIT AND WISDOM OF WESLEY CLARK. (link courtesy of Andrew Sullivan) Snippets:

A Man Who Remembers the Little People: It's like what we did in the military when we went to the motor pool and talked to the troops — only better.

A Man With a Mission: I miss being in the Army. It's a wonderful thing to have a team, to have a mission, to build a sense of purpose, to see a plan come together.

A Man of Peace: Let's make one thing real clear, I would never have voted for this war. I've gotten a very consistent record on this.

A Man of War: At the time, I probably would have voted for [war in Iraq], but I think that's too simple a question.

A Man of Peace and War, but probably War: I've said it both ways because when you get into this, what happens is you have to put yourself in a position -- on balance, I probably would have voted for it.

A Man of Peace now, and War later: That having been said, I was against the war as it emerged because there was no reason to start it when we did.

A Man of Peace after all: I never would have voted for war. What I would have voted for is leverage. Leverage for the United States to avoid a war. That's what we needed to avoid a war.

This does not so much disparage General Clark, a figure that I know very little about, as it disparages our political process that demands that politicians in general and candidates in particular make definitive statements on complex issues that are no more than two lines (our attentions spans are too short for anything long), and that are utterly consistent with anything else the person has ever said in his or her lifetime (context doesn't matter; evolving views don't matter; responding to the public needs and desires that said politician is supposed to represent doesn't matter). And yet, somehow, the system seems to work (sort of).

UPDATE: Ronald Bailey gets it.

Clark utters meaningless bromides and gets a boost in his poll numbers. Why? Like Chauncey Gardiner, Clark is an empty vessel and as such Democrats can project any of their fantasies and hopes onto him. I am not saying that Clark is retarded; he is a very accomplished man. However, Clark evidently believes like almost all other professional politicians and their spinmeisters that the only way to get elected in 21st century America is to act like Chauncey Gardiner and make a lot of pretty noises, but say nothing. I fear that they could be right.