CA 11

Wesley Clark interview with Al Franken

Below is an excerpt from that interview where Clark talks about Steve Filson's run and who he's running against. I listen to Franken all the time and Al's immediate reaction to hearing Pombo's name was sweet. Pombo is the guy all Democrats are fighting against this year.

Franken: So what are we doing to help these veterans run?

Clark: Well what we've got is – we've got some Political Action Committees and we've got a lot of people out there helping and the Democratic Party Leadership has been very good in supporting them but you have to realize these are people, by and large, are in their first political race ever. They don't understand press conferences - how to use a media consultant. They don't understand – and I know how they feel - because that's the way I was last time.

Franken: Well you ran for President with your first run for office.

Clark: It's a really, really steep learning curve – let's put it that way. And so they are out there doing it – they're doing it against some hardcore Republican opponents. I was out in San Francisco last week advocating support for Steve Filson. Steve's a former Navy carrier pilot who flew fighter planes. He flew A7's and A4's off aircraft carriers for 8 years then he joined United Airlines. He's a United Airlines captain now. And he's laying everything on the line to run for Congress – and you kow – he's never done anything like this before. He was a leader in the Unions – he worked with the Airline Pilots association at united to try to help them get throught the strike and so forth – but he hasn't run for elected office so this is a huge venture out. He needs help from all the people who are his friends – he needs the Party support – and he's got an incumbent opponent – a guy named Pombo -

Franken: Oh Gosh – Yeah - He's Terrible

Clark: Who is a hardcore – you know – Tom DeLay kind of a guy

Franken: Well he's also a very very hardcore anti-environmentalist.

Clark: Right.

Franken: Who wants to unravel the Endangered Species Act and all that kind of stuff. That's a – yeah – oh man. [still horrified at mention of Pombo's name]

posted by brian @ 9:27 AM