Karl Rove had to be cursing the day that John Edwards ever decided to have that blasted affair. Had he but resisted the temptation (or had he not gotten caught)... Karl would never have found himself stuck in the pickle of a predicament he was in on Friday night at the University of Buffalo – Facing down General Wes Clark in a clash of the Titans. Two men who have undoubtedly carved their footprints on American history.

RECAP from UCLA Rogue States Conference PART I:

Just in case anyone forgot, here is Part 1:
http://securingamerica.com/ccn/node/15014

And seeing as I was so late getting to Part 2 (insert very guilty faced emoticon) I thought you could use a recap. You can hopefully understand when you scroll down, and down, and down… why this took so long to pull together. Transcribing is a painstaking exercise in patience and rewind…

This intro is snipped from Part 1 to refresh your memory.

Wes returns yet again, March 11, to UCLA Burkle Center for a Conference on Rogue States and how best to address them via our foreign policy.

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ROGUE STATES CONFERENCE PART I-

I arrived on campus around 2:30, just as the ABC and CBS trucks were packing up their gear to pull out (I have this effect on the media….) After Bill Richardson’s address – which I could not attend. I snuck into the large conference hall just as Panel 3 had gotten underway and grabbed the nearest seat in the back of the room – trusty recorder in hand. Dr. Suphamnonghkhuo (hereafter known as “Dr. S”) was discussing the famous six party talks with N. Korea while a man two rows in front of me was busily scrolling through his Blackberry…. Waitaminute! I know the back of that head--It’s Wes! And of course- I somehow always find myself lurking just behind him, over his shoulder, making it all the more difficult to dispel that notion of me being a Zelig-ian Wes-stalker. He turned around at one point -- smiled and waved. “Hi Wes!”. I mouthed. He must be used to looking behind him in L.A. by now to find the obligatory blond with tape recorder and notebook….

Picking up where we left off-- in the jam packed 2nd story classroom at UCLA Public Affairs Bldg- Wes had just finished telling his slipping on the icy runway story from his own Presidential campaign of 2004. He recounted how the photographer had caught him, sure enough, at just the worst moment. The whole room cracked up with his physical reenactment of the slide, then settled down for the next sobering question from a young man who asks;

Q: What’s your opinion of John McCain’s foreign policy?

It wasn’t until right before Wes was scheduled to speak that I learned I would be able to attend. The event had been booked full already for days, and I had meetings to move around even if I could go. After a series of frantic last minute calls to UCLA media relations dept and then to the public affairs offices-- I finally got my clearance at the very last minute. I dropped everything to dash off to UCLA-- in record time.

Great Day for a Hike

VITAL STATS FIRST: White shirt, Navy jacket, gold buttons on cuffs, red
dotted tie again! Mrs. Clark: Pistachio green scoop neck top and tan pants, looking lovely. They are so beautiful together, they radiate love. It sounds corny, but it's true....

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General Clark has been hopping all over Los Angeles in the past few
days, appearing here and there, no rest for the weary. I heard he even
spoke at Ron Burkle's estate again this week... which had me pondering
if perhaps the reason I was not invited back was because last time I

For the HBO deprived (---how DO you do it?): Dark suit, white shirt, red tie with little dots on it. Looking rested and fabulous.

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OBSERVATIONS

Wes can sometimes be too polite in a panel setting.

Andrew Sullivan commits Blogger Cardinal Sin -- he critiques legislation without ever having read it.

Martina Navratilova is very tall and does not like being wedged in the middle of a conflict...

PRE SHOW

BLUE SKIES... SHININ' ON ME... NOTHIN' BUT BLUE SKIES--- DO I SEE!

General Clark always ushers the blue skies into Los Angeles with his visits, and we smog breathers do so appreciate it. Parking lot #3 is a nice long walk from Dodd Hall along the gorgeous UCLA Campus grounds -- it gives you a chance to stroll through the lush sculpture gardens en route and just breathe in the crisp fall air.

The hallway at Dodd was already filled up with students and people waiting to get in when I arrived --a half hour early. I bought a copy of Time to Lead just as the doors to the lecture hall were opened -- and in we went. This time was different from his usual UCLA events as I noticed the crowd comprised of primarily students. It was refreshing to see so many of them so eager to hear Wes speak.

For those of us who grew up as children of the Cold War; who can recall scrambling for cover beneath our school desks in air raid drills should we be attacked by nukes from Cuba... (Hey Mom.....Where’s Cuba?)

For those of us who thought those nightmares and daymares were but bad memories that we’d now advanced past into a new, more secure world-- more capable of protecting against such threats...

A perfectly clear, sunny, 68 degree L.A. winter day presented itself for the General at UCLA Law School this afternoon. I arrived about 20 minutes early and was politely ushered by event organizer Elsie Walton to the taped off Media section in the first three rows. I chatted with people as they came in, familiar and un. A young writer for the L.A.Times plopped down to my right— Francisco Vara-Orta, with long, straight black hair, notebook and pen poised for action. (Google alerters; keep an eye out for his article, coming soon.)

The UCLA Media Relations representative, Claudia Luther, graciously asked if we needed anything--- I almost imagined for a brief moment I was the ‘legitimate press’. Should I ask for lunch? :P Being this was a lecture on legitimacy, I decided to blend in. To fantasize about a day when the line between bloggers and MSM would blur enough so that we could crossover into each others’ territories seamlessly.