Speaking at the Netroots Nations conference in Austin, TX, Thursday, General Wesley Clark thanked the audience of Democratic activists for coming to his aid when the "right-wing freak show" launched a smear campaign about him after his "Face the Nation" remarks about John McCain.

"I was taken out of context. There is just no other way to say it. Someone said to me 'This is a playbook operation by the right wing freak machine, the great freak show where they take a statement, distort it, blast it out of context and make it personal. They are so good at it they did all three steps in three hours and you fought back and I'm grateful for you from the bottom of my heart."