AP: Clark Set to Enter 2004 Presidential Race

[wndycty]

Clark Set to Enter 2004 Presidential Race

By RON FOURNIER
AP Political Writer

September 11, 2003, 2:05 PM EDT

WASHINGTON -- Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark has told friends he is likely to
become the 10th Democratic presidential candidate, a move that could shake up
the
crowded field just four months before the first ballots are cast.

Clark, 58, has not made a final decision, but the Arkansas resident has begun
to
recruit campaign staff and plans to announce his intentions next week, friends
and
party officials said on condition of anonymity.

He could still put the brakes on a campaign, they said.
-snip-

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-clark,0,3086108.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[GainesT1958]

1. There's too much momentum behind this being hinted at from "insiders"...

Looks like he's in it! :kick:

B-)

[clar]

2. Now if only he'd just announce

so that we don't have anymore of these boring speculative Dean/Clark
threads. Instead we can breathlessly anticipate 'Who's campaign is being hurt the most' threads.

I think speculation on this stuff get tedious mighty quickly.

[Robb]

15. I agree

Clark should run, if only for the massive bandwidth we'd save. :)

[trogdor]

17. Yes, I welcome it.

Regardless of who wins the nomination, our candidate will be stronger for having had more vigorous competition. I see it like weight training.

[BiggJawn]

18. Same here.

Stop be "coy" and, as we say in Indiana, "Shit or get OFF the Pot"...

[dennis4868]

3. Run Clark Run....

I would love to watch a debate between 4 STAR GENERAL CLARK and Mr. AWOL/DESSERTER.....I bet after the debates Tweety and the rest of the propoganda machine will be gloating how well Bush did.....haha!

[diplomats]

4. He is running

I think the reason his people are saying it's not 100 percent certain is there wouldn't be any suspense when he actually announces.

[dobak]

5. This is a brilliant strategy

By keeping people guessing, Clark and his staff (you know he already has the people in place) have built up suspense and media coverage.

A perfect plan for someone joining late.

[Ripley]

6. Why can't you accept a VP position?

I would think that Clark wants what is best for America. If he sees Dean/Clark as a sure win against AWOL why don't you?

I know. It hasn't happened yet. But folks, keep your eye on the goal.

[wndycty]

8. I am looking at the goal. . .

. . .and the goal is winning in 2004, and Clark gives the Democrats their best chance.

[tinnypriv]

7. Here is what IMO, I think Clark should do

Run, and align himself against Dean on his left side. i.e. Single-payer health-care, medical pot, left-wing ecnomical plan etc. His defense credentials aren't in doubt, so there is no need to shore up his hawk/centrist support. If he wins the nomination, he is therefore even better than Dean on the issues, and almost impossible to label as a "liberal". He's from the South too, if I remember.

This has two advantages:

1. If he wins, great.
2. If he doesn't, he can still be Dean's VP and that improves Dean two-fold: it makes him appear even more Centrist and gives him an "inclusive" tag.

Dean/Clark as a coalition therefore would bring in centerist/left economics, "hawk moms", swing voters and the ABB base. Not too shabby.

I'm unsure as to whether Clark could actually do this without Dean. Perhaps, but not if he runs in the center on economics - not enough time to take those voters away from Dean IMO.

[spooked]

9. Clark/Clinton Ticket

What do you think?

[union_maid]

10. No, please no Clinton

I'm very happy to keep her as my Senator. I voted for her, will vote for her in the future, I'm sure, but why would we want that kind of baggage? Even if she wasn't a divisive figure, just having been First Lady is kind of weird and incestuous. To be sure, no more so than having been First Ne'er Do Well Son, but why take chances. Plus, Clark could pull in a lot of swing voters. Hillary will chase a lot of them away.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Clark said something disturbing tonight on the Joe Scarborough show

Clark said that our first priority was to win in Iraq. What does that mean? Is this the same thing we heard about "peace with honor" and "showing our resolve" that we heard from more than one American President during the Vietnam debacle?

[RaRa]

12. MIght not be so bad

I didn't hear it, so I don't know what the context was, but look at the other option: losing in Iraq. (Which we are.) Maybe he was just referring to cleaning up shrub's mess. His concern has so often been about our alienation of our allies. "Winning" in Iraq could be restoring U.S. respect for the U.N or something along those lines. The press has been referring to Vietnam alot lately, so I could see this statement as a concern about not letting this fiasco become another Vietnam.

Just my 1.5 cents.

[IndianaGreen]

16. Anything short of an immediate and inconditional withdrawal from Iraq

will achieve nothing other that sink us further into the quagmire, raise the civilian deathtoll, and add more names to a future war memorial in Washington, DC.

The only Democratic candidate that is speaking directly to the need to withdraw from Iraq is Dennis Kucinich.

Clark has fallen into the same "peace with honor" trap that the other candidates have fallen, including Dean. This is the same trap that prevented Presidents Johnson and Nixon from cutting bait in Vietnam, resulting in the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands Vietnamese and Americans.

Let's us not repeat the same mistakes from the past. National egos are not worth one drop of human blood!

[VolcanoJen]

13. Kick

:dem:

I must say, while watching him on Scarborough today, I said to myself, "Well, he sure talks like he's running for president..."

[VolcanoJen]

14. Clark will appear on CNN's "American Morning" today (9/12)

The show begins at 7:00 am, Clark-watchers!

[SharonAnn]

20. He appears in Knoxville tomorrow night, Saturday 13th at the

Knoxville Democrats Truman Dinner as a featured speaker.

[VolcanoJen]

19. Kick!

Let's keep our latest discussion of Clark's potential run consolidated into this thread.

Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator

[MGKrebs]

21. Despite all the rumors, I still say he doesn't run.

I just don't see the logic.

- He may be a better candidate than many (if not all- but we don't really know, do we?), but how much better?
- If he is having this much trouble deciding (reportedly his wife is against it?) how can a General jump in without full conviction?
- With the primaries so early, he will have a big hole to climb out of fast to get ramped up.
- If this is about building publicity for a run, wouldn't he get much more publicity if he were already a candidate? Many of the other candidates are in the mainstream headlines almost every day.

[THX1138]

22. Clark to decide what he want to be when he grows up by next Tues

This time for REAL

Film at 11:00