maybe not prez but how about vp Wesley Clarke?

[terryg11]

I don't know if he wants either job or is qualified for the top position (although after the precedent that W has set I suppose anyone is qualified) but the background he brings, not to mention the respect factor- the guy was a general in the army and led NATO forces for cryin' out loud- it would seem silly not to try and tap this guy at some point during the election process. He has good ideas and knows how important it is for the US to keep respect internationally.

If he doesn't run for president (which seems like he won't) then maybe we should push him for a vp slot.

[southernfried]

1. where is he from ?

Is there any geographical area he might carry ? Apart from that he might be able to attract some ex-military. I don't really see his value as veep.

[tjdee]

3. He's from Arkansas, same as Bill Clinton.

Well, he was born in Chicago, but then he moved down to Little Rock...

[tomp]

2. not interested in militarists.

planning to vote for whichever dem but will not advocate for
clark.

[Pastiche423]

17. I wholeheartedly agree

What is it w/this bloodthrist in our country?

[MoonGod]

28. I'm with you, too..

I'll vote for whoever has the D next to their name, but I'm kinda tired of this idea that in order to be "electable" one must sell out to the military-industrial complex. Seems like we just lock ourselves in a vicious circle that way.

That said, from a strictly political/strategic standpoint, Clark would probably be an asset on the bottom half of a ticket, especially for somebody like Kucinich or Dean who both could use Clark's military experience and his southern "roots" (or branches, anyway ;-)).

I still don't see why all the enthusiasm over Clark. He seems like just another candidate whose biggest asset is his "electability" to me.

[tjdee]

4. This would be my preference.

I don't know what his domestic agenda is, and I'm not even sure he wants the top spot.

I think he'd be a nice addition to anyone's ticket.

[terryg11]

5. value as veep?

the guy already has some people asking him to run for president because they think his record can withstand the bullshit that is going to be piled on top of whichever candidate gets the nod. Sure, he isn't a household word but a few interviews on the major channels can be a real gift.

His value as vp is his combined military experience and vision of where exactly the military fits in today's world. He doesn't believe in nation building (at least not how this admin. sees it) and thinks the US needs to continue to work with NATO and the UN to fix global problems. AND, people listen to him because he's been there in "the shit" and succeeded.

Value as veep is the presence he brings

[southernfried]

6. makes sense

I'll ask around my mitary friends to see how he's perceived in that circle.

[waldenx]

7. no thanks

I don't think we should nominate a murderer.

[tjdee]

10. How exactly is he a murderer?

Surely a country has the right to defend itself and/or come to the aid of others? As a soldier, is he supposed to get murdered, or is he able to defend himself without being called a murderer??

I'm no big fan of the military, and many times war is concocted due to self-interest (mostly perceived and not actual), but I think it is really unfair to label Wesley Clark as a murderer, even though technically that is correct.

[waldenx]

12. definition

n. a person who willfully kills another human being with premeditated malice.

You can vote for a murderer if you want, but I don't think this type of person can represent me.
Although, since this country is so vile and bloodthirsty, he probably would be representative of the majority of americans.

[toolfan]

14. Hope you're not voting for Kerry

or anyone else that has fought in a war.

[waldenx]

18. well

I didn't spend my time protesting on the streets for partisan reasons. I am against war no matter if its Bush or anyone else.

[absolutezero]

30. murderer?

Bush is the murderer, so are clinton reagan, nixon, lbj and any other president or congressman that authorized lethal force. The military is not responsible for the actions of the politicians, they're just following orders.

My grandfathers served in WW2 does that make them murderers?

I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again, read Starship Troopers, then tell me how a solider is a murderer, or why we should abolish the armed forces

[liberalnurse]

8. My dream is for .....

A Dean/Clark ticket......

Dean 2004

[TheBigGuy]

9. He would be a good veep....and an issues perspective.

I can see that happening. I can see Dean/Clark or Kerry/Clark ticket...although I think Kerry might be smart to pick Graham or Edwards as the ticket balancer.

From an issues perspective a Dean/Clark ticket would put "Iraq" and foreign/military policy right at the front of the agenda, I think, during the election. I think it would inoculate Dean somewhat form the "too liberal" meme.

[MidwestTransplant]

13. Agreed...

Wouldn't be much help to Kerry but lots to Edwards or Dean. I would REALLY like to see Clark at the top of the ticket though.

[phillybri]

11. Mind the sig.....

:-)

[rman]

15. if you want a dem that apeals to repubs

...a dem that might as well be a repub.

[Terran]

16. He is rather left-leaning, from what I understand

Pro-choice and pro Gay rights, to cite two things. On those two issues alone I'd cheerfully accept him as VP candidate.

[revcarol]

19. No, no, a thousand times no.

We don't need a military man just to show we are strong on defense.

We need an all-around DEMOCRAT who reflects the values we hold dear. WE DEMOCRATS ARE THE STRONG ONES ON DEFENSE, just not defense contractors and buying unnecessary weapons sytems and militarizing outer space for wars of aggression.

We want a foreign policy that contributes to our security.

[Pepperbelly]

24. Wesley's value is not from being a military man ...

his value is in his approach. Have you listened to him? It is downright refreshing to hear someone who, when asked a question, actually answers it in a straight-forward way, well-reasoned, solidly based in fact and helpful to solving the problem under discussion.

I don't know about you but to me, that is worth a lot. His ideas are right and his problem solving is exactly right.

[Kahuna]

32. ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding!!!!

You are correct, Sir!!!

:toast:

[GiovanniC]

20. Clark Would Be an Excellent President

It's not too late for him to get into this. Clark has a tremendous amount of people ready to leap into action and provide campaign monetary/volunteer support when/if he announces his candidacy. Many of these people (like myself) currently support other nominees but will join his campaign as soon as he announces. I truly believe that he is simply biding his time and will announce, as he has said before on Meet the Press and other interviews, somewhere around September or so. That is not too late for him to get into this.

He has tremendous appeal to people on the left, center, and even some moderates on the right. Don't write him off until you have seen at least one interview. I'd wager you'd be hooked.

And for those who don't want a president who's a military guy, that's your perogative. But it seems to me we have a civilian in office who has never seen combat in his life and that hasn't exactly been going all that swell. Just an observation.

[terryg11]

21. lets keep him in mind eh?

seems to have some (not many) but a few serious supporters, plus he's an outsider which can play well with John Q Public

[Donna Zen]

22. A word from someone who has done the homework.

Six months ago when a person close to Wellstone mentioned Clark, I took the time to find out who he was and what his positions are.

• Pro choice

• Pro affirmative action_wrote a letter to the Supremes

• Pro rolling back the portion of tax cuts now being given to the rich

• Against the war in Iraq

• Pro assult weapons ban

• Pro gay rights

• An internationalist

• Vision: Feels the most important long term goals must be framed as "what is the legacy of our generation to leave generations 100 years from now?" the environment and the Constitution.

• Feels we must revisit and revise the Patriot Act

Wesley Clark graduated first in his class at West Point--engineering, a Rhodes Scholar--philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford. He was a White House fellow and worked in the West Wing on the budget. He has been knighted by England and IIRC the Netherlands. As Supreme Allied Commander his job was primarily one of diplomacy. Currently, he works with emerging technologies and is chairman of a company developing clean, electric engines--Next Wave. He also has been doing a series of semenars with the Jesuits, their the good guys--think Jerry Brown.

As for the story about the British--Russian airport, I have also checked that out and have found it to be nothing but bunk.

Clark brings you not only crossover votes, but assistance from major Repugs which should yield 4-5 agricultural states that would otherwise go "red."

You don't have to believe me, just do your homework. What you will find is the most progressive candidate we could run and still win, yes win, nationwide. White male voters and nervous soccer moms return to the party. You will also discover that Clark, who would like to combine the forces to save $130,000,000, is the only critter who has the authority to cut military spending. Whadda they gonna say? He's soft on the military? He called Tom Delay a fool on Crossfire and Tucker didn't even squeek.

If this guy would run, you wouldn't be getting a murder; you would be getting an excellent president.

[terryg11]

23. sorry for the kick please read post #22,

thank you Donna Zen. I'm sure everyone would like a link but if what you say is true then he does sound like a good choice, great logic to your points!!!

[Donna Zen]

29. Links...whoops!

Many of the links come from DU threads. I picked up a great live interview from someone here.

Here's one I came across about five minutes ago (scroll down)

http://stoller.blogspot.com/

Also, on another forum a really great activist posts. She teaches American Cultural and Social History. She has described the night the group sitting around a fire decided to run Wellstone. The woman is brilliant and has worked on several campaigns, if you care to read the thread, pm me here and I'll give you the url.

Ted Sorenson of the Kennedy White House seems to be part of the organizational building. Also, my friend told me that the real heavies have not signed on to campaigns yet...that has the inside wondering. Remember, there are many Moderate/Libertarian Pugs pissed about this and the same goes for the military. They want to win in 2004 for many of the same reasons we do.

I promise I will search for links tomorrow.

ps. I really don't want to post another persons posts here, but I'll ask her. If she says yes, then I'll keep an eye out for a Clark thread and post away. Also, I am prepared to look at this election from both a policy and a strategy stand point. Which means, if Clark is not the person, then I can write him off without a broken heart. There are some in the field who are wonderful and I love the fact that they are there, but this is too important for us to not keep our kewl.

[WonderTwins]

27. Excellent points

And whether we like it or not, the Dems have always taken a beating on national security issues. The perception, right or wrong, is that the Republicans are better at keeping the country safe. Having an ex-military leader on the ticket would go a long way towards neutralizing that issue. With Clark as the VP candidate and a strong and clear policy on what role the US should play in the world, we may be surprised at how many people will start paying attention to the issues (education, environment, Social Security, etc.) where we Dems have a natural advantage over the Republicans. I'm all for Dean as VP.

[Kahuna]

33. Great pro-Clark "speech!"

:thumbsup: You always hit this nail right on the head. If Clark runs, he should hire you. That John Hlinko is a piece of work too. Did you catch him on Crossfire yesterday? What a great face for our movement. He is absolutely adorable. I was moved to email him immediately after his segment to tell him how adorable I think he is. :D No, I didn't use the word, "adorable." :P

[mwb970]

25. Good Impression of Clark

I have been impressed with Clark every time I have seen him on TV. I even bought one of his books! There is just something about him.

[wellstone_democrat]

26. the "prance" remark charmed me

when he described Our Glorious Leader's photo op on the carrier as having him "prance around" in a uniform. Priceless.

[Mz Pip]

31. Called it phoney, too

I've been very impressed with him. My first pick at this point. IT's still early but so far I like him the best, even if he isn't running yet.

MzPip
:dem: