Gen. Clark's Backers, Brewing Up a Draft

[WoodrowFan]

Nine Democrats have been running for months, raising money and building support. None of them is good enough for those who would draft Clark. It's nothing personal; most Clarksters just think the declared candidates can't win in a campaign that will turn on national security. But how about that four-star general? Impeccable bona fides on that, they say. Led the NATO forces trying to put the Balkans back together, believes in America working with its allies, shot four times in Vietnam, Bronze Star, Purple Heart.

Some 30,000 people have sent Clark letters begging him to run, and $338,000 has been pledged to his campaign if he gets in, draft organizers say. On Monday night, Clarksters gathered at 92 Meetups across the country. "Something is going on here," says Hlinko.

As for the conventional wisdom that says Clark is too late to the party to raise funds and build support, co-founder Josh Margulies trots out the practiced answer: "The last time a Rhodes scholar from Arkansas announced against an incumbent named Bush who had just won a war in Iraq, he did okay. And he declared in October."





http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21911-2003Aug5.html

[VolcanoJen]

1. Clark would make an excellent Secretary of Defense or State

I'm a Clark fan, and I'd love to see him run so that Dems can really begin a dialogue on the national security issue, but honestly, I think he'd do better as a cabinet member.

Gen. Clark is popular among most of us, and if he chooses not to run, then ideally I'd like to see him attach himself to the frontrunner early next year, much in the way Colin Powell attached himself to Chimp, lending credibility in the world affairs arena.

By the way, here's an interesting recent tidbit about Gen. Clark from Correspondences.org:

http://www.correspondences.org/archives/000227.html

The good news is that no one in the US national security community takes General Wesley Clark seriously--he is cabinet material, if Dean gets desperate for a general (former Marine Commandant Al Gray, or former CINCENT Tony Zinni would be cooler), but he is not Presidential material. Our sources tells us that if he runs for President there will be a number of quite inflammatory and specific leaks from British general officers that were outraged with his poor judgement and other performance deficiencies on the NATO front. Personally we think that General Clark was quite skilled at NATO politics; that he was undermined by US Pentagon flag colleagues, and that he has a great deal to offer--but he is not a giant-killer.

- Jennifer, hoping Wesley involves himself in any capacity except Veep! :-)

[tameszu]

3. That has some truth to it, but is well-overstated...

Although I will not deny that Clark rubbed at least few people under his command the wrong way during the Kosovo War--an obvious occupational hazard of being the leader of a war by coalition--it's clearly an exaggerration to say that "no one" in the U.S. national security community takes Wes Clark seriously (I'm assuming by this he means as Presidential candidate, not as a contributor to political discourse). That this fellow thinks this is "good news" (and that the entry is titled "threats to Dean's primacy") is an indication that he found something he was already looking for.

It's also true that the Kosovo War and his military contacts are both Clark's biggest potential asset as well as liability. As with any person who has had a spectacular career, he no doubt has enemies who are chomping at the bit to slash him. His early dismissal from his SACEUR post proves this (yes, another liability--but see below).

But if Clark has a solid team, then leaks from British general officers won't cut it--especially not in the generals. How less patriotic can you get than citing anonymous foreign sources to attack a war hero? And Clark can just respond "well, Mr. Bush, some of those people over there liked me enough to give me an honourary knighthood...that's with the Queen and sword and the whole deal...now, moving on to substantive issues, how are things going in the Middle East?" Nor will leaks from jealous/bitter subordinates hit very hard. And, assuming that the Iraq occupation gets messier, Kosovo continues looking like more and more of a strategic masterwork...

[LoneStarLiberal]

2. Labor Day is the Date

I've read elsewhere that General Clark will declare or withdraw by Labor Day.

Hopefully in less than a month we will have something exciting to talk about!