Foreign policy - candidates roll call:

[robbedvoter]

Is Dean really a maverick? Is Clark's platform too ambitious? How the leading Democratic candidates rate on foreign policy

WEB EXCLUSIVE
Newsweek
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3762367/
Dec. 19 - Maybe it was Saddam Hussein's capture. Or maybe it's because there's not much more than a month before the voting starts in Iowa. Either way, the Democratic pack of presidential candidates have spent the last few days sharpening their rhetoric on foreign policy--and on one bogeyman in particular. Not the former Iraqi president, but the former Vermont governor.
snip

"Like Dean, Clark welcomes news of Saddam's downfall but cautions that Iraq is not about to turn the corner as a result. "The entire resistance in Iraq was not run by a pathetic ex-dictator hiding in a hole," the retired general told a foreign-policy crowd in The Hague this week. His solution in Iraq is no different from his rivals: getting help from American allies. But his pitch is all the more compelling because of his experience in Kosovo.
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[BootinUp]

1. Nice accurate article

Boy that was refreshing, I e-mailed the author and thanked him for his accuracy.

[jmaier]

2. Nice article, thanks.

When I first started looking at the Democratic fields, I was a passive Kerry supporter though I seldom tend to favor members of Congress.

I also flirted briefly with Dean because he did seem to have some impressive momentum and a fighting spirit. But when I lifted the skirts of "You have the Power", I saw a very centrist governor of a small, homogenous state who was brilliantly running left of his record and harnassing alot of grassroots disenchantment. But I was still interested. Gov. Dean "sealed the deal" for me with one of those very small, fleeting moments at the Rock the Vote debate. He was the first candidate asked about "smoking pot." Now, I don't care if he did or didn't BUT he failed to answer. Instead, he waited for Edwards and Kerry to admit that they had and then jumped in to give his "Yes" answer. It wasn't courage but political calculation.

Now, on to Wes Clark. I was initially attracted to him frankly because of his resume and because I believe that while national security, terrorism, etc. isn't intrinsically the most important issue, if you can't knock Bush off of that pedestal then the other issues of importance to Democrats wouldn't even make it to the stage.

I'm glad to say that the more I've seen of Clark's humanity, philosophy and commitment to democratic ideals, the happier that I've become with Wes Clark.

I'll vote and campaign for any of the candidates if nominated, but I think Clark, even with his flaws, is the strongest in the field for an election in the current climate.