Clark to announce bid on Labor Day!

"Clark seen planning Democratic nomination bid
By Bryan Bender, Globe Correspondent, 8/12/2003

WASHINGTON -- In the strongest signal yet that retired US Army General Wesley K. Clark, the former NATO commander, is planning to join the Democratic presidential race, Clark told volunteers last week to step up their efforts and prepare for an announcement on Labor Day.

If Clark, 58, does take on the nine announced Democratic candidates. . ."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2003/08/12/clark_seen_planning_democratic_nomination_bid


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J4Clark

Then I can finally make up my mind as to who I'll throw my support -- and the litarally 1 vote in a middle of the pack primary state that comes with it -- behind.

:thumbsup: :bounce:


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J4Clark

Don't jump to conclusions just yet. This report was misleading; the Boston Globe got the facts confused. What actually happened was this--- Clark told an associate to "crank it up" in terms of creating support and buzz for his potential bid. The associate then leaked to the press that Clark had told him this, speaking on a condition of anonymity. He also told them that he thought it was wise for Clark to stay out of the race until around Labor Day, so he could remain above the clutter of the August debates. DraftClark2004.com then issued a press release about Clark's statement, and (in perhaps a slightly misleading manner) presented it as if it was Clark's direct message to his supporters, rather than a message to an associate. The Boston Globe must have gotten confused when trying to make sense of all of these facts, and accidentally reported that Clark himself had told his supporters to crank up their efforts, and to expect a September announcement. What actually happened was that Clark told an associate to crank up his efforts, and the associate then told the press that he thought September would be a good month to announce, if he was going to.

Still, I'm hopeful that Clark will announce.

I actually have been told this from "others" on the phone. This is the only article though that spells it out.


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J4Clark

I'm not telling this story because I heard it from someone. I'm very involved in the draft movement, and I read the article that this Boston Globe report was based on the day it was released. Here's the original article:

Clark: Crank It Up
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark "appears to be getting close to throwing his stars into the 2004 Democratic presidential nominating contest," the National Journal reports.

"Clark recently phoned one close adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and said, 'Crank it up.' The Clark adviser said that the former NATO chief is smart to stay out of the race until after Labor Day, but not much longer after that. He pointed to the number of debates and forums that the Democratic hopefuls have on tap and the chance that these encounters will do little to clarify the race -- as was the case in the recent AFL-CIO forum in Chicago. The Clark adviser speculated that the general will be better positioned for a run if he has a message that seems fresher for not having been part of the clutter."

So, as you can see, the Boston Globe's report was a little misleading. Clark only told his adviser to crank it up, not his supporters. And the Labor Day reference was made by his adviser, not Clark.

messed up on the record. But it is true that Clark will announce on Labor Day. I saw the original article about 30 minutes after it came out.


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J4Clark

I think he'll announce around Labor Day as well. Hopefully the recall won't hurt him too much. The media will love him if they get the chance.