Wesley Clark -- a recent interview - MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/news/953102.asp

This is an excellent interview and I think
it is a must read. General Clark is starting
to showcase his thoughts on education and the
economy. I hope that some of the skeptical people
can get a feel for which way he is headed.

I have to admit, it is wearysome that he has not
yet declared his candidacy. I believe in my heart
of hearts he has every intention of running but is
still finalizing his commitments with his wife and
family.

In some ways, it is a struggle to not get a "direct"
answer. However, I applaud his consideration for his
wife and I think he is making a smart strategic move.
If anything, he is demonstrating political discipline.
It is not "vacillation" but rather an attempt to hold
the press at bay until everything is aligned correctly.
Please indulge Clark for this because in the long run
we may benefit from his discretion. The "buzz" is
building and will help his campaign get out of the
blocks to a fast start.

Ultimately, I think he will give a definite answer
within 3 short weeks.

He is getting more mention and acknowlegement from insider
democrats, which will help him win the nomination. This
will be good for us and hopefully we can
re-establish the fact that not only are we better on
domestic issues, we are better on security and defense.

Mike Moore has praised Clark, Pelosi is calling him,
and Hillary has made reference to him, so the ripples
are getting wide-spread.

I want to make an invitation out there for people to study
Clark and come up with your own opinion of the man. If you
like him, join us because we want to win this thing for
America and for those who are sick to death of the Bush
regime's radical agenda.

Peace, prosperity, equality, freedom, choice,
character, education, honor, character, multi-lateralism,
health-care, courage.

Cheers:)

defeat Bush!

I hope more people read it.

:kick:
J4Clark

Good interview but too short. I'm looking forward to hearing more. Tax cut was for theological reasons! I love it.

"Instead of spending money on the development of Iraqi infrastructure, I would rather see it go into U.S. infrastructure. Helping Iraqi schoolchildren get back into the classroom is a good thing to do, but I would like to see American children achieve more in the classroom."

-- can I borrow that?


But doesn't it sound like he wants to run as an Independent?

A 3rd-party/independent run would be tantamount to suicidal/hopeless, and generals don't go for that kind of campaign.

He has many friends and deep links with the Democratic Party: including centrists like Bill Clinton and Terry Mc(Augh!)liffe (both of whom he has consulted in regard to this run), as well as people significantly further to the left--Pelosi just mentioned that she was interested in him. He comes from a Democratic family. He hasn't spoken to any significant Republicans or Green Party or Reform Party members.

And his http://www.haloscan.com/comments.php?user=dailykos&comment=003322#13404">son has said that if Clark runs, he will run as a Democrat.

I hope that puts an end to this part of the speculation at least: right now the only decision Clark is considering is whether to run for the Democratic presidential nomination or to stay out of it completely.

Well he specifically denied that didn't he?

You say you’ve been nonpartisan all your life and yet most supporters expect you to enter the field as a Democratic contender. Would you run as a Democrat?
I haven’t crossed that bridge yet.

If you were to run for President as a Democrat, who do you think would be your toughest Democratic challenger for the nomination? Why?
I haven’t considered those things. I have not worked my way through them yet. I am only thinking about the issues. I am really concerned about where we are as a country and where we are headed.

I don't deny your arguments that weigh towards him running as a Democrat. But what he's said is so much like what an Independant would say - not a Repub, Reform, Green, or Dem - that I'll call it fuel for speculation.

Unfortunately I don't remember the cite, but he said this some time ago. I think his stance is much more ideological, or at any rate idea-based, than it is partisan -- that is, it's probably true that his Democratic affiliation isn't all that strong, but his (essentially Democratic) ideas and his opposition to the Bush regime are. He's not a political dope; he's not interested in an independent or 3rd-party run that he can't possibly win and that will just help keep Bush in the WH for another four years. If he runs it will be in races he might win, the Democratic primary and the general election as the Democratic candidate.

nt

Would DK settle for vp ?

As much as I like Clark, I'm afraid that he may alienate the left, although this would not be a concern if he takes the entire center.

Would this ticket bring the Greens into the fold, or would they only follow along if DK was in the top spot, as Nader has indicated ?

The Greens would add 3-5% of the vote.

Progressive Independents are important also. They could offer another 5%, I'm guessing.

I would like to see some unity this time around. We need to form an alliance for this battle.

Do they want to win the election or not?
Then, if they want to win, they have to
realistically think about what might win.
Clark can win, but the great thing is he
would get more done for the left than a guy
like Kucinich could just for the very fact
that the radical right will not be able to
smear and manhandle him. He can govern
from consensus, not from partisan politics.
That's my take anyway. I like purists like
Kucinich but I don't think rural America
will ever go for a guy like him but they would
for a military hero like Clark.

Don't forget the red areas of the country.

Stay United, defeat Bush.

I support many of the green causes, but I agree that we all could accomplish a lot more if the left made an alliance with the dems at the national level. This is a desperate time.

Another problem is the dlc, continually casting off the left as if it were an unwanted step child. Their strategy has failed and they need a reality check as well.

Perhaps Clark could render the dlc irrelevant, and re-unit our base.