Joe Conason's Journal - On Wesley Clark

Some of the Democratic Party's biggest donors have withheld support from the current field, waiting to see what happens. Former NATO commander Wesley Clark could be it.
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Like everyone else, I'm fascinated by the possibility that former NATO commander Wesley Clark will enter the Democratic presidential race. At a party on Wednesday evening, I ran into a major Democratic fundraiser whose credentials as a party insider date back to the Carter administration. His view is that it is simply too late for Clark to become competitive financially, particularly with Howard Dean looking so prosperous.

Yet Amy Sullivan effectively rebuts that and other pessimistic assumptions in this excellent Washington Monthly analysis. As Sullivan recalls, "John McCain raised $3.7 million in three weeks from online donations alone." Of course Howard Dean has also achieved remarkable success with online fundraising this year. And Sullivan says that many of the party's biggest donors have withheld support from the current field, waiting to see what happens.
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For some additional perspective on the former general's political and social views, listen to yesterday's interview with him on "McMullen & Johnson," a news and current affairs program on Sirius Satellite Radio's Sirius OutQ, America's first national gay and lesbian talk radio broadcaster. The hosts grill him on "don't ask, don't tell" and other topics -- and while Clark may have played coy about his party affiliation, there's not much doubt about his liberal political inclinations. As an Arkansan who grew up during the segregation struggle, Clark says his favorite Supreme Court justice is Thurgood Marshall.

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link http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2003/08/29/clark/

what big name liberals come out in favor of a Clark run. As far as some DUers are concerned, he's nothing more than a BFEE plant, along with those of us who are intrigued by the prospects of his whooping Bush's ass right out of the White House next November.

Oh well, can't please everyone, I guess.

MzPip
:dem:

Anyone have any idea why Clark is doing that? It puzzles me.

Party".

Personally, I would love to see a Dean/Clark or Clark/Dean ticket. Either way it protects Dean from being attacked on security.

the simian is inoculated on that.

There's this nerd in our building. He always always always picks losers. Never fails. Put a Clark bumpersticker on the rear window of his station-wagon. It's all over. Clark's toast.

What a great indicator!

I love it.

Eloriel

... on of our own, Joe Conason.

It's probably already started. I've been out for a few days... }(

I remain undecided, but I'm intrigued by this question: if by some miracle Clark ends up on the bottom of a Dean ticket, what will the ClarkBashers say then?

I love the smell of political maneuvering in the morning, and I mean that,
Jennifer :-)

I am for whoever or whatever can beat shrub. He is a disaster. I really am afraid the values of this democracy can not survive another four years of neo-cinism. Even is Dean gets the nod he needs a Southerner as VP bad.