I say Clark won't run. He'll throw his support behind Dean.

I hate to add one more Clark thread to the mix, but I don't think he'll run. If you have listened to him since they started asking him this question 8 months ago (remember lunching with Terry McAuliffe?) he has said that he wanted to hear what the Democratic candidates had to say. Like many of us, he wanted to hear from a non-Lieberman like candidate who could win. I think that since Dean is in, Clark will stay out.

However, I wouldn't be surprised if Dean and Clark were in "cahoots" together. This is a good way to get his name recognized now as a potential VP.

I do not think he'll endorse anyone before the winner is clear.

why don't you think he would endorse anyone if he himself decides not to run ?

he really, really, really isn't a politician. Politicians think in endorsements, most of us don't. I expect that if he doesn't run, he will be an unbearably tough stone in Bonehead's shoe all the way through election day.

I also think he will support the nominee of the Democratic party.

But I get the same "cohoots" feeling from them too.

Perhaps it is just wishful thinking on my part.

which ever one gets the nod re nomination (assuming Clark runs) the other will be chosen as a running mate? Just a thought.

Just a fleeting thought.

Democrats line up Gen Wesley Clark as their best hope of winning against Bush
By Julian Coman in Washington
(Filed: 24/08/2003)


SNIP..."In this era of the War on Terrorism, senior Democrats have decided that the best - possibly the only - way to beat George W Bush in the 2004 presidential elections is to put up a soldier against him.

A retired general, Wesley Clark, the supreme commander of Nato during its successful campaign in Kosovo, is widely expected to announce his candidacy for the White House in the next few days, backed by powerful members of the United States Congress."


SNIP..."He is believed to have stood aside from summer campaigning, waiting to see if anyone emerged as an obvious winner of the party's nomination. Now, according to Donna Brazile, a top Democratic strategist and the campaign manager for Al Gore during the 2000 presidential elections, Gen Clark "will announce his plans to run for president by the end of the month"."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/24/wwes24.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/08/24/ixnewstop.html

Although I do like the sound of Pelosi endorsing Clark...that would do a lot to allay lefty fears...I like Pelosi a TON, BTW...she fought off those stupid "San Francisco liberal" attacks like a trooper. Very inspiring, and...(warning, cheapshot coming) she has eyebrows.

Sorry, couldn't resist...:evilgrin:

are going to flip sides if Clark runs. I have a very strong inkling that top Dems have been doing a lot of urging under the radar. I'll bet he already has an organization infrastructure in place. God, I hope I'm right. :scared:

I read he had been meeting with them.

of Democratic factions to defeat bushco. Most voters never heard of the DLC and could care less about it. It's just the anti Clinton/Gore folks who obsess about it. Thankfully they are the minority.

If the DLC backs him that's fine in my book.

I thought their stances were similar to Murdochs? Not sure, correct me if I am wrong on this.

Clark is a registered Dem in Arkansas.

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And "cahoots" is a wonderful word. It doesn't have to have a negative connotation.

And I bet he announces the day after Labor day. He will be in and he will win. Sorry I like Dean, but he is no Wesley Clark.

Remember how everyone said Arnold would not run? They got that wrong.

the one that Wesley and I share. She talked to him for a few hours a couple of weeks ago and he didn't tell her what he planned to do, just that they were still talking it out.

Pepperbelly,

Could you email me privately. I'm not allowed to email you directly, because I haven't posted enough times here.

Pelican7@cox.net

Gabriele

I hope that offers some help.

but why not just become an advisor to dean or some other job for the dean campaign rather than allow all this talk of possible run for president to continue ? that way people would not be asking about his party affiliation. and if he does throw support behind dean do you think questions for dean would all be about whether he would get clark for vp ?

And since his message on the war is virtually the same as Dean's, it gives weight to Dean. He's no longer the "lone liberal" that he was.

Dean has apparently already said that he think Clark would make a formidable VP. Having Clark around helps Dean.

Don't get me wrong, I'd vote for Clark in a second. I just think that there's something else going on here.

n/t

But if not, I very much doubt Clark would endorse Dean. Just because Dean said he likes Clark doesn't mean Clark likes Dean. Has Clark ever even talked about Dean?

When they first started asking Clark about this, it was obvious that he wanted to hear someone speaking up for Democrats; that he was disgusted with the Democrats who had followed meekly on the road to war, etc.

Clark and Dean are a political match made in heaven. It's ashame that you can't see it, but trust me your candidate will.

Buchanan tried to bait him into attacking Dean, but Clark only had kind words.

However, I also think it is more likely that Clark will run than endorse Dean, at least anytime before next April. Right now, Clark is looking at the Presidency.

I think that Dean thinks he will run too, which makes me give Dean a bunch of credit for coming off so gracious. As a matter of fact, I believe that Dean sees Clark as his most serious threat. I don't know how the two of them are going to run against each other but I REALLY,REALLY hope that it doesn't get ugly. They would make a great team in the end in either configuration.

That's about it. Would it be above Dean to drop a big gun name like Wesley Clark to give himself credibility? I don't think it would be above him and I don't care how much the Deanies howl. They can roar like Rodan if they want. :D If the coming events prove me wrong I'll be more than happy to admit it.

Clark is a very very smart man. And although he is not a politician he is very politically savvy. Much more so than many career politicians. He knows that a pacifist, liberal from the socialist state of Vermont has a snowball's chance of getting elected president. Clark is smart enough to know that a southerner stands a much better chance of being elected than a northeastern liberal. I think Clark is too pragmatic to support Dean at this time.

Not this early anyway. I think Clark's going to run. If he doesn't, I think he'll endorse Kerry, to try to unite the party.

Please turn off Limbaugh and Hannity. I really like Clark and I'd vote for him. I just don't think he'll run.

It'll just give the rest of us a bigger laugh when you have to transgress them. Look at the bright side, all of those supporters that you hate will actually be on your side.

I don't candy coat my opinions like you would like me too. That's your problem. Again, I welcome you to use that ignore feature.

Geez Louise!
Wishful thinking or what?

As I said before, for all we know Dean saw Clark on CNN and called him up to ask him some things. There is NO reason to indicate Clark likes Dean better than any of the other candidates--just because they agree on some issues doesn't mean much of anything.

In other words, I'll believe it when I see it.
Remember, he has been *very* careful not to declare whether he's a Dem, and I say if he remains a private citizen he won't endorse anyone until the nominee is clear.

Fine I'll change my prediction to I don't think he'll run and he'll sound supportive of Dean.

My reason? If you listen to what Clark has been saying since last January, he has been waiting to hear from the candidates on issues. He said that that would help him to decide whether or not to run.

so when he secures that he may run or may not. However I don't think it will be a cakewalk for him. The media will turn on him just like the others. Just because he has the military background doesn't make him less vulnerable, the Bush backed corporate controlled media will pounce. Pentagon records will magically surface, any comment he ever made will bubble to the top..

Military service doesn't seem to matter to most people today as it did when Ike ran in the '50's

Look at the treatment the media has given bushie all summer. For the most part, they've been rather harsh towards him. It's like their eyes have finally been opened to what a lying opportunist he is. Contrast that to how the media has received Clark. Clark does 3 to 4 appearances a week. They always mention the draft. They usually show the website with the web address. They dare not use snide, condescending language with him if they know what's good for them. Clark will slice and dice them up so fast and clean, they usually don't know what hit them until Clark has faded out with the cheshire cat smile of his.

when in the presence of Clark. Totally helpless.

No one should think that it will be a cakewalk. (That's a famous last word!)

But Clark's supporters have raised more than $700K of pledges and enough money to run ads in the early primary states without a candidate. I think they've run more TV and radio ads than the bottom 3 declared candidates.

Also, there are strong rumors that Daschle and Pelosi support his candidacy (in today's Daily Telegraph).

It's pretty bizarre to think that he would be doing all this to be VP. It is not a coveted job.

He wants to run, I think. People like Brazile and Fineman are picking up on his desire to get involved.

But-- he is thinking of his family (they were looking forward to a nice retirement and I think his wife isn't thrilled about the proposition), the people he works with, and I'd imagine, how much a campaign would suck--all the running around, the fishbowl thing, etc. etc. Not to mention, he might lose.

I can see how it is a huge decision...I'm getting an Al Gore vibe though...

He has never held a "political" office. Maybe he's thinking VP first and then president in 2012.

A month of daily or every other day media interviews to "campaign for VP" does not really make sense for anyone.

They may be wrong, but would you want to take the pundits and insiders predicting that something will happen as a reverse indicator that soming won't happen.

reverse punditry indicator. I'm trying to remember when Fineman predicted correctly. Brazile did predict that Gore would win.

http://www.draftwesleyclark.com/Biography.htm

Picking the opposite of the concensus view is a Wall Street strategy but untested in politics, I think.

On the other hand, Ann Richards felt that if Clark were going to run he would have announced by this time.

Personally, I think he's going to announce after Labor Day. If he weren't running, he wouldn't be on TV so much.

Considering the way Dean came out and said how wonderful Clark is and how much he would like to have him as a running mate.

Personally, I think Clark will run.

Don't believe everything you read in the media. I'm 99.9% confident Wesley Clark will be voted in as one of the greatest American presidents ever.

Let's get pragmatic. I believe with proper exposure that Clark can win. But I was dismayed this week when I mentioned him to a few fairly astute people and they responded: "Who's Wesley Clark?"

When are the primaries? Will Clark have time to raise his recognition level and generate enough votes for the nomination? Does he have the infrastructure in place to start a serious run for the presidency?

So he'll have foot soldiers. There's a huge undecided block among Democratic voters. And much of the support for the Washington candidates is lukewarm. He may become the choice of the insiders, who don't want to support someone who bores the electorate. He generates interest from the left, such as Michael Moore and Janeane Garofalo.

The first debate is Sept. 4 and his is announcement is supposedly timed so he can enter it. With all eyes on him he would have time to peel away support that's flaking away from the other candidates anyway.

how much bill clinton is doing behinds the scenes... is he engineering something delicious? hmm

It gives me goosebumps just to think about it. So why HAS Clark been so reluctant to declare himself a Democrat? Hmmm. I have a thought.

:D

"don't want to roll out a new product until the fall." Gave Card credit for it, as well. I wonder what the "new product" is?