Clark draws overflow crowd at Tech (Atlanta)

Wasn't sure if this qualified for breaking news...

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/1103/08clark.html

Clark draws an overflow crowd at Tech

By JIM AUCHMUTEY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

John Spink / AJC
Presidential candidate and retired Gen. Wesley Clark shakes with Iraq war veteran Brad Owens, 32, who said he thought Clark's criticism of President Bush was "right on the money."

When Gen. Wesley Clark brought his presidential campaign to Atlanta on Friday, two young men were waiting with a special reason to enlist in his cause.

Jon Reames and Brad Owens, both recently discharged from military service in the Iraqi war effort, were sitting in the front row at Georgia Tech with the U.S. flag they had used in their barracks in Kuwait draped across their laps.

"I was in Army intelligence and a lot of us were concerned about what the United States was doing over there," said Reames, 21, who was wearing a crisp, new American Legion hat.

"I think General Clark's criticism of President Bush on Iraq is right on the money," chimed in Owens, 32, who had driven with his friend from Augusta.

<snip>

I was there. Rock.

On edit: Added beginning of article.

This story shows the power of sympathetic headline writing:

<snip>
The general did not disappoint the veterans. In his first campaign appearance in Georgia since joining the Democratic presidential race almost two months ago, Clark told 250 supporters at Georgia Tech that the war in Iraq represents a failure of leadership
<snip>

These numbers, while respectable, pale in comparison to those crowds being drawn by a certain campaign opponent of General Clark's. As many have suggested on these boards, Clark does seem to have the press in his hip pocket... a great campaign resource.

Good luck, Mon General.

I don't think Clark has the press in his pocket at all.

As far as this story goes, if they were expecting two-hundred, then 250 would be over-flow.

I can already see signs of the Gore-ing of Clark. Last night Joe Klein critized Clark for wearing a black turtleneck to the Rock the Vote debate. Of all the stupid remarks.

In a new Newsweek report it's all about Dean, but they slip in the fact that their new poll shows Clark and Dean tied. I think the national press avoids talking about Clark. It's like he doesn't exist.

Good luck to your candidate too.

On edit: Hummm, maybe not so sympathetic. I see we have a person who attended and he estimated the crowd at 1000.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=672736

Clark has a few problems with the media, I think:

1) The press reports the "story du jour." Dean's union endorsements were huge. And they came on the heels of another "story du jour" about the Confederate flag.

2) Many journalists seemed to have made their minds up about Clark during the first week of the campaign when he was still getting his sea legs. They seem to have come to the conclusion that he was not ready for prime time. It will be interesting to see if they change their minds as they have additional encounters with Clark.

3) Clark is the biggest threat to Bush, hands down. I once would have scoffed at the idea that the media would collaborate to shoot down a candidate. But I now am convinced that the RW machine is very organized. And all you have to do is check out any Murdoch owned medium to find the Republican talking point of the day, orchestrated straight from the White House.

Not sure on numbers, but no way it was 1000. The room was filled to capacity, standing-room only and there were people watching through the doors outside, but it was just a medium-sized theater on the Tech campus at 9am on a school day. Nothing to sneeze at, I'm sure. Definitely was a smaller crowd than at the outdoor Dean rally I attended in Atlanta in September, but that was in the late afternoon if I recall correctly. Probably comparable to the indoor Dean event that same day in the theater at GSU. Perhaps a bit smaller but hard to tell given the different configuration of the room. Clark didn't do an outdoor rally at Tech. Regardless, it was a good event and I'm glad I took the time to attend.