Wesley Clark Endorses Hillary Clinton

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/15/AR2007091500788.html

NEW YORK -- Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton was endorsed Saturday by Wesley Clark, the retired four-star general whose early criticism of the Iraq war fueled a high-profile but short-lived run for the party's nomination in 2004.

"Senator Clinton has the experience, good judgment and the battle tested character to face the challenges ahead," Clark told The Associated Press.

Clark, who joined the Democratic field four years ago largely due to an active online draft movement, planned to discuss his endorsement on a conference call with bloggers later Saturday.

A decorated career Army officer who graduated first in his class at West Point, Clark served as NATO's supreme allied commander and led the Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo war under President Clinton.

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I do not believe it is because of his so called "special reltionship" with the Clinton's. He would have fallen in behind a long time ago had that been the case. Clark endorsed Hillary for the same reason that he endorsed John Kerry as soon as he knew he could not win the nomination himself. Hillary will be our nomminee, of that I have had no doubt for awhile now unless either Clark or Gore had gotten into the race. I have been posting along these lines here at DU for awhile now. I believed that neither Edwards nor Obama would be able to win. Clark knows that Hillary Clinton will be professional about America's foreign policy; she will have a top notch team gathered around her. Back in 2004 Clark trusted Kerry could pull off being President in a dangerous time and he trusts that Hillary can also. That is Clark's number one priority, and he is a realist about what is politically possible, which reflects the same hard nosed quality about him that kept Clark from declaring this year even though we all knew that he wanted to. He didn't see a path to victory open for himself, and now he doesn't see one open for anyone other than Hillary.

Like 2004, when Clark would rather have become the Democratic nominee himself rather than back Kerry, as soon as the handwriting was on the wall Clark reads it and understands the implications. Clark was not going to become the nominee and he knew no other Democrat would deny Hillary that distinction. As one of those who endorsed Hillary, this keeps Wes Clark in the policy making loop. Of that at least I am glad.