Can Wesley Clark be the Democrats' Ike?
csmonitor.com
<<...DraftWesleyClark.com, the largest of several draft committees trying to lure the retired four-star general into running, will start running TV ads this week in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first states in the nominating process, and in Little Rock, Ark., Clark's hometown. DraftWesleyClark.com is registered with the Federal Election Commission as an "unauthorized political committee," and has no contact with the general.
Clark's supporters see two signs that there's room for one more candidate: the lack of a clear Democratic front-runner and the fact that the only Democrat with momentum is former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who has captivated some in the liberal base but makes the party establishment nervous, in part because of his lack of experience on defense issues.
"The strength of a Clark candidacy is his depth of knowledge and experience and leadership in the military," says Kristo Kofinis, a paid Democratic adviser to the D.C.-based draft committee.
"Now, security trumps other issues," adds Mr. Hlinko, co-chair of DraftWesleyClark.com, along with Hlinko's brother-in-law, Josh Margulies, a Republican. "The war on terrorism, national security, safety - those won't change."
As a CNN military commentator, the silver-haired, square-jawed general has criticized the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war and its aftermath. On social issues, he supports abortion rights, affirmative action, and gays in the military. On the economy, Bush's Achilles heel in polls, Clark is also critical: He opposed Bush's tax cuts, calling them unfair and inefficient as a stimulus for creating jobs. He also criticizes Bush for allowing the budget deficit to skyrocket.
For Clark boosters, the gold-plated résumé makes them stand and salute: first in his class at West Point, Rhodes scholar, 34 years in the military, Vietnam combat veteran, NATO commander. He's also an investment banker and an author - his second book, "Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire," comes out in September...>> |
