CONFUSED CLARK CALLS RETREAT ON HAWK TALK
In a disastrous debut, Gen. Wesley Clark yesterday flip-flopped back and forth on the Iraq war - wobbling over the issue that was supposed to be the strongest suit for the latest 2004 Democratic wannabe.
A day after Clark raised eyebrows by saying he'd "probably" have voted for the war if he'd been in Congress, the rookie campaigner did a complete about-face and insisted he would "never" have done any such thing.
"Let's make one thing real clear - I would never have voted for this war. I've gotten a very consistent record on this," the retired four-star general, who has never run for office, insisted yesterday.
Clark's reversal sparked Republican ridicule and left some of his own supporters in shock, wondering if his late-starting campaign is in danger of dying before it really gets under way.
Because of his military credentials, Clark has been seen as the ideal running mate for vice president, but his nightmare campaign kickoff could put that in serious doubt as well.
On Thursday, Clark raised eyebrows by telling reporters on his campaign plane about the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq: "I probably would have voted for it."
That startled some supporters, who assumed he was antiwar from his remarks as a TV talking head.
But in same interview on the plane, he wasn't clear, saying a minute later, "I don't know whether I would have or not. I've said it both ways."
In fact, he had so much trouble sorting out his position that he called out for reinforcements to press secretary Mary Jacoby, yelling: "Mary, help!"
Republican National Committee spokeswoman Christine Iverson jabbed: "Leadership means knowing what you stand for without having to ask your press secretary."
GOP strategist Rich Galen said: "He's not ready for prime time, he's not ready to be president. He's not ready to be a member of Congress. In a debate, any freshman congressman could kick his four-star butt back to Arkansas."
Iraq wasn't Clark's only stumbling block. He admitted he'd voted for Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan - hardly positions likely to thrill Democratic activists.
He also claimed he became a Democrat after listening to Bill Clinton's early campaign speeches - but that was in 1992. Republicans gleefully noted that in 2001, he spoke to a GOP party dinner and registered as an independent.
For months, Clark - who was first in his class at West Point and is known to have a high opinion of himself - publicly flirted with a campaign but did little to line up a cadre of strategists to help him.
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