Rising Above Politics, as High as Commander in Chief
By EDWARD WYATT
Published: January 15, 2004
But if General Clark's military persona is his biggest strength, it is also in some ways his handicap.
ANCHESTER, N.H., — Gen. Wesley K. Clark is trying to transcend politics.
"I'm running for president because America needs a higher standard of leadership," he says as he races across New Hampshire, the first primary state.
"We need a leadership that puts the national interest above special interests," he says. "One that looks beyond the next election to what's good for America. One that sets measurable goals and doesn't mind being held accountable."
The phrases are aimed at President Bush, who himself once promised "to restore honor and dignity" to the White House.
But General Clark is also trying to set himself apart from the rest of the Democratic field, most particularly Howard Dean, who has risen in the polls by channeling the anti-Bush anger of the Democratic base.
"I'm not running to bash George Bush," the retired general says. "I'm running to replace him."
At other times, he says outright: "I am not a politician. I'm a leader."
But if General Clark's military persona is his biggest strength, it is also in some ways his handicap.
A Democrat for little more than three months, he is still finding that he needs to introduce himself to party primary voters, to explain why a candidate who has never stood for elected office and who voted for Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan is the best qualified Democrat to run against Mr. Bush.
Again he turns to his defining attribute, his 34-year military career. It will not make him sure-footed just at national security he says. He portrays himself as an executive with credentials on a par with those of any elected official, one who has long had to grapple with domestic issues.
"Some people think generals just fight battles," he said recently in Somersworth, N.H. "But to be honest with you, most of the battles I've fought were to make sure that our troops had the tools and equipment they need, that our families were living in decent houses, that our school kids in the military were going to good schools, that the mess halls served good food."
nytimes.com |
