General Is Said to Want to Join '04 Race
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By MICHAEL JANOFSKY
The New York Times
August 28, 2003
WASHINGTON — Wesley K. Clark, the retired four-star general who has been contemplating a run for president, has told close friends that he wants to join the Democratic race and is delaying a final decision only until he feels he has a legitimate chance of winning the nomination.
"It's safe to say he wants to run," said a longtime friend who has had frequent political conversations with General Clark. "But he approaches this like a military man. He wants to know, Can I win the battle? He doesn't want to have a situation where he could embarrass himself, but I'm absolutely certain he wants to run."
Whether he does, his friends said, will be determined by his instincts and a firm assessment of Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, whose early success has come in part through criticism of White House strategies in Iraq that are every bit as strong as General Clark's.
While General Clark has consistently maintained that he has not yet made up his mind, his friends said a major obstacle has been cleared — family approval. They said his wife, Gert, who had initially expressed reservations, now favors his running.
"He is going to do it," said another of General Clark's friends. "He's just going back and forth as to when" to announce.
In an interview from his office in Little Rock, Ark., General Clark said today that he intended to announce his decision whether he would run in two weeks or so.
"I've got to by then," he said. "I've just got to. I can't have done nothing, and if I do it, there's groundwork to be laid."
More than likely, General Clark would wait until sometime after Sept. 15, a financial reporting date for presidential contenders. If he announces before then, he would have to reveal how much money he raised in the third quarter of the year, which pales beside the millions generated by Dr. Dean, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and other leading Democratic candidates.
A possible date for an announcement is Sept. 19, when General Clark, who has been highly critical of Bush administration foreign policy, is scheduled to deliver a speech at the University of Iowa. The subject is "The American Leadership Role in a Changing World."
The addition of General Clark into the presidential campaign could shake up a race that has remained fairly static for months, with Dr. Dean, Mr. Kerry and Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri showing greater traction than the others running: Senators Bob Graham of Florida, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, John Edwards of North Carolina, Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, former Senator Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
While some contenders view General Clark more as a running mate than presidential threat, his credentials could pose problems for several of them. As a former military officer, he would sound at least as credible on national security matters as Dr. Dean. As a Southerner from Little Rock, General Clark might blunt the appeal of Mr. Edwards and Mr. Graham in the South.
And as a Vietnam veteran, he would temper a prominent theme of Mr. Kerry's campaign, that he is the only Democrat running to have served in combat.
But almost all the other Democrats have financial and organizational advantages over General Clark. He has done almost nothing to prepare for a nationwide campaign or even one centered in the early test states, Iowa and New Hampshire. A spokeswoman, Holly Johnson, said his only political activity had been traveling the country, giving speeches.
Despite his lack of financial and personnel support, two Internet-based groups have worked for months as de facto campaign organizations for him, rousting up as much potential support as volunteer groups can in the hope that their services would be called upon. Neither has had any direct contact with General Clark.
One group, whose home page is draftclark.com, is lining up operatives in all 50 states and recruiting people who might serve as campaign manager, pollster and political advisers.
The other, DraftWesleyClark.com, had generated pledges for nearly $900,000, and an event in Manhattan put the figure over $1 million tonight.
Leaders of both groups say they are ready to combine forces in a Clark campaign.
Jason McIntosh, coordinator of draftclark.com, said his group, based in Little Rock, had state and regional coordinators who would shift from the draft efforts to a campaign organization. John Hlinko, a founder of DraftWesleyClark.com, has said his group used the Internet and community meetings around the country to generate money that would be turned over to a Clark campaign.
Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said he would welcome a candidate of General Clark's stature into the field, calling him "a huge benefit" as a steady critic of Mr. Bush, especially on national security and military issues.
"The more the merrier," Mr. McAuliffe said in an interview. "General Clark would have tremendous credibility, and it doesn't come at the expense of anyone else running."
Tonight about 100 people gathered at a graphics design studio in Manhattan to support the idea of General Clark's entering the Democratic primaries. A spokeswoman for DraftWesleyClark.com, Maya Israel, said people at the meeting were promising that "if General Clark should run, they will put forth X-amount of dollars." Ms. Israel added that the group had secured $1.7 million in pledges.
One of those attending was Amy Larkin, a cultural policy consultant who lives on the Upper West Side.
"In this time when the country and the world is in peril here is a man who understands war, peace and nation building," Ms. Larkin said.
Doug Finley, who runs a publishing business in Hell's Kitchen, said he had promised $25.
"He has military experience, which the Democrats need," Mr. Finley said of the general. "He has enormous integrity. He's intelligent, thank God. Best yet, he's not a tainted politician."
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