Drafting the General
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Wesley Clark isn't a candidate yet. But a cadre of online activists, captivated by the retired general, are doing everything they can to change that.
By Liv Leader
MotherJones.com
August 29, 2003
John Hlinko has been waiting for almost five months for Wesley Clark to make up his mind about running for president. He won't have to wait much longer.
Howard Dean has emerged as the unlikely early favorite in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. But that nomination is 11 months away, and the contest could be in for a major shake-up next month -- when Clark will make his decision known.
The retired four-star general has been flirting with the idea of running for several months. That flirtation became a little more formal this week, as an anonymous friend of the former general told The New York Times that Clark 'wants to run.' Clark himself says he will make a final decision within a few weeks -- probably after the next campaign finance reporting deadline, which comes on Sept. 15.
For hundreds of grassroots supporters like Hlinko, that day can't come soon enough. In April, Hlinko put his political consulting business on hold and began organizing DraftWesleyClark.com -- one of three separate online campaigns to draft the former general as a candidate. None of the activists behind the sites (the others are DraftClark.com and DraftClark2004.com) are Clark confidants. In fact, Hlinko has met the retired general only once -- at the New Democrat Network conference.
"He was there and I just happened to see him. I went up and shook his hand, introduced myself. He was clearly impressed with what we're doing. Not reading a lot into it, he appeared really humble, and it was very refreshing."
Clearly, for Hlinko and the other folks behind DraftWesleyClark.com, the retired general is a man to believe in. As Hlinko put it, "he seemed to sort of wake this idealism in us that had been buried under heaps of cynicism."
Clark isn't a household name among most Americans, but he also isn't completely off the radar, either. He served as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO in the Kosovo war, he's appeared on CNN as a military analyst on many occasions, and he's emerged as a vocal critic of the administration's policy in Iraq. And, as Hlinko and others who want to see Clark run for the White House are eager to tell anyone who will listen, the retired general has the kind of backstory a campaign can be built on.
A military hero who was awarded a Purple Heart, Clark had to teach himself to walk again after being seriously injured in Vietnam. He's a family man, a father of one who's been married to his wife since 1967. He's worked as an investment banker, and speaks four languages. Hlinko rattles off the rest of the impressive biography: Top of his West Point Class; Rhodes Scholar; published author. Hlinko says he sees Clark as the kind of man who can get people excited about the election -- including moderate Republicans fed up with the Bush administration.
In fact, Hlinko has a case-study to back up his assertion. While he was getting DraftWesleyClark.com up and running in Washington, DC, his brother-in-law, Josh Margulies was busy starting Republicans for Clark in New York City. Margulies -- who says he bolted to the GOP after the Monica Lewinsky affair -- believes Clark's personal integrity will play will with Republicans.
"You could not create on paper a better resume for a potential presidential candidate," Margulies insists. "Every time someone refers to something in the military which is mind bogglingly impressive, there's always something in the civilian life that matches. It's the entire package."
It's not just Hlinko and Margulies who think drafting Clark is worth giving up their day jobs. Local Clark for President groups have sprung up across the country. DraftClark.com lists no less than 40 such grassroots organizations, including Students for Clark, Veterans for Clark, Women4Clark, and Hispanics for Clark. The last is the creation of Yosem Companys, a doctoral student at Stamford. Since early July, Companys has been using contacts he established as a community organizer to get the word out about Clark. And, like Hlinko, Companys says that Clark is attracting Hispanic supporters from both parties.
Of course, Clark has yet to speak directly about most key campaign issues. But that doesn't seem to be a major concern for Companys, Hlinko, Margulies, and the other Draft Clark activists, they are so taken with his character. In fact, character is what all three repeatedly cite when asked what drew them to support Clark.
"I agree with his approach and I feel that on an issue I haven't considered, or that we haven't had the chance to consider, I trust that [Clark] would do the right thing," Margulies says.
Both Hlinko and Margulies like to say that Clark is the kind of president they were promised as kids. As Margulies puts it, "Clark just has this manner about him, you look at his record and you say 'this man is just built on integrity and courage and service.' You could just go to sleep at night knowing that you'd be taken care of."
From Clark's speeches and writings his advocates say they have determined that their main man is pro-choice, pro-affirmative action, pro-immigration, supports a progressive tax policy, is wary of the USA Patriot Act, doesn't support drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge, and supports a broad social safety net. But pinning a left/right political position on Clark is a little tricky, because the man likes to speak about big ideas -- which is exactly what everyone is so crazy about.
Several Washington pundits have suggested that Clark is better-suited to being a vice presidential candidate. His military record, upstanding character, and Southern roots could do much to round out a Democratic ticket, they assert. Still, Hlinko and the others hoping to draft Clark hope to see their man on the top line.
Already, Hlinko says, over 30,000 people have sent letters to the retired general through DraftWesleyClark.com, and the site has garnered over $900,000 in campaign pledges. That money will be essential if Clark decides to join the race. Dean, who recent polls show holding a commanding lead among likely voters in New Hampshire, raised more than $7 million through June and is reportedly well on the way to reaching the $10 million mark by the end of September. And Dean is on the offensive, attacking President Bush in a series of television ads airing in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington state and Wisconsin.
In the meantime, Hlinko and the others hoping to draft Clark wait for the general.
"My guess is September is when things need to fall into place, where this really needs to shift into high gear. That being said, President Clinton didn't announce until October, and he did all right. So, you never know, it may not be as late as you think."
Liv Leader is a MotherJones.com editorial intern.
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