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Politics : WHO IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2004 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (4674)	9/11/2003 7:22:27 AM
From: Glenn Petersen	Read Replies (5) \| Respond to of 10965

Gen. Clark Reportedly Is Asked to Join Dean washingtonpost.com By Jim VandeHei and Dan Balz Washington Post Staff Writers Thursday, September 11, 2003; Page A01 Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean has asked retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark to join his campaign, if the former NATO commander does not jump into the race himself next week, and the two men discussed the vice presidency at a weekend meeting in California, sources familiar with the discussions said. Clark, in a telephone interview yesterday, said he did not want to comment about the private meeting. Asked about reports that the two men had discussed a wide range of issues, including endorsing Dean, joining the campaign, possible roles in a Dean administration and the vice presidency, he said only, "It was a complete tour of the horizon." Later, an adviser quoted Clark as saying, "I have only one decision to make: Will I seek the presidency?" It was the fourth time Dean and Clark have met face-to-face to discuss the campaign. No decisions were made at the California meeting because Clark is still considering a run for president. Clark is scheduled to make a speech Sept.19 at the University of Iowa, when many political insiders expect him to announce his intentions. "Most of our conversations have been around my getting advice on defense, and sometime he asks me about domestic issues," Dean said in an interview yesterday. "This is a guy I like a lot. I think he's certainly going to be on everybody's list if he's not the presidential nominee himself." Dean declined to discuss their private conversations. While it would represent a gamble for both men to team up so early in the campaign, such a move would rattle an already unpredictable nomination campaign. Dean and Clark have two things in common that if combined could prove formidable among Democratic voters: They both opposed the war in Iraq, and both are generating excitement on the Internet and with grass-roots activists. But a Dean-Clark alliance would also underscore the relative inexperience that both men have in national campaigns. Clark has never run for political office, and Dean has created controversy for his off-the-cuff remarks last week on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last week, Dean said the United States should not "take sides" in the Middle East conflict and said that an "enormous" number of Israeli settlements would have to be dismantled as part of a peace agreement. Yesterday, Dean shifted course, saying the settlements should be left to negotiators. The governor's original comments angered a number of Jewish leaders and drew rebukes from two rivals, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.). Dean came under fire yesterday from a group of House Democrats for his comments on the Middle East. "This is not a time to be sending mixed messages," the Democrats, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), wrote to Dean. Dean has increasingly talked up Clark as a possible running mate or as a presidential candidate, pointing to the general's 33-year military record, which included a victory in Kosovo as commander of NATO forces in Europe. Dean's laudatory comments have fueled speculation among top Democrats that the two men might join forces soon on a Dean-Clark 2004 campaign. Dean's campaign played down the significance of the talks. "I am certain along the way we have made it clear we would welcome General Clark's support in the campaign, but I am assuming other Democratic campaigns have done the same," said Joe Trippi, Dean's campaign manager. Trippi refused to discuss the meeting in California. Other Democratic candidates have reached out to Clark, too, with Kerry talking to him by phone during the last week. But none apparently has courted the general as aggressively as Dean, a Clark adviser said. Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) said he has not talked to Clark in weeks and would welcome him into the race. "I never worry about who's in the race," Gephardt said. Clark has been making the rounds of Democratic donors and Washington insiders for months as part of his exploration of a presidential campaign. More recently, he has been meeting with Democratic strategists who have expertise in managing presidential campaigns. Among those to whom he has reached out are Mark Fabiani, who ran the communications operation for Al Gore's 2000 campaign and worked in the Clinton White House. If Clark joins the presidential race, which some prominent Democrats predict he will do, he would become the 10th candidate. Still other Democrats think Clark will not run, partly because he would enter well behind Dean in both fundraising and grass-roots support. Clark has sent mixed signals in recent days, leaving some Democrats he has talked to with the impression that he is in, others with a suspicion that he is out. Recent polls show nearly two-thirds of voters cannot name even one of the nine candidates, so there is room for a new candidate to move, some strategists think. But recent polls show Clark is not widely known and would enter near the back of the pack. He would not enter empty-handed. DraftWesleyClark.com officials said they have generated pledges of more than $1 million for a Clark campaign. Dean's campaign has said it will raise at least $10 million this quarter and other campaign strategists expect that number to be significantly higher. The Draft Clark organization has begun running 60-second commercial spots in Iowa, New Hampshire and Clark's home state of Arkansas, prodding Clark to run. Another Clark organization reports having grass-roots groups in numerous states. © 2003 The Washington Post Company

To: American Spirit who wrote (4674)	9/11/2003 8:35:34 AM
From: Glenn Petersen	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10965

Kerry says he might exceed spending limit Would follow suit if Dean rejects public financing boston.com By Michael Kranish, Globe Staff, 9/11/2003 WASHINGTON -- Senator John F. Kerry said yesterday that he would break a federal spending cap, reject public financing for the presidential primaries, and possibly use his personal funds if Howard Dean's fund-raising strength leads the former Vermont governor to go beyond the federal spending limit. Dean sent a letter to the government in June saying he would abide by the limit, but is now considering exceeding the cap. "If Howard Dean decides to go live outside of it, I'm not going to wait an instant," Kerry said in an interview at his campaign headquarters. "Decision's made. I'll go outside. Absolutely. I'm not going to disarm." As recently as Aug. 31, the Massachusetts Democrat expressed indecision on the matter, saying only that he would "reserve the right" to exceed the cap if Dean did so. No major Democratic candidate has rejected public financing and the spending cap since the voluntary program became law after the Watergate scandal. If Kerry and Dean exceed the cap, it would also enable them to break the spending limit of $729,000 in New Hampshire, setting off a financial arms race that could dramatically alter the way the campaign is run in the first-primary state, said Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which studies money and politics. "It would probably signal the demise of the public financing system, at least as it is presently constituted," Noble said. "If the calculation is that you can't win if you take public funding and the limits that come along with it, the serious candidates are going to have to figure out a way out of that system." Kerry bristled when asked about the possibility that Dean may break the cap, pointing out that Dean had pledged in a letter to the Federal Election Commission that he would abide by the spending cap. The issue prompted Kerry to use some of his strongest language yet about Dean, criticizing the former Vermont governor for changing his positions on a variety of issues. "Somebody who wants to be president ought to keep their word," Kerry said. "I think it goes to the core of whether you are a different politician or a politician of your word or what you are." Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi said in a telephone interview that he didn't want to respond directly to Kerry's criticism of Dean. But Trippi said that "the facts have changed" since Dean said he intended to abide by spending limits, observing that Dean has surprised people by collecting so many small donations from so many Americans. "I think a couple of million Americans giving $77 is totally within the spirit of our democracy," Trippi said. "I don't think writing a check to yourself or collecting bundled money is." He was alluding to the practice of prominent fund-raisers collecting contributions to one candidate from a number of associates. Earlier this year, the campaigns of Kerry, Dean, and the seven other Democrats worked under the presumption that they would abide by a cap of $45 million in campaign spending, including federal matching funds. Democratic campaign strategists calculated that it would be difficult to reach the $45 million level without public funding, especially in a nine-person field. But Dean has upset that equation with his unexpected fund-raising success, partly due to his Internet contributions. That has led him to consider rejecting public funds in an effort to catch up with President Bush. Bush, who faces no primary opposition, has rejected public financing and is expected to collect $200 million, much of which the president could use to attack his Democratic opponent long after the primaries are over. In the interview, Kerry was asked repeatedly whether he would use personal funds if Dean exceeds the cap. "Whatever's legal under the law," Kerry responded. He is married to one of the country's wealthiest women, Teresa Heinz Kerry, but there are restrictions that probably would prevent the senator from tapping her wealth. Kerry probably could tap half of their jointly owned assets, including a Beacon Hill townhouse that may be worth around $7 million. In his 1996 Senate race against William F. Weld, Kerry used jointly owned assets as collateral to pay for loans for campaign advertising. Earlier this year, it was Dean who criticized Kerry over the possibility of exceeding the spending cap. Speaking last March, before he took the lead in New Hampshire polls, Dean warned that Kerry would pay a political price if he broke the spending limit. "It will be a huge issue," Dean said at the time, "because I think most Democrats believe in campaign finance reform." Michael Kranish can be reached at kranish@globe.com. © Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.