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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (464888)	9/25/2003 12:09:50 PM
From: JakeStraw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Gaffes, Kosovo Criticisms Seen as Early Setbacks for Clark Lawrence Morahan Senior Staff Writer (CNSNews.com) - Apparent waffling on his position on the Iraq invasion, new reports about his conduct during the Kosovo campaign and a lack of a political organization in key primary states have somewhat dulled retired Army General Wesley Clark's high-profile entry into the presidential race, analysts said Monday. "He is a general, and he's known for thin skin, so we have to see more of him out there. This was not a great start, though," pollster John Zogby said. Within days of becoming Democratic presidential hopeful No. 10, Clark found himself backtracking on a statement he made that he probably would have voted for the congressional resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. This statement appeared to undermine the rationale for his candidacy and challenged his credulity. Clark also is facing criticism for advocating the use of ground troops when he led allied forces as NATO supreme commander during the Kosovo conflict in 1999. He was called "reckless" for ordering British and French paratroopers to block Russian military units from taking over Pristina airport in June 1999. The British commander refused to comply with Clark's order, and Clark eventually was forced to back down. Clark also finds himself in the middle of a furor over an incident in which he exchanged hats with the Bosnian Serb commander and indicted war criminal, Gen. Ratko Mladic, in 1994. Clark reportedly ignored U.S. warnings that Mladic - who is still being sought by NATO peacekeeping forces - was suspected of being the mastermind of the Srebrenica massacre of Muslim civilians. Zogby likened Clark's transition from draft candidate to full-fledged presidential candidate to that of a popular movie actor of the silent era transitioning to talkies. It was not a transition Clark managed to his advantage, and his gaffes could cost him his candidacy if he cannot turn it around in a relatively short time. Indeed, in view of the personal nature of the Iowa caucus and Clark's lack of a political organization there, Clark would be advised to bypass the state altogether, Zogby said. The campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire is more akin to running for town council than for the White House and is seen as a test of a candidate's temperament, Zogby said. "You're dealing with people one-on-one. Reporters say candidates get a lot of questions. No, they get a lot of statements, and voters have a lot of exclamation points at the end of their statements," Zogby said. Clark's late entry into the race and his lack of a political organization in Iowa also could hurt him, Zogby said. "You have to have a solid organization there. He'd also need to have an organization - precinct by precinct - in New Hampshire, and it may be too late. It may be too late for him, even into South Carolina." South Carolina should be Clark's state, Zogby said. "He's a southerner, I guess a centrist, military guy in a state where military counts." Although he faces a formidable challenge as a relative outsider, Clark has the beginnings of a political organization and the promise of millions of dollars, thanks to an Internet-driven draft movement. Within 24 hours of getting into the race, Clark had reached double digits in the polls, enjoyed extensive media coverage and had a list of impressive congressional endorsements. Ivan Eland, a national security analyst with the Independent Institute, said if Clark recovers his stride, he could be an extremely effective Democratic candidate. "He's a polished articulator of his viewpoint, and that'll be a plus for him. On the minus side, he's new to politics, and so, he's going to have the problems that usually face people like that, probably making gaffes," Eland said. "I think doing rash things and not having a very organized campaign is hurting him right now, but I think he could be a more forceful critic of the Bush administration - a constructive critic of the Bush administration's policy - given his military stature," Eland said. crosswalk.com