A complete posting of NewsWeek's new article on Wesley Clark...
The General's New Stripes
msnbc.msn.com
He had a rough entry. But Wes Clark is a quick study. A rookie finds his stride
By Evan Thomas and Daniel Klaidman
Newsweek
Jan. 12 issue
Gen. Wesley Clark has never quite learned how to behave like a politician. Before Christmas, he was asked at a town meeting in Derry, N.H., how he would respond if President Bush or Clark's own Democratic rivals questioned his patriotism or military record. Failing to see that he was being followed by a television camera, he answered, "I'll beat the s—t out of them." Clark's aides later joked that the candidate should have put out an apology, acknowledging that he had misspoken—that what he really meant to say was, "I'll beat the living s—t out of them."
The political professionals who handle Clark are learning that sometimes the best thing to do with the candidate is to let him be himself. After all, Clark's mantra is "I'm a leader, not a politician." If he lacks a seasoned candidate's carefully honed skill to say nothing well and to avoid controversial answers, then so much the better. Not long ago, a Fox News anchor pointedly asked if Clark was putting down U.S. troops by suggesting that Iraq was a "sideshow" to the more vital war on terrorism. Clark angrily lit into the newscaster for "playing politics with the men and women in uniform." Aghast, Clark's media adviser, Chris Lehane, took him aside and warned him that a national politician could not afford to fly off the handle that way, that the general's diatribe had been "too hot" for TV. Then the Clark campaign noted a sudden spike in campaign contributions. Voters apparently liked his righteous outburst.
In a campaign where boldness and "authenticity" may be the Democrats' best, if not only, hope of beating Bush, Clark's amateur standing in the game of politics could be a virtue. Clark is widely reported to be improving on the stump, to be less long-winded and more polished in his answers. With his impressive fourth-quarter fund-raising surge (between $10 million and $11 million), he may have positioned himself to be the Democrats' "Un-Dean." But Clark doubts that he is doing better because of any new-found political skills. Rather, he suggests, people are gradually recognizing his essential worth. "Voters have to learn who you are," he says. "It's a new experience for Democrats to learn about generals."
In an interview with NEWSWEEK, Clark was reluctant to concede that his campaign style had needed much improving. "I was always comfortable," he said. "I had to learn the lingo, but I've never been hesitant to express my views. I've always tried to be crisp and clear." Clark's friends and colleagues have long noted that the general does not willingly admit mistakes. He is still defensive about his first campaign blooper. The day after he announced in September, he told reporters that he would have voted for a congressional resolution backing war in Iraq, then the next day seemed to reverse himself. Clark suggested that he had been trapped into answering a hypothetical question. "I don't have off-the-record conversations," he said, as if unscrupulous newsmen had somehow taken advantage of his virtue.
Clark's aides gingerly observe that their man did require some on-the-job training to catch up to the other candidates, most of whom have been campaigning for at least 20 years. During a debate in Phoenix, Ariz., in October, he was repeatedly cut off by the buzzer before he had answered the question. Instead of moving on when his turn came again, he tried to finish his earlier answer, and fell almost comically behind. At early rallies, Clark would launch into his "hundred-year vision." Voters, more worried about jobs and schools right now, gave him the thousand-yard stare.
Clark has learned to be a little less lofty. This week he will offer up a plan to overhaul and simplify the tax code. But his best role remains soldier-statesman. At a speech in Exeter, N.H., in November, he literally wrapped himself in the flag and called on veterans in the audience to stand with him against the politicos who would question their patriotism. Clark's embrace of flag, faith and family plays very well in Red State America, where the Democrats are hurting. Last week, as he traveled through eight Southern states on a two-day "True Grits Tour," wavin' the flag and droppin' his g's, he seemed exuberant.
Clark is nothing if not relentless. Running for president is "a lot easier, let me tell you," than running a war, says Clark, who was the NATO commander during the 79-day Kosovo war in 1999. "I'm only worrying about losing my voice," says Clark, who for a time in November was reduced to croaking by various throat ailments. By sipping hot water and lemon, he tries to keep his voice "above a six" (on a scale of zero to 10) and to not overtax his vocal cords. But the general, who had to teach himself to walk without a limp after being shot four times in Vietnam, cannot stay quiet for long.
© 2003 Newsweek, Inc.
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Wesley Clark
Date and place of birth: Dec. 23, 1944, Chicago.
Current position: Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a business consulting firm; military analyst for CNN; chairman of the board of WaveCrest Laboratories of Dulles, Va., a company that specializes in electric propulsion systems.
Previous political experience: None.
Education: U.S. Military Academy, B.S., 1966; Oxford University, M.A., 1968.
Career: U.S. Army officer rising to rank of four-star general, with stints on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as commander in chief of the U.S. Southern and European commands and as supreme commander of NATO.
Candidate's Web site: www.clark04.com
Stands on key issues:
The economy: Clark opposed the Bush tax cuts, saying they have increased the deficit and "were not efficient in terms of stimulating the kind of demand we need to move the economy back into a recovery mode, a strong recovery and a recovery that provides jobs." Clark favors "progressive" taxation: "not only that the more you make, the more you give, but proportionately more." He says he supports many aspects of President Clinton's economic policy, especially "the basic policy of trying to reduce public-sector debt, which produced a lot of confidence in financial communities around the world."
Energy policy: Chairman of an alternative energy firm, Clark is opposed to drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve.
Foreign policy: Says, "The United States is a 225-year rolling revolution. ... We are the embodiment of the Enlightenment. If we're true to those principles, then it's a foreign policy of generosity, humility, engagement, and of course force where it is needed. But as a last resort." Clark maintains that the congressional resolution authorizing the war against Iraq was flawed. He says President Bush never made a clear case for going to war.
Terrorism: Stresses the importance of building international coalitions to deal with terrorism. "Shared risks, shared burdens, shared benefits — it's not only a good motto for NATO, it's also a good prescription for America's role in the world."
Thumbnail sketch: Clark is banking on his long, prominent military career to give him the best resume in the crowded field to challenge President Bush?s credentials as a war-time president. Critical of the war with Iraq from the start, Clark will probably stay as focused as possible on his own foreign policy experience with NATO since he acknowledges he has little experience on domestic policy and no experience as an elected official. He has drawn extensive support from allies of former President Clinton and has been called the 'star' of the Democratic Party by Clinton himself... |
