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To: Sully- who wrote (23239)	1/6/2004 9:43:35 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793623

Clark: From ABC News' Clark campaign reporter Deborah Apton: MANCHESTER, NH, Jan. 5 — For the first time since Gen. Clark announced his candidacy, Clark is staying on message. The underlying theme of patriotism remains the same, but never before have press and staff alike been able to consistently mouth The General's stump speech from beginning to end and know exactly when he'll pause for applause, oohs, and ahhs. The new stump was developed for the "True Grits" tour of the South last week and adapted for New Hampshire, says Clark's communications director, Matt Bennett. It focuses on Clark's Southern values; broken down into categories: family, faith, patriotism, and inclusiveness. Clark speaks about his childhood-his father's death, his "only child" status, his move to Arkansas where he chose to attend the Baptist church because of its stained-glass windows, his gun collection and how he used to shoot cans and hunt with his stepfather. Clark uses the religious faith portion of the program to tie in an attack on the Republicans saying that only one political party lives their faith and that's the Democratic Party. The Republicans, on the other hand, talk about religion a lot. Clark told Dover area residents Monday that "you'd think [Republicans] have a pipeline to the Lord God Almighty sending down an instruction sheet every morning to them." "He has developed enormously as a candidate," Bennett told ABC News. "He's found a stump speech that he likes and he's sticking with it." But while Clark often boasts he's not a politician (evoking the memory of the first and only other election he participated in for homeroom student council president), the quintessential repetition of the stump speech seems to trigger a move towards the political norm of drilling the message home. And, while the stump is the same, the questions from the audience can evoke fresh answers. At a Monday evening "Conversation with Clark," a woman's question on electability led Clark to say: "What you're looking for is people with good judgment in public office and good judgment comes from experience and experience usually comes from previous bad judgment." Read more from the trail with Clark on abcnews.com: LINK The Wall Street Journal 's Jake Schlesinger delves deep into The General's tax plan, calling his tax code overhaul and promise of smaller and simpler taxes for the middle class a "stark contrast" to the tax policy of Howard Dean, "who so far has unveiled no broad tax-relief plan and has called for the repeal of all tax cuts enacted under President Bush — including breaks given to lower- and middle-income families." Schlesinger — and the headline writer — point out that Clark's speech was timed to keep him in the news while — almost — everyone else in the field is focused on Iowa, where he is not competing in the caucuses. Los Angeles Times' Eric Slater calls Clark's tax plan a "decidedly liberal approach," and Notes The General's direct address to Karl Rove in his stump speech. LINK "'Karl, I want you to hear me loud and clear,' Clark said. 'I am going to provide tax cuts to ease the burdens for 31 million American families, and lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, by raising the taxes on 0.1% of families — those who make $1 million a year. You don't have to read my lips; I'm saying it.'" "'If that makes me an old-style Democrat, then I accept that label with pride and dare you to come after me for it.'" abcnews.go.com