Clark Steps Up Criticism of Kerry
Retired General Shifts His Tone and Offers Up Fiery Populist Talk
By Paul Schwartzman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 1, 2004; Page A06
MESILLA, N.M., Jan. 31 -- Since the earliest days of his campaign, Wesley K. Clark has professed little interest in criticizing his Democratic rivals, dismissing such tactics as emblematic of the "old-style politics" he wanted to avoid.
But with his campaign lagging in the polls, there was Clark launching his first broadside of the race Friday in South Carolina, accusing Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) of misleading voters when he denied he had ever been critical of affirmative action. "When you make a mistake, you ought to fess up," Clark said.
In case anyone missed his point, the retired Army general repeated the charge at a news conference an hour later.
The shift in tone is not the only new wrinkle in Clark's quest to salvage his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, a campaign that has sputtered even before his narrow third-place finish in New Hampshire, where he had been surging in mid-January.
On many days, Clark ratchets up a decidedly populist tone, weaving in more about his humble beginnings in Arkansas, and about a religious fervor that seems to grow stronger depending on the locale.
"It sounds like thunder from the good Lord, doesn't it?" he said of the static from his microphone the other day, as he addressed a church audience in Tulsa.
Clark is hoping for victories in Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico on Tuesday, among seven states hosting a round of primaries that could determine whether he remains in the race.
But Clark's challenge is formidable, with Kerry's support surging after victories in Iowa and New Hampshire. An Arizona Republic poll published Friday showed Kerry holding a substantial lead in the state, while the retired general led in another survey in Oklahoma. A poll in South Carolina showed Clark trailing Kerry, Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) and former Vermont governor Howard Dean.
"The body is still warm; General Clark has a lot of support out there; I wouldn't write him off, " said Donna Brazile, who served as Al Gore's campaign manager in 2000. "But this is no longer a beauty contest; it's about delegates. He needs to win something."
Even as the candidate hops between states, sometimes four in a day, the signs of strain are clear in his red-rimmed eyes and raspy voice. A day rarely passes without a logistical mix-up. On the night of the New Hampshire primary, Clark was to fly to South Carolina to begin campaigning in the morning. But a scheduling problem with the flight crew forced the campaign to reroute at 2 a.m. About a hundred supporters showed up for a Charleston rally the next morning, only to learn that the candidate was in Oklahoma.
A senior adviser told reporters during a briefing this week that the campaign has the money to compete until the Feb. 17 primaries, whether or not Clark wins any contests Tuesday. But another adviser, who asked not to be identified, said Clark needs at least two victories to prove that his candidacy is viable.
Clark, for his part, refuses to publicly entertain the possibility of leaving the race, telling reporters that he will win Feb. 3 -- he never says where -- and that he remains confident he will capture the nomination. "I'm very comfortable with where we are," he said.
If his numbers are flat in some polls, he is drawing large crowds everywhere from a community center in Phoenix to a VFW hall in Albuquerque. Hundreds packed into an Old West theme restaurant in Tucson late Friday, cheering when the candidate who rose to the top ranks of the military described himself as a "Washington outsider."
When rivals targeted Clark in New Hampshire, he characterized the attention as "flattery," and said he would not fire back. Asked whether he was reversing himself Friday when he attacked Kerry, Clark said, "We need leaders to tell the truth and not fudge their answers."
Since leaving New Hampshire, Clark labors longer during his stump speech about his modest roots. "I'm the guy who had to rebuild his car at 41 because he didn't have enough money to buy a second car," he said.
During appearances in Oklahoma, where 70 percent of the population attends church once a week, Clark spoke of "accepting the Lord as my savior" when he was 9 years old.
Keith Gaddie, a professor of political science at the University of Oklahoma, said that Clark's military background is a bonus "in a state where patriotism runs deep."
But Gaddie said charges by Clark's rivals that he has shifted positions on the Iraq war may hurt. "Oklahomans respect leadership, but they can also spot a fake from a mile away," he said. "They don't like vague politics."
Byron Howard, 58, a Democrat, rose at 4:30 a.m. to drive to see Clark in Sierra Vista, 70 miles outside Tucson. He walked out wearing a Clark button. "He's fresh, clean and new, he's not from the Beltway," Howard said. "He talks about his muffler. How many politicians do that?" |
