Will Gen. Clark enter the race? If not, will he be chosen as a running mate?

[IndianaJones]

I like this man and what he has to say.

[truebrit71]

1. I don't think he will...I wish he would though...

...as far as VP I would think that Obama would pick him, and perhaps Edwards would as well...

HRC's running mate? The other side of her mouth most likely...

[phylla]

6. Mark Warner would be the choice for VP, with any candidate

he is smart, young"ish" and has a great record of service behind him...as well as being verrrry rich. He is a wonderful person and he is ambitious, very ambitious.

[Hippo_Tron]

33. I'd rather that he run for US Senate

[roguevalley]

39. I want substance, not show. Look where show has gotten us. GO WES!

[phylla]

2. In my eyes, no one can come near Wes Clark.

And until he says otherwise, I will hold out for his candidacy.

Please Wes, PLEASE RUN!

I promise to max out w/ my time and resources.

Just run.

[IndianaJones]

3. I would be proud to have this man as our candidate and President...

I have not heard much about him running though.

[BigDDem]

4. Clinton/Clark

sounds good to me.

[IndianaJones]

5. Great ticket, Clark would be a strength on any ticket...

can you get better on experience and image in one package?

[rinsd]

7. Perhaps a cabinet position?

[polichick]

8. The only place I ever hear about Clark these days is DU...

Wonder if he has a relationship with any of the candidates.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

23. Isn't he informally advising some of them?

Can any Clarkies confirm this?

[jenmito]

9. A while ago on The McLaughlin Report, Lawrence O'Donnell predicted

whoever the Dem. nominee is, they'll choose Wes Clark as their running mate. :D

[saltpoint]

11. He did. I caught that program. Generally O'Donnell is one of the saner

commentators, IMO. Buchanan and Tony are revolting, of course, but O'Donnell does his homework and always shows up with something worth hearing.

[jenmito]

15. I hope he's right (if Clark doesn't run himself).

I'D love to see a Clark/Obama ticket or Obama/Clark.

[saltpoint]

10. It would surprise me if Clark were not already on candidates' private short lists

for the veep nom, which is not to say he might not still enter the race for the top slot.

He's viable, in any case.

We have a strong field to make our ticket. Evan Bayh, a nice man certainly, is a bit too far right for me on key issues, but I wouldn't argue that he would put Indiana's electoral votes in play. No cakewalk still, but the great gift he has is that he's more electable in places like Indiana than his more-progressive dad.

Clark, as I said already, is likely already on people's short lists.

If Richardson is not the presidential nominee, I'd be surprised if he weren't on a few (or all) shortlists, too.

Chris Dodd. Why not? I think he's a contender for the veep spot.

Agree also with others about Mark Warner. Let's fight for Virginia. I like Warner in that Senate race, but as it happens I don't run Virginia politics. And lately, Virginia Democrats have demonstrated that they're a force to be reckoned with. Just ask GOP presidential frontrunner George Allen.

I could go with Brian Schweitzer, for that matter, and very happily so. Also I like his dog.

[slick8790]

16. I agree with your assements for the most part.

Only disagreement is on Chris Dodd. I think putting an older, liberal male new england senator on our ticket would be a cancer in any position. Whether or not it's true, it just reeks of the elitism the repubs like to accuse liberals of.

[saltpoint]

17. I understand the point, but look at the Pukes' 2 frontrunners.

The ex-Governor of Massachusetts and the ex-Mayor of New York.

[slick8790]

19. Yeah.

Which is why they're screwed if they nominate them. which they probably won't. they'd much rather give their base what they want, with fred "i'm like reagan and i smell like aqua velva" thompson.

[saltpoint]

20. Yes, that could happen -- they could give it to ol' Fred.

And there is a waft of something coming from Fred.

But I don't think it's Aqua Velva!

[slick8790]

26. Heh

You'll have to ask chris matthews, he seems to know better than you or i ;-)

[illinoisprogressive]

12. there is nothing to indicate Clark will be running. zip. sorry

[Tom Rinaldo]

18. Incorrect, there is this...

General Clark was on Stephanie Miller's Radio show on Monday, he still refuses to rule out running, he still doesn't answer questions about it with a flat out "No":

"...Stephanie Miller: Are you calling to declare yet? Come on, General Clark.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I think about it every day.

Stephanie Miller: (laughs)

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: I do.

Chris: Ooh.

Stephanie Miller: Alright. Think harder.

(laughter all around)

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Listen, one of the things that keeps me thinking is the support from you, Stephanie.

Stephanie Miller: That's nice.

Chris: Awww.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It's true.

Stephanie Miller: That, and that's enough to go on, General. Alright. (laughs)

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Bye.

Stephanie Miller: Thanks so much for calling us, General Wesley Clark.

Chris: Yay!

Stephanie Miller: Please come back again. There he goes.

(studio applause)

Stephanie Miller: General Clark, ooooh lord, not easily tricked.

Chris: Mm.

Stephanie Miller: I try every time."
http://securingamerica.com/node/2621

And of course General Clark has a new book that will hit the stands in the first week of September called "A Time To Lead". Here's a link to information on it complete with some great reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Time-Lead-Duty-Honor-Country/dp/1403984743

OK I admit that none of the above is a strong indication that Wes Clark still will run for President, but there being "zilch" indications is an inaccurate statement on your part for the moment, sorry.

[calteacherguy]

32. I think if there were a movement as big as the "draft" last time, he would get in.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Listen, one of the things that keeps me thinking is the support from you, Stephanie.

Stephanie Miller: That's nice.

Chris: Awww.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It's true.



Also, in 04' there were a lot of Democratic Party leaders and media figures urging him to get into the race. That's not happening this time with so many already supporting Clinton or the others.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

24. I can understand why you fear another candidate who opposed the war in 2002 running

;)

[Hippo_Tron]

34. If Clark ran I'd probably drop my support for Obama and support him

But I don't think there's any chance of it happening. Clark knows that one of the reasons he didn't win last time was that he got in too late to raise the money that he needed. I think that seeing the kind of cash that Hillary and Obama have already raised have pretty much ended any ideas he might've had of jumping in a little later. It's really a shame too because by 2016 he'll be too old.

[Jai4WKC08]

38. That's not correct, Hippo

Clark's late 04 start didn't hurt his fund-raising. Not enough to matter anyway. Even tho he didn't start until Sept, he had raised more money than anyone but Dean by the end of 2003. Then Clark raised more money in the month of Jan 04 than ANY other candidate, to include Dean.

So getting a late start wasn't a factor as far as money goes. Would it be this time around? Hard to say. For sure, Clinton and Obama have taken in huge amounts that would be hard if not impossible to catch. But they've been spending a lot too, so maybe Clark could still catch what they have left on hand.

The problem in 2004 was organization. Clark didn't have enough time to set up properly in Iowa and so felt it necessary to pass on the caucuses -- in hindsight, a big mistake; but at the time, it seemed like the best plan for a lot of reasons. Maybe if he'd known how well he would do in fundraising by the time of the Iowa caucus, he'd have made a different decision. Or maybe (more probably imo) if he'd had a long political career, he'd have had a skeleton staff to build on and the connections within the state and so would have taken the chance. I know he wanted to, had the right instincts for it, but when push came to shove, he just did not have the time.

I could be wrong, but I don't think money is the issue this time around either altho it may well be an important factor. Clark knows he can raise money if he needs to, and he knows money isn't the only factor in primary results... consider how much Dean spent in Iowa and what good it did him. And Clark has said he can't discuss his "precondidtions" and it seems to me that if it were the money he'd just say so.

No, there's something else holding Clark back.

I don't think it's too late for Clark yet, altho it's getting close. He began in mid Sept last time. It's almost mid Sept now, but he's miles ahead of where he was then. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

42. He had plenty of money and ran a zillion ads in many states. He lost for 3 reasons IMO

1) He was a political rookie and fumbled a lot when he entered the race, most notably when he said he would have "probably" voted for the IWR on the first day of his campaign, which undercut a key rationale for his candidacy.
2) He was pummeled on all sides, ranging from Dean to even Holy Joe, as a phony opportunist, especially when he entered the race and that caused him to go from the instant front-runner to a distant 2nd place in weeks
3) He skipped Iowa

You definitely are not alone, though. Clark would draw a lot of votes from Obama.

[AtomicKitten]

13. He would really augment Obama's ticket.

Love the Wes.

[Sparkly]

14. Oh God I hope so!!!! nt

[DFW]

21. No to the first, likely to the second.

Wes Clark will not enter the race for president. He kisses no one's ass, and
that kind of attitude does not earn you the nomination for president these days.

On the other hand, you do not have to run for the VP nomination. If the nominee
calls and you want it, the VP spot is yours (unless you're Dick Cheney, and you
recognize that if you don't do it yourself, the president and the VP will have
a cumulative IQ in double digits).

Mark Warner won't accept it (this time) for the same reason he isn't shooting for
the top spot. Personal reasons. He might go for Warner's Senate seat, but even that
is a stretch. He'll be wanting to stick close to home for the time being.

Wes Clark would round out the ticket for ANY Democratic nominee. I can't think of
a better choice at this time. My bet is that he's on everyone's "short" list. If he's
not, then there are a few campaign stategists in dire need of unemployment.

[phylla]

31. Mark Warner would accept the VP nom. in a heartbeat.

[DFW]

36. Really?

What has changed since last December?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

22. He may run now that it is obvious Gore won't run

As to his VP chances, if Clinton wins he has to be considered the odds-on favorite for VP. Obama-Clark would not work because you would have two guys with a total of 2 years of relevant elected political experience while Edwards and Clark apparently don't like each other so Edwards-Clark is unlikely.

I hope he runs. He is a valuable voice in our party, can fight the "Dems are weak on defense meme", and extremely intelligent while simultaneously speaking in a manner that easily explains step-by-step his reasoning. He would bring a lot to the race. Plus, I think he would draw a lot of IWR-based votes from Obama.

[CJCRANE]

37. A Clinton nom

would be bearable with Clark in the VP slot.

[DFW]

25. Another reason to hope Clark is VP

As a military man, he is dead set against any kind of aggressive
action against Iran. He knows what the consequences would be, and
would resign before he would let his commander in chief do something
that destructive. Iran would have to invade a neighboring ally of ours
before any such action would be considered, and there is no neighboring
nation Iran would even want to annex. Clark is no chickenhawk. He knows
the subject first-hand.

[Nictuku]

27. Gore/Clark

Gore/Kennedy
Gore/Kucinich

[The Count]

28. I hope he will. he never ruled it out.

[gulliver]

29. His book is coming out in a couple of weeks.

Maybe he'll announce, maybe not. I sure hope he runs, though. I'll volunteer for him again like in '04 if he does.

[Tom Rinaldo]

30. I think Clark or Gore would provide our best chance of getting a progressive Democrat nominated.

I am not saying that there aren't other good progressive Democrats already running, certanly there are, but I do not put Hillary Clinton into the progressive Democrat camp and so far this race is shaping up exactly the way I thought it would if her main contenders remain Barack Obama and John Edwards. The way things are going Clinton is increasingly likely to be our nominee when the dust settles. The media howl has already started that Obama doesn't have enough experience, and Edwards can't really claim to have much more than Obama, he has spent less total time than Obama has in public service for example. The closer we get to the election the more attention gets paid to our top tier candidate's credentials, which I am not cofusing with policy positions on major issues, just their "credentials" to be President. Obviously both Edwards and Obama can make a case for themselves that shows that they are ready to become Commander in Chief now, or thay would not have gotten as far as they have already, but Clinton in my opinion is slowly pulling away from them and "seasoning" to me is the decisive factor that is giving her an edge. The public accepts that Hillary was Bill Clinton's partner throughout 8 years in the White Houses in more ways than just matrimony. She, in a sense, was Bill Clinton's other Vice President. She certainly was a close advisor at the very least.

Either Wes Clark or Al Gore could stand on the same stage with Hillary Clinton and one up her on gravitas, seasoning, and experience dealing with some of the world's most dangerous problems, which would cost her most of her current advantage in the race. What Al Gore could bring to the table is obvious enough, but Wes Clark is the Democrat's perfect Teflon Liberal, in much the same way that Ronald Reagan was the Republican's ideal Teflon Conservativ. Republicans at least can take credit in recognizing how valuable that quality is. They have been looking for another front man with that magic for a over decade now. First they created the myth of George W. Bush as the everyman's Compassionate Conservative. Now they are praying that somehow Fred Thompson is a better actor than he is a politician for them.

Meanwhile there are a whole lot of moderate Democrats in the South and West who would breath a hugh sigh of relief to have a four star General at the head of the Democratic Party 2008 ticket when they seek election or reelection themselves. How many people remember that Wes Clark went directly from campaigning for Ned Lamont in 2006 to campaigning for Harold Ford Jr? Clark was the only Democrat that Jon Tester wanted with him in Montana, and Clark was the first National Democrat to support ex-Republican Jim Webb for Senate in the Virginia primary. Wes got endorsed both by Centrist Democratic Senator Max Baucus and Michael Moore back in 2004. General Clark's National Security strokes and 34 year career of service to his nation in uniform gives him a huge advantage in reaching moderate voters with a profoundly progressive message. But Democrats seem to be less appreciative of that quality of broad cross over appeal now than Republicans were in the past when they found a politician who had it. Both Edwards and Obama have some of that, I am not trying to put them down, but they don't have the creds that Clark can wear on his sleeve.

The result is that I think we are on our way toward nominating Hillary Clinton as our candidate for President. I seriously doubt now that Al Gore will enter, I think it much more likely he will stay on his current non overtly political career trajectory through this election cycle at least. Wes Clark at least says that he is still thinking about it, but time is growing shorter.

[Apollo11]

35. I agree with Tom

As some of you will already know, for the past 18 months I have been a consistent cheerleader for Al Gore, all the time hoping that he would make another run for the Presidency in 2008.

I have been closely following Gore's activities and statements, and I think that part of him wants to run, but I agree with Tom that the chance of Gore entering the race is currently less than 50%.

Meanwhile, Wes Clark is making it clear that he would like to be the nominee in 2008. He has spent the past 4 years proving his commitment to the Democratic Party.

I have had a look at Tom's blog (www.aleftturnforclark.com) and find myself in agreement with his arguments. I recommend folks to go check it out!

Wes Clark is bringing out a book on September 4th. The title and the cover look to me like this could be a Presidential candidate. There is even a cool quote from Bill Clinton on the front cover!

[roguevalley]

40. ahhh, the look of intelligence. SIGH! GO WES!

[William769]

41. No, he will not enter the race. NT