Reply #16: I wonder how much is "non-partisan"...

[Jai4WKC08]

By that I mean...

Starting right after Kerry clinched the nomination, we know that most if not all of Clark's tv appearances were orchestrated by the Kerry campaign. Fox made a point of announcing that, and several of the others alluded to it.

But now, I'm not as sure whether Kerry's still behind it all, or whether the cable news programs are inviting Clark on their own. I tend to think it's still the former, and I know for a fact that the Kerry folks are kept read-in on his schedule in either case.

IF the news stations are doing the inviting, it could well be that the news networks suspect Clark might be VP, and just aren't willing to say it out loud. Or it could just be his obvious expertise and communications skills. Even when Clark was just starting as a CNN commentator, he was widely regarded as the most effective at explaining things in words "normal" people could understand, handling the unexpected questions and breaking news, getting the right level of detail and not missing the key points.

In either case, or maybe some third alternative I haven't thought of, Clark has done nothing to hide that he is partisan in his support for Kerry. He usually brings it up, and always if the questions lead that way. But I do seem to hear his toning down the direct attacks on Bush himself, and I do think that's from guidance directly from John Kerry.

Except when the prisoner abuse comes up--on that one topic he still give Bush hell (and the Repubs in Congress too). I think Bush's responsibility for and complicity in that debacle really pisses him off, because of what it has done to military morale, discipline and respect from civilians, not to mention increasing the threat to the very lives of the soldiers themselves.