Wesley Clark

excerpts from the Iowa Daily Report

May 2003

… For Lieberman, it’s too bad every state isn’t South Carolina – because he leads the Dem field in awareness, favorability and ballot preference among likely SC Dem voters. According to an American Research Group survey (conducted 4/24-29), almost half of the state’s Dem voters are still undecided (47%) – but Lieberman has nearly one-fifth (19%) the vote. Three wannabes are bunched together behind Lieberman – Gephardt 9%, Kerry 8% and Edwards (who was born in Seneca, SC) 7% with Sharpton at 3%. The 2% players are Dean and Graham, while Biden (who’s not an announced candidate), Hart (who’s not an announced candidate) and Moseley Braun (who is an announced candidate) register in with 1%. Bringing up the pack – Kucinich and Gen/CNN war analyst Clark with solid 0% showings. (5/2/2003)

... They haven’t exactly been acting like buddies over recent weeks – or during last Saturday night’s debate – but Dean and Kerry probably have more motivation this morning to escalate the two-wannabe exchange of charges and countercharges: A new New Hampshire poll shows them in a 23%-all deadlock. The Franklin Pierce College poll (conducted 4/27-5/1) indicates they have left the rest of the field in the political dust with Lieberman a distant third (9%) and Gephardt in fourth (8%). An indication of the overall situation – Dean and Kerry have 23% each and 31% are undecided, leaving the other nine wannabes (and potential wannabes) included in the poll to divide up the remaining 23%. Making the poll even stranger, two non-candidates – Hart and General Wesley Clark – are next, registering 2% each. Then, at 1% -- Edwards, Graham, Kucinich and Moseley Braun. Sharpton, as in most NH polls, registered a solid 0%. Two more notes: The number of undecideds dropped 7% -- from 38% a Franklin Pierce poll early last month.  Although most of the Dem candidates are not well-known in New Hampshire, six of the wannabes have higher unfavorable ratings than favorable impressions – Clark, Graham, Hart, Kucinich, Moseley-Braun and Sharpton. The worst unfavorable rating – Sharpton (60%) to a 5% favorable showing, followed by Hart (52% unfavorable, 23% favorable).(5/7/2003)

... Yes, that photo on www.theunionleader.com really was of retired Gen. Wesley Clark, looking a lot like an aging Mark Spitz – and in deeper water than Graham, Edwards, Kucinich, Moseley Braun and Sharpton.  CNN war analyst – and former NATO commander -- Clark, who seems to be more consumed with ego-trip political mentions than actually being a Dem wannabe, joked about “testing the waters” in NH – as he swam in the Manchester YMCA pool. The Union-Leader’s senior political guy John DiStaso (unfortunately) drew the Clark assignment and yesterday reported: “He had a candidate’s walk and a candidate’s talk. He even did a candidate’s swim, literally testing the waters at the Manchester YMCA. He didn’t kiss babies, but he did banter with toddlers and a teenager. Former NATO commander Gen. Wesley Clark made it clear yesterday he isn’t a candidate for President. But after he was presented with 1,000 messages from across the country urging him to run by Dover resident Susan Putney of ‘draftWesleyClark.com,” he admitted, ‘It’s pretty hard not to think about this and read those letters.’ Yet Clark said that although he voted on the last Democratic Presidential primary in his home state of Arkansas he didn’t ‘think’ he was even a registered Democrat there.’” Clark said he was in NH as part of his continuing ‘strategic dialogue’ with Americans and to conduct private business. (5/14/2003)

... Under the subhead “Clark’s sequel,” Paul Bedard – in his “Washington Whispers” column in U.S. News & World Report – wrote that “Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, still teasing Democrats with a possible 2004 presidential bid, seems to be more interested in replacing Karl von Clausewitz as the great war strategist. What started with Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo and the Future of Combat, describing the Kosovo war while he was NATO’s supreme commander, continues later this year with Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism and the American Empire. Publishing insiders say it’s due out in September, right about the time when the Democratic presidential primary season begins to heat up.   (5/28/2003)

Clark main page

top of page