Wesley Clark for VP!
The long delayed Wesley Clark for VP echo chamber has finally begun. On June 15, 2007, I made the first noise on the McLaughlin Group: "The Democratic presidential nominee, no matter who he or she may be, will choose General Wesley Clark as the vice presidential nominee." The first echo occurred today on Meet The Press when Bob Shrum said Barack Obama will pick someone with a military background "and I think Wes Clark might be it."
I'm not counting my own echo of myself in last week's New York Magazine where I laid out the rationale for Clark's inevitability -- Obama needs military experience on the ticket to counter McCain and, as a strong Hillary supporter, Clark provides something of a unity ticket for the Democrats.
The silly season of TV talk about Obama-Clinton, Clinton-Obama tickets is almost over. There was general agreement on Meet The Press today that Obama will consider military experience in choosing a VP. James Carville foolishly suggested Anthony Zinni and other politically untested generals. That will continue now that the conventional wisdom has settled on the military angle for VP. But no former general other than Wesley Clark will make it onto the short list in the end.
Yes, Clark was a bad campaigner in 2004. So was every other Democrat who lost the nomination to John Kerry. Clark has learned enough since then to survive a two-month, one-debate vice presidential campaign.
An Arkansas Democrat with a good smile, a great looking family, and career military experience -- that's what VP inevitability looks like. It seemed so obvious to me ten months ago that I rushed to get my prediction recorded before everyone else was saying it. Turns out I had more time than I thought.
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Wesley Clark is smart and personable, but he is also a loyal Clintonista. Having him on the ticket will be a constanst reminder that "old" politics is still alive and well and just waiting for a chance to reassert its dominance over the Democratic Party. I would much prefer Jim Webb or Chris Dodd to Clark.
I favor the choice of Barack Obama when he makes it. I suspect the ambitious Clark hitched his wagon to a swaybacked philly.
HUH? Hasn 't Clark been out there campaigning for Hillary? Guess he thought he had a clead path to a VP or big job with the Clinton Administration. Sorry....n
I think he's going to choose a Republican. I used to think it would be Colin Powell since he is remorseful for his participation in the Iraq invasion, but since he can now be shown in the room while planning torture, I'm goin with Chuck Hagel.
The article is an example of the kind of old politics reasoning used by too many people when speculating on VP possibilities for Obama and this type of reasoning completely misses the point and shows a lack of understanding of the real meaning of Obama's candidacy. Obama simply cannot choose a VP who does not share his vision of bringing old style politics to an end otherwise we will return to politics as usual when Obama's two terms as president have expired. He has to pick someone who can carry his legacy forward. That is not likely to be any old school politician (Biden, Richardson, Nunn, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera). Even the old school politicians who support Obama are poor choices as VP because although they "get" what he's trying to do, they're too steeped in the Washington system to bring about change. The most important thing for Obama to consider when choosing a VP is to pick someone who is as much of a change agent as he is. Someone who really shares his mind on matters. That's not Jim Webb. It's not Wes Clark or else Wes Clark would be supporting Obama instead of Clinton. I think it has to be someone from out of the beltway. Also, as I've looked at Obama's campaign, it's run very methodically. I honestly believe that he's already made his pick, unlike McCain or Clinton.
How about Bill Bradley or Ralph Nader? That ticket would really be visionary.
Wesley Clark for V.P? This guy is a dud....Him and Clinton...
Bill Ayres "Weatherman Underground", Not a big deal when you look back. Police Brutality and FBI involvement when groups were beaten and many killed. The Vietnam War.. was a very difficult time for youth, some like Bill Clinton, escaped it by defrauding government on student visa program. Many kids came to Canada. My parent's would take them in. My father a WW11 vet. ,
The irony is Hillary Clinton fresh out of law school defended as a junior lawyer at a firm....'B
Did you just forget Clark is a loyal Hillary Clinton supporter ?
Hmm...
Military man or economic populist? With Jim Webb you get both. As an added bonus, he is battle tested against the right-wing, delivers Virginia and scares the crap out of neocons.
Obama/Webb08
That ticket might work if the head of the ticket had a lot more experience in government. By November 08, Obama and Webb would share exactly one Senate term between both of them combined. This would neutralize the Dem argument that McCain is too old for all but younger voters because McCain would seem like the only person in the race with any real experience.
No experience? Webb was Secretary Of The Navy under Reagan.
Seems many people are forgetting something very important: This year the female voters outway that of the white male! Though I hate to speak in terms of color, mind you, it is a no brainer tath Barack Obama will win with a woman governor.
WHY do you think this country will only accept a white man on the ticket with Obama. Still thinking race are we? WHite men have ran this nation from the beginning of our birth!
The winning ticket. according to those feisty women who are backing Hillary - will vote happily for a woman governor with integrity!
It's a woman that will be VP! If not, It will be John Edwards.
We could care less about a military veteran, this election is about CHANGE!
Bet you a dollar that it's Sebelius!
Haven't we already seen this article (or something very similar) here? Wesley Clark is a Hillary Clinton supporter--he was tapped (in strategic circles) to be her VP last year; it would have been a powerful ticket. Jim Webb is a senator; the last time Dems won with a two-senator ticket was in 1964 (that's somewhat misleading since LBJ was the imcumbent, but in 1960, it was also a two-senator ticket).
Jim Webb seems a great choice to me. One of the chapters in Tom Brokaw's new book "Boom Voices of the 60's" is about Webb and is great reading.
Someone "with a good smile, a great looking family, and career military experience -- that's what VP inevitability looks like." You're joking, right? If not, my little brother has those exact qualifications. I must remember to forward his name to the candidates.
No. I thought, too, that he seemed logical. But it highlights Obama's seemingly ineptness at military matters . . . sort of like a mustache highlights a bad nosejob. And, much as Penn's Gov, Clark's been overly partisan and overly connected to the Clintons. Lastly, and most importantly, Clark still has the blood of too many innocent Serbs dripping on his hands to fit into the "change" motif this year.
I say that it is better to pick someone with an economic populist theme, e.g. an Edwards. Don’t fight the Republicans on their term--war. Make it an economics alternative.
I agree. Gov. Sebelius is the best choice because she has gotten proven results for her state on education, jobs, and the environment.
Or if he does choose a military person, Webb is a better choice.
Jim Webb please
Anyone that's read what Wes Clark has written on the tools of power understands how intelligent and how principled he is. And anyone who read through his policies when he ran for the Democratic Presidential nomination can easily see that he understands how to address complexity. All of his policies reflected a consistent view of the world, and each each one complemented and supported the others. I work in healthcare, and he didn't get that one quite right, but he was one heck of a lot closer than most.
I think he'd make a wonderful VP, and he might make at least as wonderful a Secretary of Defense. Just imagine Wes Clark - someone who actually served in combat as opposed to so much of the current "top brass" - turned loose to reform our military? Maybe we could actually return this country to one in which the title Secretary of Defense wasn't a bad joke?
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