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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Whomever Obama picks for VP, he should wait until after McSame has made his choice and chose accordingly. Dems need to start framing the arguements.
The smartest comment here. There have been too many knee jerk reactions from the Democratic Party. Arguing for Clark or Webb is based in large part upon name recognition. There are probably many good choices out there we are not aware of.
Excellent point.
Good point. He may have to anyway - the Dems convention is a month after the Republican's and it looks like it will go down to the wire.
Senator Jim Webb. Marine, former Secretary of the Navy. Son in the Marines.
As a military parent myself, I can vouch for the credibility and support Senator Webb has on military and veterans issues.
Also, his wife is Vietnamese which can't but help with the East Asian community a group (actually several groups) that are very well organized but been ignored by the campaigns.
Absolutely,. Webb is a proven campaigner from a swing state whose credentials for taking the "Call at 3AM" are even better than Clark's. Clark didn't even come close to running a credible campaign in his own right last time. And, his Hillary credentials will likely 86 him in the eyes of Obama loyalists.
We have to remember that this is start of the "silly season" when potential VP's like Clark get their names floated via "vanity rumors." These rumors don't mean anything and are usually started either by the "rumoree" him/herself or by someone with an agenda of their own to curry favor with the person whose name they have flotated--i'm not share where Lawrence's rumor falls. Last week it was Condi Rice.
We'll know the season has started in earnest when someone floats Bill Bradley's name as Obama's VP!
(copied, but well said)
SENATOR JACK REED: He's a West Point and Harvard-educated Army Ranger and 82nd Airborne paratrooper badass who forcefully opposed the Iraq War from day one and who- yes, it's almost too good to be true- is more Progressive than anyone currently being mentioned, including Edwards.
He is consistently called a liberal "hero" by the ADA for a record that, year in and year out, hovers at or near 100%. And he has a #3 lifetime liberal rating among current Senators. This will both fire up the base and give Obama a working partner with whom he has a deep philosophical kinship. And his rid, white, and blue soldier bio gives him great crossover and makes him unassailable: the guy is duty, honor, country all the way. This guy is a major win/win. He gives you unassailable military credentials and national security experience, and he gives you true, deep Progressivism.
catholic
Kennedy.
Actually, a progressive catholic. From ontheissue
* Voted NO on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions. (Oct 2007)
* Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Apr 2007)
* Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
* Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)
* Voted NO on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. (Mar 2004)
* Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)
* Voted NO on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
* Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
* Voted NO on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998)
* Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record. (Dec 2003)
* Expand embryonic stem cell research. (Jun 2004)
* Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance. (Dec 2006)
* Ensure access to and funding for contraception. (Feb 2007)
thanks... you make a good case.. I did not know much about Reed,, now I will find out more.
Wesley Clark? I think I'd rather have Richard Clarke.
I disagree..
Well I do agree it probably be W. Clark as VP and it is a smart choice, but it will be Clinton leading the ticket not Obama.
Let me introduce you to this thing called math.
The math where Obama will not reach the required delgates? That math?
Wes Clark shot himself in the foot, leg and mouth running for President last time. Obama will pick a Governor to run with him... not some retired general who's only worth now is as a pundit on Fox TV. D
agreed..a governor will be pick...
Agreed times 2. Obama's choice for VP should be based on who would be most beneficial to picking up votes demographically and not necessarily on an issue. I don't see Clark doing this anyway. He's not an overwhelmingly popular Eisenhower figure, and I don't think the Republicans would treat him with kid gloves just because he's military. We are expecting McCain to run on his having once upon a time been a POW, Johnny One Note, that's him. He's very weak on economic solutions, and contrary to what Clinton is saying, a majority of Americans feel they are hurting and are bitter. We need to run on Democratic issues, not trying to play catch up with the Republican game all the time, and we need to be unified on this issue. You can't succeed having a DLCer making the Democratic ticket "fair and balanced". Not at this time around.
I looked for some blog on Huffington (of relatively recent vintage) on Iraq to comment on and this was as close as it comes. Both the economic and political crises that are currently bedevilling this country stem from Iraq. For the last 5 months, since the "surge" began, Iraq commentary has been sorely lacking. I guess, because we are there for the rest of Bush, the topic is no longer current. But the decisions that led to the war and the disaster that is our economy stem from the same source, arrogance. Cops of the world that can print their own money to finance both the war and the lifestyles of the rich and greedy. Unless we begin to focus on who and what we are and how conditions have changed since American hegemony was unchallanged (in the 50's, less so in the 90's) we will fight as many wars as our printing presses will allow. And to the middle class, sayonara.
"Cops of the world that can print their own money to finance both the war and the lifestyles of the rich and greedy." ???
The sad truth is that the USA does NOT print its own money. Our money comes from the Federal Reserve which is NOT part of the American government! We BORROW that money from them WITH INTEREST!
Watch the google video "The Money Masters" to see how international bankers have funded both sides of war because that is when desperate nations are willing to go into debt. That is when they make the most money.
I agree that military experience is important but I believe Sen Jim Webb should be the the VP candidate. Virginia is turning into a swing state, Webb would gather support from both sides of the aisle. His speech just before the Kyl -Liebermann votes demonstrated a well thought out approach to the ramifications of the vote. He also has sons currently serving, so voters will see he is committed to serving this country.
Wesley Clark, on the other hand, has been working with the Clinton camp in undermining Sen Obama. Had he remained neutral, his chances would have been better.
Agree, Webb seems like he would be the best choice.
Clark is not well regarded by a large number of military..
I do NOT believe Wes Clark ran for president in 2004 because of ambition. He did it out of patriotism, because of what George W Bush was doing to America. He is a true patriot! BUT he supports Hillary. Enough said.
I like Jim Webb the freshman from Virginia for the same reason ODonnell likes Clark. Clark does have the added benefit of being a Clinton backer. However, Webb has a son serving in Iraq and is a gun toting, conservative southerner - who looks exactly like the guys Obama needs to vote for him. Webb is a more 'red neck' than Clark and I think that helps a lot in this election, particularly after the 'clinging to guns and religion' remark. Also, he's whip smart and really good with words - I'd love to see him in a debate with Condi Rice. Webb strikes me as the perfect bad cop to Obama's good cop.
I think Wesley Clark is a great choice for Obama's VP, but he has been VERY actively involved in Hillary's campaign so don't know if this will work.
He's a brilliant choice for Secretary of War (whoops, did I say "war'; I meant "defense")
You notice these Repubs who jump in on first posts on a topic here on HP to slam a good choice for the Democrats? :-) Funny. Are any Dems falling for this?
Fuck no... debating a Republican is like having a battle of wits with an unarmed man. Bring 'em on.
What are you thinking?
I almost had to take legal action to get two Wesley Clark groups to cease and desist from spamming my email box with pro-Hillary propaganda.
Clark may be a decent man, but his 2004 presidential campaign thudded, and to those of us
who have received his unwanted email, his name will be associated with that of Hillary Clinton --
a name I never want to hear again in this lifetime or the next.
(Bill Clinton was probably lying-as-usual, but he inferred that Clark tried to give credibility to
Hillary's deranged Bosnia scenario. Again, what are you thinking?)
Man, am I looking forward to this!
First question should be, "Mr. Clark, what was your role in the Waco massacre?"
Mr Kemp: Good question..
ylpatriot, "Good question" ???
You think that Army General Wes Clark was commanding ATF?
You guys have such short memories for ELEPHANTS.
You used to blame Janet Reno. What happened to that?
Yeah... "None" is going to be a really hard answer to give. What part of "none" don't you understand, Kemp?
If Wes had Richardson's balls, then he would deserve consideration.
But no, he has to cower in Little Rock, afraid of what those big ol' mean Clintons would do to him if he dared to do what is right, which is endorse Obama.
Wes should have been president in 2004.
But now that we see what a water boy for the Clintons he really is, I'm glad it didn't happen.
Agreed entirely!
Indeed. It should be a Clark/Obama ticket, not the other way around.
And with Obama's "elitist" remarks, he'll be made virtually unelectable by the Republican 527s by November.
As a former Clark supporter, I say no way to Clark. He ran a lousy campaign, was a Clinton puppet then (unbeknownst to his supporters) and is still a Clinton puppet.
Obama's elitist remarks is going to make him unelectable? Great, that makes Mrs. Million$ and her influence-peddling husband shoe-ins.
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