Clark Says Military, Foreign Policy Experience Make Him the Best Candidate

[PSU84]

The Portsmouth (NH) Herald 12/11/03

Clark says military, foreign-policy know-how make him best man for Democratic presidential nomination

By Elizabeth Kenny [e-mail]

PORTSMOUTH - Presidential candidate Wesley Clark said another round of military base closures is necessary in 2005, but he believes the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is in the clear. "You have to go through the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. BRAC is needed to make sure we are not putting more into our military than we need," said Clark. "But the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a unique facility, and I’m sure it’s going to be OK."

"I will emerge with the nomination," Clark said in an interview on Wednesday with the Portsmouth Herald’s editorial board. "I came into the race late, and I’m not a professional politician, but I am the best leader."

Clark’s relaxed manner and gentle smile contradict the stereotype of a stiff, unapproachable former military general, but on the basis of his knowledge of foreign policy, he has criticized the Bush administration, calling the war in Iraq a "strategic blunder."

Clark added that Bush is not a visionary and reiterated some of the comments he made during Tuesday night’s nationally televised debate held on the campus of the University of New Hampshire. "He’s repeated his father’s war, (President) Reagan’s tax cuts for the wealthy. Now he wants to repeat John Kennedy’s challenge to go to the moon," said Clark.

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