http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=448263<snip>
"We get to see them close-up, beyond the soundbites, their body language, whether they are condescending, whether they are genuinely interested in what worries people."Clark passes the test handsomely. He has none of the tell-tale starchiness of many generals out of uniform. Supple, charming and articulate, he fields questions on education, the economy and health care as well as Iraq and national security matters. We learn that he would decriminalise the use of marijuana for medical purposes, but opposes a constitutional amendment allowing gay marriage.He freely admits he won't have a proper health-care plan ready for a few weeks. His economic thoughts are also fluid, though he wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy. Most movingly, he deals with a woman who served in the army and was sexually harassed, without redress. "I apologize, I really do. I was a senior officer in the army, and obviously we didn't do our job." He promises to meet her privately afterwards to discuss her case - and does.Inevitably, however, Iraq dominates, and Clark is scathing. "Force must be used only, only, only, as a last resort." Bush, he says, has acted recklessly, destroying respect for the US around the world. As for the doctrine of "pre-emptive" war, "Every nation has the right of self-defence. What is nutty is that you start a war to prevent a war that was never going to happen." Herein lies the bottom-line appeal of Clark - his military credentials to challenge Bush on national security issues, and win the argument.The session lasts an hour, and afterwards Peter Lehnen is highly impressed. "He was very thoughtful and imposing, very sensible. I'll certainly support him financially."
But he adds, "If Clark starts changing his positions for the sake of expediency, he'll turn me off. We've already seen a bit of that with Dean."Of the several obstacles standing in the way of Clark, the least is his belated embrace of the Democratic party. That rivals attack him for naked opportunism only confirms the potential threat they see in him.In truth, Clark's views - pro-affirmative action, pro-choice, in favour of budget discipline at home and multilateralism abroad - are pretty similar to those of another eminent general, who happened to join the Republicans. Just as you could imagine Colin Powell as a New Democrat, Clark could equally easily be a moderate Republican. Indeed, he admits to having voted for Reagan, and only in May 2001 he was captured on film extolling the virtues of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al.In fact, both Clark and Powell are centrists. Both appeal to the independents, and not only independents, dismayed at the mindless polarisation of American politics. Take Charles Galemmo, a 42-year-old chef who plans to start his own restaurant, and who typifies those who joined the grassroots campaign urging the general to run."I was fed up with Bush," he says, "I looked into the other Democrats. They were OK. Then I saw Clark on TV in July. He's pretty charismatic and I agreed with 95 per cent of what he said. The fact he hasn't got detailed policies doesn't worry me. He's stated his principles. As for the details, things change when you get in office - they never come out like you expect."And who knows? If Wes Clark can build on this early momentum, the nomination and even the White House may be within reach. But even if he fails, his very presence in the field will have made it harder for the President to beat the Democrats with the national security stick.Indeed for Bush-haters, no prospect is sweeter than the first candidates' debate of autumn 2004.
... who avoided service in Vietnam (but had the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln delay its return to port to permit his silly Top Gun moment) turns to his crisp and polished Democratic opponent: "General..." The posters swirling outside Dover's town hall, depicting a smirking boy-Bush in pilot's gear and a steely Wes Clark with four stars on each shoulder, make the same point. "The Pretender vs the Contender." Clark's real problems are a lack of time and money. Dean and his other main rivals have been running for more a year, while the first primaries are less than four months off. <snip>
Clark was a critic of the war, but is even more critical of the rough-heeled swagger with which Bush handled it. "He claimed to be a 'compassionate conservative'," he told the crowd at Dover, "but he's turned out to be heartless, reckless and wrong. Billions of people around the world used to love this country, but now they are afraid of us."With each passing day, Clark sharpens his language against a President who wraps himself in patriotism while pursuing policies that widen the gap between rich and poor, and erode civil liberties: "Patriotism is about more than flags. Patriotism means protecting freedom not only from those from abroad, but also from those occupying positions of power in Washington, who want to take it away from us."The cheers are deafening, but after half-an-hour the rally is over. Clark is gone, and by mid-afternoon Dover has reverted to its normal inconsequential self. His campaign is a work in progress, and the general must be counted an outsider. But these are strange political times in America. For a little while at least, on dank autumn days in New Hampshire when a presidential primary beckons, no mission seems impossible. 1 October 2003 11:01
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=448263
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
