Clark is not imploding. Clark is going through growing pains.

[TakebackAmerica]

Every campaign does. Dean replaced his first campaign manager. I believe that bringing Lehane in is a huge mistake. But Clark is a strong enough person, candidate to continue. This will be a bumpy road.

[kentuck]

1. Let's see how he does in the debate tonight ?

That will give you a good idea of where he is headed. He has looked pretty impressive, up to this point, in my opinion. However, I do think he will be more of a politician in the mold of Bill Clinton and the DLC. I could be wrong.

[diplomats]

2. If Lehane turns out to be bad, I hope he'll be let go

It's not the end of the world.

[Renew Deal]

5. Lehanes not on the staff as far as I knew.

Is there some verification on this. This was just a rumor after he left Kerry.

[Wetzelbill]

3. It's natural to go through this

Clark announced with such a pre-attained build up that his candidacy was spiked from the beginning. He'll even out and have the same trials the others will have as well. Clark has the intellect, charisma and credentials to be a viable formidable candidate for the long haul. We'll see how he ends up. This whole race is shaping up to be a good one. Issues! Issues! Issues!

[wyldwolf]

4. Clark is leading in today's national poll...

YEP! Really imploding!

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20031009_1529.html

[Hawkeye-X]

7. Actually the MOE is quite large

+/- 5

So technically with Dean at 16% and Clark at 21%, it could easily be a swap.

Hawkeye-X

[wyldwolf]

9. Yeah, but it's not a swap...

...

[Kahuna]

17. Dean leads in NH. Period. Clark leads in NY, CA, WI, AL and OK..

AND NATIONALLY. Yeah. Keep believing your own hype and the hype of the right wing bush-kissing media who are scared to death of Clark.

[dajabr]

8. Lead is shrinking...

Went from 9 point to 5 point lead...

[wyldwolf]

10. That doesn't even cover the margin of error...

works both ways, huh?

[CMT]

16. also Dean went from 12% in previous Gallup poll to

16% in this one. It is progress, but long way to go.

[mlawson]

6. Why would anyone think he is imploding? n/t

[Padraig18]

12. Oh, they don't *think* he's imploding, they're just *hoping* he is. ... n/

[bicentennial_baby]

11. Lehane isn't the campaign manager

That would be Eli Segal. And no, the Clark campaign is not imploding, as much as some here might like to hope it is.

[Rowdyboy]

13. The day may come when Wesley Clark's campaign implodes...

But its not today. Let's see how the debate goes tonight. 1 day is a lifetime in politics.

[AP]

14. I think he's a nice addition to the campaign, but he's fizzling out.

He had a lot of hooplah going on when he announced, and then the excitement ended.

I don't think the spin against him is hurting him. I just think he's not that, well, exciting. Or, at least, he was oversold on the excitement front. Democrats just don't get excited by military people. Compare Clark to Sharpton, for example.

I could be wrong. The debates will be interesting tonight.

[TreasonousBastard]

18. Gee, that sounds like another candidate I could think of.

[Kahuna]

15. Clark still leading the polls despite the leftie's and rightie's

best efforts.

[mandyky]

19. Clark's big mistake is NOT

the switch in campaign manager. It is his "dissing" his grassroots/draft Clark folks. Then when you figure in the FEC violations and the newness of his Democratic allegiance, I think there will be a trust problem with Democratic voters.

[wyldwolf]

20. That would be so if ...

..there were FEC violations.

[Pastiche423]

21. Did he pay back the $60K?

[wyldwolf]

22. Yes...

...PLUS the FEC NEVER said there was a violation. Clark returned the fees in good faith.

[Pastiche423]

26. Link, please

[wyldwolf]

27. Sure thing!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A1417-2003Oct9?language=printer

[Rowdyboy]

28. Next...

n/t

[Pastiche423]

29. My question was

Did he pay back the $60K.

The answer is no per the WP:

Fabiani said Clark would return the payments for speeches he had given since he entered the presidential race "to avoid any distraction from the real issues that matter to Americans."

As October 9, 2003, he has NOT paid back the $60K.

[bushclipper]

32. Ok, whatever...

:eyes:

I have no proof he ever took $60,000.

(Starting to lean Clark based on foolishness like your post)

[Pastiche423]

37. The proof that he took the money

is in the same article.

It is also in this one:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58717-2003Oct7.html

[TakebackAmerica]

23. Clark is not "dissing" the grassrooots.

Sheesh. If Dean wins the nomination the national party will take over and the bloggers, the "tech people" will get shut out. It will be just another presidential campaign

[bluefire2000]

25. Clark Addressed Draft/Internet Movement Today

In response to recent rumblings, this is latest post on Clark04 blog:

Note from General Clark
We're now three weeks into the campaign. It's gone fantastically well! Based in Little Rock, we've been to Florida, Iowa (twice) South Carolina, New York, Indiana, New Hampshire, California, Washington DC, Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona. The reception everywhere has been overwhelming, particularly by the Draft folks, but also by party regulars, independents, Republicans and even kids too young to vote!

But let's be very clear - this could never have happened without the Draft movement. You've been the key to everything, and I know it! And I am your champion. I'll make sure you are pulled into the campaign structures, consulted, worked hard and rewarded. And when we win, it'll be largely your success. I promise I will make you proud.

Yesterday I wrote to explain that our first campaign manager, Donnie Fowler, had left the campaign. Again, I want to thank Donnie for all he did to get this effort off the ground. His work was critical in ensuring that the grass roots you all planted and nurtured will continue to grow to their full potential.

I also want to assure you that we're 100 percent moving forward. To help drive this effort, I have brought in Eli Segal to be the Chairman and CEO and Dick Sklar to be the COO.

Together we will keep this moving at Internet speed -- Draft people and campaign veterans alike, friends, trusted colleagues, all together, all as a team.

What we're doing is virtually unprecedented; starting a campaign and building a staff simultaneously. And it's working.

I'm heading into some preparations for the debate, and looking forward to it. With your support, we'll return this country to the American people! We will win!

[tsipple]

24. "Growing Pains" with Just Over 100 Days Until Iowa...

There time -- but not much of it -- to get the campaign moving right.

Campaigns matter, as Al Gore and George W. Bush can certainly attest.

[TakebackAmerica]

30. Clark is not worried about Iowa

and New Hampshire.
He will take the south than he will win big on "Super Tuesday"

[tsipple]

33. OK

That might work, but he'll have to be careful not to fall too low in Iowa and New Hampshire. Fourth place finishes, for example, would be difficult. It's not an impossible strategy, as Bill Clinton can attest, but it's hard.

Clark has to watch out for the momentum coming out of Iowa and New Hampshire, especially if some candidate wins both. Voters in the following states always take a closer look at the Iowa and New Hampshire winners. If he's only slightly ahead before those contests, he could easily fall behind after.

He's also got ample competition in places like South Carolina (John Edwards), so that's another area of concern.

And then there's money. John Edwards has it -- more of it than Clark, in fact. Clark needs every one of those days to keep raising money and plenty of it. Then Clark needs to hang onto some of the money to fight Bush -- and not spend it all trying to win the nomination. Not saying he can't do it, but it's a challenge.

Finally there's organization. Clark's working on it, but you need feet on the ground in these various states for get-out-the-vote. Dean and Gephardt are both pretty good: Dean with the enormous base of Democratic volunteers (and the biggest field staff in the most states) and Gephardt with the union foot soldiers. That's why some people are concerned that Clark's new campaign team is too inside-Washington and not enough outside-beltway (from the draft movement, for example).

Again, I'm certainly not suggesting these challenges are insurmountable. But they are challenges, even for a perfectly executed campaign.

[Julien Sorel]

31. To get the campaign moving right.

Perhaps my ability to read polls and the campaign landscape isn't what it used to be.

[Kanola]

34. I hope Clark still listens to his grassroots people

who helped draft him. I really believe that most Americans are going to be looking at an "anyone but an inside the beltway" politician. I think that is why Robot won here. (Plus with his campaigned managed by CNN, MSGOP, etc.)

I like Clark and he is my second choice. Looking forward to watching him debate. He is one smart guy.

[Saudade]

35. The Awful Truth about Wesley Clark

Right here:

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Articles8/DVNS_Wesley-Clark.htm

Of course, I'd vote for a bag of shit like Clark against Bush in 2004.

[Saudade]

36. Clark Quotes

"During extended remarks delivered at the Pulaski County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 11, 2001, General Clark declared: 'And I'm very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice... people I know very well - our president George W. Bush. We need them there.'"



Clark praises United States President George Bush with these words:



"President George Bush had the courage and the vision... and we will always be grateful to President George Bush for that tremendous leadership and statesmanship."

"Do you ever ask why it is that these people in these other countries can't solve their own problems without the United States sending its troops over there? And do you ever ask why it is the Europeans, the people that make the Mercedes and the BMW's that got so much money can't put some of that money in their own defense programs and they need us to do their defense for them?



"And I'll tell you what I've learned from Europe is that are a lot of people out in the world who really, really love and admire the United States. Don't you ever believe it when you hear foreign leaders making nasty comments about us. That's them playing to their domestic politics as they misread it. Because when you talk to the people out there, they love us. They love our values. They love what we stand for in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights."

[DoveTurnedHawk]

38. Clark Has NOT Hired Lehane!

http://www.prospect.org/weblog/archives/2003/10/index.html#001661

DTH