Washington Post says Dean has asked Clark to join his campaign

[DJcairo]

This sounds crazy, I know...but here it is. There is a chance that Clark may join with Dean as an obvious VP choice this early which would really be crazy. I don't know what to think. I know there are some supporters of Dean who will say this is great and otehrs who will worry. Whatever the benefits, there are bound to be risks in asking a candidate to essentially join your ticket when you aren't even the nominee yet. Trippi has told Newsweek he thinks this campaign could be over before the first vote is cast if the Dr. can keep raising money like he has.

Here's the link:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57770-2003Sep10.html

Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean has asked retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark to join his campaign, if the former NATO commander does not jump into the race himself next week, and the two men discussed the vice presidency at a weekend meeting in California, sources familiar with the discussions said.

Clark, in a telephone interview yesterday, said he did not want to comment about the private meeting. Asked about reports that the two men had discussed a wide range of issues, including endorsing Dean, joining the campaign, possible roles in a Dean administration and the vice presidency, he said only, "It was a complete tour of the horizon."

[cprise]

1. I was hoping Dean would allow Kerry

...to be his VP
B-)

[molly]

That's only in someone's dreams

it would never happen!

[papau]

16. Deans invite to Clark was "if you chose not to run, then ..."

Howard Dean, presidential front-runner in the Democratic Party, has asked retired General Wesley Clark to join his campaign, should the former Nato commander decide not to join the race himself.

[BushGone04]

2. I'm really, honestly not trying to bash Dean here...

...but doesn't it seem just a bit presumptous, perhaps even a touch arrogant, for him to already be picking his VP? A few months ago, I remember several Kerry people starting a thread on this board asking for VP picks for Kerry, and a bunch of Deanies were justifiably miffed by the arrogance the Kerry folks showed by doing so. Now it seems Dean himself is starting to pick his veep. Does that strike anyone else as odd?

[molly]

4. I think he needs a boost to his campaign

but, I see Clark as the stronger candidate.

[cprise]

15. Preventing a split of anti-war votes in the primaries?

...beyond the small group that are boosting Kucinich, wouldn't a Clark campaign most affect Dean's ability to win the nomination?

[dsc]

3. Trippi needs to shut his mouth

if he is talking about campaigns being over. He is clearly a genius at running campaigns but he also seems to have the ego that more than a few geniuses have. This Clark thing is intriguing. Picking a VP this early would be a bit arrogant but it also could work. Clark seems to have a substantial following and would be a big help.

[chimpymustgo]

5. And I invited George Clooney to go with me to the Bahamas.

nt

[DrFunkenstein]

6. Does This Betray A Fear Of Kerry's War Record?

<>

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

7. In your dreams

Dean is merely starting to look at his options. He has made no claim to be chosing a running mate. He's smart to be courting Clark, because Dean-Clark ticket is absolutely unbeatable.

I'd say, that after watching Kerry flat-out steal Dean's line about taking the flag back and it not belonging to the pukes, that Kerry is clearly afraid of the Dean Machine. He's getting almost as desperate as Gephardt and Lieberman.

What was it Kerry was overheard saying after an interview...oh yeah. Dean Dean Dean Dean. He sounds a bit frightened for a brave military hero.

[DrFunkenstein]

9. Kerry Has Been Saying That At Least Since The Regime Change Quip

When he proceeded to smack down Rush Limbaugh and Tom Delay.

[chimpymustgo]

11. FoxNews! MANY have been saying we should take the flag back

long before anybody had heard of Howard Brush Dean.

Good grief. Or did Dean, like Foxnews think he copyrighted the English language?

[DJcairo]

17. he sounded pissed

All the media ever ask him about is Dean, it's understandable.

[dsc]

8. Your link doesn't show as link

I found a link to the a Reuters summary of the same piece. The evidence appears pretty thin. This isn't exactly a bus load of nuns witnessesing the car wreck. This is more like a bus from the prison witnessing the wreck. We have "sources close to the meeting". Sorry, but that seems more than a little thin given that neither candidate is saying, or implying, that it happened.

[polpilot]

10. Not crazy...edgy. But is Dean/Clark edgy enough. As Dean's trajectory

upward continues the vp slot candidates widen. An announcement of Clark as vp seems most obvious but an announcment of Clark as Secretary of State seems the hotter alternative.

I believe the discussions for vp are still ongoing.

Dean/------'4.....

P.S Ahead of the curve or presumptious doesn't matter...stirring the pot.

[LuminousX]

12. Arrogant? No.

Perception is reality. Perception can be crafted. If Dean is able to create the perception that he has the nomination and is now moving onto the VP selection process, he creates that reality.

That doesn't mean he doesn't have to do all the legwork, it just becomes a bit easier.

[kang]

13. Dean's strategy on Clark running

is that he wants to be on friendly terms with him. After all, I've seen the Clark and Dean people on this forum get along just fine. So by reaching out to Clark he's: (a) sending the message to Clark supporters and gaining good-will; (b) hopefully keeping Clark from echoing Kerry's charge that Dean lacks foreign policy experience; and (c) finding a potential running mate who lacks the domestic policy experience that he has, but has the foreign policy credentials.

I'd still like to see Edwards on the ticket one way or the other. He's smooth as butter and his Dick Clark-like face (he's 50!) would look good sitting across the very old looking Dick Cheney (a former CEO by the way, primo ammunition for Edwards).

[deutsey]

14. Trippi was asked about Clark as VP

at an event I organized last month.

He said Clark and Dean like each other and talk frequently; however, he said it's way premature to be speculating about a Dean/Clark ticket.