As Clark gains in N.H., Dean's remarks show he's taken notice

[maddezmom]

As Clark gains in N.H., Dean's remarks show he's taken notice
By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff, 1/11/2004

BERLIN, N.H. -- Howard Dean appears to be hearing footsteps in New Hampshire.

The Democratic presidential candidate, who for months has enjoyed a lead in the kickoff primary voting state, acknowledged this week that retired Army General Wesley K. Clark of Arkansas is gaining ground on him here. And with a series of unsolicited references to Clark during question-and-answer sessions with voters and reporters, he made it clear he has Clark on his mind.

While Dean's standard stump speech criticizes Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut for voting in favor of using military force in Iraq, on Friday he added another name to his litany: Clark. While the general was not in Congress when the vote was held in the fall of 2002, Dean chastised the former TV military analyst before an audience at Rochester Community Center for "advising" support for the resolution.

Later, when a voter at the forum asked him about attack fliers being distributed by his campaign, Dean, without prompting, started talking about Clark. "I disagreed with Wes Clark and John Kerry and Joe Lieberman and so forth on the war," he said. "We're going to have a debate about the differences."

And at a news conference at day's end, Dean once again invoked Clark as he was asked about polls showing a tightening race. The questioner did not mention the fact that Clark had overtaken Kerry for second place in the most recent survey by the American Research Group Inc. of Manchester.

~snip~

more: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/dean/articles/2004/01/11/as_clark_gains_in_nh_deans_remarks_show_hes_taken_notice?mode=PF

[Democrats unite]

1. This will be Deans downfall...

He should follow a true leaders example.


http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/001063.html

[realdem]

3. Clark did advise support for the resolution

Clark also made big bucks helping CNN turn the war into some reality TV show to hype it to the American people at the same time he was paid millions to lobby for defense contracts and homeland security contracts. Can we say conflict of interest? Oh and Clark lost a point in the latest poll.

[newsjunkie]

7. Darn straight

and one problem I have with Clark is that he's a one trick pony. This country needs legislative leadership ,not just foreign policy changes...and we need someone who can get that side accoplished.. that knows how this politics stuff works and can stand up to the RW bullys in there right now.

[Bucky]

2. It's unfortunate that he can't run a postive campaign. I know he wants to.

Dean even said that the winner would be the person who runs with a more positive message. I hope he's right about that. I wonder why he's just now adding Clark to the "list of people who supported the war."

One possibililty is that he knows that Clark didn't really support the war. To say that he did is fundamentally dishonest, a distortion of the record.

Another possibility is that he knew all along that Clark would be his strongest competitor and that Dean wasn't mentioning him because he didn't want to give Clark any more publicity. This is a nicer theory, but it doesn't explain the dishonesty.

I think what we're seeing here is how much of a "hard target" Clark is. That's why I like my guy. Dean is a big soft mushy target who thinks he can take the hits because he's got the strength in numbers and the will of the virtuous on his side. So Dean is doing the political equivalent of Pickett's Charge. Clark on the other hand is like a fuckin' ninja.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[MoonRiver]

4. Those fliers were beyond the pale.

Dirty politics usually backfires. :thumbsdown:

[Bucky]

11. Those flyers were politics as usual. This is no game for virgins

And dirty politics usually works. Cf, Willie Horton

[mouse7]

12. I seem to remember, "Dean was skiing in Aspen, when..."

Clark said about Dean, "Dean was skiing in Aspen when I was getting wounded in Vietnam." He said that on a broadcast outlet.

Dean's volunteers passed out a few fliers at a few events. Please spare me the false bravado about Dean's fliers when Clark said what he did about Dean.

[Larkspur]

14. And Clark lied when he made that comment about Dean and him

Clark was not in Vietnam when Dean got his 1 YR deferrment. Clark had returned from Vietnam and was teaching at West Point.

[jpgpenn]

5. Dean and Trippi are no better then...

Bush and Rove. The more I look at these 2 groups the more the resemblance is striking.

[newsjunkie]

6. Thats an asinine thing to say

for someone with a donkey in your post. You should know better.The Dean team is about the fartherest thing away from the Bush/Rove sleeze machine as you can get!
He is mentioning Clark being in support of the war because he spoke glowingly of the men who were behind it,and never opposed it vigorously until AFTER Dean did(when he absent-mindedly noticed he was a Democrat,btw). Its just a fact.

[BootinUp]

9. Sept 2002 testimony in both houses

Clark is on the record questioning Bushes strategy long before he became a candidate. You need to check your facts.

[mouse7]

13. Someone could say the same about Chris Lehane.

Clark opened the door to personal attacks from Dean after the Aspen comment. Lehane is known as one of the biggest asshole operatives in the Democratic Party. He's already on his second Presidential campaign of the 2004 election cycle.

Maybe we should ask why we should trust Chris Lehane's word about anything when he already said Kerry was the best candidate in the field over and over again to the media.