Is Wes Clark the Democrats' Last Hope?

By: Bernie Quigley
Published On: 6/17/2007 12:18:15 PM

- cross-posted on  Daily Kos

Senator Clinton's negatives are now to 52% according to Gallup, the highest of any candidate in the human history of the Democratic Party. Up from 46% about nine months ago. The more money she spends the more her negatives go up. And with all due respect, John Edwards, who recently cited Paris Hilton as poster-child for his ?two Americas? pitch is drifting into Triple A. A few of the other Democrats who want to be President are so forgettable that most can?t even remember their names.

In contrast, Mitt Romney is beginning to boom and will continue to do. Romney is smart as paint, is a masterful administrator and is very rich. Any of these Democratic contenders against Romney will fail. But this time we approach a catastrophic failure. It will be the Democrats fourth total failure since Eisenhower.
It is quite possible that the Democratic Party itself cannot survive such a failure. I?m sensing entrenched retreat: Nihilism, born of desperation, is beginning to poison the major blogs and some of the more original bloggers are dropping out. This will further sink the Democrats' chances.

Ships come and go in such an uncertain political environment ? last week Ron Paul, this week Colin Powell and the week before, Al Gore. Then they pass on into the night and fog.

Wes Clark is still here. He says consistently that he has not ruled out a run in ?08. Wes Clark, as Dark Horse, can retrieve this and now he is may be the only hope for the Democrats.

We have been hearing from General Clark quite a bit, but you have to want to listen. He?s not on the Big Screen; he has no Hollywood poster child like Edwards and no mangled and misbegotten ?quotes? from Lincoln of things never said (grabbed from the Internet) like Gore. He is right on the facts and accurate in his historical perspective. He is precise and perfect in presentation. And he?s been going on and on about Iran, like the Ancient Mariner, to anyone who will listen; in the Huffington Post, on Amy Goodman?s Democracy Now,  at the 92nd St. YMCA in New York City, on Fox news and now as a commentator on MSNBC. He?s at StopIranWar.com, alone among the Democrats to warn of impending neocon-inspired invasion of Iran.

Like those who denounced Churchill as crying wolf, Rove & Company have called Clark?s claim about a pending Iran invasion absurd, and most of the Democratic contenders hope this will pass them by as well, as they hoped Iraq would. But this weekend in the NYTs, we are told that Vice President Cheney and his incompetent war cabinet have been pushing for strikes against Iran all along. Joe Lieberman, who used to be a Democrat and sometimes thinks he still is, is openly pushing for strikes on Iran. The Republican right is calling for the ?nuclear option? as it has been since the beginning of the Iraq conflict.

Only General Clark speaks up.

Condi Rice, the Administration's Incredible Shrinking Woman, is said to prefer conversation rather than bombing Iran, but the NYTs reports that ? . . . Mr. Cheney believed that Ms. Rice?s diplomatic strategy was failing, and that by next spring Mr. Bush might have to decide whether to take military action.?

Cheney is incapable of seeing warfare as anything beyond revenge and dominance. He is the Anti-Eisenhower; he has a mind which rebels from strategic thinking and planning. They still haven?t avenged the Ayatollah Khomeini and the taking of American hostages in 1979. It will be the administration?s last bit of business as they finally close the door that Ronald Reagan opened.
Only General Clark and a few others ? Eric Massa, Andrew Horne of Tennessee and Jon Soltz; all Democrats and military officers ? are speaking up. But they are building a new Democratic Party and General Clark was elementary in organizing and husbanding its awakening.

I was pleased to hear on NPR this week and again on NBC over the weekend, a tribute to Jim Webb, the new Senator from Virginia, for Father?s Day. He talked about fathers and sons and the tradition of military service which has gone back in his Virginia family to before the American Revolution.

How times have changed in the last two years. The rise of Jim Webb, Joe Sestak, Tammy Duckworth, Andrew Horne and a whole rash of Fighting Dems; the kind of solid-stock heartland politicians like New Hampshire's Carol Shea-Porter and Arkansas's Woody Anderson that we haven't seen since the day of JFK. Clark tirelessly supported these candidates throughout '06 political season. They are forming a new Democratic sensibility.
They bring a new and different attitude to the Democratic Party - a positive attitude.

This new Democratic sensibility is the best fit for our country at the beginning of the new century. My feeling is that it is unfortunately our own internal energy - the pseudo-Republicans of the DLC in particular and what Democratic strategist Mudcat Saunders recently called the Metropolitan Opera branch of the Democratic Party - that is sinking these efforts, striving to return to pre-9/11 conditions. Any of these new people: Tammy Duckworth, Jim Webb, Eric Massa, Joe Sestak, Wes Clark, would awaken American and beat the likes of Mitt Romney hands down. I'm hoping that Katrina Swett and/or Jay Buckey, who are both running against Senator John Sununu here in NH, can follow Shea-Porter?s lead and marshal this new Democratic sensibility in New England and bring it forward.

The Democrats have to get serious now or it will soon be too late: As said; Romney is smart as paint and he is a fantastic manager. But sending the country to such a detached manager as Romney, who was key to the progress of financial institutions like Bain & Company and Bain Capital, would be sending it into receivership.

The crisis which begins our century could well be at hand right now as Hamas takes the Gaza Strip. This victory by the radical force in Palestine will empower a new generation of revolutionary, anti-Western young people. As General Clark said, Gaza could now be a breeding ground for Al Qaeda connected radicals. It is the beginning of a new framework of discussion and diplomacy and it is possible now for warfare to spread and alliances to harden.

I hope General Clark continues to speak up. Although I appreciate the leadership in the House and the Senate, I'm afraid that Harry Reid is starting on the wrong note: This is not the time to go after General Petraeus with personal criticism. It encourages a negative mood for the Democrats. And it is wrong to criticize soldiers on the ground as ?detached? and ?incompetent? as Reid has recently done and shows an intrinsic misunderstanding of the matrix of power in our country.

I feel only General Clark can forcefully and effectively shape the issues now for the Democrats and prevent the temptation of this kind of "shadow" criticism - the thing which could drive the Democrats to nihilism and irrelevance, which at this point could lead our country to great disaster.

In the Wall Street Journal this week Reagan speech-writer Peggy Noonan all but called for a third party. David Broder of the Washington Post actually called for third party last week.
Mainstream conservatives like Noonan and Broder are getting the idea: There are always other options. One such attractive option is New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, who said he would start his own third party if the standing parties can?t come up with something original and dynamic. Bloomberg is nothing if not dynamic himself and he does speak to the heart of New York City as great mayors like Ed Koch and Fiorello LaGuardia did. But he is enigmatic as well and is said to have all but sponsored Lieberman?s mischief in third-party politics in Connecticut in ?06.

Bloomberg could well bring the same Lieberman mischief to the national stage. Coincidentally, Mayor Mike is up here in New Hampshire this weekend. Just visiting, he says.
Bloomberg has bi-partisan support, and political venerables like Ham Jordan, former chief for Jimmy Carter and Angus King, former Independent Governor of Maine, who have been calling for a third party all year, keep suggesting his name.

It should be noted as well that "post partisanship" being advanced in California in particular by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is an ascending political trend in political journals like The Nation. These new directions would well coalesce in a new framework provided by Bloomberg and the half billion of his own cash that he is willing to put up for this new venture. If so, one of the two standing parties could get a one-way ticket to Palookaville, as the Whigs did in the mid1800s.

We need Wes Clark now: If we don?t come forth now with our best managers and strategists, we may find ourselves descending into a spiral of irrelevance and caught in a twist of fate which we can no longer find our way out of.


Comments



Clinton beats Giuliani in matchups (teacherken - 6/17/2007 2:21:39 PM)
and Romney will almost certainly NOT get the nomination, and even if he does, he would lose.

You are overly obsessing about early polling data.  At this point it means little.

And Clark has little chance at this point, because it would be almost impossible for him to raise the money to be competitive.  The only one who could get in late and still raise money is Gore.

Do NOT look at national polls.  Clinton would win Florida against any Republican, and hold most of the other Dem states.  Her concern would be small towns in the midwest, particularly WI, MN and IA, and either Bayh or Vilsack would help her with that.

So stop obsessing.  If you like Clark, fine, but make the argument in terms of his strength without the implicit bashing you are doing of the other Dems.  At dailykos you would probably be labelled a concern troll.



Don't forget Ohio (Chris Guy - 6/17/2007 9:22:06 PM)
NO Republican is going to win in Ohio any time soon.

But I disagree about Romney. McCain and Giuliani knew he'd win the Ames straw poll big. He's leading in polls in IA, NH & SC, and he's the only candidate in either party not skating by on high name-id. In theory Fred Thompson looks good right now, but he also ran as a moderate pro-choice candidate like Romney did in the past.

Plus, Thompson thinks he can win on free media, internet outreach and endorsements. He doesn't plan on campaigning tirelessly like every other presidential candidate. I guess he plans on being "annointed" like Dubya and Dole, but those guys took nothing for granted.



Lazy, K-Street Phony (The Grey Havens - 6/20/2007 11:24:13 AM)
I hope that, in their desperation, Republicans give the nomination to lazy, K-street phony, Fred Thompson.

He's a lost cause Republicans see as their white knight.

Pitiful.



V-P is the correct spot on the ticket for General Clark (Shawn - 6/17/2007 3:23:12 PM)
Thanks for your thoughts. 

In my personal opinion I look for Wes Clark and Mark Warner to be the last two names on the short list for Vice-President no matter who wins the Democratic nomination for President. 

 



Clark'll be on that list (Chris Guy - 6/17/2007 9:39:53 PM)
but Mark Warner doesn't really fit the profile. He's not well known, doesn't have a resume that wows you, and I'm not sure would be enough to put Virginia in play.

The successful tickets have a Governor at the top, and an experienced Washington insider at bottom.

Though two Governors we might see come up are Kathleen Sebelius and Ted Strickland. Sebelius got some positive press recently for criticizing the lack of National Guard resources in dealing with those horrible tornado disasters. And disappointed Hillary supporters would be happy to see a woman on the ticket, if Clinton were to lose the nomination. However Obama and Edwards would probably prefer someone with more national security/military experience on the ticket with them.

Strickland may have only recently been elected Governor of Ohio, but he also served several terms in the House so he's got the resume. Plus he's a clergyman and would put Ohio completely out of reach for the GOP.



When looking for a Vice President Candidate... (novademocrat - 6/18/2007 12:05:54 AM)
Do you really want someone that everyone in America already knows, or someone that is going to command a week or more of press cycles because they are really being introduced to America for the first time?

I highly doubt that Wesley Clark will be on anyone's short list.  He was a horrible campaigner in '04, didnt really raise the kinds of money everyone expected and is really a pretty boring speaker. 

I do think that we will see a Governor on the ticket.  Who that might be, I dont know.  I don't think Strickland will be considered, only because he really needs to work on Ohio and I am not sure if the voters of Ohio would forgive him for leaving so soon (that state is so messed up.)

I think Sebelius, Richardson (if he isnt top of the ticket), Warner (if not running for Senate), Easley (if not running for Senate), and possibly Bredesen will all be names floated around at one point or another. 

But those are just my opinions...



Novademocrat (vadem - 6/18/2007 8:08:00 AM)
Wes Clark is probably on a lot of short lists because of what he brings to the candidate with no foreign policy/diplomatic/military strategy experience.  However, he's interested in the top spot and has not said he wouldn't enter this race.  To say that he's a boring speaker shows you haven't seen or heard him in over 3 years.  During the time he was in the race, he raised LOTS of money, and after spending time campaigning for the '06 Dems for Congress, he's a changed man on the campaign trail. For all those who say its too late, I'd say not necessarily. 


If he was... (novademocrat - 6/18/2007 8:18:49 AM)
really interested in the top spot, he would have joined the race by now.  Didn't he say he was going to make a decision by June this year?  And now he goes and joins MSNBC?  Obama and Clinton are going to raise at least 25m this quarter each - he wont be able to raise that for the rest of the entire year.  It's a different ballgame this cycle.

Sure, his Military Experience would be second to none in the race, but at least in a Democratic primary, voters arent looking for that.  Voters will be looking for who can fix this country at home first, abroad slightly behind first - because it's really messed up. 

I've seen him speak as recently as last year (outside of his Fox News appearances) and I still wasn't impressed with him.  I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he still bored the hell out of me.



To answer your title question.... (JEM82 - 6/18/2007 9:23:46 AM)
no


Clark isn't the guy. (Draft Me Please - 6/18/2007 12:49:23 PM)
Even if he were to run, he's way behind, and he doesn't have the starpower to catch up in the way that Gore could (who also isn't running). Mitt Romney isn't Ronald Reagan, he's clearly beatable. Hillary does have high negatives, and that might keep her from the nomination, but either her or Barack Obama (who is not mentioned in this post) will be an absolute force to be reckoned with in 2008, especially with the momentum the party is currently building. Let's not go searching high and low for a savior candidate to step in (ahem, Fred Thompson), let's be happy with the outstanding slate we've got and let's focus on laying the groundwork early to support whoever it is that gets the nomination (unless it's Mike Gravel)


The current candidates (vadem - 6/18/2007 8:33:43 PM)
This group doesn't wow me.  Doesn't make me comfortable that they can handle the problems we face, so I'm afraid I can't go along and get behind those currently running.  I mentally placed each of them into several scenarios that are likely to face the next president, and there are too many gaps in credibility overall.  You see, I must be an idealist because I want a candidate who can do the job.  I am not looking for the rock star, or the star power, but a rock solid smart leader.  The exact same reason I supported Jim Webb. 


Third party on cover of Time. (Bernie Quigley - 6/19/2007 7:22:51 AM)
I've been watching the emergence of third party rhetoric for several years now. It took a giant step when Peggy Noonan proposed one in June, '06 at the Wall St. Journal. She was endorsing efforts by Unity '08, started by Gerald Rafshoon, Ham Jordan and Angus King; this was no Republican ploy - Unity 08's first proposal of candidates for third party was Mark Warner and Wes Clark. Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger are now, this week, on cover of Time with an article on third party. When I first wrote about this two years ago I saw third party as a danger but also an organic breakdown of parties whose imagination and character had become imprisoned by the rank and file in orthodoxy, rhetoric and ideology. Jim Webb was the first to break through and return to character in my opinion. From then till now I've been writing about other First Tier Democratic candidates who could rise and stem the third party tide: Mark Warner, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Jim Webb, Wes Clark, Ed Rendell of PA, John Lynch of New Hampshire, Mike Easley of NC. None of these have seriously been considered by the party. It is unfortunate; they are the best and the brightest. There is something wrong with the Democratic party's sensibility when they leave behind their best and opt for the middle.


To answer your title question (LAS - 6/18/2007 8:44:37 PM)
YES!

Of course, Gore could be the last-last hope.

If we nominate Hilary (still don't think it will happen) then I guess we'll deserve whatever happens to us.



Gore & brokered convention. (Bernie Quigley - 6/19/2007 7:30:00 AM)
We might be headed for a brokered convention. I agree that at the moment probably only Al Gore can save the day.


Clark and/or Gore (cycle12 - 6/19/2007 7:35:03 PM)
Agreed, Bernie; Clark and/or Gore are certainly my favorites by far, and I still have not given up on either one of them, especially since the current Democratic field does little for me and, as usual, the Republicans scare me...

However, since I have a Republican opponent this year, most of my energies will be spent in waging yet another winning re-election campaign and then getting back into the national scene after November 6.

In the meantime, please keep up the great work.

Thanks!

Steve



Wish I could help . . . (Bernie Quigley - 6/19/2007 7:42:27 PM)
. . . my wife's family has some land up near Poplar Camp - on the ridge of Stoots Mountain - but we are stuck up here in New Hampshire. Feel free to use any ideas or language from my blog as your own words and without attribution.
http://quigleyblog.b...


Not to worry... (cycle12 - 6/20/2007 11:23:14 PM)
Thanks, Bernie; that's very nice of you to make such a sincere offer of support from so far away.

This is my sixth campaign and I have won all but the first one, some 28 years ago, when I ran for the county board of supervisors and lost... to the incumbent Democrat!

Ever since then I've been a Democratic candidate in a Republican leaning county, haven't lost a race in 24 years, and don't intend to alter that record this time.

As the only contested constitutional officer in my county this election cycle, I am sure that the Republicans have targeted me for my strong past support of Warner and Kaine, for backing Jim Webb early and constantly last year, and for getting out front for Dr. Mike Breiner for State Senate this year.

Once I've won my re-election campaign on Novmeber 6, I look forward to working toward electing a Democratic President and others beginning on November 7.

I'll be fine, and thanks again!

Steve