The road to the Whitehouse
Well, I guess that at certain points in a person’s lifeyou must come to face the facts. As everyone probably already knowsI am from Little Rock, Ark., the breeding ground of now twoDemocratic presidential candidates.
My hatred of Bill Clinton does not run as deep as many of myfriends at SMU; for me, his record on improving economicdevelopment can only speak for itself. The most important way inwhich Mr. Clinton and I are indissolubly linked is through ourmutual love for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas’ Democratic ties lead me to contend that in orderfor the Democratic Party to pose any threat to the BushAdministration in 2004, the party must find a way to consolidateand fix their recent plunder in many southern states.
The old adage of “The Solid South”, must becomeapplied to the Democrats national strategy. This strategy does notimply a return to the 1960s and the disenfranchisement ofAfrican-Americans.
However, it does become relevant in the sense that theDemocratic Party needs to nominate a candidate who has the abilityto stand strong on defense, while structuring an economic recoveryplan that has some immediate relief packages for the workingclass.
Throughout the 2000 election, the inability of Al Gore to evenmaintain alliances in the South probably cost him the White House.The former vice-president managed to lose his home state ofTennessee, his former bosses home of Arkansas, got murdered inSouth Carolina and Georgia and finally lost the electoral-war inFlorida.
If Gen. Wesley Clark does not want the same fate, his campaignneeds to develop a plan for strengthening his appeal to normallyconservative voting Southerners. He must appeal to the common man,rather than using his military experience as a hierarchicalresponse to his credibility. For instance his rhetoric last week atthe announcement filled the air with a feeling of mistrust on thepart of the Bush administration and its recent failures in theforeign policy arena. Also, the staggering economy will become aprimary issue for the Clark campaign to tackle and use to itsadvantage.
“For the first time since Herbert Hoover’spresidency, a president’s economic policy has cost us morejobs than our economy has had the energy to create. For the firsttime since the 1960s and early 1970s more than 100,000 Americantroops are fighting abroad and once again at home Americans areconcerned about their civil liberties,” Clark said.
Gen. Clark needs to become extremely patient on his attack plan.The ability of the Bush Administration to mention the phrases of”Sept. 11th, 2001″ and “5,000 Americansdead” creates a huge political response for Clark to handle.Indeed, Clark was a four-star general in the Clintonadministration, but he still needs to prove his willingness toprotect the United States against any enemy, whether it be foreignor domestic.
The response of the Bush administration’s to Wesley Clarkhas been relatively miniscule. It is important to note that theelection does not occur for well over a year. Theadministration’s concern on polling numbers will not affectthe White House until Bush’s numbers dip well below 50percent. However, this week does bring a lot of attention to theAdministration’s recent foreign policy initiatives. For weeksnow President Bush defended his action in Iraq. His demeanor andresolve only indicates that the administration is not going toadmit any fault in their response in Iraq.
On Monday, President Bush went to the United Nations to ask forimmediate financial and military assistance inside Iraq. Speakingwith Fox News over the weekend, President Bush noted that he”made the right decision to invade Iraq.” However, healso stated “we would like a larger role for member states ofthe United Nations to participate in Iraq.” These statementsindicate that the White House drastically miscalculated the amountof money that would be needed to rebuild the Iraqi government.
Still, what has been done in Iraq cannot be changed. The UnitedState’s involvement in the region will continue to grow ifthe president does not seek international aid.
I am still worried that President Bush’s willingness tofight a war by himself has only hurt the United States and itsrelations with many European powers. The British are very unlikelyto give us any more support than they already are giving insouthern Iraq. Prime Minister Blair’s polling numberscontinue to stay low throughout the United Kingdom. God knows whatthe French think about the situation. Finally, the Russians andPresident Putin already indicated that they have no plans to offerany assistance.
If President Bush finds a way to bridge our alliances with theUnited Nations, I greatly respect his ability to do so. On thecontrary, if the president fails are you willing to get out yourcheckbook?
