What seemed to many a foregone conclusion (at least to ourcolumnist Ben Lincoln in his Tuesday scoop concerning Gen. WesleyClark’s run for the presidency) became a reality when Clarkannounced his candidacy for president in his hometown of LittleRock, Ark., yesterday.
His announcement was not unexpected, but with his arrival on theDemocratic candidate scene, speculation about the caucuses and theeventual winner of the Democratic Party’s nomination isheating up.
Presently, the former doctor turned governor from Vermont,Howard Dean, has emerged at the forefront of the Democratic pack.His unprecedented use of the Internet for campaign fundraising hasgiven him an edge over other Democratic runners.
However Dean’s success is the Republicans’ dream.Dean, who is removed from Washington, D.C., and national politics,openly expressed his opposition to the war in Iraq. He is moresocially liberal than most of the American electorate and offerswhat many would consider (whether it’s a fair representation)a diametrically opposed alternative to the presentadministration.
While the Dean alternative might appeal to his main support-base(middle to upper-middle class, well-educated, liberal-minded andhigh-principled folks) he’s not necessarily what goodol’ Bill and Betty Beercan — who just want to kick someterrorist ass — are looking for.
Dean’s rise of the underdog is enough to get any seriousliberal excited, but is Dean the best way to go about reaching theDemocrats’ ultimate goal of removing Bush from office?
Most GOP voting analysts have welcomed the idea of a Bush-Deanbattle for the presidency. Many question Dean’s ability topull in the “swing voters” who are more concerned withraising children, feeling safe and paying the bills than exercisingpolitical ideals through voting in an election.
Enter Gen. Wesley Clark.
A Republican’s nightmare is the moderate, distinguishedDemocrat with a squeaky clean personal record and irrefutable,strong military background.
Democrat Wesley Clark is a retired four-star general whograduated first in his class from West Point, fought in Vietnam andserved as a NATO commander during the 1999 campaign in Kosovo.
It’s difficult to portray such a man as soft, or unable tomeet the challenges of the international political scene.
While he might cause grumblings from the far left of theDemocratic Party, Wesley fits the description of theconservatives’ incubus.
However Wesley isn’t bullet proof. He’s never servedin an elected political office (first Bush sigh of relief), anddoesn’t have the experience for a real understanding ofdomestic politics.
With Dean and Wesley in the running, the race has just gotten alot more interesting as Democrats determine the choice for aformidable Bush foe.
