Vilsack raises centrist profile [View All]

[Freddie Stubbs]

As Democratic Party rebuilds, governor adopts Clinton-like strategy while expanding network for possible future beyond Iowa

By THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
December 5, 2004

If Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack hasn't exactly torn the page from Bill Clinton's playbook, he's at least read it.

The rural-state governor has built a healthy relationship with influential moderate Democrats nationally, just as then-Arkansas Gov. Clinton did before seeking the presidency in 1992.

And although Vilsack hasn't said whether he will run for the 2008 Democratic nomination, he preserved that possibility last month when he decided against running for Democratic National Committee chairman.

Instead, the little-known governor with national ambition has begun more publicly identifying himself with elements of the party that helped launch Clinton's rise and that have decried Democrats' recent setbacks particularly among rural voters.

more: http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041205/NEWS10/412050335/1001