Clark-Kerry: a rivalry of Army-Navy, general-lieutenant for veterans' vote [View All]

[Feanorcurufinwe]

The rivalry between Wesley Clark and John Kerry is more than two Democrats vying for the party's nomination -- it's Army versus Navy, general versus lieutenant, West Point grad versus enlisted. The two veterans are counting heavily on their old military buddies to provide crucial support Tuesday in primaries in Arizona and South Carolina, which have more than 1 million veterans between them. Recognition of the "band of brothers" is a constant at their campaign events -- and so is winning over the hearts and minds of those who wore the uniform.

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Kerry routinely asks veterans in the crowd to raise their hands, and he thanks them for their service. When an elderly man felt faint at a rally Sunday at the Fargo Air Museum in North Dakota, Kerry left the stage to lend assistance.

"He's OK," he reassured the crowd. "He's a World War II vet and his legs aren't what they used to be."

So far, in voting in at least one state, Kerry has outshone the four-star. Exit polls in New Hampshire showed that veterans preferred Kerry to Clark by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, numbers close to the overall results in which Kerry won the primary and Clark finished a distant third. Kerry's victory could tip the balance in his favor in Arizona, said Fred Solop, a political science professor at Northern Arizona University. More than 15 percent of the adult population in Arizona are military veterans.

"Momentum is on his side, and veterans are an important constituency in that regard," Solop said. "Veterans in New Hampshire weren't splitting their votes -- they were, by and large, supporting Kerry, and I think you will see the same in Arizona."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/02/02/politics1524EST0720.DTL