If you didn't support Wes Clark in 04, would you in 08?

[Maddy McCall]

Please read this article before responding:

"The Next Iraq Offensive" by Wes Clark. (Thanks kpete for the article link.)

Please respond to this poll after reading it.

[MrBenchley]

1. He's not my first choice, but I'll support him if he's the nominee

There is much to admire in the man, and he would make a fine presidential candidate with broad appeal.

And his essay makes a lot of sense.

[Wesin04]

2. I did support him in 04

and continue to support him. He is a leader with intelligence and insight and a true compassion for people-not the kind GWB professes to have. Wes Clark needs to be listened to when it comes to his strategy for Iraq, and more broadly in the entire Middle East. If you didn't read the NYTimes Op-Ed from today, please do. :patriot:

[roguevalley]

3. he's my guy. I have two signs in my house windows: SAVE

AMERICA! IMPEACH BUSH NOW! CLARK 2008

[MrBenchley]

6. I DID read the OpEd

and thought it excellent....

[FreedomAngel82]

13. I doubt he will be

Feingold, Warner and possibly Clinton and Kerry.

[karynnj]

4. Way too early for polls - categories are hard to understand

I would support Clark if he's the nominee, but I am pretty sure I will prefer another candidate in the primaries.

[H2O Man]

5. I favored Clark in '04

and think that he has to play a major role in '08. Even if a person does not select him as the best bet for president, the terrible damage that the Bush/Cheney administration has done to the military requires that we have Clark in some significant role.

[EFerrari]

7. I can't possibly support this policy in Iraq. But, Wes Clark

is everything that Bush is not. He's brilliant and seems to play very well with others.

As I'm a Green, last time, I didn't lobby for any Dem Candidate but hung out until one was chosen. Then, worked for Kerry.

My husband was a Deaniac. And I think we sent money to Dean and Kucinich, then Kerry once he was the nominee.

Wes came on the scene a bit late, and I would have really liked to see and hear more of him. He reminds you of what the political discourse was in this county when it was being held amoung adults. lol

[ThomWV]

8. I Did Support Clark In '04 and Probably Won't in '08

I think General Clark is intellectually the best suited potential candidate that either party has. Smart guy, well versed, more experience than the rest of the pack combined.

There's a problem though.

He is one sided in his conversations with the people. A livetime of military service has left him with a language that only recognizes the terms and mindset of the Army. That can be awfully good when you need it but it can be awfully bad when you don't.

A fine man and a man who has a high place comming to him in Government, but it - in my opnion at this moment - is not as the President.

[DanCa]

9. I really wish the General would have stayed in the race until IL.

My vote was more or less a transfer from general to the lt.

[LWolf]

10. Too early to support anyone.

In all honesty, while I'll "never say never," I don't see myself supporting Wes Clark. It's nice that he's talking about the problems with "staying the course" in December of '05.

Some people recognized the folly of this invasion before it ever happened; I'd like to support someone with vision enough to see beyond political smoke and mirrors, and the courage to stand up and say so, and oppose bad policy, at the time a crisis occurs.

While I don't have anything against Wes Clark, he doesn't have a record, as far as I've been able to determine, working for the issues that will swing my vote. Most of them are domestic issues:

Peace as an underlying principle for all international relations.

Universal, single-payer, not-for-profit health care.

No NAFTA/CAFTA, withdrawal from WTO.

Repeal all top down testing/scoring/curriculum/pedagogy mandates/recruiting access, etc. in NCLB

Election reform: public financing, equal treatment by media, paper ballots, possible irv and/or proportional representation

Media: A true fairness doctrine

Environment: Sustainable energy, farming practices, no GMO food production, environmental stewardship keeping air, water, and soil clean and healthy.

There are more, but those are a good start. The candidate I will support will be the candidate strongest on those issues. I have no clue who that will be at this point.

[eridani]

11. Put me down as a "maybe"

I think it's clear that (some DU posters notwithstanding), he is clearly not a neocon. However neoliberals are not too much of an improvement. Are we going to get more outsourcing from him, more kicking the shit out of poor countries with neolib IMF policies instead of neocon invasions, more Plan Columbias? Not sure. If he's the nominee, I'll support him. Neolibs like Clinton at least block some of the worst fundie initiatives--with Rethugs in control we get all of the NAFTAs and welfare reforms anyway, plus a lot of theocratic bullshit.

[Fenris]

12. Yes and Hell Yes.