Clark 101: Why he endorsed Kerry and why it shouldn't be...

[Bread and Circus]

a mystery:

Clark has said numerous times that the guy heading the
ticket has to have Foreign Policy experience and credibility.

Kerry has a degree of both...not as much as Clark but certainly
more than the rest. Who else would Clark endorse?

Many folks here seemed shocked that he would do so. I am only
surprised it occurred so soon. It seems like a no-brainer to me.

[democratreformed]

1. Me too, Doc n/t

[DjTj]

2. I agree.

His whole candidacy was about "A higher standard of leadership" whereas Edwards and Dean have built their candidacies around movements to change America and reaching out to disenfranchised voters.

Kerry was the obvious choice for Clark.

[BootinUp]

4. Sure that is his main goal and slogan

But make no mistake, Clark's campaign is also about change and also about populism and grass roots and all of that.

[DjTj]

14. I think the way Clark thought he would win...

...is more similar to the way he thinks Kerry can win - by simply looking better than Bush.

Edwards and Dean talk more about getting more voters in the process to vote for them and reaching out to the left or the center or whatever.

I am pretty sure that at the very least Clark believes Kerry has the best chance to beat Bush.

[Adelante]

3. It is surprising to me, too, the surprise

It never made sense to me that Clark would endorse anyone but Kerry.

[andym]

5. 2 Reasons

IMHO,

1) He thinks Kerry is strongest on National Security (of the remaining candidates), and believes Kerry to be the most liberal of the remaining big 3 candidates.

but more importantly,
2) He became aware that some in the press were linking his name to the intern story about Kerry. By the rules of personal honor, Wes Clark is countering these charges by offering Kerry public support.

[maddezmom]

6. both sound about right to me

I didn't think he's endorse Kerry this early, maybe after WI. But I think the crap sludge posted implicating Clark, forced his hand. So he's coming out early.

[Donkey007]

7. Get a Rebuplican out - Democrat IN!!!

:hippie:

[MoonRiver]

13. Bottom line

But in the midst of all this partisan madness is anybody paying attention??

[Leilani]

8. I agree

& I think Clark's biggest desire is to get Bush out, & he sees Kerry winning the nomination.

Agree completely about nat'l security & foreign policy.

I also think he figures Kerry will take care of the vets.

[bowens43]

9. His motive is clear to me.

Once again Clark is doing what's best for Clark. He bombed big time in the primaries so now he's trying to latch on to the winner thinking that he may be able to pull a VP position out of it even though he has said time and again he wouldn't accept the VP slot. Let's hope Kerry has the good sense to chose someone else.

[Auntie Bush]

10. "choose someone else"? Would that be your candidate?

[girl gone mad]

11. I don't see how you can say that.

Clark didn't "bomb big time" in the primaries, and he's stated from the beginning of the race that he likes Kerry. I rally believe that Clark got into this race because other people asked him to, not because he was trying to do what was best for himself. He has a personal history of turning down lucrative job offers and comfy positions to serve his country.

If Clark was only interested in latching onto a winner, he wouldn't have joined the Democratic party in the first place. We certainly haven't been the winners in recent history. I think Clark is interested in winning, but there's no reason to think he is willing to sacrifice his principles to do so.

[MoonRiver]

12. Ditto here. Plus, absent a Clark nomination, this is the best combo

for beating the SHEEIT out of *!! I don't know about the rest of DU, but I have lived in a state of rage and hate toward that bastard * and his merry crew of warmongering bottomfeeders for THREE AND A HALF long, horrible years. Now, I want and can smell revenge! But more importantly I want my country back. There's nothing wrong with Kerry, in my book. He's a good man with great progressive views and will make an awesome president, especially with Clark as #2, posed to move into the Oval Office in '12. I'm patient and this ticket will win. I've never felt so optimistic about anything since before that bumbling moron was handed the White House on a silver platter by his SCOTUS partners in crime.