So let me see if I understand this story correctly about Clark

[ShaneGR]

NOTE: As I've said before, I have a ton of respect for Clark... so if you're looking for a flamewar, go elsewhere.

Ok, Clark's spokesman has been pushing the Kerry/Intern story for months. As recently as within the last two weeks Clark has been quoted as saying that the Kerry intern story would "implode" the Kerry campaign.

Clark doesn't do so well in Tennessee and Virginia so he drops out. Then he decides to endorse Kerry on the very day that the Kerry/Intern story starts to break. The same story that his own spokesman had been pushing for a long time.


Am I missing something? Have we entered the Twilight Zone?

[girl gone mad]

1. Where are you getting that..

Clark's spokesman had been pushing the story?

I've seen the story around and heard the whispers, but it wasn't coming from the direction of the Clark camp.

[ShaneGR]

2. Someone had a link to a Congressional Quarterly Story

Talking about this Lehane (Spokeman or Comm. Director) pushing the story. I guess the story itself was from 98 or 99, and Lehane had worked on the Gore campaign and supposedly that's why they didn't pick Kerry in 2000.

I'll see if I can dig it up.

[maddezmom]

14. here's the link from DU, I'm not sure if it's up at sludge anymore

notice the dates and that it was shopped around in 2000, looks like it's been out there for a while.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=320305

CONRESSIONAL QUARTERLY'S CRAIG CRAWFORD SENDS TO ASSOCIATES IN E-MAIL: 'Drudge item on Kerry intern issue is something Chris Lehane (clark press secy) has shopped around for a long time -- it was one reason the Gore vetters in 2000 shied away from Kerry as a running mate choice -- their conclusion that it wasn't bad enough to disqualify him, except for the fact that they couldn't risk it as they were trying so hard to distance themselves from Clinton's personal failings (note: Lehane worked for Gore at the time -- and briefly advised Kerry during this campaign). The Kerry camp has long expected to deal with this, and have assured party leaders they can handle it.' Crawford reports that Lehane strenuously denies involvement.

[Maddy McCall]

3. It's a conspiracy...the only reason Clark even entered the race was to

cover Kerry's tracks...it was all in the plan the whole time.

:eyes:

[ShaneGR]

4. No, I'm not claiming conspiracy.... just, well, odd

I'm a little baffled.

[xultar]

16. And to be Kerry's Prison BIATCH ;) n/t

[janx]

5. I don't understand any of this either. I especially don't understand

WHAT HAPPENED TO WESLEY CLARK?

Can any Clark supporters enlighten me?

What the heck happened?

[krkaufman]

6. Actions speak louder than words

And "respect" is not what I've seen demonstrated.

As for "understanding" the emerging story, I'd say that, no, you don't understand the facts -- and appear to be making some up.

[janx]

8. Can you tell me what happened to Clark?

Can anybody?

What happened?

[krkaufman]

9. Can you be more specific?

Clark sprained his ankle? Clark exited the nomination process? What?

[janx]

11. See #7 and #10.

Thanks!

[LoneStarLiberal]

7. Clark and Lehane Are Not One In The Same, IMO

My guess is that that Lehane probably is responsible for the dredging up (and Drudging) of the non-story intern story.

And I bet it has a lot less to do with him working for the Clark campaign than it does with him once having worked for the Kerry campaign.

He's a mean customer, no doubt. My guess is he's known the ship wasn't going to make it into port and the primary reason why (in his and the minds of some of the other Clark folks I've known) is Kerry basically "stole" the veteran/foreign policy/national security position from Clark.

These are the same people who say "if only Dean had won in Iowa..."

I don't think there is any official move to do this by Wes Clark. Talking about something that lots of people inside the campaigns and the media train following them around know about with those people is something quite different from talking about it in an official interview. So I don't see any real "Twilight Zone" quality to it other than the fact that Lehane has bad blood with the Kerry campaign and took a shot at him with this intern bit.

[janx]

10. Ah, finally we're getting some answers. Thanks so much

for this explanation.

Did Lehane have anything to do with Clark's dropping out? Did he have anything to do with Clark's pending Kerry endorsement?

[LoneStarLiberal]

18. My Conjecture

My guess about this is that Lehane didn't directly have anything to do with Clark's decision to drop out and probably had absolutely nothing to do with Clark's Kerry endorsement.

The decision to quit the race I feel had more to do with one win in Oklahoma and finishing "out of the money" in too many other primaries and caucuses.

My feeling is that the Clark campaign was geared to offer a Dean alternative all along. It was never going to be able to stand up to Kerry and would wither horrendously when stacked up against a dual push from Kerry and Edwards, which is precisely what happened. Clark's main strengths were in comparison to Dean, or so the hope was when it came to the uncommitted voter. Kerry's push in Iowa and win in New Hampshire meant a crippling loss of soft support for Clark. The substantial wins in Virginia and Tennessee earlier this week put the writing clearly on the wall for the Clark campaign. I think that is the fundamental reason why he decided to drop out (and all the underlying reasons that go along with that...i.e. big donors and endorsements wanting to shift to Kerry).

As for the whole Lehane undercurrent, and this is totally crystal-ball stuff on my part, I think Lehane is probably more pissed than any of us can imagine at Clark for endorsing Kerry. From everything I read about Lehane's departure from the Kerry campaign in the Fall, the departure was not a happy one. Given Lehane's political style, I'd say he has few happy partings. I don't know if there were some internal catfights going on in Little Rock, but I wouldn't rule that out.

[janx]

Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful reply.

The one thing I don't understand about the Clark campaign is --although it started out as a grassroots effort, somewhere along the line it seemed to align itself with a much more traditional democratic campaign. Lehane is an example of this.

So when you say it was set up as an alternative to the Dean campaign, was it the grassroots who wanted to do this, or was it some people who came along later and positioned it that way?

[Shanty Oilish]

17. I agree. Two days out of harness and Lehane is for Lehane again.

Clark no longer controls him, and he had a score to settle as well. There is no benefit to Clark here, on the contrary it splatters a bit on him, so why would he authorize Lehane's disclosure?

[Lady President]

19. I agree about Lehane

I can see this story coming from Lehane.

It wouldn't surprise me if he floated the idea by Clark, but Clark wouldn't run with it. Lehane couldn't risk leaking while Clark was still in the race in case Clark would decide to fire him. Let's face it, if Lehane was fired by two presidential campaigns in a few moth period, he's career would be shot. He probably thought when he got the job with Clark that beating Kerry would be his revenge for being fired and show how indispensable he was. (Heck, at the time I thought Clark would beat Kerry easily too.) Now, it appears that Kerry firing Lehane was a good decision and the only way to get even would be to leak some rumors.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

12. Because we're Clark supporters we're supposed to know all the inner

doings of Chris Lehane, etc?

[West Coast Democrat]

13. Maybe you've been getting too much gossip in your diet.......

and not enough fact.

[BootinUp]

15. Well you may be missing the facts

Until we get more corroboration of the story why assume it has to make sense.

[Fleshdancer]

20. May this be the final undoing of Lehane

I think Lehane is probably just an imature idiot who has an old score to settle with the ol' boss who fired him. Clark endorsing Kerry today probably took the legs right out from under this stupid story.

And yes, I AM a Dean supporter so everyone can cut the bullshit about how all Dean supporters are supposedly excited about what happened today. :grr: I'm sick of hearing this nonsense.