Is Clark "Too Good"To Be VP?

[Dinger]

No, he's juuuuussst right! Ahhhhh, that felt good.

The ONLY reason I think Kerry might hesitate on picking Clark would be because Clark might outshine him, but I think Kerry is smarter than that. Damn, I'll say it, Clark should be the one vetting VP candidates.There it goes, let me have it...I can take it.

[democratreformed]

1. Amen, Dinger!

I'll let you have it! I miss Wes Clark. TERRIBLY!

[chimpymustgo]

2. He will be a GREAT National Security Advisor.

Or President Kerry can appoint him to put a plan together to rebuild Iraq, like the Marshall Plan. The Clark Plan.

[nuxvomica]

3. Hey, that's a good idea

Whether he's VP or not, you're right, he really is the guy who should be put in charge of Iraq after regime change.

[democratreformed]

4. Yes, he has a very VERY good article in The Washington Monthly

on the situation in Iraq. I got a complimentary copy in the mail. Excellent article.

I guess I will be happy as long as his expertise is put to good use somewhere. I so hope it is.

I am looking forward to a great President Kerry.

[jjmalonejr]

5. That's what I think.

National Security Advisor, not VP.

[Jai4WKC08]

11. Nat'l Sec Advisor is a demotion

And thus a slap in the face. It's not gonna happen.

Rank is critical to influence inside the Beltway. Don't think for a minute governmental civilians don't live by it, every bit as much as (if not more than) military types.

I think you folks have an ill-informed idea of what the Nat' Sec Advisor does. Granted some have had more influence than others, but it's still fundamentally an admin job. Make sure the right meetings get scheduled, the right people attend, the right signatures are on the right policy papers, that sort of thing. Manage a relatively small staff. Condi has had her face on TV a lot, but that's an aberration--pure tokenism.

No, Clark will be VP, Sec of State, or possibly (but unlikely imo) some special appointment.

I don't think Sec of State, because Holbrooke seems to have the inside track, and he won't likely take a deputy position, esp not working for Clark. Not because they don't like and respect each other. It's the rank thing. So Sec of State Clark means goodbye Holbrooke. I don't see that happening.

[Scoopie]

21. Thank you, hf_jai

I was going to point out the same, exact thing.
:)
Wes is too good and too multi-talented to be put in a sub-cabinet position.

[Skwmom]

6. Clark would NOT outshine Kerry.

Clark would help to cast Kerry in a very favorable light (as a man of substance, as a confident leader who wants to surround himself with the best and the brightest, as a dedicated public servant -who just took a different path of public service than General Clark, as a man who is ready to put the country before partisan politics).

Clark is not the type of man that would ever try to outshine Kerry (unlike some of the others).

[RafterMan]

7. Agreed

Hopefully, he would spend much of his time overseas (well off the American radar) and the only real effect he'd have on the average citizen would be in averting disasters they don't even see coming.

After eight years, people will be talking about how "lucky" Kerry was to have such smooth sailing overseas, giving him the time and freedom to put his stamp on the country itself.

But we'll know better.

[Skwmom]

9. I think they need him to get Kerry's agenda through Congress.

He has experience in bringing together bitter enemies for the common good. As a non-partisan and as a man people can respect, I think he would do a great job of pushing Kerry's agenda through Congress (which is critical if Kerry hopes to be a successful president).

[Skarbrowe]

8. Clark for VP?

Over the past several weeks, I wanted John Edwards to be picked as VP. I thought it would revitalize the the Kerry campaign. BUT NOW, I've come to realize that Clark would make a great VP. I have this gut feeling that Kerry isn't going to pick either one of them, but, I've kinda got the flu thing today so maybe my gut's just messing with me.

Skarbrowe

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. Most likely it's both

Your gut is right AND your gut is messing with you lol. Drink plenty of fluids and pray for a winning ticket.

[Skarbrowe]

25. yech

twas the flu. More liquids please. I need to get better so I can see F9/11 with a friend tonight.


Skarbrowe

[TLDHOME99]

12. Clark is not too GOOD for VP but . . .

I have a funny feeling Kerry will pick someone else. Maybe because Clark has been controversial, maybe for some other reason. I love Wes Clark half to death. I would love to see him in ANY position because whatever he does, he does well.

We'll just have to wait and see. I'm with you -- aaargh!

[Capn Sunshine]

13. No question, he has the best speedo shot

of all the candidates. That alone should put him over.

[Jai4WKC08]

17. Never underestimate

the power of a great speedo shot.

;)

[cosmokramer]

20. hahahaha...

...big, girlish, unending grin with that sweet memory...

:yourock:

[efront]

14. No.

*

[tishaLA]

15. I've recently become convinced

that the whole Michael Moore flap might be the reason Clark might not get the VP nod. He deserves it, IMHO, but I think Clarke/Moore would give the media assholes too much fodder and the Kerry campaign wants to keep its distance from Moore's incendiary stuff.

[venus]

16. Yep, that's one reason. And Kerry does not like

controversy - at all. He's even disowned his Vietnam anti-war rhetoric to a large degree.

[Tom Rinaldo]

18. There's some truth there

I think Kerry would be mistaken to see a Moore/Clark association as a negative though, not when considering Clark for a possible VP role if that were otherwise in the cards. The VP is essentially an attack dog during a Presidential election, s/he doesn't have to appear as Statesman like as the Presidential designee. Much of what a VP candidate does is fire up the troops and land jabs against the guy running for Prez on the other ticket. With Fahrenheit 911 breaking and in full play this summer, it just creates a further opening to attack Bush. I think the Republicans would be foolish to go after Clark regarding Moore now, it just keeps reopening what is rapidly becoming a huge can of worms for them.

Clark has gotten all of his "rights to free speech" lines down pat by now, he knows how to keep just the right amount of distance from Moore. Knowing how Clark's mind works, I can easily see him using a Moore reference opening to slip in a line about "you media folks sure did an about face about looking into Bush's record in the National Guard after making such an initial fuss about it not being a legitimate matter for discussion" followed by a chuckle. Young voters and Green leaning voters will make up a disproportionate per cent of Fahrenheit 911's audience. If the Republicans try to attack Clark via Moore it would only motivate that base to come out for Kerry.

[Scoopie]

22. So what?

The people who would turn Moore into a pariah aren't voting for Kerry, anyway.
As the ratings and box office ticket counting comes in for F-911, I think Moores stock will rise.
The only people who think this movie is (as heard on a talk show this morning) "a political ad for Kerry and should include a disclaimer" won't be voting for anyone but the Shrub in the first place.
Independents are going to see this film in droves.

[sparrowhawk]

28. Why does Clark have to answer for what M. Moore says anyway?

Does George Bush ever have to answer for what his supporters say? Shouldn't he apologize for the crap Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter, etc., come up with? It is often far worse than anything Michael Moore says.

[Auntie Bush]

19. I couldn't agree with you more.

I cry every time I think of it. :cry: I just hope Kerry knows what he's doing and picks Clark.

[FrenchieCat]

23. Well if Kerry is smart, he will read this article.....

and think hard and long about what this election is about...and how important it is......

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=7927

The Last Hurdle
John Kerry's biggest problem -- still -- is the national security gap. Here's how he can close it.
By Kenneth S. Baer
Web Exclusive: 06.23.04

Print Friendly | Email Article

In Washington, the only question on anyone's mind is: WWJD -- What Will John Do? Everyone has a theory about whom John Kerry will pick (or should pick) as his running mate, and journalists are scrambling for any angle on the story that they can find.

Last Friday, The Washington Post ran one of the most interesting accounts of where Kerry's thinking may or may not be. While the article was filled with rampant speculation by a panoply of unnamed sources, one observation stuck out. According to the Post: "Friends say Kerry believes he has passed a national security threshold with voters that has freed him to tap a vice presidential candidate who complements him in other ways."

If these "friends" of Kerry were really his friends, they would inform him that, sadly, this is not the case. In fact, the only thing keeping George W. Bush in this race is that John Kerry has not yet met this "national security threshold" with the electorate. Voters still give the President a commanding lead on the questions of who can best protect the nation from terrorists and who is a stronger, more patriotic leader. Fortunately for Kerry, these sentiments say more about the Democratic party -- and voters' lingering doubts about Democrats and defense -- than they do about the candidate. Kerry has enough time to close this national security gap -- and must close it if he hopes to beat Bush this fall.

Despite one question on a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll that showed Kerry with a one-point lead over Bush on the question of "whom do you trust to do a better job of handling the U.S. campaign against terrorism," data within that same poll and in others show that the security gap stubbornly persists.

Much more of this article at the prospect site.....
Hope someone will read it and understand that getting too comfy is not a good thing. It's hard to pitch optimism in the middle of a war.

[WI_DEM]

24. No, he is not too good to be vp

maybe he will wind up as Veteran Administration Secretary?

[sparrowhawk]

26. He'd do a great job there ...

but he really needs a prominent role in Foreign Policy. No one has better instincts in that field.

[sadiesworld]

27. In reading these posts I am amazed at how many positions Clark

is qualified for:
Secretary of State
Admin. Veteran Affairs
Nat'l Security Adviser
Secretary of Defense (Not eligible, but qualified)
Iraq "project manager"

The bizarre argument that seems to have developed in GD '04 is that b/c there are so many other spots for Clark, let's just let _________
be VP (b/c we can't think of another position that _________is uniquely qualified for).

Odd argument, IMO.

[wjsander]

29. Actually, what I think they're trying to say is...

that Clark would be BETTER SUITED for those jobs and another canidate would be better for VP. :)

[sparrowhawk]

30. If Clark is suited for all those jobs (and he is) ...

then he'd make a great VP.

[sadiesworld]

31. Secretary of Torts?

:7