Gen. Clark Won't Rule Out Running as Republican

NewsMax.com ^ | 7/02/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

Former NATO Commander Gen. Wesley Clark said Tuesday that he hadn't ruled out running for president as a Republican.

Clark hails from Arkansas and was appointed to head NATO by Democrat president Bill Clinton, who praised him last week as someone who would make a good chief executive.

But Clark refused to be pinned down on his party affiliation during the following exchange with Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" co-host Sean Hannity:

HANNITY: All right, I want a straight answer. I was watching you on Russert a couple of Sundays ago. You clearly are moving in the direction of running for president, correct?

CLARK: Well, I am certainly considering it.

HANNITY: Yes, and you would not run as a Republican under any circumstances you can think of?

CLARK: I haven't said that.

HANNITY: Would you?

CLARK: I just haven't said that. I just haven't crossed that bridge. So I'm not going to cross it.

HANNITY: Have you ever voted for a Republican in your life?

CLARK: Absolutely.

HANNITY: Are there Republicans now that you admire that you would tell us about?

CLARK: Well, I served in the Ford administration. I was a White House fellow. I worked for Paul O'Neill and Jim Lann in the Office of Management and Budget.

HANNITY: You seem to be leaning pretty heavily Democrat. I read up on you a lot. But you don't want to go there. Why the mystery? Why can't you say if I run I'm going to be a Democrat? If I run, I'm going to be a Republican? What's so mysterious about that?

CLARK: I served 34 years in uniform. I was 38 years, counting my West Point time. I had "U.S." on both collars. I'm essentially non-partisan, but I do have some views about what the country should be doing. [End of Excerpt]

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
2004 Elections

[AuH2ORepublican]

"Let's see the scenarios.

1. Clark causes a damaging primary.
2. Clark does a Perot or John Anderson
3. Clark runs as a dem against as many as 10+ other candidates."

---

Dan, if Wesley Clark ran against Bush in the GOP primaries, he would do no more damage to him than if Walter Mondale ran against him. Clark can't motivate *any* segment of the Republican electorate. And if he ran as an independent, he will only hurt the RATs by taking votes of pro-military liberals away from Kerry or Dean or Gephardt or whoever. The only chance Clark has of being relevant is if he runs in the RAT primaries and (if Lieberman drops out) is the only candidate who isn't seen as soft on military issues.

The irony is that a President Clark would be worse for our military than a President Gephardt.

[Phlap]

... than a President Gephardt.

That is a cruel statement even if in jest.

[Dan from Michigan]

In a GOP primary, I don't think Clark would give Bush too much trouble among Republicans. Bush may be weak on his RIGHT flank, but not his left.

As an indy - I'm thinking John Anderson at best.

Clark IMO if he wants to win, must do it as a dem. Thats his only shot. VP is more likely.

[Servant of the Nine]

Why would Republicans want Weasely Clark?

So9

[Fracas]

To paraphrase...

He can run...but he can't hide his left-leaning opinions.

[taildragger]

WinoDog,

It hit me while watching him on H & C's last night.

I told my wife last night "Awe S&*% she (Hill) will President in 2004, this guy is gonna run in 04' and it's 92' all over again, another Ross Perot"

This guy scares me, he could pull away enough votes to take it away from GWB and Hill would sneak in.

In the words of Yogi Bera it's Deja Vu all over again......... I have a sick feeling about this one........

[areafiftyone]

Democreeps think he can beat Bush but they have another thing coming. No one will vote for him. He is arrogant, obnoxious and pompous! He deserves to be put down a peg or two. He will run as a Democreep not a Republican because NO Republican will vote for him!

[mabelkitty]

Let him. He will peal off Democratic voters.

[dpwiener]

Clark is trying to position himself as representing the country's political middle. He wants to be seen as mostly non-partisan, so being coy about whether he'd run as a Democrat or Republican bolsters that image.

But what he really wants (and may well get) is the Democratic Vice-Presidential nomination. The Democrats would never nominate a military man as their Presidential candidate. Whoever the Democrats nominate for President will have had to tack hard-left during the primaries. As soon as the Democratic convention is over, that candidate will want to move back towards the center where the undecideds are. (This is especially true if Dean wins the nomination.) So it makes a huge amount of political sense to go with Clark for VP, to attempt to reassure the general public that the Democrats care about national security.

I don't believe that Clark wants to simply torpedo Bush (like Perot wanted to torpedo Bush Sr.), nor to make a quioxic gesture like John Anderson, by running as an Independent. Clark wants to be President. And his only real hope of becoming President is to become the Democratic VP candidate.

It's a good strategy on Clark's part. Yes, Bush is heavily favored at this time to win re-election. But politics is filled with uncertainties, and unexpected events could turn 2004 into a real race. I'd estimate that virtually any candidate nominated for President by either the Republicans or Democrats has between a 30% and 70% chance of winning the election. And any Vice-President has about a 25% chance of eventually becoming President. Those are odds that any ambitious politician would love to have, given the potential prize.

[fightinJAG]

Thanks, but no thanks, Wes.

[fightinJAG]

I agree with the dawg.

[jmaroneps37]

If you won't rule it out Wes baby, I'll do it for you.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

General Clark is an egotistical, lowlife, fool, who has never proven himself in the field and is universally dislike by his subordinates, and hated by most jr officers.

[Paleo Conservative]

Hahahahahahaha! A Republican? Wesley Clark is about as Republican as Eleanor Clift.

She's more of a man than he is too.

[PeaceCorpsGuy]

I saw this last night on Hannity and Colmes. Why is it that I felt Clark was giving Hannity a Clinton answer? He asked him a Reagan question, and responded like Slick Willy.

[Wolfstar]

Yo! Wes, listen up. The question isn't whether you'd run as a Republican, the question is whether any Republicans would vote for you. Here's one who most definitely WILL NOT!

[Moonman62]

He could be used to split the Republican vote, but I don't expect that tactic until Herr Hillary runs.

[Wolfstar]

"...pro-military liberals..."

Is there such a thing (other than Leftist parents who may have a kid in the military)?

[Wolverine]

Wesley Clark dresses to the left..??

[Irish Eyes]

After reading this, I agree with you the Clintons would love to have Clark run as a Republican. I believe that they will help Clark all they can, behind the scene of course.