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

[onyx]

Wesley Clark might wear lacy underwear for all I know --- or care! :-)

[AuH2ORepublican]

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


Is there such a thing?"

---

You'd be surprised. A lot of people who are liberal on economic issues and moderate on social issues are solidly pro-military. Go through rural Arkansas, Iowa or West Virginia, or post-industrial Pennsaylvania, Ohio and Michigan, and you'll find thousands of examples. These are the guys who would vote for a Gephardt or Kerry if he were the RAT nominee, but might go for a Wesley Clark if he were on the ballot. (If these guys were more socially conservative, they would vote for Bush regardless of what Clark does.)

[My2Cents]

Hey, I have an idea Gen. Clark! Instead of running as a Republican, how about not running at all!

Wesley Clark thinks of himself as the Second Coming of Eisenhower. What a freakin' joke! The fact that he was Supreme Commander of the Army of Euro means squat to the average American. In fact, it might work against him.

[My2Cents]

they will pay him millions to run as a independant.

But they'd have to do it with someone else's money. The Whore of Babylon and her Prophet won't spend a dime of their own money on anyone's campaign, even if they support it on theory.

[My2Cents]

Clark is trying to position himself as representing the country's political middle.

What happens to politicians who try to appeal to the middle-of-the-road.

[My2Cents]

In fact, this would be a good poster for the "Wesley Clark for President" campaign.

[pgkdan]

Clark running as a Republican??? Who the hell wants him?

[gitmogrunt]

Clark will never get my vote because of K-O-S-O-V-O.