An ongoing fascination with the non-candidacy of Wesley Clark

I continue to review the Democratic presidential primary field, consider the polling data, and think about the potential candidacy of Retired Gen. Wesley Clark.

I haven’t written in earnest about him in nearly three months, and after re-reading what I said at the time, I may have been overly harsh and too quick to dismiss his candidacy in February.

To be sure, he’s an impressive individual. He’s a Rhodes scholar from Arkansas, he led a successful military campaign — with NATO allies — in Kosovo, and he’s a decorated military veteran who’s won the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart. In short, as Slate described it, Clark could “lead the party out of its national-security wilderness.”

It’s an important point. If Democrats have one all-but-insurmountable problem going into 2004, it’s the perception that Bush is to be trusted on foreign affairs and security issues. I obviously think the public’s trust is misplaced, but my opinion isn’t as important as the 50 point gap in survey data between Democrats and Republicans on this issue.

Though I maintain some reservations about Clark, he’s the one candidate — if he became a candidate — who could help take that issue away from the GOP.

Clark was in New Hampshire yesterday, home to the nation’s first primary, speaking to voters but remaining coy about his plans.

His trip was officially described as a business meeting. Clark said he was in New Hampshire as chairman of WaveCrest Laboratories to meet with several New Hampshire businessmen and investors, including inventor Dean Kamen, of Segway fame.

But lo and behold, Gen. Clark also had time for a few other events, including a media-watched swim in a YMCA pool, a candidate-like conversation with children at the YMCA’s day care center, a speech to a Rotary Club luncheon, and a meeting with Democratic Party activists at a popular restaurant for candidates.

Though he said on more than one occasion that he is “not a candidate,” Clark also did not rule out being a candidate at some point in the future. During his chat with party activists, one supporter handed him a stack of 1,000 letters from New Hampshire voters urging him to seek the Democratic nomination, including one email from a solider stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln during the recent war with Iraq.

Obviously flattered by the gesture, Clark admitted, “It’s pretty hard not to think about this.”

Clark has even started to have a recognizable stump speech about his priorities and his commitment to having a “strategic dialogue” with voters.

While he has never even declared himself a Democrat, Clark’s articulated beliefs appear to fit comfortably with the Democratic Party’s values.

Clark, for example, expressed support for “big government” programs like the G.I. Bill and the interstate highway system, he boasted of having improved the small educational systems that taught students at the military bases he’s led, and he said he preferred a stimulus package for small businesses to Bush’s tax cut for the wealthy.

“I would like Democrats to speak out and say government is important,” Clark said. “Government is important. Government does things for people that they can’t do themselves. Why are people ashamed to say that? People say government is so inefficient, look government is just us. It is just a bunch of people like us who sit around and do things for people. The inefficiency is limited by the quality of people who work there.”

He also expressed support for a progressive tax system that taxes the wealthy at a higher rate than the poor.

“I happen to believe in progressive taxation,” Clark said. “I am sure there are people out there who say everybody should pay the same rate of taxes, but I don’t believe that. The same people who don’t make as much money shouldn’t have to pay the same amount of taxes. When you make more money you spend it more on luxuries so you can afford to pay more in taxes. And you ought to. And you should be proud of it.”

When a Democratic activist said he was anxious to find someone — anyone — who could beat Bush in 2004, Clark said, “You’ve got to have someone up there who understands enough, is confident enough and experienced enough, and who knows where the balance points are.”

This was Clark’s second visit to New Hampshire since October, which isn’t much considering the frequency of visits from the likes of Kerry, Dean, Gephardt, Lieberman, Edwards, etc.

Nevertheless, in a poll of New Hampshire Democrats released last week, Clark garnered 2 percent of the support. That may sound unimpressive to you, but John Edwards, Bob Graham, Dennis Kucinich, and former Carol Moseley Braun only got 1 percent each, and they’ve been campaigning aggressively in New Hampshire for a while.

Susan Putney, a New Hampshire Democrat who works in advertising, told Clark and others last night that she volunteers her time on nights and weekends organizing grassroots support for a his potential candidacy. Putney has even been contacting Democratic lawmakers in New Hampshire, urging them to withhold endorsements until Clark announces one way or the other.

“It’s a huge decision,” Putney told Clark. “We respect that. We’ll wait.”

Maybe, but Clark and his allies won’t be able to wait much longer. The other candidates are raising money, building networks of supporters, appearing in nationally broadcast debates, and developing national reputations. If Clark is going to make his move, he’s going to have to act very, very soon.

If you’re interested in more about a possible Clark candidacy, I’d encourage you to check two sites devoted to encouraging Clark to enter the race — Draft Clark.com and Draft Wesley Clark.com. You can sign a petition at either, or both, websites.