It looks like earlier reports that Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark wants his supporters to “crank up” their efforts were accurate — because that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Several recent news articles have kicked speculation into high gear. The Boston Globe ran a detailed account yesterday of signs indicating an imminent Clark announcement. This comes just days after an Esquire magazine feature hit newsstands that labeled Clark that “man who can defeat Bush.”
Today, MSNBC reported that the Draft Clark folks will begin airing television ads in Iowa and New Hampshire as early as next week touting Clark’s qualifications and urging the general to “again answer the call of duty.”
Moreover, Clark’s supporters have opened yet another campaign office for the still-undeclared candidate, this one in New York City. (If my count is right, this is the fourth office to open for the Draft Clark campaign, following DC, Little Rock, and New Hampshire.)
Many of the web’s most prominent political blogs are also starting to take notice. The gang over at The American Prospect’s blog, Tapped, said yesterday that they’re “half-convinced that he may be the best guy to beat George W. Bush, and the more we see and hear of Clark, the more we like him.” Mark A.R. Kleiman agreed with Tapped’s sentiments, and Matthew Yglesias said he sees a Clark candidacy as “a very good development for the Democratic Party and for the country.” Even Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo, who doesn’t seem enamored with the current Dem field, said that despite some lingering doubts about timing, he’d “really like to see Clark get into this race and catch fire.”