Good news for those of you hoping to see Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark seek the Dem presidential nomination. I received word from the Draft Clark campaign on Friday that the general is “reportedly making preparation to launch his presidential campaign shortly after Labor Day.”
Apparently, Clark recently spoke with a close advisor and, in referring to burgeoning efforts to draft him into the race, encouraged his supporters to keep up their efforts.
“Clark recently phoned one close adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and said, ‘Crank it up,'” National Journal reported. “The Clark adviser said that the former NATO chief is smart to stay out of the race until after Labor Day, but not much longer after that. He pointed to the number of debates and forums that the Democratic hopefuls have on tap and the chance that these encounters will do little to clarify the race — as was the case in the recent AFL-CIO forum in Chicago. The Clark adviser speculated that the general will be better positioned for a run if he has a message that seems fresher for not having been part of the clutter.”
It’s hard to read too much into a three word quote attributed to Clark by an anonymous source, but there haven’t been any subsequent denials and Clark fans are following those instructions, just in case.
For example, Clark volunteers were speaking with interested Dems at Al Gore’s speech in New York last week. The New Yorker spoke with one man distributing “Draft Wesley Clark” business cards at the Gore event, who said there’s a “90 percent” chance Clark will enter the race.
In addition, the Draft Clark folks have opened an official headquarters in Little Rock, Ark., Clark’s hometown. It’s the third such office they’ve opened, along with an office in DC and a field office in New Hampshire.
At a minimum, Clark will know that he won’t be hurting for office space should he decide to throw his hat in the ring.