Wes Clark Dismissed by Obama Campaign

[Beacool]

By Denise Williams
Aug 17th 2008

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark, a Hillary Clinton primary supporter and Veep pick favorite has been told by the Obama campaign that his services were not needed during next week's Democratic party convention.

Clark's son, Wesley Clark, Jr. relayed this information in a diary comment on Daily Kos:

For a long time but we have a very active business that he needs to travel a lot for. He wasn't invited to speak at the convention. I'm sure somebody in his office called the campaign and asked if he was going to be invited to speak because he needs to book meetings for that week if he isn't in Denver. Apparently the answer that came back was no.

It's not a fake out or some secret plan, he isn't going to be VP or probably anything else in an Obama administration, assuming he's elected.

What he is going to do is go out and campaign for Obama and plenty of Democrats in house and senate races this Fall.

I know some you think you can change this by launching VP diaries a couple times a day in hopes that Obama will be swayed by the "netroots." Dude, when has that ever worked with this campaign?

Clark had been considered by some to be a good choice for Obama's VP due to his outspoken support of progressive issues and foreign policy and military experience. There had been some speculation the theme of the convention's third night "Securing America" was a code that Clark would be the Veep choice. "Securing America" is the name of Clark's PAC.

http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/08/17/wes-clark-dismissed-by-obama-campaign/

[anonymous171]

1. lol just like in 2004!

[karynnj]

10. Clark and all Kerry's competitors got speeches in 2004

Clark was prominently used as a surrogate. Other than not picking him as VP, how did Kerry diss him?

The other thing is that there are not that many slots and a large number of them went to Clinton supporters and the Clintons themselves. The two Senators who were the first to endorse Obama - Durbin and Kerry have no posted speeches. Al Gore and Jimmy Carter have no speeches. Look at who does - Bayh (Indiana may be in play - though that is hard to believe for this native Hoosier), Reid (Nevada is a 2008 swing state), Rendell(PA is a swing state) ... From what I see there are more Clinton supporters than Obama supporters and there are more red/purple state people than blue state people. I may be seeing patterns where there are none - but it seems that the convention is trying to appeal to 2 groups - the possibly disaffected Clinton people and independents and moderate Republicans in swing states.

In Clark's case he was a Clinton supporter, whose own supporters are in the left of the party. The thought might be that he would appeal mostly to the converted. If not having a speaking role is dissing people who were his strongest allies- Obama is also dissing Durbin, the Senator who persuaded him to run and who gave him an endorsement as soon as it was rumored he would, and Kerry, the one who gave him the 2004 speech and an early endorsement and was his strongest primary surrogate. Could it be that it was because they are from two of the bluest states?

[blm]

69. Most of you have terrible memories from I've witnessed. EVERY primary candidate spoke in 2004

and Clark was given one of the best spots. If you folks paid as much attention as you THINK and CLAIM you did, our party wouldn't have gotten away from us so easily during the 90s.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

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[Chloroplast]

3. We won't know if this is true until it's announced at the Convention.

Personally, I doubt Obama's campaign could overlook so great an asset to our Party. His surrogates are the best of the best and I find it hard to believe that Gen. Clark would be cast aside in such a manner.

[demokatgurrl]

64. I don't doubt it a bit. The Obama campaign

threw Clark under the bus when he was the only one - the ONLY Dem- with the cojones to speak out on TV. That's the thanks he got, and now they probably just wish he'd shut the hell up. Meanwhile, he's raising money so he can go out and campaign- I donated but I won't say I didn't think about how he was treated.

[BlooInBloo]

4. 1 part shit. Stir for 30 minutes. Voila!

[Whisp]

68. more Breaking Mews! from a PUMA! nt

[AllentownJake]

5. Clark was never a serious contender for VP after the media shit storm

after he went after McCain. The reason is not that he went after McCain but more that he didn't check in with the campaign first.

[Sparkly]

21. He'd been saying the same thing for weeks.

It wasn't a surprise; there was nothing to "check in with the campaign" about.

[goclark]

57. I believe I heard him say on National TV that " he wasn't interested"

in the position.

I recall that I was disappointed and I am really disappointed in Wes Jr. that he phrased it that way.

Has his father spoken and said the same thing?

[still_one]

6. Why would this be announced, and who is announcing it, assuming it is true?

I remain skeptical

[FrenchieCat]

7. I never thought that Clark was of Veep consideration......

It would have been a nice thought, but Wes Clark with all of the good that he would bring to a ticket, also comes with certain baggage (baggage is untrue and could have been explained, but that would have been very time consuming, and would require an accommodating media) that would have distracted the campaign.

The media has never liked Wes Clark, and they haven't stopped not liking him since September 19, 2003 when they started a combination offensive of smears and lies and then ignored him. They have smeared him in the Jewish community, and smeared him in the military community, and smeared him even in how he discussed McCain's POWism. They had smeared through Larry King and Bob Dole during 2004, and whispered his name as starting rumors on Kerry that he didn't start, and some of his business dealings were questioned just last year (unfounded by still the media printed shit about him) etc., etc., etc. This is a handicap that unfortunately could have been lethal to the Obama campaign, and this is simply a fact speaking as a supporter who has defended Wes Clark from smears since 2003 more than I should have had to....and who would love this man to be President, or Vice President, or anything that he might want to be and/or do for America.

Based on what his son states in the article, there are no surprises. Even when Clark spoke at the convention in 2004, he only got primetime because he was a also-ran candidate....and even in primetime, most of the media didn't televise his speech (I remember because I was livid).

Personally they could have been a nice match, but together they offer too much distraction. Obama needs someone with little notoriety, and Wes Clark, as much as I love him doesn't quite fit that bill. Those who expected Clark to be named as Obama's Veep should have known better......

As far as the divisive headline, that's the media again. They have yet to ever stop showing their dislike of Wes Clark. Guess maybe they have always been jealous of him.

[krispos42]

8. Clark for Nat'l Security Advisor

He's good at winning wars and international politics. Not so good at kissing ass. Exactly the kind of guy for Nat'l. Security Advisor.

[FrenchieCat]

9. Aye!

Anything in where he has to deal with the hating media would never work. The media has worked it hard to make Wes Clark a behinds the scene man. I don't know why they dislike him so....guess because he never kissed ass....but the media as a whole (except for very few) really seem to have something against this National treasure.

[depakid]

12. Crikey, the guy's been doing Fox "news" for years

I think he knows how to deal with the media.

Obama's Number 1 problem is that he has near zero gravitas in foreign policy. He'll be portrayed as naive and inexperienced (which is true to an extent) -and the folks in Virginia, Colorado and the rust belt will eat that stuff up.

We just saw a foreshadowing of that from McCain this weekend- and frankly, I don't like what that portends for the campaign going into the fall. Nothing that that those who aren't our allies and even some of those who supposedly are would like more than another Republican administration to keep doing their work for them and destroying the nation from the inside out.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Doing the media is not the same as the media doing him.

See this site? http://rapidfire-silverbullets.com/
that's my site.
Note how many smears they have put upon General Clark.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to the right side column and go down to categories. You will find debunks on quite a few things.

Wes Clark may have worked in the media, but the media has never, ever showed any kindness to Wes Clark whatsoever.

[depakid]

14. They'll smear anyone over anything

So why cower to them?

and here's some news: they're not particularly well liked. The candidate or surrogate who hands a few of them their smarmy asses in their hands is going to gain a lot of populist milage- while at the same time creating the impression that the Democrats are tough- that they're fighters.

And unfortunately, to win in the key states this cycle, that's going to be a necessary impression to make.

[FrenchieCat]

16. Unless the media accomodates to an extent, fighting them is quite a mountain to climb....

Having a Veep that appears to be disliked by the media is not a plus for any campaign. It's one thing that they would have their claws out of the nominee, quite another to also have a well established and documented track record against the Veep. Veeps are supposed to be an asset, not an hinder. Unfortunately, Wes Clark appears to be the guy the media loves to hate.

I don't know how long you supported Wes Clark, but I have supported him long enough to know that when it comes to Wes Clark, the media frothes at the mouth for some unknown reason.

[depakid]

18. Being "liked" by the media did wonders for Gore/Lieberman

The media froths at the mouth on Clark because they know that

1. He takes away the far right's biggest issues; and

2. He goes toe to toe and isn't intimidated by them.

[maui9002]

15. I won't get into the HRC vs. Obama supporter thing here

but I will tell you that as an Obama supporter, I'd be very disappointed if Wes Clark did not have some role in an Obama administration. I met and had the chance to speak with him at a small gathering for Jim Pederson, who recently ran against and unfortunately lost to Jon Kyl for one of Arizona's Senate seats. I've always been impressed when he's been interviewed on television; he was even more impressive in person. He's knowledgeable, thoughtful, and tough. I can understand if he's not a VP choice, but I don't understand why an Obama administration wouldn't want him in some prominent foreign policy role; the OP may be B.S., but if true, I'm a little bummed.

[FrenchieCat]

19. I don't think that this is the case.

We are discussing the Veep slot and who will and will not speak at the convention.

As for a role in an Obama administration? Obama is not the type to keep a great mind out of his office. In fact, I'm awaiting the return of Samantha Power, someone who is not around because she called Hillary a monster. This very knowledgeable woman endorsed Wes Clark in '04 and Obama in '08. She will be one of the voices Obama listens to, even if she is not speaking at the convention. My point? Wes Clark will have a place in the Obama administration if he wants one; but I have no doubt at this point that it won't be as the Veep.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[krispos42]

32. Fuck the Republicans

A third of the country is independent. Get most of those, and combined with a disheartened, low-turnout Republican segment of the population, Obama gets 325 electoral votes. Slam dunk.

[unfaithful_servant]

33. That's not working out well for him right now

Here's hoping he figures out a winning strategy.

[krispos42]

40. It's my understanding...

...that about two-thirds of independents are leaning Obama; that's about 20% of the country. Add in the Democratic base (about 30-35%) and a low Republican turnout and you get Obama by about 54% to McSame's 45%.

Besides, it's not just the popular vote but also the electoral college. With a 50-states look at things it appears that Obama will get a lot faint-red states to flip to faint-blue, getting somewhat over 300 electoral votes, a clear majority of the electoral votes.

Under the electoral college system it's possible to win with well under half of the popular vote if the votes you do get are distributed properly. Hell, you can theoretically win with only about 25% of the votes, but that's virtually impossible.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[krispos42]

50. I haven't heard anything about such a phenomenon

The claims of PUMA types nonewithstanding.

It comes down to the fact that McCain dumped his first wife for a younger, prettier, uninjured, richer model. McCain is Old-School White Republican, the type of guy that would routinely call ladies "sweetcheeks" and other such names, maybe did a little bit of ass-grabbing. And even if McCain himself didn't to any overt, old-school sexist BS, he's of the type that stereotypically does.

I worry more about national security impressions. McSame has experience but not wisdom; his experience is essentially useless because when it collided with neocon idealism, the neocon train of thought wins. Obama has wisdom, but not experience. However, trying to get the American public to understand that will require some effort.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

29. looks like Obama wants nothing to do w/Clark too bad Hillary didn't get in.

All I want is to see Clark get in there....

[krispos42]

31. Not with Clark as VP

Clark doesn't make good sound bites; it's just not his thing. And this a bit of a hinderence for a guy that's suppose to be getting elected.

Besides, the VP needs to be broadly political, IMO. During his term as VP he doesn't have a hell of a lot to do besides be a public supporter of the President. I don't think Clark is willing to be an Obama cheerleader and Official Browbeater of Senators. He's military, he likes it, and he's good at it. So, Nat'l Security Advisor.

It will leave the VP slot open for whoever we want to run in 2016.

[lojasmo]

52. That's a pretty narrow set of goals

I want a democratic POTUS>

[Flying Dream Blues]

11. Tick, Tock. Time is almost up for LOTS of things, only one of which has to do w/VP.

Thank goodness.

[Barack_America]

17. Wes Clark not offered speaking slot, decides not to attend Democratic convention.

That seems a more appropriate title for me, but I guess that it wasn't dramatic enough for our responsible and impartial MSM.

:eyes:

[FrenchieCat]

20. Aye.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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[unfaithful_servant]

34. I do feel pity for you

Whichever side you're working for, you're not helping Dems or Obama.

Unless you're a millionaire, you stand to lose a great deal if Obama doesn't win. Your efforts are not helping Dems.

[trashcanistanista]

39. Goes without saying. And on a Sunday night, no less.

[CakeGrrl]

46. Sounds like a former Dead-Ender come back to life

to disturb a little more shit:

Obama's a 'rank amateur'
Obama's going to pay for 'alienating women'
Will Obama realize 'his mistakes'

blah blah blah...

[gblady]

25. huh?

[Barack_America]

26. Lol. So what's McCain's excuse for being consistently behind Obama in the polls?

Why can't your boy McCain break 44%?

In any case, enjoy what I suspect will be your *brief* stay at DU.

[unfaithful_servant]

35. Sorry, I'm a Dem

and I'm loyal enough to be honest when our party's candidate is not doing well.

Here's hoping you will soon realize the same.

[thewiseguy]

27. Something stinks here and that is YOU

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

28. How long did it take you

to chew through your restraints?

[unfaithful_servant]

37. Reality based politics isn't your strong suit

Perhaps you should consider another hobby.

[dionysus]

53. so what was your prior handle on DU?

:rofl:

[zulchzulu]

56. Thanks Karl for stopping by

What would you like on your pizza?

[Alexander]

30. So much concern, so little time.

[unfaithful_servant]

36. So much inexperience

and so much pain and suffering for all of us when rank amateurs result in another Dem loss in November.

[mrs_p]

38. inexperience? rank amateurs?

who, obama??

just "in case" you didn't know, check out the rules: http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules.html

oh yeah - :popcorn:

[unfaithful_servant]

43. My bad

As one who has been reading and posting at DU since 2001, I have to accept the reality that the predominant number of its posters no longer represent the interests and values of the Dem party.

All good things come to an end eventually.

Those of us who are Dem party purists have to realize the internet is a fickle and unreliable tool for advancing the interests of the party. So be it.

[thewiseguy]

45. Reading and posting at DU since 2001? What was your other handle?

:popcorn:

[unfaithful_servant]

47. Sorry, that's private

:hi:

[thewiseguy]

48. Ok

:eyes:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

70. Adios, muchacha!

:hi:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=224744

[mcctatas]

41. .....

:rofl:

[unfaithful_servant]

44. I agree with you

Maybe its not just inexperience but something worse. :hi:

[dionysus]

54. wah you were no daisy... no daisy at all...

ah guess tha strain was more than he could bear....

[Dinger]

49. Val Kilmer Was Great In That Movie

I still watch it now and then.:evilgrin:

[democrattotheend]

51. I wonder why they are doing this

I guess they don't trust Clark...he was out there in the primaries saying Obama wasn't qualified. Still, this seems like a dumb move to me.

[truebrit71]

55. Well that just sucks ass....

...wonder which boring-ass white-bread centrist Obama picks now?

Bayh or Kaine...oh goody!! :sarcasm:

[QC]

58. Mind your manners or you'll get Hagel!

What better way to "reach out to Republicans" than to make one of them the vice president?

[SuperTrouper]

59. Clark, if not VP, should be National Security Advisor of Head of Homeland Security

[Bad Thoughts]

60. A Mistake

Obama doesn't need to make Clark his VP, Sec/State, NSA, or anything. But the Dems have too few people who can motivate the party to think critically about security and IR matters, or connecting military tradition to party values. His voice will be conspicuously absent at the convention amidst the dry senators and generals they'll trot out as foreign affairs experts.

[Bonobo]

61. I love misleading, slanted headlines in the morning!

[gateley]

62. Disappointing. Ignoring the tone of the headline and just reading what

Wes Jr. wrote, I'm especially saddened that he thinks there probably won't be a spot in Obama's administration, either:

"It's not a fake out or some secret plan, he isn't going to be VP or probably anything else in an Obama administration, assuming he's elected"

Politically he may want to not remind people of Clark's comment which caused that over-reaction, and not have him speak at the convention, but after he's elected he can doesn't have to worry about that any more. Clark would be such an asset to Obama - I don't understand why he wouldn't be part of the administration.

[TexasObserver]

63. I have never expected Clark to play a role on Obama's election team.

Clark was considered a Clinton surrogate in 2004, and he was a Clinton supporter in 2008. His comments several weeks ago about McCain, while absolutely accurate, were off message for the Obama campaign. That likely snuffed out any role he might play in the Obama campaign.

Next year, it all depends. He will likely get a whole new look by team Obama next year.

Running is different from ruling. One snafu, and a guy like Clark is not going to be on the election team. That's the harsh life of a campaign. But next year? Don't rule out an important role for Wes Clark. I can see him as a National Security Adviser, as a UN Ambassador for the USA, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, maybe as Sec of Defense.

There's a lot of roles to fill, and Wes fits a number of them better than all but a very few.

[Dinger]

65. IF True, This Makes Me Wonder What's Up, And I Can't Help But Wonder

if maybe, Obama is intimidated by any of the potential VPs.
There, I said it. :hide:

[Bucky]

66. I love Wes Jr, but he can be bit of a loose cannon

Let's suppose this is even true (tho I don't really). Would the old man really want this snub to be publicized? I think not.

Another thing to consider is that, with both Bill and Hillary Clinton being given (well deserved) prime time speaking slots, how much more time do you want to allot to Clinton supporters out of the total 4-6 hours of finite peak viewing hours the convention coverage actually permits?

This is our first and best chance to make the case to the nation to dump the Republicans. Whatever else they'll say on stage, the core message out of the Clintons' appearance on back to back nights will not be about the national agenda starting in January 2009.

[mzmolly]

67. I'm sorry if this is true.

eom