Reply #8: good catch [View All]

[dfong63]

... but i tend to think that Clark's absence (if it comes to pass) will be a more serious one. the NAACP is arguably a special interest representing only a fraction of the dem base. and Lieberman wasn't the only candidate who couldn't make it to the NAACP forum.

the candidate debates on the other hand, are an event for the whole party. all the candidates (except Clark if he skips out) will be there. Clark's absence will be all the more telling because of the months of flirting during which he was supposedly preparing for a perfect entry into the race. this "hard conflict" shows bad planning on his part. if he's a serious candidate, the debate should be his first real opportunity to show the people that he has what it takes to be a winning politician. but if he pulls a no-show, it'll be seen as one more in a series of evasions.