Clark endorsed by Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel! [View All]

[AnnitaR]

Clark offers strong chance for Democrats
By News Sentinel editorial staff
February 9, 2004

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/todays_editorial/article/0,1406,KNS_362_2639451,00.html

On Tuesday, Tennessee voters who didn't take advantage of the state's early voting laws will head to the polls, with many voting in the Democratic primary for a presidential nominee to challenge President Bush next fall.

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President Bush is unopposed for the Republican nomination. Those voting in the Republican primary will vote for delegates who are committed to the president for the Republican National Convention.

Tennesseans for the first time in a while have a chance on Tuesday to make a difference in the contest for a Democratic nominee. That's because, while some candidacies have languished - Lieberman, Rep. Richard Gephardt, Carol Mosley Braun - there has been no knockout punch by any single candidate.

And, while the messages of the remaining Democratic candidates have some basic similarities, there are enough differences to make the contest interesting.

Tennessee has become significant, perhaps, because several of the leading candidates have swooped down on the Volunteer State during the past week, vowing that Tennessee is important in the national picture. President Bush, of course, visited Knoxville last month to tout his No Child Left Behind Act and to attend a $1,000-per-plate fund-raiser at the convention center.

Thus, the political atmosphere in Tennessee is being ratcheted up a few notches just in time for the Tuesday primary. And that should be OK with the state's voters who truly can cast their votes in the belief they will make a difference.

Although several Democratic candidates could prove to be formidable opponents to the president next fall, we like former Army Gen. Wesley Clark for the Tennessee Democratic primary.

A military leader with a distinguished record, Clark is proving he can compete with well-established politicians, as his recent victory in the Oklahoma primary attests. And his presence at the Lady Vols-UConn basketball game last week shows he can play politics with the best.

Clark is a West Point graduate, a Rhodes scholar who studied at Oxford University and a veteran of the Vietnam War. His 38-year military career includes a stint as director for strategic plans and policy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

Clark's message has been less about military options than about values, restoring trust, open debate and economic opportunity. It is a message that is getting before the public and is beginning to make a difference for him and the electoral process. A victory on Tuesday not only gives Clark the momentum to continue his efforts, but it also provides the opportunity to keep this national debate going and to stretch out the campaign to select a clear front-runner for the party.

Clark has proved he is a solid contender for his party's nomination. We believe he also will be a strong candidate as the Democratic nominee.

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