Clark will NOT be VP

[Barbara917]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/04/elec04.prez.clark/

There are passionate supporters for their candidates on this forum. There are those who are ABB (anyone but Bush), there are those supporters who support Dean or nobody, there are those supporters who support anyone but fill-in-the-blank Democrat where fill-in-the-blank is sometimes Dean, Leiberman or Clark. And then there are a class of supporters who support Dean/Clark or Clark/Dean and will be happy with either. It is that last class of supporters I believe need to re-evaluate.

I agree with Wes Clark when he says, "If you want a lawyer, support a lawyer, if you want doctor support a doctor, if you want a leader elect a leader." I believe him when he says he will not be Dean's Cheney. My personal opinion is that this country right now at this time needs a leader like Wes Clark, AS PRESIDENT. There are others who disagree. That's fine. I respect that. But there are those who have in the back of their minds that they like candidate X but he is a little weak on foreign policy. That's OK. If he has Wes Clark as VP we can have the best of both worlds. That thinking is WRONG. Make your choices on the issues, character of the candidates, experience, whatever hot-button issue is important to you. But don't make a choice planning on having Clark as a VP. It won't happen and is the wrong basis for making a decision about who should be POTUS.

[Bread and Circus]

1. On MTP he categorically absolutely said he would not accept a VP

nomination

[HFishbine]

19. Too bad

I think he would have been a good one. Next.

[maddezmom]

2. Wes Clark made himself clear today on MTP.

He will not be Dean's VP.

[janx]

3. OK! n/t

[bahrbearian]

4. Deans Cheney ?

How could anyone be compared to Oily ???

[jjmalonejr]

9. He means that he has no intention of filling in the gaps...

...in a nominees resume the way Cheney was intended to do for Bush.

[sfecap]

5. He won't be President, either.

n/t

[newsguyatl]

13. lol

and thank god for that!

[Brian_Expat]

6. It makes me sad that Clark will turn down a call to serve. . .

. . . if he's VP rather than Prez. Isn't leadership about answering a call to serve? :(

[bahrbearian]

7. He won't turn down the call

right now he's just running for Prez.

[blm]

8. Maybe he doesn'r see Dean as a REAL leader to serve?

I don't. I see him as a shoot from the hip charlatan. So do many.

[Brian_Expat]

11. Leadership isn't judging the people. . .

. . . leadership is accepting the call to serve the people.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

15. And Clark Already Accepted That Call

He accepted the draft of the people.

Even if he wins the nomination, Howard Dean is not "the people."

DTH

[Brian_Expat]

24. LOL

The only person who "accepts the call of the people" is the person who wins the nomination. If Dean wins and calls on Clark, he's making the call of the people. Clark's rejection of a role within the Dean administration is a refusal to serve his country, in my view.

I'd say Dean was making the same refusal if he refused to endorse the nominee if he wasn't it, or said he wouldn't serve as VP. So far, he's the only major candidate to declare blanket endorsement for a nominee other than him if it happens, and he's open to assisting the nominee in any way if he's not it. That's leadership and service.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

25. Sorry, No Matter How You Try To Spin It, Dean Is Not "The People"

Howard Dean is Howard Dean. Clark has every right to turn Howard Dean down. He is not passing up the American people; he already embraced the over 50,000 American people who asked Clark to enter the race.

If the American people choose Howard Dean, so be it. He very obviously wants to answer their call. But a refusal of Dean, for whatever reasons he might have, is just that: a refusal of Dean, not the American people.

DTH

[Brian_Expat]

28. If Dean wins the nomination, he's the selection of the people

And if Clark turns down an opportunity to run as VP, he is turning his back on an opportunity to serve America, plain and simple.

The reverse is true if Clark was the nominee and Dean refused to endorse him and turned down the VP slot. Of course, Dean is interested in serving however he can, hence his strong commitment to the eventual Dem nominee (whoever it is) and lack of willingness to say he would utterly refuse an offer to be VP.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

30. He'd Be Turning His Back on Howard Dean

Which doesn't surprise me at all, since Dean has been lying about Clark -- as you were completely unable to refute in my long thread a couple of days ago -- since shortly after Clark entered the race.

Clark spent his entire life in service to the American people. It's a complete non-starter to attempt to claim otherwise, precisely because it's so ridiculous.

Keep trying, though!

DTH

[Lefty48197]

32. Do you have any idea how ignorant

your "call to serve" attacks sound?
It was your continent's latest attempt at genocide that Gen. Clark ended BTW. Remember? The guy served the world. Do you understand that?

[Barbara917]

14. Don't be sad....

You may disagree, but don't be sad.

But I believe leadership includes recognizing one's own strength as an individual and how best one can serve one's country. In the end, the primary process will select a nominee - that may or may not be Clark. Clark does not believe that he can serve his country as VP. If democrats decide against his candidacy for President so be it. I hope they won't. But he does not feel he can serve his country as VP. I agree with him. He would be wasted casting tie-breaking votes in the Senate.

[Bok_Tukalo]

16. But wouldn't his service

be more benificial to the country in another capacity like Secretary of Defense or Secretary of State? If he is truly needed then the best place for him would not be VP.

[JI7]

26. so why not just vote for Clark ?

?

[liberalnurse]

10. Currently, his mission is to

seek the Presidency. He switched rather easily from a republican agenda to a democratic one....he may indeed flip to becoming open to a V.P option after the New Hampshire Primaries. It would be self defeating to focus on both positions at this phase of his Presidential drive. Politicians make-up all the time and for the greater good. If that is Dean's goal, Clark will comply...

[dfong63]

12. cool

i wouldn't want him anywhere on the Dean ticket anyway.

i don't think Clark's pompous rhetoric about "leadership" will convince many who aren't already convinced. it's silly for a general who's never run for public office to imply that rivals who have tons of experience actually getting elected are lacking in the "leadership" department. a general is a "leader" of people who basically have no choice but to follow orders. this far different from civilian "leadership" which is required in electoral politics.

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. That's right.

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

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"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

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"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

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"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

If you want Clark on the ticket, I suggest you vote for him.

Because clark has said...



"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

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"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

"I will NOT be Howard Dean's VP."

It couldn't be more clear.

[JI7]

18. hehe

i'm afraid even THAT wont make it clear to some.

[dave29]

20. However, it did make clear

someone's OCD ;)

[in_cog_ni_to]

22. Only when it comes to

my man Clark. :7

[Jerseycoa]

21. Meet the Press 1/4/04

MR. RUSSERT: Let me go through this whole exchange with Governor Dean that you had about the vice presidency. In December you said this. "...as a matter of fact, did offer me the vice presidency...it was sort of discussed and dangled before I made the decision to run." "It was a meeting that we had...This was in early September." Governor Dean responded "...I can tell you flat out" that "I did not ask to be by running mate." Who's telling the truth?

GEN. CLARK: Well, I don't think we need to play semantic games with this. I stand by what I said. And I also will tell you this, Tim. I'm not going to be Howard Dean's vice president.

MR. RUSSERT: You said something else: "I'm not going to be Howard Dean's Dick Cheney. We've already tried that model of government and it doesn't work. That's what misled America thus far."

GEN. CLARK: That's exactly right. We need people who are experienced not only in the domestic issues but in the foreign policy issues.

MR. RUSSERT: Another general who entered politics, William Sherman, was asked whether or not he would seek elective office. He said: "If nominated, I will not accept. If elected, I will not serve." If General Clark is nominated as vice president, will you accept?

GEN. CLARK: Well, I've said I'm not going to be the vice president, and that's what I stand by. I'm running to be president of the United States. This country needs a higher standard of leadership, Tim, and to get that higher standard, I'm going to have to be the commander in chief and the president of the United States. That's why I'm running.

MR. RUSSERT: But General Sherman had a very understandable formula: "If nominated, I will not accept." Is that your view?

GEN. CLARK: I'm saying that I'm not going to be the vice president. I'm not going accept that nomination. I can't make it any more clearer than that.

MR. RUSSERT: So if nominated, you will not accept the vice presidency?

GEN. CLARK: I'm running to be president of the United States. I am not running to be vice president, and I do not intend to accept that nomination, and I will not.

MR. RUSSERT: Absolutely.

GEN. CLARK: That's absolutely the facts.

Transcript

[poskonig]

23. No one admits they want to be the VP.

This is pretty standard stuff and has nothing to do with whether candidates accept it later.

[Barbara917]

29. What will convince you?

I have been reading this reply of yours or similar replies from many Dean/Clark and Clark/Dean supporters for a long time now.

My question to you is is there ANYTHING Clark can say that will convince you and those like you that he will not be VP? I would really like to know so that I can pass it on to his campaign.

[Lefty48197]

33. True Poskonig

but there are a few that are having a really hard time understanding that.

[Jerseycoa]

34. Dookus had a good one yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=606080

Everything I need to know I learned in GD '04

19) People who think Clark is a right-wing baby-killing Republican plant would LOVE him to be Dean's running-mate.

:evilgrin:

[windansea]

27. Trippi's little ploy

to marginalize Clark's bid is so pathetic

solly cholly...not gonna fill that giant donut hole with the creme of the crop

[Lefty48197]

31. It's insulting to ask a viable candidate if they would be someone elses VP

unless you're just giving them a softball opportunity to say something nice about another candidate.