Wesley Clark on the Campaign Trail
— -- ABCNEWS' Deborah Apton was on the trail with retired Gen. Wesley Clark during his run for president. For the latest report, scroll down.
Stop and Shop
CONCORD, N.H., Jan. 8— Members of the press exchanged quizzical looks when Gen. Clark walked into a crowded room for a "Conversations with Clark" on Wednesday afternoon wearing a gray, green, maroon, cream -- well, multicolored, argyle sweater.
And for those traveling with the campaign, what made it worse was knowing that Clark borrowed the sweater from his brother-in-law, Gene. So it was no surprise when the Clark campaign made an OTS stop as they call it (Off-The-Schedule), to the L.L. Bean factory store to get The General a new sweater.
Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor also came along for the last-minute stop focused solely on getting a wool sweater for Clark and a winter coat for his body man, Amad.
After a day of teasing for the argyle sweater from both press and staff, Clark tried to explain the "look." "I took the sweater off the back of my brother-in-law," Clark said as he searched for the men's sweater section, "I was cold."
Besides some retail politics (Clark extensively questioned one couple about "where to ski" in New Hampshire, and gave a lesson in baby kissing to one mother who carried her nine-month-old son), Clark seemed to be at the stop to model for the dozen or so press. And, as he so often does, Clark seemed to want to befriend the press, asking them their advice on size, color, and even offering to buy his hometown reporter from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette a sweater to keep him warm on the trail.
At one point, Clark showed his lack of expertise in shopping at a factory store when he held up a sweater and, while examining the price tag, asked, "Why is this so cheap? Cause nobody wants it?"
After holding sweaters up to his chest, Clark finally chose one -- according to Clark, forest green is his color -- but it was a "Tall/Large" size, seemingly too big for the 5'10" General. After a member of the press told him he should try some on, Clark hesitantly walked into the fitting room.
Two sweaters later, Clark walked the catwalk out of the dressing room wearing the sweater he'd wear out of the store announcing, "I get two thumbs up. This is a large. It feels good."
You take the good. You take the Bad.
PETERBOROUGH, N.H., Jan. 7— It was a good day in New Hampshire for Gen. Wesley Clark, who found himself smack dab in the middle of the spotlight following the publication of the USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll. As the crowds built and the traveling press core doubled, Clark was smiling, joking with reporters late Wednesday night that the campaign may have to get a press bus instead of the two minivans they are now using.
But with the good, comes the bad. In addition to attacks from Edwards and Dean, Clark is taking the brunt of opposition from the Dean campaign. On Wednesday afternoon, two Dean volunteers stood in the frigid cold outside of a Peterborough "Conversations with Clark" handing out a two-sided opposition paper on Clark. On one side it read "WESLEY CLARK: PRO-WAR" -- the other side, "WESLEY CLARK: REAL DEMOCRAT?" And then, in a box at the bottom, it was printed: Paid For by Dean For America.
Clark responded to the hand-outs saying, "I guess that's what you can expect from professional politicians." And, while Clark maintains he is running a positive campaign, both he and his senior communications strategist, Chris Lehane, did not rule out a return fight back at some point.
Instead Lehane told reporter after reporter that "Dean is starting to hear the footsteps. The hot breath of the Clark campaign is on the back of Dean's neck."
But it doesn't seem like the attacks will let up. When Clark shows up in North Dakota on Saturday, 'Dean for America' may have a surprise for The General. In an e-mail sent out by Dean's North Dakota "GenDean" coordinator, Berrett Gall, Dean supporters were invited to the Jefferson-Jackson dinner where Clark will be speaking. Gall writes:
"Wesley Clark will be speaking at the event, and we want there to be at least 100 Dean supporters there, 50 of them, GenDean members. We will have Beanies, shirts, noise makers, and a bunch of cool Dean stuff for you when you get there."
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the Clark campaign staff is now down to six full-time staffers and one part-time staffer having had eight full-timers at the end of last year. Nick Berning, Clark's communications director out in the Feb. 17 primary state, told ABC News that the deputy state director was fired on Dec. 31. The Dean camp hired him right afterwards. Then Wednesday, one junior field staffer announced her departure and conversion to the Dean campaign. Down two full-time staffers, Berning denies any shake-ups in the Wisconsin staff for Clark, saying that the campaign is strong in Wisconsin and they're looking at some "great people committing to endorsing" Clark. Berning did confirm that the Dean campaign made calls to about four staffers today trying to recruit them, but he asserted that nobody was going anywhere.
You've Got Mail
Madonna fans had a political e-mail waiting for them in their inboxes today: the Material Girl wrote to fans in support of Gen. Clark. The Note began: "I know that people seem to pay attention to everything I do. Big or Small. Ridiculous or Sublime. So I am hoping they pay attention to this: I am supporting General Wesley Clark for President."
Madonna's endorsement was first reported last month after The General and Mrs. Clark met with Madonna and her husband, Guy Ritchie, at their Los Angeles home in mid-November. Press secretary Bill Buck says that for now, there is no concert or performance by Madonna attached to her endorsement.
In Madonna's e-mail she says that she sees "the qualifications, character and vision that we so desperately need" in Clark, calling him a "national hero."
The General wasn't available for reaction on Wednesday, but when asked by ABC News last month what his favorite Madonna song was, he said he liked them all. That is, before settling on "Like a Prayer."
OBL: Could Clark catch him?
DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H., Dec. 18— Gen. Clark said on a conference call with reporters Thursday that "what wasn't clear in 1998 was clear in January of 2001, and that was that Osama bin Laden was the greatest threat to the United States of America. And for this new administration not to have focused on it was wrong, they should of, it was their duty to do so, and apparently they did not."
When asked by a reporter what he would have done as President in 1998, Clark said: "I don't know if I could have taken him out, I believe I could." But just one day earlier, on Wednesday, Clark said with confidence that if he were President now, he would have both Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden by this time.
Jamie Rubin, Clark's foreign policy advisor, served as Assistant Secretary of State under Clinton. Rubin told ABC News that the current administration needs to dedicate more resources to fighting terrorism -- something Clinton, and now Clark, would do if given the opportunity.
Subtle atrategy, subtle attack
LACONIA, N.H., Dec. 17— In a "Conversations with Clark" meeting Wednesday night, Clark closed the town hall meeting like he does any other: asking people to throw house parties and "come over" to the Clark04 team. "I need you help. I'm not a politician," The General began. And then….the attack on Democratic rival Howard Dean. "I haven't spent my life running for this thing. I didn't go down there and argue with Al Gore three years ago and say I might run against you."
A new 30-second Clark ad will begin airing in New Hampshire today called "Leader." General Clark speaks directly to the camera in the commercial, focusing on his plans for Iraq. Later this week, there will be another 30-second ad filmed in New Hampshire.
Media consultant Joe Slade White will be in town to film a "Conversations with Clark" at an elementary school on Friday, followed by an interview with the candidate. White told ABC News he doesn't "film spots," but rather collects his footage and lets the spots make themselves. "All the issues flow out of his life," White said.
When asked about radio spots for Clark, White said they could be expected up in the next week or two.
Clark returns from Hague
BOSTON, Dec. 16— "Welcome Home General Clark" signs filled Terminal E of Boston's Logan Airport as groups of Kosovar Albanians, Bosnians, and native Bostonians scrambled to shake General Clark's hand, congratulate him, and give him flowers on his return to the U.S.
Clark told reporters it "felt good" to see Milosevic on trial at the end of the prosecution phase at The Hague. Clark seemed happy with how his testimony went at The Hague and how he was received overseas.
He told ABC News that if he were elected president, he'd probably be the most popular American president in England. But General Clark could not be happy about one thing. One of his suitcases was missing. Fortunately for Clark, it was only his suit bag and he had on his standard dress for the flight-navy suit, white shirt, red tie. Really, who will know the difference?
Clark staff beats back Lieberman's barbs
NEW YORK CITY, Dec. 15 — Even with Gen. Clark overseas in The Hague testifying in the war crimes trial of Milosevic, the news of the day could not be swung away from the capture of Saddam Hussein. And the question of the day for many of the Democratic candidates became-if you had been President, where would Saddam Hussein be?
Sen. Joe Lieberman told reporters on a conference call that "if Howard Dean and Wesley Clark had their way, Saddam Hussein would be in power today and not in prison, and the world and America would be a much more dangerous place."
Clark was not reachable for comment (and most likely would stick to his "I won't attack fellow Democratic nominees" stance), but his communications strategist, Chris Lehane, did not hold back, telling ABC News: "If Joe Lieberman had attacked George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in the 2000 campaign the way he attacks fellow Democrats in 2003, George W. Bush would not be president today and the world would be a better place. Joe Lieberman was buddy-buddy with Bush and Cheney in 2000, supports the Bush war in Iraq and votes more often with Bush than the Democrats -- maybe he is running in the wrong primary."
Late yesterday, Clark appeared on CNN where Paula Zahn asked Clark directly: "If you had been President during this time, where would Saddam Hussein be-in power or in prison?" Clark responded that Hussein would "have probably been brought out of power, in most likely a different process."
General Clark travels to the Hague
NEW YORK CITY, Dec. 14 — It was 22-year-old communications aide Basel Hamdan who broke the news of Saddam Hussein's capture to the rest of the Clark campaign in Little Rock, Ark. As part of the rotating staff of three assigned to "clips," Hamden came into the office at 5:30 am local time (about four hours later than normal since Clark was in The Hague) and turned on the TV. "I saw Dan Rather on at 6:00 a.m.," he said, but with the closed captioning on the bottom of the screen he wasn't able to read the "Saddam Captured" part of the news. Then he changed stations and recalled, "I realized Saddam Hussein was captured and I couldn't believe it."
After e-mailing out the news to the communications department, Hamdan rummaged through desks in the office scrambling, looking for numbers for people that would be traveling with Clark. Seeing as it's an apolitical trip, the numbers were not easily accessible. Once found, the difficulty became dialing the international numbers -- "I dialed 9-1 and the number, then 00 and the number, that didn't work." When Hamden got through to somebody he was told: "They were at customs and they just found out what happened."
The General's life premieres
NEW YORK CITY, Dec. 10 — It was touted as the million-dollar fundraiser that almost caused Gen. Clark's absence from Tuesday's debate -- New York money, glitz, and glamour at the Hyatt Grand Central's ballroom to honor the "American Son." No, not Uncle Sam. "American Son" is named for General Clark and is also the title of the new film by Linda Bloodworth, creator of Clinton's biopic, "The Man from Hope."
The 17-minute film was shown in full at the fundraiser last night and, for the first time, Gen. and Mrs. Clark sat and watched the story of The General's life from beginning to end. Just as the film ended, the lights came up and Clark was seen red-faced and crying. He wiped his face with a napkin as he took the stage for his speech, making sure to smile through the tears.
"American Son" features interviews with Clark's son, Wes Jr., his wife, Gert, his cousin, friends, military comrades, his West Point roommate, and even his high school guidance counselor. Photos and home video of Clark as a child, a young soldier, husband, and father, are all weaved into the film.
There are sound bites from Clark in the film as well; perhaps the most touching moment is when he speaks to the camera about his father's death right before his fourth birthday: "My father was a tremendous influence in my life…he read to me every night, he bought me a present every Saturday. And then one night he read to me and I woke up in the middle of the night and there were a lot of adults in the apartment. They kept me from going to the bedroom. And that was the night he died."
Clark gets lost, finds himself at debate
DURHAM, N.H., Dec. 10— The lesson Gen. Clark had to learn on the campaign trail yesterday: It's never too late.
First, it's never too late to get to a debate. At 6:40 p.m. ET all the candidates had arrived at the Johnson Theater, except Gen. Clark. At 6:45 p.m. ET the heat was on inside as ABC and DNC staff called the campaign trying to figure out what was keeping the Clark convoy was. At 6:50 pm ET, they gathered by the door, waiting for The General to put make-up on him should he arrive. He finally walked in at 6:52 p.m. ET that he walked in with his wife and brother-in-law in tow.
The campaign said they got lost for 45 minutes. Luckily, General Clark didn't miss a beat -- live at 7:00 p.m., he made it on stage -- made-up, hair spritzed. Perhaps he's getting used to getting lost – earlier that same day, the Clark convoy (Clark's van, the staff van, two press vans, and a single car driving Eli Siegel) got lost going from a Dover campaign stop to a New Castle event. Needless to say, the whole caravan ended up in Maine before realizing that they were headed the wrong way.
