Clark for VP

One of my top choices for Obama's vice president is General Wesley Clark. Clark was against the war, brings foreign policy credentials, is a Washington outsider, was a Clinton supporter, and is strong on progressive issues.

Last week Matt Stoller of Open Left started an Obama/Clark website.

The political argument for Clark is simple. He is a great surrogate for Democrats, with experience in 2004 and 2006 on the campaign trail, and a genuine national base of supporters. In terms of governance, which is what Obama says is the most important criteria for his VP pick, Clark can help Obama deal with the mess that the Bush administration left behind. As commander of NATO in the late 1990s, Clark won a war, so he is more likely than any progressive out there to be able to wrangle solutions from a military establishment that has been decimated by Bush's cronyism and incompetence. That is really important moving forward, since rebuilding our national security posture is a critical challenge over the next eight years

Clark also emphasizes Obama's strengths. He is popular among grassroots progressives, he was against the war in Iraq from the get-go, and he is an outsider to politics.

Obama Expected to Announce VP Next Week

Barack Obama is excepted to announce his choice for vice president next week (which he will be announcing via text message).

From MyDD...

John Kerry announced his choice of John Edwards for VP on July 6, 2004, exactly 20 days prior to the first day of the 04 Democratic convention. If Barack Obama follows the same schedule, he will announce his choice on Tuesday, August 5. Certainly one suspects the announcement will come prior to the commencement of the Olympics on Friday, which means the likelihood is that the announcement will come some time in the next 5 days.

In the rest of the post they run down the complete short list (would that be the long short list?). The names that I am hearing pop up the most are Sen. Evan Bayh, Sen. Joe Biden, Gov. Tim Kaine, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Out of those 4, Biden and Sebellius would be by far my top choices. However, I still prefer Bill Richardson and Wesley Clark.

Over the next couple days, I will be posting more about the possible candidates.

In the meantime, DesMoinesDem chimes in with her thoughts over at Bleeding Heartland.

Wesley Clark Takes on McCain

The main reason Wesley Clark should be Obama's vice president is that he can go toe to toe with any Republican on foreign policy issues.

Clark did just that last week on MSNBC's Morning Joe by going after McCain...

What Obama Needs in a Vice President

The most important thing that Obama needs to consider when looking for a VP is foreign policy experience. Obama was attacked during the primary for not having enough experience and he will be attacked for this in the general election even more. However, if Obama picks a VP that has a ton of foreign policy experience, but voted for the war in Iraq then it would totally undercut Obama's message that judgement matters more than experience.

It would be helpful for the VP to put more states in play. A quality VP choice should give Obama a chance to win a few states in the Mountain West or Southwest or the mid-Atlantic regions.

It would be a plus for the VP to be viewed as a Washington outsider, as it would strengthen Obama's message of changing Washington.

Knowing that it would difficult to find a VP candidate that meets all of those, I think there are 4 names that bring the most to the table...

• Joe Biden
  
• Wesley Clark
• Bill Richardson
• Jim Webb
  

What do you think?

How about an Obama - Bloomberg Ticket?

Marc Ambinder is reporting Barack Obama met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for breakfast this morning.

Sen. Barack Obama will set vice presidential speculation on fire with a brief stop to say hello to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, himself an occasional presidential flirt. The meeting appeared on Bloomberg's schedule, which was distributed to reporters last night.

An Obama aide said the meeting was scheduled because of "mutual interest" and did not know whether the two had met before.

You hear rumors all the time about possible Clinton Vice Presidential candidates, such as Wesley Clark, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, but this is the first name mentioned as a possible VP candidate for Obama. I think the perfect VP candidate for Obama would be Richardson. However, Obama could tout his bipartisan approach by appointing someone like Bloomberg or Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA).

Clinton Wins Endorsement from Wesley Clark

I was first surprised to read that Gen. Wesley Clark has endorsed Hillary Clinton for President. However, then I remembered Clark is from Arkansas and is good friends with Bill Clinton.

I guess this means Clark isn't going to be a late entry into the race like in 2004.

Candidates Speeches at DNC Winter Meetings

This morning I caught some of the DNC winter meetings on CSPAN. I was able to see Barack Obama, Wesley Clark, and John Edwards speak. Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich, and Chris Dodd also spoke today. Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, and Tom Vilsack are scheduled to speak on Saturday.

Obama's speech was good and got a good response. Clark's speech was dull and boring. Clark basically introduced himself when the audience already knew who he was. He had the chance to connect wtih the people on national security and failed to do so. Instead people left knowing that Wesley Clark has been in the military. John Edwards gave a great speech. He told stories that connected with the people, recieved standing ovations, and called on the audience to act. Of the three speeches I saw, Edwards, by far, did the best.

Here is part of his speech...

Latest from Wes Clark on Possible Run in 08

General Wes Clark spoke at Brown University and had these comments before his speech...

The Herald: How likely is it that you'll run for president in 2008?

General Clark: I haven't said I won't run.


The Herald: If you do run, how will your campaign differ from your 2004 campaign?

General Clark: In virtually every respect.


The Herald: Why do you think you were unsuccessful in winning the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004?

General Clark: Because I got in too late. Because I had no political experience. Because I had no money prior to the time I announced, and because I had no staff. Other than that I was a pretty good candidate.


The Herald: What political experience have you gained since then?

General Clark: Hundreds and hundreds of visits around the country with various groups. I campaigned for, I think, 86 candidates in 26 states in 2006. I was John Kerry's number one surrogate other than John Edwards in 2004. I raised more than half a million dollars directly for John (Kerry) plus represented him, especially during the final three or four weeks, all through the West.

Clark is one that is on my radar list, but I have never seen him in person and need to learn more about his stances on the important like trade, healthcare, and energy. The next time that Clark is in Iowa, I am there.

Wes Clark Raising Money for Selden Spencer

Wes Clark is helping Selden Spencer raise money to run the radio ad that Clark did in Spencer's behalf. Here's my post about the radio ad and here's what Clark has to say...

This year's midterm elections present American voters with a clear choice on the type of leadership we want for our country. Do we want to continue with the Republicans' current "stay the course" status quo? Or do we want new leadership on the critical issues that we face -- in particular the situation in Iraq -- the type of new leadership that only Democrats can provide?

For those who choose new leadership, they need look no further than Dr. Selden Spencer, who is the Democratic nominee for Congress in Iowa's 4th district.

I just recorded a radio ad in support of Dr. Spencer's campaign, and we are looking to raise $10,000 in order to play the ad across the 4th Congressional District. Please contribute what you can to air this important message.

Click here to listen to the radio ad.

Help us put my ad in support of Selden's campaign on the air -- contribute today!

I served in the military for 38 years. From my experience, it is clear that our policies are not leading us to victory in Iraq, Afghanistan, or the rest of the Middle East. It will take more than military might alone to secure America

Dr. Selden Spencer of Huxley has been on the ground in Afghanistan. He sees that we need a new direction in the Middle East that includes diplomacy and economic development, in addition to the strong military component of the mission.

Dr. Spencer served in Kabul as a physician with Northwest Medical Teams, and while there it became crystal clear to him that a critical component of our battle in the Middle East needs to be winning the hearts and minds of the people there. This is a lesson the Republicans in Washington refuse to learn, and is one of the primary reasons we need Dr. Selden Spencer in Congress.

Help Dr. Spencer bring the experience he gained on the ground in Afghanistan to Washington -- contribute towards our radio ads today!

Dr. Spencer's opponent, Republican Tom Latham, told the Mason City Globe Gazette that he supports George Bush's Iraq policy because he has no choice.

But this is clearly mistaken: there are choices in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the rest of the Middle East, and it says a lot about Latham's leadership abilities that he thinks his only option is to blindly follow President Bush. Come November 7, you can exercise your own choice by voting for a candidate who supports change in our foreign policy, not just "stay the course."

To bring change to our nation's capitol, we need to make clear to undecided voters throughout the 4th District that Dr. Selden Spencer will provide new leadership on foreign policy in Washington.

Contribute today to help us run my radio ad in support of Dr. Spencer's campaign!

In these closing weeks of the campaign, Dr. Selden Spencer needs your support. With your help, Dr. Spencer will help us build a stronger and safer America.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

How many of Iowa's 5 Congressional Districts will be held by Democrats after this year's elections?

I have taken down the poll asking, "How many of Iowa's 5 Congressional Districts will be held by Democrats after this year's elections?"

With 71 votes cast, 35% of common Iowans think Democrats will hold 2 of the 5 seats in the US House. 24% think that Democrats will hold 3 of the 5 seats. 14% think they hold just 1 seat, while 11% are optimistic that they will hold 4 seats. 8% think the Democrats will sweep all 5 seats, while 7% think the Democrats will get shut out and have 0 seats.

Not if anyone cares, I voted for 3.

I have a new poll up asking if election day should be a national holdiay. The poll will be up until election day.