Christopher Ruddy
Monday, Sept. 22, 2003

Gen. Wesley Clark has entered the Democratic political fray.

I see that as a good thing. It’s good for the Democrats and good for the country.

The Democrat presidential field, save for the very reasonable Joe Lieberman, is filled with either extremists or opportunists.

As I have written before, I would rather have the two best candidates of each party running for president.

Still, I think President Bush has done an incredible job despite inheriting a recession and the 9/11 tragedy from his predecessor. He deserves re-election and I support him.

While the other Democrats have positioned themselves as the "anti-Bush," Clark comes into the race as a centrist. He has none of the political baggage of the other candidates.

And despite criticisms of America’s war in Iraq, he has solid military and national security credentials.

Clark is also joining the race because he apparently has the support of the Clintons and their apparatus.

Getting into the Clintons’ agenda is like swimming in murky waters. But I can see why they like Clark.

For starters, the Clinton folks do not like the current crop of candidates. They especially do not like Dean, who has said he will fire Terry McAuliffe, the Clintons’ handpicked DNC chief, if he gets the power to do so.

The Clintonistas also don’t like Lieberman, who has lost support from the New York and Los Angeles clique that dominates the Democrat party.

When Lieberman put love of country above partisanship and supported President Bush’s war on terror with little apology, he lost the support of the Democrat establishment.

Make no mistake about it, Clark is a formidable candidate.

Yes, I agree with NewsMax’s John LeBoutillier that the political neophyte Clark is not charismatic on TV. But that may change.

Thrusting Clark into the national limelight now will help him develop as a candidate, toughen him up, polish him and make him ready for the big race next year.

Clark may never win the Democratic nomination, but he may just be the perfect candidate for vice president.

And if Hillary runs, or another Democrat takes the nomination, they can have former NATO commander Wesley Clark at their side to help brush off charges that the Democrats are soft on national security.

Today, the national security issue gives George Bush the edge to win next year’s election.

Though polls show that public concern for national security has faded since Sept. 11 as the public worries about the sluggish economy, terrorism concerns will remain a critical issue in the race.

Consider a Gallup Poll in August that found that only 12 percent of the public thought terrorism was the country’s most pressing problem, compared to 48 percent who were concerned about the economy.

Still, 12 percent is a huge number when one considers that elections are won on the slightest of margins, as we saw in 2000. 2004 may be no different.

If Dean or another soft Democrat wins, the Republicans will take the national security issue and a slew of independent voters with them, likely returning them to the White House. Even with concerns about the Iraq war, Bush will still have the confidence of Americans on this issue.

Gen. Clark’s entrance into the race is an attempt to steal the national security issue from the Republicans, and it just may work.

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