Wes Clark: Democratic Party Dream---GOP Nightmare.

September 2006 and midterms approach. Heck,they're here. And one thing Democrats can feel good about is the high quality of candidates running under the Democratic Party banner. Especially the number of,what some of us refer to as the'Fighting Dems', veterans such as Tammy Duckworth or Jim Webb in Va,running for office. The last count I saw was something around 20 - 22 in all as opposed to the GOPs 3. The disparity probably lies in who is actually currently fighting the nations conflicts. A lot of 'blue' blue collar districts have quite likely contributed an inordinate number of sons and daughters to serve as opposed to,perhaps, some others.( prove me wrong.please.) Interesting juxtaposition,though.The party 'soft on defense'fields the most candidates with military experience.

And that brings me to the man who is,in fact,not running for office this cycle,yet is out there,almost every day working to give support to the Democratic Party message. General Wesley Clark,as all know,ran a good,but unsuccessful rookie campaign in '04. Some questioned his commitmit to the party and wondered if he would stick around after his moment in the sun. Gen Clark has answered that question clearly and concisly, with his continued,and growing,presence on the national stage,getting the message out in a competant and consistant manner and demonstrating that he is indeed a viable choice for '08.

I think that he,is in,fact,not just a viable choice,but the logical choice. Gen Clark brings a strong record on defense and security matters that is not just marked by its length but by its record of demonsrated competance,something so lacking in Washington these days. A record that reflects a commitmit to ethics and doing the right thing (as evidenced by his decision to stay in the Army post Viet Nam and rebuild an institution that so badly needed leadership instead of taking the route to big money on the outside--the easy route many took). It will be very hard for the GOP to come up with a candidate of similiar credentials,not tainted with an association with the current administration and the clinging muck it spreads to all who come in contact. It will be hard for the GOP to find someone who campaigns as easily or as well as Wes Clark. He can get on a barstool as he did at YKos and give a stunning dissertation on what exactly is wrong,moving an entire room into an enthusiastic crowd of motivated voters or he can stand in debate with the any and all comers,confident in his message and ability to deliver it. Exactly the sort of candidate that gives Republicant strategists nightmares. They won't be able to get to this guy which means their guy is going to have to be better. And that,given the current list,is going to hard to do.

Wes Clark looks more and more the logical candidate for '08.