Posted By: JekJob
August 16, 2008
Forget everything you know about the Democratic Vice Presidential candidates. Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Evan Bayh, Wesley Clark, John Edwards, Kathleen Sebelius – all of them! We need to start from the beginning and look at cold, hard facts.
Accurately predicting Barack Obama's choice for running mate is impossible if we can't see through the murky waters of the celebrity-esque scandals and gossip that have plagued this election season from the beginning. Obama's running mate will be chosen purely for his or her political prowess and credentials, not out of fear of hurting other candidates' or supporters' feelings. So forget the silly notion that Obama must choose Hillary Clinton, for instance, to make Bill happy or so as not to alienate her supporters. Clinton is absolutely suited for the job, but there is a better alternative – one that possesses her strengths and then some.
Wesley Clark is, by far, the best choice for VP. Arguably, he is the most experienced, well-rounded candidate that the Democratic Party has seen in years.
Seriously, Clark's resume is like a mile long. He is a retired United States Army four-star general who served from 1966 to 2000. He was valedictorian at West Point, earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and then a master's degree in military science. He fought in Vietnam and later became the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO for about three years. These are only a few of his accomplishments, it would take forever to list them all.
All of this looks good on paper, but his intelligence and skill really shine when they're actually put to use, as one can see in his numerous awards and honors. According to Wikipedia, these include: Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, five Defense Distinguished Service Medals, two Army Distinguished Service Medals, a Silver Star, four Legion of Merits, two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, the French Ordre national du Mérite, and the German Merit Cross of the Federal Republic. Wow.
So why does this qualify Clark for VP? Obama needs a military man.
Unfortunately, it's become apparent during the past eight years how easy it is for malicious politicians to use military action in place of diplomacy. Clark's extensive military experience, education and liberal background will assure the American people that he will be tough on terror, while not being an aggressor and war-monger, as the Bush Administration has become.
On John McCain's military experience, Clark explained, "McCain's weakness is that he's always been for the use of force, force and more force. In my experience, the only time to use force is as a last resort." (You can see his comments in the video below) He has been against the War in Iraq since the beginning, claiming that it was "never about…WMD or regime change," and that it had no connection to the War on Terror.
In an increasingly unpopular war, Clark strengthens Obama's message and provides validity to Obama's plan to start safely withdrawing troops. He is also against war with Iran, and in 2006 he launched www.stopiranwar.com to spread his message.
Furthermore, he is an enormous authority on foreign policy. Perhaps Bill Richardson eclipses Clark in this field, but he is still more than qualified.
Mr. Clark has negotiated peace treaties in the Balkans, Africa and Northern Ireland as a senior advisor to the International Crisis Group. (An Obama/Richardson ticket would be great, but Richardson does not have military experience and he might still be seen as "Judas" by some Clinton supporters as a result of his endorsement of Obama.)
In addition to Clark's skill and experience, he also has the advantage of being a white male from the south, a demographic that Obama had some trouble with in the primaries.
If any southern whites, or northern whites for that matter, had any qualms about voting for a black candidate, an Obama/Clark ticket could gain quite a few supporters as Clark worked the south and campaigned for southerners' votes. He even endorsed Hillary Clinton's candidacy and campaigned for her in a few states before she dropped out of the race.
Choosing a Clinton supporter is important, as there are still many of her supporters who refuse to vote for Obama. Clark as VP would show Clinton's supporters that the party is indeed coming together, and that Obama is as strong a candidate as Clinton was.
He also appeals to the Latino community because of his strong push for immigration reform.
Along those lines, Clark speaks Spanish, has a Hispanic daughter-in-law and grandchildren, has Jewish ancestry and was raised a Christian. He is a symbol of the melting pot that is American society. An Obama/Clark ticket would be excellent at attracting voters of many races and ethnicities.
Obama could announce his decision any day now, yet we still have very little information about who is really on his shortlist; it's mostly just speculation.
The only hard evidence we have to go on is that when the VP speaks at the Democratic Convention, the theme will be national security. I can think of no other candidate than Clark who would feel more at home on that subject as he serves on the Advisory Board of the National Security Network and created WesPAC, a political action committee devoted to "securing America's future."
If there is one thing that can be said of Wesley Clark, it is that he is a genuine activist. He does not sit around in Washington, D.C. complaining about issues – he goes out and actually does something to fix them. He cares about real issues and his actions prove it. I have only lightly covered Clark's qualifications here, but even the few mentioned are enough proof of his abilities and expertise that he would bring to the White House.
Barack Obama is no dummy. He knows that his VP choice could make or break his chances of taking the election in November, so he and his team will surely pick the right person. But if I were an Obama advisor, I'd push for Clark every chance I got.
Obama/Clark is the winning ticket.
Check out www.obamaclark.com (with which I have no association) for more information.
About the Author: JekJob is a 19-year-old from New Jersey and is fed up with America's shoddy leadership. He frequents Digg.com and various political action websites, and is working to earn a degree in Political Science. JekJob is a new contributor to The Stonecipher Report, although he's been a long-time fan.
