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Clark: The Anti-Dean?

Aired September 16, 2003 - 13:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, no more elbow room in the race for the White House. Now there are 10. Sources are telling us, CNN, former -- sources are telling CNN, I should say, that former CNN military affairs analyst and former NATO Supreme Commander Wesley Clark is expected to officially announce tomorrow he's joining the field of Democratic contenders. That makes 10.
Now like Bill Clinton, Clark was a Rhodes Scholar, hails from Arkansas, he's hoping that plus his four-star military background give him a foothold with voters, despite the late start.

Now joining me new with some political perspective, senior political analyst Bill Schneider. I guess it's not a surprise. Been talked about for quite some time. I guess the big surprise to us is why he didn't announce right here on CNN?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. That would have been very interesting. I was, shall we say, embedded with Wesley Clark there in Atlanta during the war which we covered together.

He has, of course, now he's come out of the closet. He says he's a Democrat. He has always been critical of President Bush, though, he was very careful on CNN during the war to not allow his criticism of Bush to show up in his war commentary.

Democrats are now looking at him and saying he's a very interesting candidate. He's a military hero. And at a time when the United States is fighting a war on terrorism, he may just be what the Democrats are looking for.

O'BRIEN: Oh, OK. I thought -- you're coming to me now, aren't you, Bill? I apologize. I thought you had some additional material to talk about.

Let's talk about military men turned politicos. I guess the first one was George Washington.

SCHNEIDER: George Washington.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHNEIDER: Well, General Grant, General Eisenhower, generally after every war there's a military hero gets elected to the presidency because Americans believe military leaders have a sense of command, authority and that's what the government needs in this country. Wesley Clark is the hero of the war in Kosovo in a way which was not a very heroic war. We dropped bombs there and didn't send in any ground troops. It's was NATO victory. Most Americans people don't have a strong memory of the war in Kosovo.

Look, the problem here is, yes, he has the military credentials and can compete with the only other Democrat running who has strong military credentials and that's John Kerry. But Democrats are going to look at him and say, Is he really one of us? What's he got to say about Democrat issues? About domestic issues? What's he got to say about the one thing the Democrats believe will win this election and that's the issue of jobs? That's the test.

O'BRIEN: All right, now, I tell you what. That little piece of tape -- I guess that's an old-fashioned term now it all comes off of the computer -- but a piece of actuality. Let's go to it right now. This is Wesley Clark confirming what we've been talking about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FMR. NATO CMDR.: I think this country is in significant difficulty, both at home and abroad. And I think it needs strong leadership and visionary leadership to take it forward. So that's what's drawn me to this perspective point right here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. I can only imagine Wes Clark right now at that map table where we spent, it seems, about ten years and putting little Democratic candidates on there and trying to put himself in place as to which person he's apt to go after. Whose lunch is he most likely to eat? John Kerry?

SCHNEIDER: Well I think he would effect a lot of the Kerry's support because Kerry's whole appeal is biography, it's his record, it's his standing as a military hero, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. And I think Kerry's at some risk now because Wesley Clark can just take that issue away from him.

But the real target in this race is Howard Dean. Howard Dean is the candidate who's shown momentum. He's fired up the Democratic base. He's got angry liberals and other voters who are just furious at George Bush. And dean is really surging.

So the Democratic race right now, the shape it's taking is it's a contest between Dean and someone named "Stop Dean." But there is no candidate named Stop Dean. The Stop Dean vote is divided between Kerry and Lieberman and Edwards and Gephardt.

And there's a fantasy that maybe we can find someone -- this is among Democrats who really want to win and think Dean is not a winner. They want to find someone who can come into this race, Al Gore, Hillary, Wesley Clark, to stop Howard Dean. I don't I don't know if Wesley Clark wants to play that role, but he's going to have to if he wants this nomination because that's the shape of the race.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill Schneider. Dean or Dean-no, I guess, is how it goes.

Bill Schneider, always a pleasure to have you drop on by. Wes Clark, we're disappointed that you call tell us first. But I guess it's sour grapes, Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You didn't know? He told me.

O'BRIEN: Darn, he should have called me.

PHILLIPS: You know, it's that military thing.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 16, 2003 - 13:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, no more elbow room in the race for the White House. Now there are 10. Sources are telling us, CNN, former -- sources are telling CNN, I should say, that former CNN military affairs analyst and former NATO Supreme Commander Wesley Clark is expected to officially announce tomorrow he's joining the field of Democratic contenders. That makes 10.
Now like Bill Clinton, Clark was a Rhodes Scholar, hails from Arkansas, he's hoping that plus his four-star military background give him a foothold with voters, despite the late start.

Now joining me new with some political perspective, senior political analyst Bill Schneider. I guess it's not a surprise. Been talked about for quite some time. I guess the big surprise to us is why he didn't announce right here on CNN?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: That's right. That would have been very interesting. I was, shall we say, embedded with Wesley Clark there in Atlanta during the war which we covered together.

He has, of course, now he's come out of the closet. He says he's a Democrat. He has always been critical of President Bush, though, he was very careful on CNN during the war to not allow his criticism of Bush to show up in his war commentary.

Democrats are now looking at him and saying he's a very interesting candidate. He's a military hero. And at a time when the United States is fighting a war on terrorism, he may just be what the Democrats are looking for.

O'BRIEN: Oh, OK. I thought -- you're coming to me now, aren't you, Bill? I apologize. I thought you had some additional material to talk about.

Let's talk about military men turned politicos. I guess the first one was George Washington.

SCHNEIDER: George Washington.

(CROSSTALK)

SCHNEIDER: Well, General Grant, General Eisenhower, generally after every war there's a military hero gets elected to the presidency because Americans believe military leaders have a sense of command, authority and that's what the government needs in this country. Wesley Clark is the hero of the war in Kosovo in a way which was not a very heroic war. We dropped bombs there and didn't send in any ground troops. It's was NATO victory. Most Americans people don't have a strong memory of the war in Kosovo.

Look, the problem here is, yes, he has the military credentials and can compete with the only other Democrat running who has strong military credentials and that's John Kerry. But Democrats are going to look at him and say, Is he really one of us? What's he got to say about Democrat issues? About domestic issues? What's he got to say about the one thing the Democrats believe will win this election and that's the issue of jobs? That's the test.

O'BRIEN: All right, now, I tell you what. That little piece of tape -- I guess that's an old-fashioned term now it all comes off of the computer -- but a piece of actuality. Let's go to it right now. This is Wesley Clark confirming what we've been talking about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FMR. NATO CMDR.: I think this country is in significant difficulty, both at home and abroad. And I think it needs strong leadership and visionary leadership to take it forward. So that's what's drawn me to this perspective point right here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. I can only imagine Wes Clark right now at that map table where we spent, it seems, about ten years and putting little Democratic candidates on there and trying to put himself in place as to which person he's apt to go after. Whose lunch is he most likely to eat? John Kerry?

SCHNEIDER: Well I think he would effect a lot of the Kerry's support because Kerry's whole appeal is biography, it's his record, it's his standing as a military hero, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War. And I think Kerry's at some risk now because Wesley Clark can just take that issue away from him.

But the real target in this race is Howard Dean. Howard Dean is the candidate who's shown momentum. He's fired up the Democratic base. He's got angry liberals and other voters who are just furious at George Bush. And dean is really surging.

So the Democratic race right now, the shape it's taking is it's a contest between Dean and someone named "Stop Dean." But there is no candidate named Stop Dean. The Stop Dean vote is divided between Kerry and Lieberman and Edwards and Gephardt.

And there's a fantasy that maybe we can find someone -- this is among Democrats who really want to win and think Dean is not a winner. They want to find someone who can come into this race, Al Gore, Hillary, Wesley Clark, to stop Howard Dean. I don't I don't know if Wesley Clark wants to play that role, but he's going to have to if he wants this nomination because that's the shape of the race.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill Schneider. Dean or Dean-no, I guess, is how it goes.

Bill Schneider, always a pleasure to have you drop on by. Wes Clark, we're disappointed that you call tell us first. But I guess it's sour grapes, Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: You didn't know? He told me.

O'BRIEN: Darn, he should have called me.

PHILLIPS: You know, it's that military thing.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com