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American Morning

Interview with Wesley Clark

Aired January 27, 2004 - 07:33   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: General Wesley Clark has been in New Hampshire longer than any other presidential candidate, it is said, and he got off to a good start, taking a majority of votes when tiny Dixville Notch went to the polls slightly after midnight last night. But many polls show the Clark campaign stuck in third and even fourth.
Wesley Clark is with us now live in Manchester talking about what he hopes to accomplish in today's primary.

General, good morning to you.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, good morning, Bill.

How are you doing?

HEMMER: I'm doing just fine.

It's cold outside and the polls do not show your campaign heating up that much. The latest tracking poll from the folks at Zogby and MSNBC show you right now at nine percent, well behind the leaders, John Kerry and then Howard Dean, at 24 percent.

How would you explain the flat line or the decline you've experienced in New Hampshire over the past week or so?

CLARK: Well, we're very happy with where we are in New Hampshire. I've never run for office before. Some of the people have been up here for years working the connections and so I'm very happy with where I've been. And we've gotten a very strong support from people across this state and I feel very good about it.

We've got a national campaign. We'll be going all across the country. We've got a very strong message and I think we'll do very well.

HEMMER: General, you've been criticized for missteps and misstatements on issues like Iraq, 9/11, the comments this week about West Point and your childhood in Arkansas.

Do you think those missteps have slowed your momentum in this state? Would that explain it?

CLARK: No, I don't think so. And, you know, we've answered these questions many times.

But, Bill, why I'm running is because I want to help working families in America. We've got the best tax reform proposal in 30 years and if you make $100,000 or less and you're a family with children, you're going to get a $1,500 a month tax reduction. If you're $50,000 or less with two kids, you're never going to pay federal income taxes again.

It's time in this country we helped our working families. People are struggling to get by and I'm running for president to help them.

HEMMER: Yes, it's my understanding oftentimes on the stump, General, you will open your speech by saying and admitting, frankly, that you have not been a Democrat for very long.

How does that go over with voters here in New Hampshire and how do convince them that you are the real deal?

CLARK: I think it's going to be -- I think it's going to go over really well across this country, Bill, because people are looking for leadership in this country. And I know there are some people who want to drum people out of the Democratic Party. But I think for this party to win, we're going to have to bring people to the party, and I'm the only candidate who's going to be able to do that.

I've spent my lifetime in leadership positions in the United States armed forces. I made the kind of decisions about sending men and women into battle, about where the bombs would fall, praying at night that they would hit the right target instead of hitting innocent civilians. So I've been the kind of decider and doer that people look for in a president of the United States. I think that's a message that's going to resonate across this country.

HEMMER: General, you know that we have talked together about a dozen times during this campaign. You consistently say how much you enjoy this, this challenge, as you put it oftentimes.

Has this proven to be more difficult than even you thought at the outset?

CLARK: Well, it hasn't. I mean I'm very, very comfortable in what we're doing up here. I really loved meeting the people of New Hampshire and I mean, you know, when people use military talk in politics, like about political campaigns and things, well, I've been in military campaigns. This is about democracy and there's a great joy in my heart when I think about what a great country this can be and how much more we can do if we just have the right leadership in Washington.

And that's why I'm running.

HEMMER: And, listen, I don't have much time for this final thought here, but you consistently hit on three themes when you're on the stump -- patriotism, faith and family values. It sounds a whole lot like the guy in the White House already.

What makes you different?

CLARK: The difference is that I've lived those values. I served in the United States armed forces my entire adult life. I believe that faith is helping those who are less favored and less fortunate in life when you have a little bit more and you can share it with them. And I think family values is doing the things that people need to take care of their families -- providing jobs and health care and helping people get an education and protecting our environment.

Those are the values that I'm running on and I think they're values that will resonate across America, Bill.

HEMMER: Well, General, if I could, you say you've lived those values.

Are you suggesting that the president hast not?

CLARK: I'm saying that what I've done in the United States armed forces is take care of families. We've fought for our country. We've helped those who are less favored and less fortunate. I think those are the values that will resonate across America. They're values that belong to the Democratic Party, not to the Republican Party.

HEMMER: General Wesley Clark, good luck today, the last day of campaigning today in the primary.

CLARK: Thank you.

HEMMER: The polls are already open.

Thank you, General.

We'll talk to you again very soon.

CLARK: Thank you, Bill.

Thank you.

HEMMER: OK, you got it.

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 January 27, 2004 - 07:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: General Wesley Clark has been in New Hampshire longer than any other presidential candidate, it is said, and he got off to a good start, taking a majority of votes when tiny Dixville Notch went to the polls slightly after midnight last night. But many polls show the Clark campaign stuck in third and even fourth.
Wesley Clark is with us now live in Manchester talking about what he hopes to accomplish in today's primary.

General, good morning to you.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, good morning, Bill.

How are you doing?

HEMMER: I'm doing just fine.

It's cold outside and the polls do not show your campaign heating up that much. The latest tracking poll from the folks at Zogby and MSNBC show you right now at nine percent, well behind the leaders, John Kerry and then Howard Dean, at 24 percent.

How would you explain the flat line or the decline you've experienced in New Hampshire over the past week or so?

CLARK: Well, we're very happy with where we are in New Hampshire. I've never run for office before. Some of the people have been up here for years working the connections and so I'm very happy with where I've been. And we've gotten a very strong support from people across this state and I feel very good about it.

We've got a national campaign. We'll be going all across the country. We've got a very strong message and I think we'll do very well.

HEMMER: General, you've been criticized for missteps and misstatements on issues like Iraq, 9/11, the comments this week about West Point and your childhood in Arkansas.

Do you think those missteps have slowed your momentum in this state? Would that explain it?

CLARK: No, I don't think so. And, you know, we've answered these questions many times.

But, Bill, why I'm running is because I want to help working families in America. We've got the best tax reform proposal in 30 years and if you make $100,000 or less and you're a family with children, you're going to get a $1,500 a month tax reduction. If you're $50,000 or less with two kids, you're never going to pay federal income taxes again.

It's time in this country we helped our working families. People are struggling to get by and I'm running for president to help them.

HEMMER: Yes, it's my understanding oftentimes on the stump, General, you will open your speech by saying and admitting, frankly, that you have not been a Democrat for very long.

How does that go over with voters here in New Hampshire and how do convince them that you are the real deal?

CLARK: I think it's going to be -- I think it's going to go over really well across this country, Bill, because people are looking for leadership in this country. And I know there are some people who want to drum people out of the Democratic Party. But I think for this party to win, we're going to have to bring people to the party, and I'm the only candidate who's going to be able to do that.

I've spent my lifetime in leadership positions in the United States armed forces. I made the kind of decisions about sending men and women into battle, about where the bombs would fall, praying at night that they would hit the right target instead of hitting innocent civilians. So I've been the kind of decider and doer that people look for in a president of the United States. I think that's a message that's going to resonate across this country.

HEMMER: General, you know that we have talked together about a dozen times during this campaign. You consistently say how much you enjoy this, this challenge, as you put it oftentimes.

Has this proven to be more difficult than even you thought at the outset?

CLARK: Well, it hasn't. I mean I'm very, very comfortable in what we're doing up here. I really loved meeting the people of New Hampshire and I mean, you know, when people use military talk in politics, like about political campaigns and things, well, I've been in military campaigns. This is about democracy and there's a great joy in my heart when I think about what a great country this can be and how much more we can do if we just have the right leadership in Washington.

And that's why I'm running.

HEMMER: And, listen, I don't have much time for this final thought here, but you consistently hit on three themes when you're on the stump -- patriotism, faith and family values. It sounds a whole lot like the guy in the White House already.

What makes you different?

CLARK: The difference is that I've lived those values. I served in the United States armed forces my entire adult life. I believe that faith is helping those who are less favored and less fortunate in life when you have a little bit more and you can share it with them. And I think family values is doing the things that people need to take care of their families -- providing jobs and health care and helping people get an education and protecting our environment.

Those are the values that I'm running on and I think they're values that will resonate across America, Bill.

HEMMER: Well, General, if I could, you say you've lived those values.

Are you suggesting that the president hast not?

CLARK: I'm saying that what I've done in the United States armed forces is take care of families. We've fought for our country. We've helped those who are less favored and less fortunate. I think those are the values that will resonate across America. They're values that belong to the Democratic Party, not to the Republican Party.

HEMMER: General Wesley Clark, good luck today, the last day of campaigning today in the primary.

CLARK: Thank you.

HEMMER: The polls are already open.

Thank you, General.

We'll talk to you again very soon.

CLARK: Thank you, Bill.

Thank you.

HEMMER: OK, you got it.

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