Dean, Clark and Electability

The primary reason I have supported Governor Howard Dean from the beginning has been the question of electability. In other words, of all the declared candidates, I have long considered Dean to be the most electable. Why? Because I firmly believe that the Democrats will not win unless they have a candidate who is willing to get in Bush's face and, so far, Dean is the only one of the announced candidates who has done this consistently and vigorously. General Wesley Clark would be a serious challenge to that assessment for clear reasons. Not only has he been willing to get in the face of the Bushies, he also has an impeccable resume on the question of national security. But it remains to be see whether he can duplicate Dean's success organizationally. It also remains to be seen whether his political instincts are as good as Dean's. Clark may be the ideal candidate on paper, but that does not mean he would make a good politician. Dean, I think, has already proven his bonafides in that category. I will keep an open mind about Clark despite the fact that, due to my several months of active campaigning for Dean, I might feel some resentment towards the guy for coming in at this late date and disrupting Dean's path to the nomination. I just have to remember that the most important thing is who will be best suited to beat Bush. I think both Dean and Clark can do it. I think together they would be almost unstoppable.