General Wesley Clark was one of those many bright minds of the military who, unfortunately took on a role altogether unworthy of the man when the national media spotlight stared him down.
Consider, the man was named as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He's a former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO. Valedictorian at West Point, a Rhodes Scholar, 34 year U.S. Army veteran, holder of several honorary knighthoods, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Wounded four times in Vietnam, he still commanded the field, directed a counterattacked and defeated his enemy. What's more, he's a genuinely nice man -- I've interviewed him a few times -- but the presidential campaign isn't for everyone, even New American Patriots.
Unhappy with the 2000 election of George Bush, the retired general allowed a successful Draft Clark movement convince him he should run. Ultimately he was undone by the art of the soundbite. Nuanced answers about the war in Iraq and the future of the space program characterized the candidate and it was an image his campaign couldn't overcome.
He led in early polls, won the Oklahoma primary, but dropped out after placing poorly in key Southern states. Since then he's been running a political action committee, working in a think tank and campaigning for other Democrats. Even in the 2008 campaign his poor feel for the soundbite created a stir.
This button, on the other hand, is a bit on the bland side. The four stars are rightfully earned, but there isn't a lot to the button. Except for the URL, which is probably the first sign of the cellophane button's ultimate demise as a campaign prop.
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