MY VIEW OF THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

As some of you may be aware, during the Democratic primaries last year I supported retired four-star general Wesley Clark. He has apparantly learned from the mistakes he made during the campaign, and is ready to do it again in 2008. During a gathering of his supporters recently at the California Democratic convention General Clark all but announced that he was seriously considering another run for the nation's top job, and at a reception in Chicago Thursday evening he made references to "the party I want to lead" and "the country I want to lead".

According to an e-mail I received from someone who was there,

He was surprisingly candid about his own campaign's failings, and even took a couple of shots at the management of Kerry-Edwards team. ("When I went to bed on election night, I had heard John Edwards say they were gonna make sure every vote in Ohio was counted. I thought that sounded like a good idea. But then a few hours later, they conceded. I didn't understand it.")

His main theme seemed to be that Democrats need to get over their circular firing squad mentality, stop arguing with each other over the minutia of policy and focus on the Big Picture: regaining control of our country. He said arguing over the details of candidates' respective health care plans, for example, is counter-productive as the end result of every Democrat's plan should be universal health care. Quit splitting hairs and hit the big themes.

He's obviously learned a lot from his time on the trail...He acknowledged that some of his campaign staff had handcuffed him during the primary cuz they didn't really know him or what he was about. He said his mistake was to trust their guidance instead of following his own instincts. He said he wouldn't make that error again.

He then took some questions and issued an early heads-up on the Administration's plans on Iran. Said we can expect a massive troop pullout of Iraq by the end of this summer so Bush can launch an Iran offensive next summer. Just in time for the 2006 congressional races. He said everyone should be wary of this trap.

He also said the administration is making a huge error in how it's dealing with China. He said that's where our real long-term foreign policy challenges are.

I still believe that Clark would be the best Democrat to deal with many of the current issues we face, especially with the liklihood of a hostle (read: Republican-majority) Congress for the forseeable future.

That said, the juggernaut that is Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton (D - NY) will be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. Recent polls show her the favourite of nearly half of those Democrats asked who they would support for the party's presidential nomination in three years. Everyone else falls in single digits.

On the Republican side, expect it to be a bitter fight for the heart and mind of the conservative right wing. Between Senators Rick Santorium (R- PA) and Bill Frist (R - TX) trying to say who is the more conservative, this could be the opening fellow senator Bill McCain (R - AZ) needs to do well. As for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R - TX), his presidential hopes are dead. His ethical issues make him unfit, and while the voters back home in suburban Houston might not see anything wrong, even mainstream Republicans nationwide should see that DeLay would not be a fit candidate to run for the Oval Office.