February 10, 2004
Obit for a worthy campaign
Wesley Clark is out of the race. That was the logical thing to do after finishing third twice in Southern states today.
Clark made some bad plays and hit some tough breaks. (Howard Dean's collapse came just a week too early; otherwise, we might be writing today about how Clark's brilliant strategy of skipping Iowa and letting Dean finish off Gephardt and Kerry had paid off.)
But he contributed to raising questions about Mr. Bush as a wartime leader and, more importantly, to the slow process of rescuing the Democratic Party from the instinctive and unreflective dovishness that has plagued it since Vietnam. I'm sorry that he didn't win, but I don't regret the time, the money, or the emotional commitment I invested, and encouraged other people to invest, in his campaign.
There's no telling what the next chapter of this extraordinary life will be, but I predict that it will be good for the country, and will leave those of us who supported him feeling proud.
