CNN reports that Jimmy Carter said this: "Just two candidates have asked my opinion about whether they should run for president or not, and I’ve advised both of them to become candidates, and he’s [Clark] one of them." He identifed the other as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. In an interesting interview with The New York Times
Clark said that he "would have supported the Congressional resolution that authorized the United States to invade Iraq" but, on the other hand, he also said of Howard Dean’s opposition to the war: "I think he’s right. That in retrospect we should never have gone in there." This is a bit confusing. And
USA Today reports this: "Wesley Clark’s presidential campaign said he would participate in a Democratic presidential debate Thursday, then quickly backtracked, angering party officials and drawing criticism from his primary rivals." This doesn’t indicate a strong start for his campaign.
There’s not necessarily any contradiction between the two remarks. The first was a conditional statement--he "would have supported" the resolution, presumably given what he had been told by the administration at the time. The second simply notes that Dean’s opposition is correct "in retrospect"; in other words, given what we know now.
Are his remarks false? Perhaps. Are they self-serving and cynical? Absolutely. But look for more Democrats to hew to precisely this line in the coming year.
Obviously the support of the man that brokered the North Korean Nuclear Weapons deal for the Clinton Administration is key to Presidential electoral success. As I recall, the Nobel Laureate, Jimmy Carter, also supported the "Dear Leader", and he recently won re-election with 100% of the vote.
"Wesley Clark’s presidential campaign said he would participate in a Democratic presidential debate Thursday, then quickly backtracked, angering party officials and drawing criticism from his primary rivals."
Perhaps he is holding out for a "scripted debate" were he gets all the questions in advance, ala the "Terminator" (a.k.a Chicken Man). With the questions in advance, Gen. Wes "the Supreme Being" Clark will have an opportunity to have Carvel "focus group" his debate answer "options".