6 Feb. 2004 - ...

Last update 14 Feb. 2004

Here: PRIMARY RESULTS - February 10: Virginia, Tennessie General Wesley K. Clark - Election Night Remarks, Memphis, TN Aide: Clark to end presidential run Clark Formally Exits Presidential Race Thank You from Wes Clark - Clark's final speech Clark to endorse frontrunner Kerry Friday: sources Wes Clark Endorses John Kerry - speech, Wisconsin, February 13, 2004

More on Wesley Clark's Program: Turnaround Plan Families First: Tax Reform Plan, etc Direction, Military Reform Wesley Clark's official sites: http://clark04.com http://americansforclark.com http://draftwesleyclark.com

Democratic Presidential: Open primary
98 total delegates* -- 82 tied to February 10 primary

State Information: 13 electoral votes
4,233,240 registered voters -- voters do not register by party

This page represents results, including delegate count, reported immediately after each state's contest. More >

RACE	STATUS	CANDIDATE	VOTES	VOTE%	DEL	PRECINCTS	LOCAL	EXIT POLL
Virginia updated: 4:27 p.m., February 11		Kerry	203,564	52%	33	100% reporting	results by county	voter survey results
		Edwards	104,813	27%	29
		Clark	36,474	9%	0
		Dean	27,587	7%	0
		Sharpton	12,825	3%	0
		Kucinich	5,074	1%	0

NOTE
Virginia has 82 pledged and 16 unpledged delegates. Of the 82 pledged delegates, 53 are district-level delegates (based on results of a given district's binding primary), 18 are at-large delegates and 11 are "party leader and elected official" (PLEO) delegates. Of the 16 unpledged delegates, 14 are PLEO delegates and two are add-ons selected at the state Democratic convention on June 6, 2004.
• For more about the delegate selection process, click here.
• How does CNN project winners in races? Click here.
• Exit polls are a survey of selected voters taken soon after they leave their voting place. Pollsters use this sample information, collected from a small percentage of voters, to track and project how all voters or specific segments of the voters sided on a particular race or ballot measure. For more on how to read exit polls, click here.

Democratic Presidential: Open primary
85 total delegates* -- 69 tied to February 10 primary

State Information: 11 electoral votes
3,118,316 registered voters -- voters do not register by party

This page represents results, including delegate count, reported immediately after each state's contest. More >

RACE	STATUS	CANDIDATE	VOTES	VOTE%	DEL	PRECINCTS	LOCAL	EXIT POLL
Tennessie updated: 2:52 p.m., February 11		Kerry	151,436	41%	31	100% reporting	results by county	voter survey results
		Edwards	97,746	26%	20
		Clark	85,182	23%	18
		Dean	16,094	4%	0
		Sharpton	6,105	2%	0
		Kucinich	2,277	1%	0

NOTE
Tennessee has 69 pledged and 15 unpledged delegates. Of the 69 pledged delegates, 45 are district-level delegates (based on results of a given district's binding primary), 15 are at-large delegates and nine are "party leader and elected official" (PLEO) delegates. Of the 15 unpledged delegates, 14 are PLEO delegates and one is an add-on selected by the Democratic Party's State Executive Committee on March 6, 2004.
• For more about the delegate selection process, click here.
• How does CNN project winners in races? Click here.
• Exit polls are a survey of selected voters taken soon after they leave their voting place. Pollsters use this sample information, collected from a small percentage of voters, to track and project how all voters or specific segments of the voters sided on a particular race or ballot measure. For more on how to read exit polls, click here.

Speech #042

http://clark04.com/speeches/042

Clark speaks to his supporters in Tennessie before making public his decision to quit the race

Thank you, Tennessee! As one of my favorite country singers, and Tennessean, George Jones, likes to say: "It just don't get any better than this."

Thank you for your support.

Thank you for standing by me.

And thank you for working so hard to take back the White House for its rightful owners - the American people.

I've spent almost every day of the last week here with all of you, traveling from city to city on a bus. I've loved every minute of it!

And I want to thank the volunteers who made the phone calls, licked the envelopes, and knocked on the doors day after day after day. Now I really understand why they call Tennessee the volunteer state.

I just called John Kerry to congratulate him on his victories in Tennessee and Virginia. I'd also like to congratulate John Edwards. They are good men, good Democrats, and real patriots - and they've run great campaigns.

We may have the lost the battle today, but, I'll tell you now, we are not going to lose the war for America's future.

Our goal remains the same: to change the direction of our country and bring a higher standard of leadership to the White House.

And there is no party more committed to that effort, no party more committed to the American people, than our party ... my party ... the Democratic Party.

George W. Bush has had three long years to keep our country moving forward.

But instead, he's done nothing but set us back.

3 million lost jobs.

Exploding deficits.

44 million uninsured.

And the wrong war at the wrong time.

It's time we reclaimed the mantle for a better America.

It's time we took America back for its rightful owners -- the American people.

An America where we don't just talk about family values, but where we actually value families. And where a job, an education, and health care aren't just luxuries for the chosen few.

An America where we don't just preach our faith - we practice it.

And those that have the most reach out to those with the least.

An America where everyone has a shot at the American dream, no matter where they're from.

And where everyone is included - recognizing that our diversity is our greatest strength.

An America where we understand that debate and dissent - that questioning your leaders and holding them accountable - is the highest form of patriotism.

And where being patriotic means using force only as a last resort, not as a political tool.

An America where we look up to our leaders, and trust our commander in chief.

These are the values we must champion.

I leave Tennessee even more full of hope, and even more committed to building a better America than when we began this journey five months ago. That's because of all of you.

Together we can move America forward!

Thank you and God bless you.

CNN:

With Tuesday's results clear, Clark thanks supporters in Memphis, Tennessee.

(CNN) -- Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark will end his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, aides said late Tuesday.

The former NATO supreme commander will make his formal announcement at 2 p.m. (3 p.m. ET) Wednesday in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, his aides said.

Clark, 59, had been hoping for second-place finishes in the primaries in Virginia and Tennessee on Tuesday to position himself as the most viable alternative to the Democratic front-runner, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. But he came in third in both states, behind Kerry and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

"General Clark has decided to leave the race," spokesman Matt Bennett told reporters in Memphis, Tennessee, on Tuesday night. "I think probably the biggest reason is the tremendous momentum that Senator Kerry built coming out of the Iowa and New Hampshire races.

"The mountain got too steep to climb."

Clark was with his family and staff when he made his decision, Bennett said.

A Clark fund-raiser scheduled for Wednesday night in Houston, Texas, was canceled after a week in which campaign staffers gave up their paychecks to free up money for TV ads in Tennessee.

During his speech to supporters after the polls closed Tuesday, Clark repeated the need for better leadership in the White House but never mentioned himself by name and didn't mention Nevada or Wisconsin, which hold the next two primaries.

"We may have lost this battle today, but we are not going to lose the battle for America's future," Clark said to cheers.

He told supporters that he had called Kerry and Edwards to congratulate them. He called them both "good men" and "good patriots."

Clark has been criticized for coming to the Democratic Party only recently. He has acknowledged voting for Republicans Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan for president, but said he voted for Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

On Tuesday, he presented himself as a proud Democrat.

"Our goal remains the same, to change the direction of our country and bring a higher standard of leadership to the White House," Clark said. "And there is no party more committed to that effort and there is no party more committed to the people than this party, my party, the Democratic Party."

Before entering the race, Clark once praised President Bush and his administration. There were no hints of such feelings Tuesday.

"George W. Bush and the Republicans have had three long years to get our country moving in the right direction," he said. "Instead he set us back."

Clark is a newcomer to politics. He claimed his first election victory of any sort in Oklahoma's primary February 3. He had never run in an election until New Hampshire's primary January 27.

Clark finished third in that race.

Clark, a Rhodes scholar and West Point graduate, works as an investment banker in Little Rock.

Yahoo! News  Wed, Feb 11, 2004

1 hour, 16 minutes ago

By DAVID HAMMER, Associated Press Writer

Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark pauses during his speech in Memphis, Tenn., after the Tennessee and Virginia primary elections on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004. Although Clark did not announce it during his speech, his campaign spokesman said Clark will abandon his presidential bid. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Wesley Clark dropped out of the race for the White House on Wednesday, a retired four-star general unable to command significant support as a first-time presidential candidate.

"This is the end of the campaign for the presidency," Clark told supporters in his home state of Arkansas.

He coupled his withdrawal with words of praise for his remaining rivals — the front-runner, Sen. John Kerry, as well as Sen. John Edwards and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.

"They're good men, they're good Democrats and they're good patriots," said Clark, who decided to abandon his quest after finishing third behind Kerry and Edwards in Democratic primaries Tuesday in Virginia and Tennessee. "Our country is well-served" by them, he added.

He also used his campaign farewell to criticize President Bush, accusing him of pursuing a "fatally flawed" foreign policy.

"I am not anti-war, but I am pro-national security," added the former general, a critic of the war in Iraq.

Clark, a 59-year-old career military man, burst onto the campaign last fall, supplanting his more experienced and better-known rivals at the top of the polls and demonstrating significant fund-raising ability.

The commanding general in NATO's war in Kosovo in 1999, Clark anchored his political appearances with a pledge of "a higher standard of leadership" and spoke to campaign audiences often of service, duty and honor.

But his political inexperience showed. Strategically, his first key decision was to bypass the kickoff Iowa caucuses in favor of the New Hampshire primary eight days later. Kerry's surprise caucus triumph trumped Clark's plan, and the former general faded to a distant third.

Clark's only triumph in 14 caucuses and primaries came in Oklahoma last week, and Kerry's twin victories in Virginia and Tennessee sealed his decision to withdraw.

Clark wrestled with the decision to end his campaign as election returns rolled in Tuesday night, with advisers urging him to quit and his family pushing him to continue. Before deciding to exit, he thanked several hundred cheering backers at a downtown hotel.

"We'll leave Tennessee even more full of hope and commitment than when we began this journey five months ago," he said Tuesday. "We may have lost this battle today, but I tell you what, we're not to lose the battle for America's future."

Aides said Clark would remain active in the campaign by stumping for Democrats in the South and other swing states and serving as an adviser on national security issues.

In appealing to voters, Clark relied almost entirely on his 34 years in military service. Supporters touted other qualities — his Southern roots and his status as a Washington outsider — that they contended made Clark the candidate most likely to defeat Bush. Plus, he provided another forceful voice in condemning the war in Iraq, which he frequently called unnecessary, reckless and wrong.

Clark had enormous fund-raising success for a latecomer, raising nearly $15 million in 2003. He started January with at least $10 million left and the prospect of raising millions more.

Associated Press Writer Douglass K. Daniel contributed to this report.

Dear Friends,

Today, we end the campaign for the presidency. But the campaign for America's future -- for the future of all our families -- continues on.

You have proven what a General can do when he has the greatest troops in the world. I can't tell you enough how honored and humbled I am by your commitment, your spirit, and your sacrifice. Because of all of you, this has been a cause, as much as it's been a campaign.

Together, five months ago, we began our journey for the presidency. We had no money, no office and no staff. All we had was hope and a vision for a better America.

Today, after traveling the country, after visiting with the American people, we end that journey even more full of hope and even more committed to building a better America.

I will support our Party's nominee, to continue this campaign until we take back the White House next November. This soldier stands ready for duty. It's not going to be easy. So I've got one bit of advice for our nominee: give 'em hell and never retreat.

As a general who spent thirty-four years fighting for my country, here is my pledge: I will do everything I can - everything - to make sure George W. Bush doesn't play politics with national security.

For me, this race has been one of the most liberating experiences of my life. I've been able to talk about what I believe in and fight for it. You've given me the greatest gift a person can receive: the support to make that fight real.

I'd like to thank all the foot soldiers in this battle: our terrific staff, our dedicated volunteers, our thousands of loyal supporters. Most of all, those who believed in me long before anyone even knew who I was: the people who drafted me into this race.

I want to thank my family for always standing by my side, especially my wife of 36 years, my best friend, and my partner, Gert Clark. She is the general's general, and I wouldn't be here today without her. I'd like to thank my son, Wes, Jr., and my daughter-in-law, Astrid. I am so proud of them and so proud of all they have done for this campaign.

I'm going to fight on, and I hope you will join me, until we win the campaign to create a new vision for America in the twenty-first century. Because I believe America's best days lie ahead. Today, I end my campaign for the presidency - but our party's campaign to change America is just beginning. This old soldier will not fade away. I'll be in the field and out in front, working the issues, supporting our candidates, and doing all I can to contribute to building a new and better America.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Yahoo! News  Thu, Feb 12, 2004

Thu Feb 12, 3:22 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - Retired general Wesley Clark, who just quit his run for the presidency, will endorse Senator John Kerry's bid for the Democratic nomination on Friday, two Democratic sources said. Asked whether the former NATO supreme commander would back Kerry, one Democratic source who requested anonymity replied: "He'll endorse him tomorrow." Another Democratic source who also asked not to be named replied "that's right" when asked whether Clark would back Kerry's efforts to win the party's nomination to challenge US President George W. Bush in the November elections. Clark dropped out Wednesday after disappointing finishes in Tennessee and Virginia, trailing far behind Kerry and Senator John Edwards.

Retired general Wesley Clark, who just quit his run for the presidency, will endorse Senator John Kerry's bid for the Democratic nomination on Friday, two Democratic sources said.(AFP/Getty Images/File/Rusty Russell)

On Thu 12 Feb. 2004, about 21.15 GMT (13.15 CT), Clark was live on CNN saying he endorses Kerry.

Speech #044

http://clark04.com/speeches/044

Sen. John Kerry and retired Gen. Wesley Clark lock hands during an appearance together Friday in Wisconsin - photo CNN.

Thank you for that wonderful introduction. It's great to be back in Wisconsin! And it's great to be standing here today with my friend, our leader, and the next president of the United States - John Kerry.

I also want to recognize all the veterans here and all the others who rallied to my campaign and to our cause. Thank you for your faith in me and your devotion to our country.

Now, I ask you to join me in standing up for a true American hero - John Kerry.

Senator Kerry, it is with great pride that I stand here and say, "The Army's come on board."

I will work with you to do everything I can to help you take back the White House for its rightful owners - the American people.

I will do everything I can to help you win back a future of opportunity and prosperity for all Americans. Of jobs, health care, and education for all Americans.

I will do everything I can to help make sure George W. Bush doesn't play politics with national security.

George Bush has compromised America's leadership around the world.

And the American people should know the truth: that President Bush hasn't led America, he's misled America time and time again -- and we have to put a stop to it.

George Bush has had three long years to keep our country moving forward.

But instead, he's done nothing but set us back.

3 million lost jobs.

Exploding deficits.

44 million uninsured.

And the wrong war at the wrong time.

Senator, as you've made clear, America simply can't afford three more years of George W. Bush. So I join you in saying three words that we all know George Bush will understand - "bring it on!"

Working together, we can build a better America.

An America where we don't just talk about family values, but where we actually value families.

And where a job, an education, and health care aren't just luxuries for the chosen few.

An America where we don't just preach our faith - we practice it.

And those that have the most reach out to those with the least.

An America where everyone has a shot at the American dream, no matter where they're from. And where we include everyone, recognizing that diversity is our greatest strength.

An America where we understand that debate and dissent - that questioning your leaders and holding them accountable - is the highest form of patriotism.

And where being patriotic means using force as a last resort, not as a political tool.

An America where we look up to our leaders, and trust our commander in chief.

An America that the world listens to and admires again.

I'm here today because John Kerry has the right experience to beat George W. Bush -- and because he has the right message to bring back jobs and prosperity, provide affordable health care for all, and make America safer and stronger in the world.

And he is the one candidate with the experience and the background in foreign policy to go toe-to-toe with George Bush on national security and win

Both John and I served in Vietnam - and know what it is to be tested on the battlefield, fighting for your country.

John Kerry never quit fighting for his country. From a young DA sending criminals away for life to a courageous Senator standing up for what's right, John Kerry has been the kind of leader America needs.

He will stand up to the Republican attack dogs and send them home licking their wounds.

John Kerry is the leader of our party and our needs for the 21st century. And that is why I am so proud to endorse him as our next President of the United States.

Ladies and gentleman, our leader, the next president, John Kerry!