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W.House Republican rivals trade blows in key debate

Wesley Clark to Join Presidential Debate
AP | September 18, 2003
Posted on 9/18/2003 7:20:13 PM by Shermy

WASHINGTON – Retired Gen. Wesley Clark will participate in the Democratic presidential debate next week, party officials said Thursday. Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Debra DeShong said Clark’s campaign confirmed that he will be at the party’s debate on economic issues next Thursday in New York City. Clark was scheduled to give a paid speech on Thursday, the day the nine other candidates were scheduled to participate in the debate that will be broadcast live on CNBC. His aides had said he may have to miss the debate to honor his commitment.

He was criticized by rival campaigns, who said Clark should change his schedule to lay out his position on economic issues. Several attempts to reach Clark campaign officials who have knowledge of the debate plans were unsuccessful. Also Thursday, a campaign official speaking on a condition of anonymity said Clark’s campaign manager will be Donnie Fowler, who ran Al Gore’s field operation in 2000 and is the son of former DNC chairman Donald Fowler.

DeShong said Clark’s campaign also confirmed that he will attend the party’s fund-raising dinner after the debate, which should please the donors. “People were incredibly anxious to meet General Clark,” she said. The New York debate will be the second in a series of six debates sponsored by the Democratic National Committee. The candidates also have appeared together at several other forums hosted by Democratic interest groups, including a debate last week in Baltimore sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus.

Clark, a retired four-star general who was head of the U.S. Southern Command and NATO commander during the 1999 campaign in Kosovo, declared his candidacy Wednesday in his home town of Little Rock, Ark. Mark Fabiani, strategist for Clark, said that Kym Spell, former New Hampshire press secretary for John Kerry, is joining the Clark press office in Arkansas. Spell, who quit the Kerry campaign this week, could not be reached for comment. Spell was deputy communications director for Al Gore’s 2000 campaign.

Spell’s departure comes one week after Kerry communications director Chris Lehane resigned. Lehane is Fabiani’s longtime business associate.

TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2004; acxiom; balkans; electionpresident; weasely; wesclark; wesleyclark; wesleykanne
FYI:
Clark quit Jackson Stephens’ Arkansas group Stephens Inc. in March this year, to take a job with CNN. But he holds other postions. For one, he is a director of Acxiom Corp. Thomas McLarty is a director too. Of recent fame, Acxiom appeared to be the top candidate to provide the software for DARPA’s “Total Information Awareness” program.

At least earlier this year, he also served on the boards of Entrust Inc. of Dallas; Sirva Inc. of Westmont, Ill.; and privately held Time Domain Inc. of Huntsville, Ala. This article doesn’t mention Clark, but it’s a good list of Clinton/Acxiom/Stephens/Arkansas linkages. Even PROMIS software comes into play! (I can’t vouch for the details of the article, though.)

Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich traded blows on immigration, space policy and taxes Thursday in a feisty debate ahead of the all-important Florida primary. Romney — once seen as the presumptive nominee to challenge President Barack Obama in November but now tied with Gingrich in the polls — came out swinging, angrily dismissing suggestions he is anti-immigrant and dodging taxes.

“The idea that I’m anti-immigrant is repulsive,” Romney said.

“It’s simply the kind of over-the-top rhetoric that’s characterized American politics too long,” the former Massachusetts governor added to audience cheers. “I think you should apologize for it and recognize that having differences of opinions does not justify labelling people with highly charged epithets.”

The high stakes of the debate, just five days ahead of Tuesday’s vote in the Sunshine State, were evident from Romney’s more robust approach. Dismissing an offer of a truce from former House speaker Gingrich — who refused to repeat comments about Romney’s Swiss and Cayman Island bank accounts — the multimillionaire businessman instead went on the attack.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if people didn’t make accusations somewhere else that they weren’t willing to make here?” Romney asked rhetorically. Romney also ripped Gingrich’s plans to establish a permanent base on the moon, largely with private funding. “It may be a big idea, but it’s not a good idea,” Romney said, suggesting that if a manager came to him with the idea, the manager would be fired.