Can Wesley Clark take on George Bush?

Then there is Gen. Wesley Clark. Much of his support comes from people who think they haven’t swooned themselves but believe that others will do so. But most of these people are in a swoon whether they realise it or not. They think that Clark has the best chance of defeating George Bush, and that nothing else matters. Their assessment is based on what seems to me a simple-minded view that you can place all the candidates on a political spectrum, then pick the one who’s as far toward the other side as your side can bear, and call it pragmatism. How pragmatic is it, though, to snub the one candidate who seems to be able to get people’s juices flowing — that would be Howard Dean — in favour of one with nothing interesting to say, on the theory that this, plus the uniform stashed in the back of his closet, will make him appealing to people you disagree with?…

Anyone who wakes up to politics like Rip Van Winkle, and — without troubling to develop any but the most abstract political sentiments — immediately decides that the country needs him as president, clearly thinks highly of himself for reasons that may not be universally apparent.

(Excerpted from an article by Michael Kinsley at http://www.slate.com)