Wed. September 17, 2003
Washington, D.C. -
General Wesley Clark, widely seen as a moderate on gay issues, announced Wednesday that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for President. He becomes the 10th candidate in the race, joining the most pro-gay field of presidential candidates in history.
The former NATO Supreme Commander, Clark supports a review of the military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. He is opposed to a constitutional ban on gay marriage, and supports same-sex civil unions.
Clark, 58, is a West Point graduate and Rhodes Scholar. As NATO Supreme Commander he led U.S. and allied forces in the 1999 air war in Kosovo. But, he has been highly critical of the Bush administration over the war in Iraq.
"Wesley Clark has been an inspiring, effective leader and a voice of reason on the national scene for quite some time," said National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman.
"Like most Americans, he supports basic fairness for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. We welcome his entry into this already crowded and pro-gay field of Democratic candidates, and look forward to his contribution to the debate on the critical issues facing our nation and our world."
Although Clark has never held elected office, his views on a few key issues are known. On 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' he told NBC Meet the Press host Tim Russert on June 16: "I don't think it works. Essentially, we've got a lot of gay people in the armed forces, we always have had, always will. And I think that... we should welcome people that want to serve."
Clark added that the policy "is an issue that the leaders in the armed forces are going to have to work with and resolve."
On the proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage Clark told OutQ on Sirius Radio in August that he is opposed to and Amendment and believes recognizing gay couples should be a state issue.
" ..I think that this is a matter that really has to emerge from the people themselves, from states and localities as best as possible."
On the same program he was asked if he thought the Bush Administration was using the same-sex marriage issue as a diversion to shift the focus away from economic and foreign policy failures.
"Right after the Supreme Court ruling [Lawrence v. Texas] what we got was a hand grenade thrown out in terms of discussions of this ban on marriage..."
Clark also has distanced himself from President Bush's July characterization of gays as "sinners," stating, "I don't believe gays to be inherently sinful."
Gen. Clark has assembled a team of political veterans who worked on the campaigns of former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. But, his entry in the race is seen as possibly too late. The other 9 candidates having been in the running for months giving them a head start in terms of organization and fund raising.
by Paul Johnson
365Gay.com Newscenter
Washington Bureau Chief
©365Gay.com® 2003
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