The Labor Day weekend is now here which is traditionally when political campaigns begin in ernest, and it is making me think about what was going on at this time in 2003, and how I was feeling when a somewhat different set of Democrats were competing to become the Party nominee. Wes Clark was the last serious Democrat to enter the Presidential race that year, and he had very little public background with the Democratic Party outside of Arkansas before then, and not very much there either. Given the circumstances, many of us either had to make a quick judgement about trusting and/or supporting Wes Clark back then, or never really found the time to make much of a judgement about him at all given all the other Democrats who were already running.
So I'm wondering now, with four more years of Democratic Party activity under Wes Clark's belt, how a sample of DU activists might compare their current feelings about General Clark with the ones they held during the 2004 race? Speaking for myself, it was a personal jolt back then for me to be confronted with whether or not to support a retired 4 Star General for President. Republicans had flirted with Colin Powell, and they actually nominated Ike in 1952, but Democrats hadn't run, or given serious consideration to running, a General for President since the Civil War.
I think comparing the attitudes held by the left leaning population of Kos activist users toward Wes Clark both now and then is interesting to look at, but it might also be interesting to run a similar set of poll questions in other Diaries devoted to John Kerry, Howard Dean, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich also.
Polls are fun because they are quick and visual, but I would love it if people would also be willing to comment on their sense of who Wes Clark was to them then, and who he is to them now.