Bill Clinton was the first President I was able to vote for, and through the eight years of his administration, he shaped the expectations I had of what a President should be. I certainly didn’t support every last policy, and it was awfully difficult to defend him during the blowjob business, but on balance he left the country in much better shape than he found it.

Since he left office, Democrats have been drifting in a way that reminds me of a quote I heard once from The Wire creator David Simon (paraphrase):

When all the networks saw the runaway success of The West Wing, they rushed their own political shows into production. All the new shows flopped, and the networks didn’t understand why. People didn’t watch The West Wing because it was about politics, but because it had fantastic writing and good acting.

After Clinton’s success, the Democratic party thought that they had to imitate Clinton’s centrism even if they didn’t have the candidate to pull it off. Al Gore had the ideas but lacked the communication skills and vitality needed to unite the party. John Kerry is obviously a good man who ran a poor campaign, afraid to make the bold moves needed to win. Both ran to the middle but could not deliver the crucial swing votes or hold the far left.

It’s clearly time for something different.

In January of 2004, 1115.org endorsed General Wesley Clark for the Democratic nomination, a decision we both stand by and reaffirm today. Over the weekend Clark all but announced his intention to pursue the nomination in 2008. In light of the history of the 2004 campaign, both the timing and substance of this announcement carry significant weight. There will be plenty of time to get further into Clark’s experience and ideas. For now, it is important to note why Clark can make our case to the voters and why his early start is both good for him and good for the party.

For too long now, the Democratic party has run last minute campaigns where the ideas their candidates run on are only aired in a very narrow point in space and time: swing states in the traditional election season. This presents a problem of communicating a message and introducing candidates at a time when most voters already feel overloaded by politics and may have already made up their minds. With the rise of Howard Dean to DNC chair, Democrats are acknowledging that more work must be done in all states and it must start before the focused intensity of campaign season. In late 2003, Clark provided a perfect parallel to the old method when after months of speculation he joined an already crowded field of 9 Democrats seeking the nomination. To have become a serious contender, Clark’s campaign would have had to have been perfect, and perfect it wasn’t. But it did raise his profile and provide him an ongoing opportunity to take part in public debates, an activity in which he excels.

Part of my preference for Clark comes from a behavioral defect I inherited from both my father and grandfather: I talk back to the television during political discussions. If someone has their facts wrong, is missing a key piece of evidence, or is just not arguing well, I act as if the TV is one of the two-way telescreens from 1984. After watching Clark as a war analyst for CNN and then on the talk/debate show circuit, I can conform that not only does he always have the relevant facts and the ability to use them, he absolutely never backs down from anyone. He’s been up against all the screamers and hacks from Sean Hannity to Richard Perle to David Frum to Chris Matthews and has beaten them all at their own game. Sure, Dean didn’t back down either, but his temper often got the better of him. John Kerry never quite stopped giving Senate floor speeches when he should have been speaking in short strong sentences. Maybe it was his decades in the military, but Clark gets right to the point and is unshakeable. With the track record of the Republican machine, how can we even consider someone who can’t stand up for our positions?

With almost three years to go before the 2008 primaries, Clark has the opportunity to make his way across the country communicating his plans to return this country to greatness. Clark offers something more than the ability to fill the office of President of the United States: He is a proven leader. And that’s something that’s been missing on both sides of the aisle lately.