Fox News signs Wesley Clark

Fox News signs Wesley Clark

"Fox News Channel has signed Gen. Wesley Clark as a military and foreign affairs analyst, Bill Shine, senior vice president of programming, said yesterday..."

This seems like a VERY strange strategy for the general, who is So Up and Running for 2008. While a mainstream media talking head gig keeps him in the spotlight, and is no doubt lucrative, Clark picked the wrong employer. The name of Faux News is mud to the movers and shakers and activists of the Democratic Party, many of whom already saw Clark as too middle of the road. Now, as a token Democrat whipping boy at Fox, his stock could drop even more.

Clark has a larger problem, though. His biggest strength in `04 was his support from the Clinton wing of the party, which just may be backing another candidate next time.

This is a good chance to repeat my theory that John Edwards got a series of bad breaks in the 2004 primaries, one of which was Clark's last-stand win by 0.5% in Oklahoma. OK was more or less a three-way dead heat, but it spurred Clark into hanging on another week. Clark then split the anti-Kerry vote in Tennessee just about dead-even with Edwards, and dropped out a week too late to make a difference. The same dynamic happed with Wisconsin and Dean.

Politics