What I want to do here is to tell a story from an ex-soldier's perspective about Clark.
Duty & Service. The Army is a miserable place for intellectuals. I've always hated getting up at 5:30 every morning to do push-ups in the dirt field. In Hinesville, GA, where I was based, there were no bookstores but 8 pawnshops and 4 strip joints. My classmates all had great jobs in business or were getting PhD's. What was I doing driving around in a tank?
What the harsh environment in the Army does is to show you that you can't do it for the perks. If there's anything that must motivate you, it's that you must persevere for the sake of service. Why must you walk around in the desert at 3am, in zero degree weather, sand blowing down your pants to check your perimeter? Service. After a few years of this, no less than 34, service and duty become a part of who you are. It's a source of great pride for many soldiers for themselves and for the Army.
The reason I support Clark is that I empathize with a soldier's thinking. I can also understand how others support other candidates through their identification with a positive aspect of that person. For Clark, I do understand him, when he says that he decided to run because the country was in need. I could trust that he would execute the office in the spirit of public service.
Republicans. There's been a lot of talk about the fact that he voted for Nixon and Reagan. I want to go back to the idea that the Army is like family to a solider. In the 70's, 80's and early 90's the Democratic Party was not kind to the Army. Soldiers felt that they were being blamed for fighting in Vietnam. Republicans, on the other had, praised the Army. They gave the message that the country appreciated their service. That's why the military to this day, is overwhelmingly pro-Republican. Fortunately the tide is turning, because the Democrats have started to show that they can be counted to be good stewards too. However, the fact that Clark voted for Nixon and Reagan, I understand. (The surprising thing to me was that he voted for Clinton.)
What now?
This is a sad day for me. I feel like the Old Guard in Waterloo after being repelled by Wellington. You want to make one last charge for pride, knowing however, that the last battle has been lost.
I think tomorrow, I'll be ready to get back into the fight, but today, I'll grieve. I was reading the main blog by J. Armstrong about Clark bowing out, and I was very touched by the kind words said by many about Clark. Personally, I plan to visit the Clark04 site and write a nice word to the general.