George McGovern put his arm on Wes Clark's shoulder and told
the crowd "this is the one, this is the one".
It was an emotional and poignant moment on a cold Sunday
morning in New Hampshire as McGovern, the 1972 Democratic
presidential nominee and the progressive conscience of the
Democratic Party, endorsed Wesley Clark for the 2004 Democratic
presidential nomination. McGovern said "I am here to
endorse with all my heart and strength Gen. Wes Clark"
at Keene Middle School in Keene, New Hampshire.
I am proud to stand here this morning and announce my support
for a true progressive, a true Democrat, and the next president
of the United States. A man whose progressive policies on
education, taxation, health care are in the finest tradition of
the Democratic Party. A man whose ideals, decency, and compassion
are in the great tradition of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry
Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton. A man whose life's
work and devotion to America will serve as a beacon to our young
and give pride to us all. That man is Wes Clark - and he will
lead our party to victory in November.
In his endorsement speech McGovern
talked about how 32 years ago he stood up for what he thought was
right and now Wesley Clark is doing the same at a time that
our nation is once again divided and bogged down in a war that no
one wanted. McGovern said "Clark is the best Democrat.
He is a true progressive. He's the Democrat's Democrat. I've been
around the political block - and I can tell you, I know a true
progressive when I see one. And that's why he has my vote" He
brought full circle the history of the Democratic Party and
talked about the 32 years that have passed since he was the
Democratic nominee and how urgent it is to field the right
candidate to defeat George Bush. Clark spoke afterwards and said
"Whether you're a farmer or a factory worker--a kid who
needs a decent meal, or a parent who needs a job--you always have
a great friend in Senator McGovern...As a scholar, a statesman,
and a humanitarian, Senator McGovern has spent more than sixty
years calling this country, and our world, to a higher
standard."
When he was 22 years old, Lt. George McGovern was a B-24 pilot in
the 741st Bomb Squadron, based in Cerignola, Italy, and flew
missions over the heavily defended skies of Nazi occupied Germany
and became one of the greatest heroes of World War II. Stephen
Ambrose's The Wild Blue described the immense risks that
McGovern and his crew took flying over 35 missions over enemy
territory with inside temperatures which at times reached 50
degrees below zero as they took out infrastructure to lead the
way for the Allied invasion. The missions were so dangerous that
only 50% of the crews survived until the end of the war, each
time time they took off from their base in Italy they never knew
if they would be among those who would return.
After his career in the military McGovern went into politics and
became the United States Senator from South Dakota. In 1972 he
became the Democratic nominee in the midst of the Vietnam during
a war that divided the nation. McGovern's campaign was
immortalized in American political history in Timothy Crouse's Boys
On The Bus and Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing on
the Campaign Trail '72. It was the campaign that made spin
doctoring and gonzo journalism a staple of American life.
"George McGovern's good name is often summoned by
Republicans when describing a wing of our party that protests
war, is wary of American might, and seeks to keep us clear of
conflict. His antithesis, in Republican mythology, is Ronald
Reagan - an actor who played a cowboy who played a president.
Now, I'm sure that Ronnie was a good American and loved his
country, but he never left Culver City during World War II.
George McGovern, on the other hand, wasn't just a war hero - he
was maybe one of the greatest heroes of World War II. As a bomber
pilot, McGovern flew 35 missions, brought his damaged plane home
safely every time, was awarded one Distinguished Flying Cross and
nominated for another. He was so accurate that his squadron
effectively closed down the oil refineries in Eastern Europe
& Germany, essentially grounding the German air force. Heck,
Stephen Ambrose wrote a book about what a hero he was (The Wild
Blue: The men and boys who flew the B-24s over Germany) and said
that he can't imagine we would have won the war without
McGovern's 455th Bomber Group. George McGovern earned the right
to say whatever he damned well wanted about the direction of
America - and it should be a source of pride to our party when he
said, 'the highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of
official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call
her to a higher standard.' "
-James Carville, Had Enough
Rob is the
founder and editor of the progressive news site robwire.com and is a
frequent contributor to rob.dailykos.com