If you would be so gracious, allow me to submit the following e-mail string to the Campaign's communications team. It may be of interest, in as much as it expresses the deeper concerns of the Campaign's supporters.



(We in NH who devoted ourselves to General Clark's Campaign are pleased with the outcome, if a bit dismayed that John Edwards is getting more media time for a third place outcome that was clearly - and solely - the General's.)



Mott Cromby



mottcromby wrote:



As an ardent Clark supporter from NH, my inclination is to immediately forward articles such as



ELECTIONS 2004 - WHAT HAPPENED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

by Betsy R. Vasquez



http://moderateindependent.com/v2i2postnh.htm



to his Campaign's communications team, urging them to consider. But I am assuming that Moderate Independent has already done so.



I heard General Clark make a comment today about showing what a soldier can do and I am hoping this is in some small sense an echo of your most cogent and I think correct assessment of what the Rove/RNC controlled media's plan is for him.



I was at the Clark rally in downtown Manchester NH Monday and it was fervent in a way that the media of course is sworn against capturing or telling about.



Wes *will* win, but only if he goes on the patient yet public offensive against the media that will otherwise attempt to discredit him....



"staff@moderateindependent.com" wrote:



Thanks for writing and for your kind words.



We have not written the Clark campaign as that is beyond our realm - we are a news source separate from any and all campaigns, even if we clearly put the General at the top of our list. I can not say whether our staff has done this on their own, but as M/I we haven't not and can't. But you can always contact them or call them yourself - they do answer phones there at headquarters (we have spoken to them before about other matters.)



Thanks for writing,



Betsy V.



Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 07:01:12 -0800 (PST)

From: "mottcromby"

Subject: Re: Clark campaign ?

To: "staff@moderateindependent.com"



Thanks for your response. I will go forward and contact the Clark Campaign with my concerns. I see that they have Moderate Independent blogrolled and hopefully they are reading you.



General Clark's own comments seem to indicate that he himself is aware of what game is afoot. I will be curious to see how he performs in the debate on MSNBC moderated by Tom Brokaw tonight, in light of the insinuating, semi-slanderous tone of the story appearing in today's Washington Post, regarding his (fully disclosed) business dealings.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58300-2004Jan28.html?nav=hptop_tb&nav=hptop_tb



General Clark's Campaign is nothing if not populist in the best and most genuine sense, but this fact, as M/I has pointed out, will not be enough in itself to carry him to victory if the media is allowed to distort and attempt to rule perceptions of him in such a blatantly deceptive way.



General Clark needs to start calling them on it, every time, patiently and relentlessly. If he challenges the media's blatantly partisan distortions and attempted manipulation my feeling is that most Americans would applaud him.



The General, as those of us who have met and listened to him know, is a genuinely polite man. Yet he is also at his righteous best when showing his toughness and intelligence in the face of the outrageous, pompous, hypocritical obtuseness of his rightwing media inquisitors. The notorious "Asman interview" on Fox News some weeks back comes immediately to mind.



I will be disappointed if Tom Brokaw falls into nonsensical partisan attack mode the way Peter Jennings did in New Hampshire but I suppose anything could happen, given the nature of the beast that has bought and paid for these two.



regards,

Mott Cromby