Clark: Carving is for turkeys, not candidates
Picks a few bones with opponents
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Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark campaigning at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Manchester, New Hampshire Wednesday
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SPECIAL REPORT
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 I didn't have as much practice skiing as the governor did. He was out there skiing when I was recovering from my wounds in Vietnam. 
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-- Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark, Democratic presidential candidate
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I took a physical, I failed a physical. If that makes this an issue, then so be it.
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-- Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, Democratic presidential candidate
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MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (AP) -- Trying to distance himself from Democratic rivals bent on "carving each other up," Wesley Clark said Wednesday he'd limit his slicing to his Thanksgiving turkey.
Campaigning at a VFW hall, Clark boasted about his knife skills, calling himself his family's best carver when it comes to holiday meals. But he said he won't be joining the spats breaking out among his opponents.
"They're just carving each other up," he said. "I've never seen anything more effective than when they go at each other about who did what 10 or 15 years ago. But the problem I'm worried about is today, tomorrow, next year and the future."
The retired Army general did pick a few bones with some of his rivals, however, when asked how he'd weaken the power of special interests in Washington.
Clark said candidates who reject the public financing system for their campaigns reinforce the idea that money buys influence.
Without naming them, he called upon Sen. John Kerry and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean to abide by spending limits in New Hampshire, which holds the first binding primary January 27.
"I think every Democratic candidate ought to appreciate the fact that elections shouldn't be decided by money, they should be decided by the character of the candidates and the issues at hand," Clark said. "I will abide by the spending limits because I want to be judged by New Hampshire voters on the basis of who I am and what I stand for, not on the basis of how much money I've got to spend."
Dean has said he backs public financing, but was forced to abandon the system to be competitive against President Bush, who is also going without public funds. Kerry made the same decision, though he has promised to limit his overall primary spending to the $45 million cap the public financing program imposes.
Though respect for the system was a factor, Clark said earlier this month that he made a "pragmatic decision" to accept public financing.
He will be eligible for up to $19 million in government funding, money that would have been hard to make up given his late entry into the race.
Clark did mention Dean by name earlier Thursday, when a radio interviewer jokingly asked if he'd be interested in a ski competition between candidates.
"I didn't have as much practice skiing as the governor did. He was out there skiing when I was recovering from my wounds in Vietnam," Clark said on WNTK radio.
Dean recently has defended himself from criticism that he cited a back condition and sought a medical deferment during the Vietnam War, then spent a year skiing in Colorado. "I took a physical, I failed a physical. If that makes this an issue, then so be it," Dean said earlier this week.
In Manchester, Clark said he did not intend his comment to be critical of Dean.
"If anybody's spent a year skiing, they've spent a lot more time on the slopes than I have," he said, adding that it would be up to veterans to decide what to make of Dean's actions.
"My personal opinion as a veteran is I'm very proud of my service," said Clark. "I don't think you can learn more faster about life, about responsibility, about what the world's all about than in serving in the armed forces."
Copyright 2003 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
