Wesley Clark may be next candidate to visit Yuma
Gen. Douglas MacArthur promised he would return to liberate the Philippines Islands during World War II.
As it turns out, retired U.S. Army general and presidential candidate Wesley Clark may be doing some returning of his own, with a possible campaign stop in Yuma.
Arizona campaign spokesman Reggie Johnson confirmed the possibility of a Clark visit later this month, but didn't have any specific information yet.
"The campaign plans to have the general come through Yuma and southern Arizona sometime in late January," Johnson said.
Clark was just in Arizona the weekend of Dec. 27-28.
At 58, Clark is more than a former four star general. He is a Rhodes Scholar, he was first in his 1966 class at West Point and was head of the U.S. Southern Command and NATO commander during the 1999 campaign in Kosovo.
Clark, a vocal supporter of those who have worn this country's uniform, tossed his hat into the ring for the 2004 presidential race back in September in his home state of Arkansas.
Clark, if he does comes, would be the third prominent Democratic presidential candidate to pay a visit here, hoping their road to the White House runs through Yuma.
Sen. Joe Lieberman was the first to come to Yuma, making a brief stop here as part of a two-day trip to the state in late November.
The following month, Howard Dean, a former five-term governor of Vermont, held a public rally in a crowded conference room at the Ramada Inn-Chilton. His visit to Yuma was part of a three-city stop to Arizona.
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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.
