has been the ascendence of Howard Dean‘s candidacy for President in 2004. He’s moved up with words like this, “What I want to know is what in the world so many Democrats are doing supporting the President’s unilateral intervention in Iraq?” I’ve been watching Gov Dean on PBS for about 10 years now – he was a regular guest on a weekly public affairs show out of Montreal, and he’s always seemed to me to be a very straight shooter with opinions that come from his own assessment of an issue, not from some pre-fab party line. He’s a leader, not a follower.

in Salon.com today: Gen. Wesley Clark, unplugged.

the Washington Monthly published an article entitled An Army of One? by Gen. Wesley Clark, the former top guy at NATO. The article effectively made the case that networks are not always easy to work with, but though annoying at times it is the network that ensures the possibility of success – robust, real success. As he put it:

Since September 11, America has been in a similar position: the most powerful nation in the world, but facing a deadly enemy. The United States has the opportunity to use the power of the international institutions it established to triumph over terrorists who threaten not just the United States, but the world. What a tragedy it will be if we walk away from our own efforts, and from 60 years of post-World War II experience, to tackle the problem of terror without using fully the instruments of international law and persuasion that we ourselves created.

“Why can this President not seem to see that America’s true power lies not in its will to intimidate, but in its ability to inspire?”