http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4789004/20959086.html
Hart to decide within days on race
By VESS MITEV
Register Correspondent
04/09/2003
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Cedar Rapids, Ia. - Former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart said Tuesday a decision on joining the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is only days away, maintaining the feedback he's received so far is very encouraging.
Hart, making a two-day swing through Iowa, spoke to a group of Democratic activists in Cedar Rapids, where he addressed the ongoing war with Iraq, the economy and foreign policy.
He later met with Johnson County Democratic Party members before delivering a speech on Iraq at the University of Iowa on Tuesday night.
"I am not a politician. I am a public servant, and if I can do that at the national level, then so be it," the Colorado Democrat said. "I think there is a vacuum in the Democratic Party, and I think I have a different approach."
If Hart joined the race, he would be the 10th candidate in the Democratic field. He's been weighing a possible bid since late last year.
After nearly a dozen years out of the national spotlight, Hart served as co-chairman of a Clinton administration commission on terrorism and warned of the potential for large-scale attacks in the United States prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
Hart is no stranger to Iowa. He finished second in the 1984 Iowa caucuses. Rumors of an extramarital affair prompted him to quit the race for the 1988 nomination before the caucuses.
Hart on Tuesday blasted the Bush administration for using"subversive tactics" to conduct the war, and said the lack of focused goals would hurt American troops and send the economy in a downward spiral.
"This administration is not prepared for the retaliatory attacks we will face as a result of this war," said Hart, who suspects Bush has a broader agenda than regime change in Iraq.
"The president was not candid with the American public."
He said the war with Iraq is inextricably linked to the nation's economy.
"This war is financed by foreign debt," he said. "This war is going to cost us $200 billion when we are running a $300 billion annual deficit."
Hart urged the 20 or so Democrats he met in Cedar Rapids to take advantage of Iowa's place at the start of the 2004 race for the White House.
"After Iowa and New Hampshire, it's all money, it's all media, it's all show business," Hart said. "I would hope . . . that this state does not focus on who has the most money or the most endorsements, but the better ideas."
He said he will run only if he feels he can contribute to the national debate on issues such as homeland security.
"I"m not sitting around looking for something to do - I would not get into this race unless I felt strongly about what it is I am trying to do," he said.
Hart will meet with Scott County Democrats at a breakfast meeting today before leaving the state.
Gary Hart may be back....
Gary Hart may be back....
Not all those who wander are lost. J.R.R Tolkien