File this away as the number 2,479th reason why retired Gen. Wesley Clark seems to be going precisely nowhere in his presidential quest. In a Business Week interview last week, Clark proceeded to demonstrate both a propensity to speak out of both sides of his mouth and a basic lack of seriousness.

First, Clark criticizes the Howard Dean campaign for being too negative (as John Edwards has recently been doing, too). “Unlike the Dean campaign, this is not a campaign of protest. This effort is built around hope and promise.”

Then a few paragraphs later, Clark criticizes Bush on somewhat different grounds: “This administration’s economic policy is founded on hope, not reality.”

One can only hope that Clark will promise more such reality.

Then the magazine asked Clark why he would “claim to be a free trader but also talk of strengthening labor and environmental safeguards in trade pacts.” Clark’s classic, Cordato-baiting response:

“You can’t have free markets without strong regulation. They go together.”

Next paragraph, Clark is asked what has surprised him most about the campaign. “Losing my voice,” he replied. “I just keep talking too much.”

Yep.