Wesley Clark: The new Howard Dean?

The former Vermont governor is the front-runner, but some Democratic insiders wonder if the retired general has a better chance of beating Bush.

By Eric Boehlert

Sept. 17, 2003 | Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has spent the summer establishing himself as the unlikely Democratic front-runner, rallying the troops and raising enough money to hold off candidates once thought more formidable. But with the expected entry of retired four-star Gen. Wesley Clark into the race Wednesday, Dean may encounter his toughest competition thus far in the race for president.

As Dean has surged, high-ranking Democratic insiders have sometimes openly questioned whether he would flame out before the finish line, whether he had the experience and the broad political draw to beat well-financed incumbent George W. Bush. In Clark, they may have found their alternative.

Dean has fired hopes at the grass roots and attracted favorable media attention, and Bush today is more vulnerable than he's been since before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But Bush is well funded and is likely to run a withering campaign, and skeptics doubt that an antiwar New England governor with no foreign policy experience will have what it takes to endure that. In Clark, they see someone with Dean's positives -- he's a straight-talking outsider who's been critical of Bush's handling of the war -- but who has Southern roots and strong credentials in foreign diplomacy and national security.

"I think part of what you're seeing is a split between the Democratic elites and Democratic base," says Eli Pariser, campaign director for the political advocacy group MoveOn.org. "Elites are less comfortable with the candidates we have now."

And specifically, less comfortable with Dean. "There are a nontrivial number of people in the party who say, 'Holy shit, how do you stop Dean? He's raised over $10 million in this quarter, and he'll probably hit the $15 million mark. How do you slow it?'" says a former White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity and who is not associated with any of the campaigns. "I think the traditional party operatives are afraid of the Dean campaign and don't understand it."

Like former President Bill Clinton, Clark is an Arkansas resident and Rhodes scholar. He is expected to launch his candidacy Wednesday in Little Rock, and has already assembled a team of advisors that includes many who worked for Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. Indeed, among many party leaders, there has been an almost wistful desire to see a Gore or a Clinton -- Bill or Hillary -- enter the race. But Gore insists he's out, Hillary has made no move to run, and Bill, having served two terms, can't run again. And so it is that many party leaders see Clark as a suitable alternative.

But Dean's supporters are known for their passion, which assures that Clark's announcement, and the inevitable Dean vs. Clark comparisons, are likely to be topics of intense interest among Democrats from the grass roots to the highest offices. Already, many are pining for a ticket that features Dean as the presidential candidate and Clark as his vice president.

But yesterday, Clark sounded like a man committed to seeking the highest office.

CNN reported that after meeting with Democratic officials in Little Rock, Clark met with reporters. The nation "is in significant difficulty, both at home and abroad," he told them. "I think it needs strong leadership and visionary leadership to take it forward. So that's what's drawn me to this prospective point right here."

Clearly Clark feels there's a hole in the Democratic field, which, with the exception of Dean, has been dominated by Beltway insiders like Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts, John Edwards of North Carolina, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and by U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri. The retired NATO commander, former CNN analyst, and ardent Bush critic can position himself as the outsider -- the political novice -- yet also appeal to mainstream Democrats.

"He's more of a centrist Democrat," notes Larry Weatherford, political director for DraftClark2004.com. "I think he'll appeal to the same type of people who supported Clinton through the years."

That could be because he'll have the support of Clinton himself and his team of centrist alumnae, who may be watching the Dean ascent with concern. Clinton recently made the widely reported comment that his wife, Hillary, and Clark represent the "two stars" of the Democratic Party. "I think Bill Clinton is behind Clark," says Bill McCormack, Pacific Coast regional coordinator for DraftGore.com.

Clark's almost nonchalant suggestions recently that there will be financial backing for him if he decides to run -- he needs to raise tens of millions of dollars, and fast -- has led to speculation that he'll have open access to Clinton's rolodex.

Others put that sort of large-scale scheming, of the powers-that-be mapping out the nomination process, as beyond the grasp of party elites. "It's hard for me to believe it's superorchestrated," says one former Clinton White House official. "I'm always dubious of 'the party's' ability to shoot that straight. Remember, not that long ago, John Edwards was ordained the front-runner, and then he took a precipitous fall, and Dean began to rise."

Meanwhile, political veterans like Orin Kramer, an investment banker and key Democratic fundraiser in 2000, notes Clark has lost "valuable, valuable time" by playing the should-I-or-shouldn't-I waiting game for so long.

But perhaps Clark has the exquisite timing of a born star. By making his admittedly late announcement, he's joining the fray precisely as Bush crashes to his lowest post-9/11 standings in the polls. Just as the White House finds itself back on its heels for having its request of $87 billion to rebuild Iraq opposed by a vast majority of Americans, the arrival of a four-star, antiwar, telegenic general cannot be good news for Bush's reelection team.

Clark's entrance is unusually late in the primary process, especially for a political newcomer, and particularly since the upcoming contests are front-loaded on the calendar. To succeed he'll have to both prove himself as a born campaigner, and assemble a flawless campaign team nearly overnight.

He'll "have to hit the ground running, with the finest pair of sneakers you've ever seen," says Donna Brazile, who managed Gore's run for president.

"Given his stature and the press attention, he'll get a good first look" from voters, says another former presidential campaign manager, speaking on background. "But it's got to be a damn good first look."

Clark himself says he's not concerned. "The conversations I've had and the judgments I've made say it's not too late," he told CNN.

Clark will play up his nonpartisan past and present himself as a "what you see is what you get" kind of guy, who buys his suits off the rack at Nordstrom and watches movies at home on Saturday night. But skeptical voters may look to other facts: He was first in his class at West Point, a Vietnam veteran and supreme allied commander of NATO during the Kosovo military campaign. And almost every part of his critique of Bush's performance on Iraq has been proven right.

"He's a very bankable talent," says one former Pentagon colleague. "He's highly competent and a voracious reader who tackles issues with a lot of drive and determination."

Next page: A fear that Dean is too liberal on a few key issues