Clark Stays Noncommittal 
on White House Run 

DAN BALZ / Washington Post 12sep03

With speculation swirling about his intentions, retired Gen. Wesley Clark remained coy yesterday about whether he will become the 10th candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination and brushed aside reports that former Vermont governor Howard Dean had asked him to join his insurgent campaign.

Clark is under pressure to decide soon from organizers of a draft-Clark movement, who fear that the momentum they saw building for his potential candidacy would begin to dissipate, according to one knowledgeable Democrat. In an interview with CNN's Judy Woodruff yesterday, Clark said, "We're going to have to make a decision and if the decision is yes, we want to be ready."

In the interview, Clark denied that John Weaver, a senior strategist for Arizona Sen. John McCain's Republican presidential campaign in 2000 and now a Democratic consultant, had been asked to run his campaign but turned down the offer. Weaver later said in a telephone interview that he had done so for health reasons. "It's no reflection on him," said Weaver, who met with Clark in New York two weeks ago to discuss a campaign.

Clark's potential candidacy has stirred considerable interest among some grass-roots Democrats and has intrigued some party insiders, who see the former NATO commander who led the forces in the war in Kosovo as someone whose military credentials could help the party in a presidential campaign likely to be dominated by national security issues. But many Democrats wonder whether as a novice candidate, Clark could stand up to the rigors and scrutiny of a presidential campaign.

By entering the campaign at such a late stage, Clark would have to run a nontraditional campaign, say some Democrats, and would have to develop quickly a clear rationale for his candidacy. Clark gave some hint of what that might be yesterday in his CNN interview, citing stories about the latest tape from Osama bin Laden, deteriorating relations between the United States and its European allies and President Bush's request to expand the Patriot Act.

"There's a tremendous hunger for leadership out there," Clark said, repeating a comment he has frequently made. "People are very concerned about the direction of the country."

Bush Encourages the Young 'Uns

When it comes to raking in big political money, President Bush hopes to start 'em young.

Back in 2000, Bush's campaign created the Pioneers, to recognize backers who agreed to raise at least $100,000. This year, after the nation's new finance law doubled to $2,000 the amount an individual can directly give a presidential candidate, Bush-Cheney '04 formed the Rangers, who collect at least $200,000 each.

Now, Bush's backers are excited about a third club, this one for ambitious Republicans under 40. A Maverick commits to raising at least $50,000 over the course of the campaign. Supporters are eligible as long as they are still 39 or under on June 30, 2004.

A solicitation says the program was created "in order to reach out to the next generation of supporters and grow the ranks of Republicans."

Maybe next will come the Colts and the Fillies, middle-schoolers soliciting dough for the GOP instead of selling Scout-o-Rama tickets or Girl Scout cookies.

Staff writer Mike Allen contributed to this report.

source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A62275-2003Sep11?language=printer 13sep03