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Sunday, November 30, 2003; Page A04 The voters have spoken, the polls are unanimous, and the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination is . . . Mr. Other? That, at least, was the conclusion of a mischievous analysis last week by the Republican National Committee of recent polling of Democratic voters. It shows that, 60 days from the first primaries, large numbers of the Democratic faithful still have only a vague idea of who their candidates are and would prefer somebody else. The party cited a CBS News poll earlier this month that found that when Democrats were asked which...

U.S. soldiers are great warriors, but unwilling imperial guards. If we want to secure our interests, we must draw on other sources of power. Last March, somewhere in Kuwait, the troops of the 101st Airborne Division gathered the last of their gear onto trucks that would carry them into war. They were a magnificent sight. All in uniform, taut and fit, talking quietly; their weapons slung over their shoulders; their rucksacks hung neatly along the trucks' rails. The scene reeked of training and discipline, the quiet professionalism of soldiers who have prepped for months and years, who know their moment...

The field of democrat pretenders for the 2004 Presidential Race is unaffectionately known as the 9 Dwarves. The number varies from day to day, but the concept survives. Now everyone knows the original seven dwarves: Doc, Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Grumpy, and Bashful. The names come close, but don't quite fit. Here are my suggestions for naming this colorful band of misfits. Doc Whiney Wimpy Frenchie Happy Prissy Dazed Clueless Hopeless

BETHANY - Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich made a quick stop in Oklahoma on Tuesday, blasting international trade compacts and promising to end American involvement in Iraq. “It’s time to end the occupation of Iraq and bring our troops home,” he told a crowd of about 75 at Wiley Post Airport. “The Iraq war has left us wasting tens of billions of dollars for a war that didn’t have to be fought.” Kucinich made the stop in Oklahoma as part of a three-day tour across 11 states to formally announce his candidacy for president. The trip began in Cleveland, where...

Supporters of Wesley Clark feared the worst from Thursday night's debate in Phoenix, and they got it. As expected, the retired general was asked about how he, now a Democratic presidential candidate, praised George W. Bush and his administration at a Republican fund-raiser in 2001. Neophyte politician Clark was not prepared with an adequate response. What was worse, the conqueror of Kosovo seemed diminished by the eight professional politicians debating him. Clark has mastered Bush-bashing talking points, but he seemed smaller, less fluent and less confident than his opponents. While increasing his lead against other Democrats in national polls, he...

On October 13 to 15, Congressman Dennis John Kucinich will formally announce his campaign for the presidency at events in 11 states. An additional banquet has been added on the 16th in Washington, D.C. The first announcement will be made at noon on the 13th in Cleveland City Council Chambers in Cleveland, Ohio. A reception will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Cleveland in the Ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel. Congressman Kucinich will depart at 1:50 p.m., and hold events in Detroit, Mich.; Manchester, N.H.; and Madison, Wis.; before flying to Albuquerque, N.M., on the evening of...

WASHINGTON - In a break from the Democratic field, presidential candidate Joe Lieberman is promising to ensure that upper-income Americans pay more in taxes than they did before President Bush's record-breaking tax cuts. Lieberman's proposal, due to be unveiled as part of a weeklong critique of Bush's policies, would at the same time reduce taxes for middle-class Americans, according to a senior campaign official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said income tax rates will be restructured to achieve Lieberman's goal of shifting the tax burden to upper-income Americans. The official provided no further details on how the...

Michigan News Kucinich to stop in Detroit on campaign tour The Associated Press 10/12/2003, 8:23 p.m. ET LANSING, Mich. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich planned to stop in Detroit Monday afternoon as part of a 12-city tour formally announcing his run for the Democratic presidential nomination. The Ohio congressman was to make a short presentation to supporters at 2:30 p.m. at the Wayne County Community College-Eastern Campus, then hold a news conference. Kucinich has the support of about 2 percent of Michigan voters likely to vote in next February's Democratic presidential caucuses, according to an EPIC/MRA poll released Friday....

Metrosexual Eight & One NAG Debate October 10, 2003 Wesley Clark, a newly minted Democrat and candidate for that party’s presidential nomination, is struggling. His campaign guy quit because Clark’s true handlers - the Clintons - shoved out the very volunteers Clark claims drafted him into running! The hacks have taken over the campaign, and plan to explain to Clark what he believes and have him give four political speeches to parrot what he’s been taught. Until then, the hacks hope voters will be distracted by the shiny stars on Clark’s shoulder - stars which, as Democrats have pointed out,...

Debate is about to start shortly and I thought we all needed a laugh tonight.

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark's campaign said Wednesday night that he will return payments he has received for speeches since declaring his candidacy and will no longer speak for money. Clark spokesman Mark Fabiani issued a statement that said Clark's advisers reviewed federal guidelines and determined that his paid speeches were appropriate. "Nevertheless, to avoid any distraction from the real issues that matter to Americans, General Clark has decided to return the payments from these speeches," the statement said. Kym Spell, a Clark spokeswoman, said she did not know how much money was involved. CSpell said she did...

WASHINGTON—Representative Charles Rangel of Harlem isn’t shy about reminding a listener that he played a big role in making Hillary Clinton a U.S. Senator from New York three years ago. Now, however, he’s talking about his next project: making Wesley Clark President of the United States."Even before he declared his candidacy, I used to tell people, ‘Think about General Clark,’" Mr. Rangel said in an interview with The Observer. "They’d say, ‘What does that mean?’ And I’d say, ‘You just trust me, because it wasn’t that long ago I told you to think about Hillary Clinton.’" See?Mr. Rangel, dean of...

Just announced officially on Larry King.

Graham's presidential bid has hurt him in Florida Buddy Nevins October 4, 2003 It's all over for Bob Graham. Democrats say it's time for Graham to end his presidential race, return to Florida and start running for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Graham hasn't committed himself to running for re-election. He may just quit politics. But if he does run, the question now is whether he can win. Unbeaten through three decades in politics, Graham took a dizzying fall in the cornfields of Iowa. His presidential campaign never really got off the ground. He remains in the basement of the...

Hacker Hits CBSNews.com Political Material Briefly Posted On Site Oct 3, 2003 6:10 pm US/Central NEW YORK (CBS) The struggling presidential campaign of Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich got a brief boost from an unidentified hacker Friday when a pro-Kucinich advertisement took over CBSNews.com. The Kucinich campaign denied involvement. At around 9:30 a.m. a page bearing the Kucinich campaign logo appeared in place of the CBSNews.com homepage. The screen automatically shifted to a page playing a 30-minute video called "This Is The Moment," in which the liberal congressman — aided by the likes of actor Ed Asner — outlines his philosophy....

Bush should face an inquiry over Iraq war, says general By David Rennie in Washington (Filed: 04/10/2003) General Wesley Clark, the front-runner in the Democratic race for the White House, launched a high-risk attack on American foreign policy yesterday when he said the Bush administration should face an investigation into possible "criminal" conduct in its drive to war. Gen Clark, who as Nato supreme commander led the war in Kosovo, accused the Bush administration of entering office already determined to attack Iraq, then seizing on the September 11 attacks as justification. Gen Wesley Clark He called for an independent review...

<p>WASHINGTON — Democrat Bob Graham (search) will hold a news conference Friday to announce that he will be dropping out of the presidential race, Fox News has learned.</p> <p>Graham's campaign only has about $1 million cash on hand, causing a dire financial situation and the spokesman for Graham's campaign resigned Thursday as his staff considered how to save his lagging candidacy.</p>

Democrats Welcome Bush's Fall in Polls but Fret Over Their Own Nomination Fight The Associated Press WASHINGTON Oct. 2 — When state Democratic leaders last met in Washington, President Bush was riding a pre-war high in polls and a little-known former governor from Vermont declared himself head of "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." Seven months later, Bush is vulnerable and Howard Dean stands atop a wide-open race for his party's nomination. Yet, for 445 Democratic National Committee members attending fall meetings beginning here Thursday, their optimism was tempered by concerns. In more than a dozen interviews, party activists...