In theory, Clark's biography would seem to give him a significant leg up -- boy from modest background in Arkansas goes to West Point and Oxford and becomes a war hero -- especially in the context of challenging Howard Dean, who rarely mentions his upbringing on Park Avenue and who spent the Vietnam War skiing in Aspen.

But in practice, at least until now, being Wesley Clark hasn't been quite enough. Shortly after a hyper-publicized late entry into the race in September, some national polls showed Clark doing so well that he referred to himself in public as "the front-runner." But his early struggles dealing with reporters, including a monumentally disastrous encounter on a charter plane with the New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post, put a damper on his initial momentum. And his late start has continued to plague him, putting him at a tremendous organizational and fundraising disadvantage to his rivals.

Clark acknowledges his bad start, but says that he has made progress since then as a candidate. "It's a funny thing," he said. "It's a lot of talking and listening and you just get better at articulating your issues, and at making more brief, punchy statements. You get more comfortable ... It's a gradual thing. People tell me, 'You're much better than you were at the beginning.' I don't know if it's that I'm more comfortable in this role or whether I've just learned things."

Whatever improvements he's made, it will take quite a bit of doing to get into a competitive position with Dean. The Clark comeback scenario goes something like this: Since he is not competing in the labor-intensive Iowa caucusing process for lack of time and resources, he will be counting on a stronger-than-expected finish -- like second place or a strong third -- in the New Hampshire primary. That would likely make him a focal point in the ensuing crush of media attention.

This, in turn, could help him to do well in the next round of voting in states like South Carolina and Oklahoma, where his Southern upbringing and military credentials could be a big help. After that, goes the scenario, Clark could be the last candidate left standing between Dean and the nomination, prompting anti-Dean establishment supporters and conservative Democratic voters to rally to his flag.

Obviously, there are all sorts of factors that would have to fall into place for events to play out this way. But Clark has several important things going for him. Although he doesn't have much cash on hand -- he only has a fraction of what John Kerry has, for example -- he has shown an impressive capacity for raising cash in a hurry, as he recently did with a fancy, million-dollar fundraiser in Manhattan on Dec. 10. He has genuine grass-roots support in evidence many places he goes, unlike any of the other major candidates (except, of course, Dean). A recent poll of likely Democratic and independent voters in New Hampshire gave the Clark camp reason for encouragement, showing him gaining on John Kerry for the coveted second-place spot there.

He has attracted some important institutional support, as demonstrated at a Dec. 11 event in Harlem organized by Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel and attended by an array of prominent minority elected officials and African-American war veterans. (Being that Rangel had made an endorsement of the general weeks earlier, one major purpose of the event seemed to be to downplay the significance of the Gore endorsement of Dean that took place in Harlem earlier that week, and to draw attention to the perceived weakness of Dean's support among black voters.) In addition, the campaign has just announced the endorsement of civil rights leader Andrew Young, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former Atlanta mayor.

And, as aides frequently point out, Clark has an endorsement of sorts from Bill Clinton, who reportedly referred to Clark as a "rising star" in the Democratic Party. Given Clinton's popularity within the party, even the perception that he is behind Clark can be a great advantage. (Clark frequently praises both Bill and Hillary Clinton, and told reporters in New Hampshire that he talked to the former president as recently as the Gore-Dean endorsement. But he downplays their connections dating back to their days in Arkansas for fear of "Clinton stalking horse" conspiracy theories.)

He is also the only major candidate besides Dean to demonstrate a consistent ability to attract grass-roots support. According to campaign spokesman Matt Bennett, Clark has doubled the number of his online supporters in the three months he has been a candidate, and the traffic to his Web site is now on a par with Dean's. In addition, there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence that Clark has developed an ability to turn out the bodies for his appearances, whether at the Florida Democratic convention in Orlando -- where an unscientific survey of placards and pins put Clark second only to Dean in supporters -- or an appearance at an out-of-the-way radio station in Dover, N.H., where a spirited crowd of volunteers from Arkansas stood outside in the snow to encourage the general with the famous "Whooh Pig Sooie!" cheer from the University of Arkansas.

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