But as a pro-military Democrat, what do you make of Gen. Wesley Clark?

What a phony! What a bunch of crap this Clark boom is. Clark reminds me of Keir Dullea in "2001: A Space Odyssey" -- a blank, vacant expression, detached and affectless. There's something sexually neutered about Dullea in that film -- a physical passivity necessitated by cramped space travel -- that I also find in Clark. And the astronaut Dullea plays is sometimes indistinguishable from the crazed computer, HAL -- which I find in Clark's smug, computerized vocal delivery.

And yet Clark enthusiasts insist that he's not only handsome but great on television.

Doesn't anyone know how to "read" TV? The guy's an android! He gives me the creeps. And don't they realize how short he is? He's a slick, boudoir, salon military type who rubbed plenty of colleagues the wrong way. Clark is not a natural man's man. And he's no Eisenhower, who was a genial, charismatic leader with a genius for collaboration and organization. This is just another hysterical boomlet, as when the nerdy Northeast media went gaga for John McCain -- "Finally, a soldier we like!" Well, McCain was another big hot dog with little natural rapport with regular guys. Clark made a major strategic error in going for the presidency. He's been stumbling all over the place and exposing his lack of general knowledge as well as experience with practical politics.

Two weeks ago, NPR ran a scathing series of taped quotes from leading military figures clearly implying they know more about Clark's career failures than they can tell. A lot of people don't trust him. Last summer, I thought Clark would be a good vice presidential partner for Dean. But Clark's hubris undid him -- he's tainted meat now. The Democratic Party should stay away from this guy -- who wasn't even a registered Democrat until recently.

And yet he's galvanized support among a certain established Democratic elite.

Well, right-wing radio has been saying all along that the Clark campaign is a ploy by the Clintons to destroy the Dean candidacy, since Dean is an obstacle to the Clintons' hold on the national party and to Hillary's march to the White House. I had a turnaround on Hillary this year. I was an early fan of hers from the Clintons' first national campaign in 1992. I loved the sharp, no-bull way she talked -- "I could've stayed home and baked cookies!" I thought it was the authentic voice of my 1960s generation of women. But within six months of Bill's taking office, I turned completely against her. She intruded herself into the political process, conducted secret meetings like the Kremlin, and ruined our one chance for healthcare reform, when both parties wanted it. She behaved like Eva Peron.

But when I reviewed her book last June in the London Times, I found it a credible statement. Her voice is strong and individual. People complain that the book was ghost-written. Well, so what? She showed the ability to hire the right people! And in the current vacuum of the Democratic Party, with no dynamic candidates in sight, she's suddenly gained enormously. So I began to look at her in a new way and have been hoping that she'd run. But I don't think she's a natural politician -- she lacks spontaneity and instinct, and she's always implying she's smarter than the electorate.

I think Arnold Schwarzenegger learned from Hillary's tactics in her senatorial campaign -- that is, never do anything that isn't staged. Never go on serious talk shows -- just hide behind the late-night comedians and do chit-chat. Make sure public appearances are super-managed, using advance men to keep protesters away. It was a very antidemocratic way of campaigning, and Hillary gave Arnold the road map. I fail to see how Hillary will ever win any primaries outside the eastern and western seaboards. On the other hand, I think it's crucial for women who are viable candidates to run. I really regret that Dianne Feinstein, who is way more presidential than Hillary, seems to lack the fire and drive for a national campaign.

Instead of writing shrill books, the way the liberals are doing these days, why don't they look deeply into what's happened to the Democratic Party? It's lost its connection with the mass of people and is now driven by a snobbish elite of lawyers, snide journalists and consultants. Bush would be defeated if there was a strong Democratic candidate. But there isn't one.

Many liberals -- and many of the people buying those books you're talking about -- are celebrating the fall of Rush Limbaugh. Should they?

Look, I am a longtime listener of Rush Limbaugh because I'm a fan of AM radio. I've listened to radio since childhood. I was in anguish for a week over what was happening to Rush. It began with the flap over his remarks about our Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb being "overrated" because he's black -- an ill-advised intrusion of racial controversy into a tightly scripted jock show that wasn't the right forum for political debate. Then within days, news broke of the National Enquirer's cover story on Rush's abuse of prescription pain medication. The news stunned his fans. For me, it was almost like when Diana had her accident or when Natalie Wood was found drowned off Santa Catalina. That's the level of deep emotional upset that admirers of Rush had -- not because his private life contradicted his public code but because of the revelation of the desperate, agonizing subterfuges to which he had been driven by his addiction.

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