Robert Kuttner,

like Gene Lyons, is madly in love with Wesley Clark. He believes if Clark should throw his hat into the ring, he would instantly become a "top-tier" candidate and hurt Kerry in the process.

Actually, I believe he would hurt Dean the most, if reading discussion boards and blogs are any indication. An awful lot of Dean supporters would instantly jump on the Clark bandwagon, or they would push for a Clark/Dean or Dean/Clark ticket, a ticket that would spell landslide for Bush no matter what. Clark, like Dean, is considered somewhat of an outsider, and the same constituency would back either one.

The notion Democrats can ape what some generals tried to do in 1996 by (unsuccessfully) pushing Colin Powell to run for the White House isn't going to fly, period. It's too obvious having a military type with no elected experience is a very weak attempt to deflect criticism Democrats are soft on defense.