Clark commands as front-runner

Just two days after entering the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Retired Gen. Wesley Clark is already the front-runner, according to the first new poll.

Democrat presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark

According to a Newsweek survey, Clark wins the support of 14 percent of the registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters, surpassing former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, with 12 percent, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, also with 12 percent, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, with 10 percent and Missouri Congressman Dick Gephardt, 8 percent.

The entry of an attractive new candidate on the Democratic side is a double dose of bad news for President Bush, whose approval ratings continue to decline, according to the same poll.

The president’s approval rating now stands at 51 percent, down 1 point from last week’s poll and from 65 percent on May 1, when major hostilities in Iraq ended.

Even worse, for the first time in a year, Bush’s approval for his handling of Iraq has dropped below 50 percent to 46 percent, a 5-point drop from last week. Fifty-six percent of Americans say they think the amount of money being spent in Iraq is too high. And 57 percent of Americans now disapprove of how Bush is handling the economy, an increase of 6 points from only one week ago.

The Newsweek survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, which interviewed 1,001 adults by telephone on Sept. 18 and 19. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Clark entered the race officially Thursday, Sept. 18. The poll shows Americans are divided on whether Clark’s military background gives him an edge in national defense and security issues. Forty percent said it made them more confident in his abilities to handle these areas, while 42 percent said it didn’t. Fifty-two percent said it didn’t matter to them that Clark had never held political office.

While Clark made a strong entrance, many Democrats are still unenthused about their choice in candidates. If former Vice President Al Gore or New York Sen. Hillary Clinton were to enter the 2004 presidential race, loyalties of Democrats would shift dramatically, with 33 percent saying their first choice for Democratic nominee would be Clinton, and 28 percent saying their first choice would be Gore.

Others in the race look especially weak. The Rev. Al Sharpton polls at 7 percent, while North Carolina Sen. John Edwards received 6 percent, Florida Sen. Bob Graham 4 percent, and former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun and Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich received only 2 percent each. Nineteen percent of Democrats are still not sure who they will vote for in the upcoming primary.

When registered voters were asked who they would vote for in a general election if President George W. Bush was pitted against Clark, Kerry or Dean, none of the candidates were able to beat the incumbent, although Clark fared better than the others, polling at 43 percent to Bush’s 47 percent. Kerry was next, polling at 43 percent to Bush’s 48 percent. Dean fared worst, with Bush beating him by a full 14 points – 52 percent to 38 percent.