I really like Howard Dean for President. He's articulate, he has inspired a passionate following of people whom, I believe, are willing to do whatever it takes to get him elected (though I do fear that some are too, well, just too nice to get down and dirty with the likes of Karl Rove). This is important for a candidate to be successful in the primaries. I like him a lot...he speaks with a voice that in many ways, on many important issues speaks for me. If the primary election was today, I would certainly vote for him.

HOWEVER...

I am not going to lie...I like Wesley Clark. And not only because he has - or seems to have - impeccable military credentials, useful for a wartime candidacy. But because on just about every issue, from what I can tell, he takes a perspective similar to mine. Now, I am getting all this info from the DraftWesleyClark web site, on which there is an entire section dedicated to his stance on a range of issues. These Clark enthusiasts, not me, did a great deal of research to determine his views...since he isn't a candidate yet there are no official position papers. Anyway, they culled information from his hundreds of media appearances, his book, his articles and other bits of evidence to determine his perspective on a range of issues, from affirmative action and gun control to taxes and immigration. And while it's rare to find someone with whome you can agree on every issue, I will say this...his positions seem to align very closely with mine...moreso than Dean's do in some cases.

So far, nobody knows if he is actually going to run. And if he does, I think it will throw a lot of things into turmoil. I would venture to guess that there are quite a few people like me who like Dean because he is the best candidate out of this field of nine but maybe haven't quite signed on to him 100 percent. Sure, I have been trying to get my politically-minded friends to take a look at Dean. And I read the Dean campaign's blog daily (the jolt of energy from his supporters that comes through on that site is unbelievably inspiring). But I haven't gone to a Meetup (though I keep saying I will) and I haven't given money. I haven't bought a t-shirt or a button or a window sign.

I guess I am still waiting to see if anyone emerges that has the Dean energy and the passion of Dean's supporters and also has that special something that gets me all fired up...Ever since talk of a Clark candidacy started circulating I have wondered what I would do if it actually happened. I wondered if it was too early to commit to my candidate already. So, I give General Clark until October 1 to make some kind of an announcement. After that, I am Dean all the way. But until then, he has the potential to sway me. I am not saying for sure that it will happen...but I am open to it.