Rivals aim to make issue of Clark's GOP votes

By Knight Ridder Newspapers and The Associated Press

	LM OTERO / THE AP Wesley Clark, a Democratic presidential candidate attends a news conference in Dallas.
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Polls show Clark emerging as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's main challenger in the Granite State. So his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination are sharpening their swords, mainly by spotlighting the fact that Clark routinely voted for Republicans in the past including presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Last week, the Dean campaign distributed fliers that said, "Wesley Clark: Real Democrat?"

Yesterday, Dean attacked Clark directly during a campaign stop in New Hampshire before heading back to Iowa, where he is locked in a close four-way fight.

"I think General Clark is a good guy, but I truly believe he's a Republican. I do. Harry Truman once said if you run a Republican against a Republican, the Republican's going to win every time," Dean said.

"Look, I don't mean offense to General Clark. He is a good guy. And I don't mind that he voted for Nixon and Reagan. That was a long time ago," Dean said. "What bothers me is he went out and raised money for the Republican Party and said great things about Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and George Bush."

Asked about Dean's comments, Clark said, "It's old time politics."

Clark is not competing in the kickoff Iowa caucuses on Monday, instead focusing much of his energy and attention on New Hampshire's Jan. 27 primary.

Clark has gained support from independents and Republicans who say they regret voting for President George W. Bush. But some hard-core Democrats doubt Clark's recent commitment to their party is genuine.

"I'm just wondering if you're a Republican in sheep's clothing," said Betsy Neslin, as Clark spoke at Dartmouth College last week.

Clark answers the question head-on.

"I've voted for Republicans in the past. I may as well admit it here, because if you haven't seen it, you'll see it on the sheets that Howard Dean's been handing out," he said at an event later that night. "I voted for Bill Clinton, and I'm proud I did. And I voted for Al Gore, and he won the election. But I had never been a member of a political party. I'd never seen a presidential candidate until I've been one."

Clark said that it was common for members of the military to vote for candidates who were strong on national security but that he began voting for Democratic candidates when the Cold War ended. He voted for Clinton in 1992 and 1996, and for Gore in 2000.

"I'm pro-choice, pro-affirmative action, pro-environment, pro-health care, pro-education, pro-labor," Clark said in an interview last month. "I was either going to be the loneliest Republican in America or a proud Democrat. Republicans don't believe in those things."

Some voters say that they don't care about whom Clark voted for in the past.

"I've been following Clark because he's seen the other side and now he's coming back," said Hanna Nallett, 18, of New Hampshire. "He was a Republican, and now he knows better."

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