General Wesley Clark has announced that he will run for next year’s presidential race as a Democratic candidate. Clark’s candidacy throws a huge new factor into the Democratic contenders’ lineup. The retired four-star general and former NATO supreme commander has never run for public office, and he’s raised only 1.5 million dollars.

Clark’s military record isn’t quite that of Eisenhower, Grant or Colin Powell. But in a campaign that hinges on national security and where there’s no anointed Democratic frontrunner, Wesley Clark’s spit-polished credentials and plain talk have won him supporters even before a candidacy.

Click the “Listen” link to hear what Clark’s candidacy means for his party and for President Bush.

Guests:

John Hlinko, founder of the Draft Wesley Clark for President website

Celinda Lake, Democratic pollster

EJ Dionne, columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution

Noam Scheiber, editor at The New Republic magazine