Supporters make push for Clark to join in Iowa caucuses

WASHINGTON -- Supporters of Wesley K. Clark are seeking to launch a last-ditch effort to draft the retired general to take part in the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses, drawing up legal papers to meet federal reporting requirements and taking steps to establish a committee.

Bud Jackson, a Washington political consultant who was involved in the movement to persuade the former NATO commander to become a candidate, said he feels it is a mistake for Clark to skip the caucuses, a decision Clark announced Oct. 20, citing a lack of funds.

But aides have since expressed regret over the decision, especially after the campaign raised $12 million in the fourth quarter and Clark began to chip away at former Vermont governor Howard Dean's lead in the polls in some primary states.

"We made a strategic decision a while back, and we are sticking with it," Clark spokesman Bill Buck said yesterday. But he added that the campaign would not stand in the way of supporters who want to canvass in Iowa.

Jackson, who said he is backed by many Clark supporters, including activists working on the ground in Iowa, said he hoped to rally other leaders of the "Draft Clark" movement, including founders John Hlinko and Josh Margulies, to shift their attention to Iowa in time for the caucus.

A serious move to rally Clark supporters in Iowa could cut into Dean's support there, they say, perhaps throwing the caucus to Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, who would pose less of a threat to Clark in New Hampshire and other states.

"One of the potential strategies is to give undecided caucus-goers who might go for Dean another option," Jackson said.