A New Democratic Dark Horse?

Are dyspeptic Democrats ready to turn to a military man for leadership? Retired four-star general Wesley Clark, who has been famously opaque about his party preference and political future, met privately last week in New York City with a group of high-rolling Democrats and told them he was seriously considering a run for the White House, sources tell TIME. Lunching with about 15 Democratic donors and fund raisers at the Park Avenue offices of venture capitalist Alan Patricof, a strong Gore backer in '00 who is neutral so far for '04, Clark laid out his credentials and his differences with George W. Bush. A Rhodes scholar who fought in Vietnam and served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 1997 to 2000, Clark said the U.S. should finish routing al-Qaeda before taking on Iraq and criticized Bush for being too dismissive of nonwar options there. Commander of NATO's war in Kosovo in 1999, Clark, who juggled the interests of 19 member nations, also took issue with what he sees as Bush's go-it-alone style.

Clark, 57, is an investment banker in Little Rock, Ark., and a commentator for CNN. In an interview with TIME, he wouldn't discuss his plans or the lunch. "I haven't made any decision to run, I haven't declared I'm a member of any political party, I haven't raised any money," he said, adding that he has been traveling the country, talking to groups about developing an American "global vision for the 21st century."

One question at the lunch was whether Clark has the stomach for the attacks his candidacy would draw from the military enemies he made during the Kosovo war, despite its success. Clark's book Waging Modern War was tough on many at the Pentagon, including then Defense Secretary William Cohen, who replaced Clark before his tour was up. Still, Clark might be an attractive new face for the Democrats. "It's clear the public today doesn't think Democrats are as strong on national security as the G.O.P.," said a source who attended the lunch. "He has the capacity to negate that argument."