Or worse, is Bill Clinton pulling Clark's strings? I'm you're friendly neighborhood Clark myth debunker. Here's some stuff on the meme some Deaniacs have been tossing at me that Clark is the Clintons' sock puppet.
Chris at Interesting Times has the best theory based on the actual facts on the ground:
Remember, it was Bill Clinton who effectively short-circuited the first attempt by the DLC to stem Dean's momentum when, just prior to the release of the From & Reed anti-Dean screed, Clinton gave an interview in which he praised Dean as a model New-Democrat. I remain convinced to this day that Clinton did this deliberately because he disapproved of what the DLC was trying to do.
That does not mean that I don't think the Clintons haven't been involved in encouraging Clark to enter the race. But I don't think they did so in order to stop Dean."
"I think that if there was any political calculation involved in the Clintons' encouragement of Wesley Clark to enter the race it was the simple idea that he could act as a safety net for the Democrats if Dean's high-wire act should falter.
Why did we need a safety net? Well, umm, have you seen the other candidates?
But Clinton's right, Dean IS pulling off a high wire act, and a lot of the Dem establishment is scared witless at this bewildering reinvention of the Democratic party and of politics itself. So the attacks.
Elizabeth Drew spent time researching Clark and does an in depth profile. Here's the germane quote:
Unlike the other major candidates, Clark had no political team to bring with him into the campaign, and scarcely knew several of the people who agreed to work fo him. And though a number of young people have joined Clark's staff, some of th most influential people around Clark once worked for Bill Clinton. This, an statements praising him by Bill and Hillary Clinton, have led to some erroneous (an mischievous) suggestions that Clark is a tool of the Clintons, who are said to have devious plan to use Clark's candidacy to somehow benefit Hillary Clinton's ambitions But Clark is an exceptionally independent man and it is, in my view, inconceivable that he would willingly be used in that way by the Clintons.
Then there's the abstract from the NYT:
Gen Wesley K Clark says he was encouraged to seek Democratic presidential nomination by former Pres Bill Clinton and Sen Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as their close aides; despite simularities in their backgrounds, Clark hardly knew Bill Clinton before he became president; as president, Clinton signed off on Pentagon plan to relieve Clark of his command after being deceived by Clark detractors; both Clintons have been talking up Clark to their friends since earlier this summer; Clark says he has spoken with both Clintons in last few weeks; last week, former president said 'two stars' of Democratic Party are Clark and Sen Clinton; Mickey Kantor, Bill Clinton's campaign chairman in 1992, has signed on with Clark's campaign; Kantor says he does not expect either Clinton to endorse any candidate in Democratic primaries, but that their enthusiasm for Clark is evident; Clark dismisses talk that he could be stalking horse for Sen Clinton and might wind up as her vice presidential candidate, either in 2004 or 2008
If you don't believe Clark and the Clintons' denials, then you think they are liars and nothing I'm going to say will change that kind of conspiracy theory mindset.