For those of us who have been carefully following the presidential campaign, there are a number of questions about the new candidate who has taken the lead in most polls — General Wesley Clark. First, who is this guy? Second, can he beat Bush?

So let's get to the first question — who is this guy?

During his 34 years in the U.S. Army, Clark rose to the rank of Four-Star General and NATO Supreme Allied Commander, saving over 1 1/2-million Albanians from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Clark graduated first in his class at West Point and holds a Master's Degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

The General is also a recipient of a number of U.S. and foreign military awards, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. He has received honorary Knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments and was made a commander of the French Legion of Honor. In August 2000, Clark was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Finally, General Clark is also licensed as an investment banker, chairman of a strategic advisory and consulting firm, and frequent commentator for CNN.

Now, can he beat Bush?

I admit it. I am excited about Clark entering the race — and obviously, I'm not alone. But as a party, we have to wonder if he is the savior who will lead us to the Promised Land.

So far, I am impressed. I was surprised by his strong performance in the recent debate. Also, I like that he's pro-choice, pro-environment, for gun control, and strongly supports high-tech. Most importantly, he is opposed to the war in Iraq and for strengthening our country by building international relationships and working closely with allies in our battle against terrorism.

In one package, he combines the attributes of several other current candidates. He's got the Southern base of John Edwards, the outsider appeal of Howard Dean, and a military record that beats John Kerry.

His support is strong and growing fast. In addition to a grass roots movement rivaling Dean's, Clark has Bill Clinton's strong backing as well as the support of DNC chair Terry McAuliffe. Both control the Democratic Party and will be of tremendous help in raising money and campaign resources. Also, in the last few weeks, there have been numerous fundraisers and endorsements by Hollywood's elite for Clark.

A Clark presidency could very well reshape the way America looks at the Democratic Party. Finally we have the opportunity to rid ourselves of being stereotyped as weak on national security. As opposed to the chicken-hawks currently in the Bush administration, we could have a President who actually served in the military.

But there are challenges ahead for Clark. Where as all the other candidates have had months to organize, Clark has only a few precious months to prove himself as a candidate, organize a campaign, raise funds, and put together a fleshed-out platform of ideas.

As Democrats, we also have to ask if we should choose a candidate who has not been a party loyalist in the past. Recently, Republicans had gloated that Clark had, before 9/11, spoken publicly and positively about President Bush at a Republican event. He had also voted for Nixon and Reagan in past elections.

Personally, I believe that his openness towards the Republicans is a good thing. It may not play well with party loyalists during the primaries, but it will definitely help us in the general election.

We have seen recent distractions in the media about Clark created by the Republicans who want nothing more than to weaken Clark's momentum throughout the next few months and into the primaries. It's no mystery that the Republicans want Dean, who they see as a much easier candidate to beat, to win our party's nomination.

Clark is already frustrating the right-wing commentators, too. They don't know how to deal with him. How are all these right-wing chicken-hawks (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly), none of whom served in the military and some of whom avoided the draft, going to credibly criticize Clark — a Four-Star General who received a Purple Heart for serving heroically in Vietnam while Limbaugh avoided the war claiming to have a bad knee.

Still, the question remains: if Clark proves himself to be a worthy candidate, how committed and unified are we as a party to back a candidate that has the chance to win?

As Democrats, these questions are important. But right now my feelings are strong. I compare General Clark, a decorated veteran who served heroically in Vietnam and Kosovo, against Bush who went AWOL his last year in service. Yep, the same guy who strutted around in his "Top Gun" flight suit aboard that aircraft carrier with the banner behind him that read: "Mission Accomplished."

Nothing would give me greater joy than on November 8th, 2004 to see President Wesley Clark standing proudly on that exact same aircraft carrier with the exact same banner behind him, reading: "Mission Accomplished."