Sock puppet gaining on the angry guy?

Wes Just 4 Points Behind Howie

A new national poll shows retired Gen. Wesley Clark is gaining fast on Democratic front-runner Howard Dean - and now trails by just 4 points.

The survey suggests that Clark has the potential to emerge as the top stop-Dean contender in the presidential pack.

Dean now leads Clark nationally by just 24 percent to 20 percent among registered Democratic voters - and the gap has narrowed dramatically since last month, when Dean led by 27 to 12 percent, according to the USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll.
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But the race for the Democratic nomination isn't a national contest, it's a series of state-by-state races, and Clark could be hurt by the fact that he isn't even competing in the first test, the Jan. 19 Iowa caucuses.

Which reminds me of an oddity in the Donk nomination process - AP Survey: Insiders Give Howard First Lead

Democratic insiders have given self-styled outsider Howard Dean his first lead in the chase for delegates needed to capture the party's presidential nomination, according to an Associated Press survey.

In the first "ballots" cast of the 2004 race, the former Vermont governor has endorsements or pledges of support from 80 Democratic "superdelegates" - elected officials and other party officials who will help select a nominee at this July's convention.

Rival Dick Gephardt, the former House Democratic leader who has served as Missouri congressman for 28 years, has the backing of 57 superdelegates. Four-term Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has the support of 50.

Among the remaining candidates, three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the 2000 vice presidential nominee, has 25 superdelegates, while Wesley Clark, the retired general who has never held elected office, has 22.
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One Democratic superdelegate has endorsed President Bush.

Bwahaha - that was Senator Zell Miller.

But what's the deal with the "supes"?

To win the nomination, a candidate must have 2,162 delegates, using any combination of superdelegates and regular delegates who are pledged to a candidate based on primary or caucus results.

Superdelegates, officially known as "unpledged," aren't bound to vote for the candidate who wins the primary of their respective state. They also can change their mind as the primary race unfolds.

"The superdelegate race is still wide open," said Joe Eyer, political director for Lieberman's campaign.

In the AP survey, 584 of the 725 superdelegates listed by the Democratic National Committee were contacted. Of those, only 258 had endorsed a candidate. Another 326 said they were uncommitted or declined to answer, while 141 could not be reached.

Sounds like most of the "supes" are playing their cards close to their vests. And they are about a third of the total delegates.