Gen. Wesley Clark said Thursday that he entered the presidential race the day before in part because U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton asked him to do so.
In an interview with the Miami Herald, Clark said that "he had been flooded with requests to run - including from New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton."
In comments to the New York Times, Gen. Clark said that both Mr. and Mrs. Clinton had encouraged him to make the run.
Oddly enough, however, once the ex-NATO commander entered the race, Mr. Clinton's enthusiasm for Clark's prospects began to wane.
Commenting on Clark's chances for success, the ex-president told a California audience this week, "Whether [Clark] can get elected president I don't have a clue."
While praising Gen. Clark for having "a sackful of guts," Mr. Clinton instead seemed more interested in prospects that his wife would get into the race. He claimed, for instance, that many New Yorkers have told her "they would release her from her commitment [not to run in 2004] if she wanted to do it."
Meanwhile, Sen. Clinton has apparently reneged on a promise to serve as Gen. Clark's campaign co-chair and is once again touting her own candidacy on her Web site FriendsofHillary.com.
In a new batch of e-mail posted at Mrs. Clinton's direction, supporters urged her to jump into the presidential sweepstakes.
"Should she plan to run for President of the United States in the future, she can count not only on my vote but on my help in her campaign in Nebraska," wrote one fan.
"I would love nothing more than to see you in the White House – the sooner the better," said another.
Asked why she continued to tout her own presidential prospects while denying she's going to run, Clinton told the New York Post, "Freedom of speech, I guess."
None of the e-mail showcased by Sen. Clinton said anything about Gen. Clark's presidential bid.
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
2004 Elections
Sen. Hillary Clinton
Editor's note:
Hillary has a bold plan to capture the White House -- Click Here Now