Tough week for US Democrats

American Democrats will next week begin the long and complicated process of selecting the candidate who will challenge George Bush for the White House.

The presidential election may be 10 months away but the Democratic contenders seeking the party’s backing have already been campaigning for months.

Emerging as the front runner is former Vermont Governor and medical doctor Howard Dean.

But he is facing tough competition from former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark, and Vietnam veteran, Senator John Kerry.

Persistent rumours that former First Lady Hillary Clinton would stand have finally abated after she repeatedly denied she had ambitions for the White House in 2004.

Dean, a father-of-two, has already secured the endorsement of Al Gore, the former vice-president.

But as Dean started to pull ahead in the polls he came under increasingly bitter attacks from his edgy rivals.

In what has been the toughest week of his campaign he was ambushed during a live debate by an opponent and forced to admit that he had never appointed a black person to his cabinet in Vermont.

Dean’s opposition to unilateral action in the Iraq war was questioned when a letter emerged in which he urged such action in the 1990s Balkans conflict.

And has been characterised as an “angry man” unable to control his temper. He yelled at a man who he tried to raise a disagreement during a recent rally, “you sit down”.

Dean’s tough week has seen his popularity among Democrats slip slightly in the polls.

And history is not on his side. The January front runner has only won the party nomination in four of the last 10 election years.

The first real indication of public opinion will come on Monday during the Iowa Caucuses.

A caucus is a kind of public meeting during which people openly back their favourite candidate.

Dean is expected to come out with the most support at the 2,000 individual caucuses held across Iowa. But with his popularity slipping, other candidates still have everything to play for.

Then on January 27 the New Hampshire Primary will be held. Different to a caucus, a primary is a more conventional style vote, again where eligible voters choose the candidate they would like to see challenge the president.

There then follows a steady process of primaries and caucuses in other states until the Summer, when a final candidate will be given the backing of the Democratic Party.

While Dean is emerging as front runner in the Iowa opinion polls, the real picture is less straight-forward.

Because another favourite, retired four-star general Wesley Clark, decided not to campaign in the state, instead saving his energy and money for New Hampshire.

Clark is an attractive candidate for many, with a successful military career - just the kind of man many would want in charge when the nation faces the threat of terrorism at home.

Clark has won support from the Clintons, pop star Madonna and actor Martin Sheen.

But his campaign has been faltering at times.

Opponents have capitalised on his contradictions he once praised Bush, the man he wants to replace, as a good leader.

In the early days of his campaign his message on the Iraq war was unclear, appearing to support it at one moment and oppose it the next.

His opponents also remember how Britain’s General Sir Michael Jackson once clashed with Clark, after Clark had ordered NATO troops to block the runway at Pristina Airport, to prevent Russian troops from seizing it.

Gen Sir Michael reportedly told his American colleague: “Sir, I’m not going to be the man who started World War III.”

Another presidential hopeful to watch is Massachusetts Senator John Kerry.

His campaign team made much of his record in Vietnam, but the “military hero” impression was somewhat eclipsed when General Clark later entered the race.

Dean and Kerry face competition in Iowa from Dick Gephardt, who is currently serving his 14th term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Gephardt has publicly stated that he must win in Iowa.

Before summer, several of the candidates who are seeking party nomination are likely to drop out of the expensive battle.