General Wesley Clark
Formerly the Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO, Clark has also done stints on CNN as a war commentator. No sooner did Clark become the favored candidate that it also emerged that Clark's been a longtime supporter of Republicans. He voted for Reagan, evidently, and has made appearances at Republican fundraisers. While his candidacy may not appeal to activist Democrats who will vote in the primary, his military resume alone seems to make him a favorite over our current Pres with regard to the general voting public. Never mind the issues.

Howard Dean
Former Governor of Vermont and a Medical Doctor, Dean is known for being fiscally conservative (he balanced Vermont's budget) while somewhat socially progressive, working to improve childrens' access to health care and signing a law permitting civil unions for gays. Strongly opposed to Bush's war in Iraq, he now insists we must "win the peace" over there. Dean came from nowhere to lead the pack of candidates, raising some $10 million and attracting thousands of supporters to rallies and meetups.

Rep. Dick Gephardt
Representative from Missouri, Mr. Gephardt has been at the forefront of the Democratic Congressional contingent for the past 20 years, and a consistent friend to labor. Gephardt is strongly in favor of protecting Social Security and Medicare. He calls Bush's first term "A Miserable Failure" and created a website by that name: See www.amiserablefailure.com. Gephardt also pins Dean down on some of his statements on Social Security and Medicare at DeanFacts.com.

Senator John Kerry
A 4-term Senator from Massachusetts and decorated Vietnam veteran, Kerry has been considered the candidate with the resume to beat. Kerry's campaign one-liner is that he wants to "make the country we love safer, stronger, and more secure." He's proud of helping defeat a recent attempt to do away with the 40-hour work week, and says he'd like to index the minimum wage to inflation and "raise it from a 30-year low". On education, Kerry opposes vouchers, and calls for full-funding of Bush's "No Child Left Behind" act, which Kerry voted for.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich
Congressman from Cleveland, Ohio, and self-proclaimed vegan (a type of vegetarian), Kucinich unabashedly advocates a progressive, pro-labor, protectionist agenda. He calls for universal health care, pulling out of NAFTA and the WTO, and ending the Patriot Act, which he says unduly infringes on Americans' civil liberties.

Senator John Edwards
A young, first-term Senator from North Carolina, some thought Edwards would be the next Bill Clinton. With his southern heritage, charm, and charisma, a handful of commentators hailed Edwards as someone who might be able to woo those pesky swing voters and capture the southern vote. But Edwards has had a tough time getting attention in this large pack of candidates. He just released a document called "Real Solutions for America" promoting his views on issues such as "getting the economy back on track, lowering health care costs, giving every student the chance to attend college and strengthening homeland security."

Rev. Al Sharpton
Mr. Sharpton, despite his checkered past, has an interesting approach to this election and has made some lucid, thoughtful contributions to the debate. His website lists his Top 10 Reasons for entering the campaign, among which include "statehood for the 600,000 disenfranchised citizens of the District of Columbia," and a Constitutional Amendment declaring health care a human right.

Senator Joe Lieberman
This 3-term Senator from Connecticut and Al Gore's running mate in the 2000 Presidential election is placing his bet on supporting small business. That support is prominently featured on his website. Elsewhere he's known for his hawkishness with regard to foreign affairs - he was strongly in favor of the war with Iraq - and national defense. As a Senator, Lieberman has also fought attempts to open the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling and against Bush's efforts to gut the Clean Air Act.

Former Senator Carol Moseley-Braun