Clark retorted that Sen. Clinton was “selfless,” drawing uproarious laughter from an apparently skeptical audience.

While the Clintons have not said publicly whether they will back Clark’s bid, former Vice President Al Gore ’69 threw his support behind former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean yesterday.

Clark supporters hissed loudly when an MSNBC anchor announced the Gore endorsement at the end of a “Hardball” commercial break.

Although Clark appeared nonplussed by Gore’s decision—“I don’t pay attention to endorsements, unless they’re for me,” he said—political observers suggested that former vice president’s move may have altered the dynamic of the Democratic race.

“The impact of Gore’s endorsement of Dean is that it...enlarges the possibility that Clark, not [Rep. Richard A.] Gephardt—will emerge as the alternative to Dean,” said KSG Professor of Public Leadership David R. Gergen.

“[Clark] is finding his voice as a candidate. He is sharpening his responses. What you saw tonight is a better and improved Wesley Clark who is gaining some traction,” said Gergen, who served as an advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton.

But other experts said that Clark, the only of the nine Democratic presidential hopefuls not to have sought public office before, is still showing himself to be a political neophyte.

“There appears to be a disconnect between the body language and the emotion of what [Clark] is really talking about, so that he comes across as very flat,” said Dorothy S. Zinberg, a lecturer in public policy at the KSG.

Zinberg credited Clark for his “carefully thought-out, sensible description” of his spat with Shelton. But she said that “with this group, he should be firing up their enthusiasm rather than rationalizing what was a major disappointment in his career.”

Clark’s political inexperience also showed through at the Kirkland event, where his well-rehearsed sound-bytes often failed to draw much reaction from supporters.

“That was supposed to be an applause line,” he told the audience after one awkward silence.

Students who attended the Kirkland event were surprised when—without prompting—Clark mentioned his support for a proposed constitutional amendment to ban flag-burning.

Clark conceded that his position likely put him at odds with most audience members, but he insisted that the stance was necessary if the Democratic Party hopes to reverse its losses in Southern states.

“It’s not about the Confederate flag down there. It’s about the American flag. And our party has to be smart enough to understand that,” he said.

While students praised Clark for his professed opposition to the Iraq war as well as his vehement defense of civil liberties, some said that the candidate’s comments on flag-burning left them less enthusiastic.