Actor hits campaign trail for Clark

EPPING, N.H. - Every aisle was packed with supporters and people who wanted to meet Democrat Wesley Clark on Saturday as he and actor Ted Danson visited a small country store here.

Danson, one of a number of celebrities to lend their support to the various candidates this time around, said he's enjoying seeing how seriously New Hampshire voters take the primary.

"It's really fun to bump into someone who wasn't for Wes Clark and watch them discover him," Danson said. "I'm convinced he really does have the best chance of winning."

John Kerry's broad-based lead in New Hampshire polls is increasing the focus on the battle for second-place in the state's presidential primary.

Kerry has broad support across most demographic groups to bolster his double-digit advantage in the days leading up to the Tuesday primary, according to polls released Saturday.

One-time leader Howard Dean, Wesley Clark and a slowly rising John Edwards are currently battling for second place. Joe Lieberman trails these three in some polls, but is pulling close in others.

A national Newsweek poll of Democratic voters released Saturday found Kerry out front at 30 percent, while Edwards, Dean and Clark were battling for second in the low teens.

Several of the polls are tracking polls, which are taken every night with the findings of the last two or three nights rolled together to offer nightly results.

MANCHESTER, N.H. - America's policy in Iraq will lead to a resumption of the military draft, Democrat Dennis Kucinich told high school and college students Saturday.

"We are not that far away from this country moving toward a draft," he said. "It's just inevitable because the number of troops are going down and the U.S. commitments are worldwide and there is a point at which that is the next step."

DOVER, N.H. - Howard Dean said Saturday he was surprised by the "under the table" campaigning he faced during the Iowa caucus and said the state needs to prevent such negative attacks if it wants to keep the nation's leadoff presidential vote.

Dean said his rivals "had their folks really beating up on the people who went in, trying to get them to change their minds in caucus."

"I think Iowa is going to have to change the way it conducts its caucuses if it wants to continue to be first," he told reporters in an interview on his campaign bus in New Hampshire.

Dean came in a distant third in Iowa behind Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina. He's hoping for a win in New Hampshire to help recover from the disappointing showing.

Wesley Clark's wife, Gert, helped elevate the debate in the Democratic presidential race.

Mrs. Clark was introducing her husband at a crowded fire station Saturday when she was interrupted by shouts of "Down in front," from people who couldn't see her from the back of the room.

"Down in front? Who, me?" she asked, then agreed to stand on a box so more people could see her.

"I've done many things over the last two weeks," she said. "I've been to South Carolina. I've been to New Mexico. Now I'm standing on a box in a fire department. Anything for my husband."

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