Glad you're with us, Michael, but what's this bit about Clark switching party affilation? Just because something appears in print doesn't make it true. In this case, it's a lie. Clark was an independent before he registered as a Democrat (common practise in Arkansas and in the military).   Ah, but to go on to what isn't really any of our business, Clark says he voted for Reagan and (gasp!) Nixon and George Bush Sr.!!! Did that make him a de facto Republican? If so, he switched "party affiliation" in this very loose sense when he voted first for Clinton and then for Gore -- not exactly a recent switch and not, I think, what sloppy journalists are implying.