The Democratic Party is in shambles, worse than 1994 when the Republicans took control of the House and Senate. At least then the Democrats had the White House. Now Democrats are without a voice, marginalized for at least the next two years in a government controlled by President Bush and the GOP. The work President Clinton did to move the party to the political center has been undermined in part by Clinton’s own moral misbehavior, and by those Democrats hiding in Bush’s shadow on war and taxes without offering a vision of their own. Democratic candidates for governorships and the Senate were on their own while the leadership tiptoed around policy positions that might upset the delicate balance.

Among Tuesday’s casualties were Senate leader Tom Daschle, (D-S.D.), who was unable to fashion a national message to counteract Bush. The losses Democrats suffered surely dash Daschle’s hopes for the presidency. House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt is leaving Congress to run for president. What’s his slogan? “Vote for Gephardt: He lost the House; He can lose the presidency, too.” President Clinton may be his party’s best strategist, but he couldn’t turn out the vote in Florida, and neither could Al Gore, whose presence in the state failed to rekindle the fervor of 2000.

There is no natural heir apparent for 2004 except in Al Gore’s mind. The election results exposed a leadership void in the Democratic Party that will soon be filled if only because politics abhors a vacuum. The question is, who can regenerate the party?

Reflecting upon his conquests, Napoleon said, “I found the crown of France rolling along in the gutter, and picked it up upon the end of my sword.” Who will pick up the Democratic Party’s crown? Is there anybody with the capacity to think through the party’s difficulties and then to carry the banner? The 2004 presidential election is already under way, and if Democrats have any hope of victory, they’ll have to come out of the starting blocks very fast. What’s needed is another Clinton, somebody who’s not part of the problem and who has a message that connects with voters. Everybody thought the first President Bush couldn’t be beaten; Clinton knew better. Remember: “It’s the economy, stupid.”

The party should expand its reach beyond the usual suspects. One name offered by people who claim to know is CIA Director George Tenet. Bright, experienced in security issues and with a background in politics, Tenet is said to be interested in returning to politics, perhaps even as a candidate. He worked in both the Bush and Clinton administrations and served members on both sides of the aisle when he was a congressional aide. Regardless of party, Tenet is a loyalist. But he has not taken kindly to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld creating his own in-house intelligence agency at the Pentagon because of Tenet’s failure to tie Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to the al-Qaida terror network.

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is another new face whose resume isn’t tainted by too many years on Capitol Hill. A medical doctor who has successfully expanded health-care coverage in his state, he is uniquely qualified to return the debate back to human needs at home. He’s such a long shot for president, he figures he might as well speak his mind. While other Democrats avoided confronting Bush, Dean candidly differs with Bush on war and taxes.

Georgia Sen. Zell Miller turned 70 this year, and he’s not looking to run for president. But he’s got some ideas on how to survive as a Democrat in a political climate that favors Republicans. Turns out that isn’t just Georgia; it’s most of the country.

Prediction: Democrats will look for someone other than Clinton, Gore, Daschle and Gephardt to lead the party.