Washington ? The late, loudly heralded entry of former Gen. Wesley Clark into the presidential race Wednesday underscores one central fact about the contest for the Democratic nomination: its enduring lack of definition despite months of campaigning.

Although they have been at it since January, none of the nine contenders who were in the race before Clark has taken command. Only one, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, seems to have caught on among Democratic loyalists — and many party leaders harbor serious doubts about Dean’s ability to compete in a general election against President Bush next year.

Two recent polls of Democratic voters captured the unsettled nature of the contest and the failure of most candidates to break through. One, taken over Labor Day weekend for CBS, found that two-thirds of those surveyed couldn’t name any of those running. The other, conducted Sept. 8-10 by Gallup, found voters widely split, with no candidate breaking 20 percent.

“We’re getting so close to the primaries beginning, and we’re not even divided into two different camps — because we’re not enthusiastic enough to be divided into two camps,” said one New York Democrat who spoke on condition of anonymity.

This environment has created an opening for a new contender, and Clark is trying to take advantage. His potential was identified by the Gallup poll, which pegged his support at 10 percent, even though he had not yet announced his candidacy. Four of the declared candidates were marginally ahead of Clark, with the leader, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, at 16 percent; five others trailed Clark.

In his announcement speech Wednesday in his hometown of Little Rock, Ark., Clark highlighted the issues on which he plans to attack Bush — the economy, the deficit, national security and civil liberties — but revealed almost nothing about his own solutions to those problems. He promised to outline his views on the economy and national security in two upcoming speeches, the first scheduled today in Iowa.

“We’ll ask the tough questions as we move forward, and we’ll hold this administration accountable,” Clark said.

In a round of morning TV interviews before his announcement, Clark put a little political flesh on the bones of his fledgling campaign. He proclaimed himself in support of abortion rights and affirmative action, opposed to gay marriage but not civil unions, and in favor of repealing Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy while preserving them for the middle class.