Corpus Christi, TX - Before a packed crowd, Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz, Dean of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a senior member of the House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee, yesterday endorsed Retired General Wesley Clark for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.

General Clark addressed the crowd by phone, telling them how honored he was by their show of support for his candidacy. Clark recalled how he and Ortiz had worked together over the span of their careers in Latin America and Europe, and in the corridors of power in Washington.

The crowd was clearly excited to hear from the candidate -- and the number of people who attended the event illustrates the support now coming to Clark's burgeoning candidacy. Clark's standing in national polls has crept up steadily in the past 6 weeks.

Retired Col. Ed Moore, of Brownsville, once General Clark's Executive Officer, spoke glowingly of his former commander, offering his personal insights of Wesley Clark as a leader and as a man of honor and values.