Retired Gen. Clark backs Clinton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic U.S. presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton on Saturday won the endorsement of retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO commander and 2004 presidential candidate.

Clark called the New York senator "a remarkable person" who would be "a great commander in chief" for the U.S. military.

"She's the right person," Clark said in a telephone briefing with reporters.

Clinton said she would like to have Clark "as involved as he can find the time to be" in her 2008 campaign.

Clark headed the 1999 NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo and was an early critic of the U.S. war in Iraq, saying the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein was a distraction in the battle against terrorism.

He dropped out of the race for the 2004 nomination after finishing a distant third in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.