BEVERLY HILLS, California - A spokesman for pop singer Madonna announced Monday that the "Material Girl" does not and has never endorsed General Wesley Clark for President. "The letter allegedly written by Madonna promoting General Clark was a forgery," he read from the release, "It was apparently placed on the site without Madonna's knowledge by an unknown party on or about January 5th. It will be coming down very soon. We regret any confusion caused by this malicious intrusion and wish all the candidates well." The full text of the press release is available at Madonna.com

"Well, it's a blow," said a disappointed Clark upon hearing the news, "but I have to admit that I questioned it from the beginning. I'm not really a Madonna fan, I thought it odd that she was such a fan of mine. It makes sense now."

The disappointment may be short-lived, however. A poll conducted shortly after the announcement shows that Clark enjoyed a healthy 11% bump in his numbers among women aged 20-40, possibly attributable to the un-endorsement.

"I wasn't comfortable with it," said one woman, "I wasn't sure I could vote for a man that Madonna thought was the right one. It was a big red flag for me. I've been a Kerry-girl, but I think I might just give Clark another look."

Rumors that the Clark camp is responsible for the original hacking abound, though no evidence has been gathered implicating anyone. Questions remain about why it has taken so long for Madonna and her staff to recognize the problem. Madonna's spokesman did not take questions and Madonna herself has not asked the FBI to investigate the alleged hacking.
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