Wesley Clark

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This article is about the American general and politician. For the computer scientist, see Wesley A. Clark.
Wesley K. Clark
General Wesley Clark
General Wesley Clark
Nickname(s)"Wes"
AllegianceU.S. Army
Years of service1966–2000
RankGeneral
Commands heldSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe,
United States European Command,
United States Southern Command
Battles/warsVietnam War,
Kosovo War
AwardsDefense Distinguished Service Medal,
Legion of Merit,
Silver Star,
Bronze Star Medal

Wesley Kanne "Wes" Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army. He spent 34 years in the Army and the Department of Defense, receiving many military decorations, several honorary knighthoods, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Clark was valedictorian of his class at West Point, was awarded a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University where he earned a Masters degree in Economics, and later graduated from the Command and General Staff College with a Masters degree in military science.

Clark commanded Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo War during his term as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000. During the conflict, some of Clark's command decisions, such as his statements at press briefings and his actions at Priština International Airport, were heavily criticized. At times, he had a difficult relationship with Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton, which led to rumors Clark was forced into retirement, though both he and the Department of Defense said his retirement was merely standard personnel movement.

Clark joined the 2004 race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination as a drafted candidate on September 17, 2003, but withdrew from the primary race on February 11, 2004 in favor of campaigning for the eventual Democratic nominee, John Kerry. Clark currently leads a political action committee "WesPAC: Securing America," which was formed after the primaries,[1] and used it to support numerous Democratic Party candidates in the 2006 midterm elections.[2] Clark is considered a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2008, although he has not yet decided whether to run.

Early life and education

Clark's paternal great-grandfather was a Belarusian Jew who immigrated to the United States in response to the Pale of Settlement and anti-Semitic violence from Russian pogroms. Clark's father, Benjamin J. Kanne, graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve as an ensign during World War I, although he was never assigned to a combat mission. Kanne, living in Chicago, Illinois, became involved with ward politics in the 1920s as a prosecutor and served in local offices. He went on to serve as a delegate to the 1932 Democratic National Convention that nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt as the party's presidential candidate.[3] Kanne came from the Kohen family line,[4] and Clark's son has characterized his grandparents' marriage, between Jewish Benjamin and Methodist Veneta Kanne,[5] as "about as multicultural as you could've gotten in 1944."[6]

Clark was born Wesley Kanne in Chicago, Illinois, on December 23, 1944. His father Benjamin died in 1948 when Clark was four years old, following which his mother then moved the family to Little Rock, Arkansas. This move was made for a variety of reasons, including escaping the greater cost of living in a large city such as Chicago, the support Veneta's family there could provide, and her feeling an outsider to the remaining Kanne family as she did not share their religion.[7] Once in Little Rock, Veneta married Viktor Clark, whom she met while working as a secretary for a local bank.[8] Viktor raised Wesley as his son, and officially adopted him on Wesley's 16th birthday. Wesley's name was changed to Wesley Kanne Clark. Viktor Clark's name actually replaced that of Wesley's biological father on his birth certificate, something Wesley would later say that he wished they had not done.[9] Veneta raised Wesley without telling him of his Jewish ancestry to protect him from the anti-Semitic activities of the Ku Klux Klan occurring in the South at the time.[10] Although his mother was Methodist, Clark chose a Baptist church after moving to Little Rock and continued attending it throughout his childhood.[11]

He graduated from Hall High School with a National Merit Scholarship, and helped take their swim team to the state championship, filling in for a sick teammate by swimming two legs of a relay.[6][12][13] Clark has often repeated the anecdote that he decided he wanted to go to West Point after meeting a cadet with glasses who told Clark (who wore glasses as well) that one did not need perfect vision to attend West Point as Clark had thought.[6][14] Clark applied and received his acceptance letter on April 24, 1962.

Military career

Clark's acceptance letter from West Point

Clark's military career began July 2, 1962 when he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Clark later said an important influence on his view of the military came from Douglas MacArthur's famous "Duty, honor, country" speech given to the class of 1962, only months before Clark entered West Point. A recording of the speech was played for Clark's class when they first arrived.[6][15]

Clark sat in the "first chair" in many of his classes, a position held by the highest performer in class. Clark participated heavily in debate, was consistently within the top 5% of his class as a whole (earning him a "Distinguished Cadet" patch on his uniform), and ultimately graduated valedictorian of West Point. The valedictorian is first to choose which career field of the Army to serve in, and Clark selected armor. He met Gertrude Kingston, his future wife, at a USO dance for midshipmen and West Point cadets.[6][15]

Clark eventually applied for a Rhodes Scholarship and learned in December of his senior year at West Point that he had been accepted. He spent his summer at the United States Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Clark worked in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program during his Rhodes Scholarship, completing his degree at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford in August 1968. While at Oxford, a Jewish cousin of Clark's, who lived in England, called Clark and informed him of his Jewish heritage (after asking his mother if she would allow it). Clark spent three months after graduation at Fort Knox, Kentucky, going through Armor Officer Basic Course, then went on to Ranger School at Fort Benning. He was promoted to captain and was assigned as commander of the A Company of the 4th Battalion, 68th Armor, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Riley, Kansas.[16]

Vietnam

Clark's Silver Star citation

Clark was assigned a position in the 1st Infantry Division and flew to Vietnam on May 21, 1969 during the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. He worked as an assistant, collecting data and helping in operations planning, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his work with the staff. Clark was then given command of A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division in January 1970. In February, only one month into his command, he was shot four times by a Viet Cong soldier with an AK-47. The wounded Clark shouted orders to his men, who counterattacked and defeated the Viet Cong force. Clark had injuries to his right shoulder, right hand, right hip, and right leg, and was sent to Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania to recuperate. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the encounter.[17]

Clark had converted to Catholicism, his wife Gertrude's religion, while in Vietnam. He saw his son, Wesley Clark, Jr., for the first time while at the Valley Forge Hospital.[18] Clark commanded C Company, 6th Battalion, 32nd Armor, 194th Armored Brigade, a company comprised entirely of injured soldiers, at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Clark has said this command is what made him decide to continue his military career past the four-year commitment required by West Point, which would have been concluded in 1971. Clark completed his Armor Officer Advanced Course while at Fort Knox, taking additional elective courses and writing an article that won the Armor Association Writing Award. His next posting was to the office of the Army Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the "Modern Volunteer Army" program from May to July 1971. He then served as a social studies instructor at West Point for three years from July 1971 to 1974.[19][20]

Clark graduated from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), earning his military Master of Arts degree in military science from the CGSC with a thesis on American policies of gradualism in the Vietnam War. Clark's theory was one of applying force swiftly, which was being advocated by many soldiers at the time, a concept that would eventually become established as U.S. national security policy in the form of the Weinberger Doctrine and its successor, the Powell Doctrine. Clark was promoted to major upon his graduation from the CGSC.[21]

Post-Vietnam

In 1975, Clark was appointed a White House Fellow in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a special assistant to the its director, James Thomas Lynn. He was one of only 14 appointed out of 2,307 applicants.[22] Lynn also gave Clark a six-week assignment to assist John Marsh, then a counselor to the President. Clark was approached during his fellowship to help push for a memorial to the Vietnam War. He worked with the movement that ultimately helped lead to the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Clark took two commands with the 1st Armored Division based in Germany from August 1976 to February 1978, first over the 3rd Battalion 35th Armor and then the entire 3rd Brigade.[19] Clark's brigade commander while in the former position said Clark was "singularly outstanding, notably superb." Regarding his term as brigade commander, one of his battalion commanders called Clark the "most brilliant and gifted officer [he'd] ever known."[23] He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his work with the division.

The brigade commander had also said that "word of Major Clark's exceptional talent spread," and in one case reached the desk of then Supreme Allied Commander Alexander Haig. Haig personally selected Clark to serve as a special assistant on his staff, a post he held from February 1978 to June 1979. While on staff at SHAPE, Clark wrote policy reports and coordinated two multinational military exercises. As a result of his work on Haig's staff, Clark was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit. After his European post, he moved on to Fort Carson, Colorado where he served first as the executive officer of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division from August 1979 to February 1980, then as the commander of the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division from February 1980 to July 1982. According to the American journalist David Halberstam, the commander at Fort Carson had a reputation of disliking West Point graduates and fast-rising officers such as Clark.[24][25] After two years of not making the list to rise from battalion commander to brigade commander, Clark decided to attend the National War College. After studying there from June 1982 to 1983, Clark graduated and was promoted to full colonel in October 1983.[19][26]

Portrait of Brigadier General Clark as a commander at Fort Irwin

Following his graduation, Clark worked in Washington, D.C. from July 1983 to 1984, in the offices of the Chief and Deputy Chiefs of Staff of the United States Army and earned a second Legion of Merit for his work. He then served as the Operations Group commander at the Fort Irwin Military Reservation from August 1984 to June 1986. He was awarded yet another Legion of Merit and a Meritorious Service Medal for his work at Fort Irwin, and was then given a brigade command at Fort Carson in 1986. He commanded the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry there from April 1986 to March 1988. Veneta Clark, Wesley's mother, fell ill as he began this command and died on Mother's Day in 1986. After Fort Carson, Clark returned to the Command and General Staff College to direct and further develop the Battle Command Training Program (BCTP) there until October 1989. The BCTP was created to teach senior officers war-fighting skills, according to the commanding general at the time.[27] Then on November 1, 1989 Clark became a flag officer with his promotion to brigadier general.[19][28]

Clark returned to Fort Irwin and commanded the National Training Center (NTC) from October 1989 to 1991. The Gulf War occurred during Clark's command, and many National Guard brigades trained under his command were sent into the war. Multiple generals commanding American forces in Iraq and Kuwait said Clark's training helped bring about results in the field and that he had successfully begun training a new generation of the military that had moved past Vietnam-era strategy. He was awarded yet another Legion of Merit for his "personal efforts" that were "instrumental in maintaining" the NTC, according to the citation. He served in yet another planning post after this, as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Concepts, Doctrine, and Developments at Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia. While there, he helped the commanding general of TRADOC prepare the army for war and develop new post-Cold War strategies. One of Clark's major pushes was for technological advancement in the army to establish a digital network for military command that Clark called the "digitization of the battlefield".[29] Clark was promoted to Major General in October 1992 at the end of this command.[19][30]

Fort Hood and the Waco Siege

See also: Waco Siege

Clark's final divisional command came with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. Clark was in command during three separate deployments of forces from Fort Hood for peacekeeping in Kuwait.

Once promoted to a full 4-star general, Clark assumed command of USSOUTHCOM in June 1996

Some critics, such as CounterPunch and FrontPageMag.com, have made allegations that Clark was, to some degree, involved in the Waco Siege. 74 Branch Davidian followers were killed during the raid including their leader David Koresh. Groups making allegations of Clark's involvement note that Clark's second-in-command at the time, future General Peter Schoomaker, met with Texas governor Anne Richards and then-Attorney General Janet Reno who were also allegedly involved with the Siege. They also note that some military technology and personnel, including two M1 Abrams tanks, from Fort Hood were "lent"[31] to the FBI for the operation. Some also suggest that, given the sensitive nature of the materials lent for the operation, Clark had some knowledge of and perhaps a hand in planning the Waco Siege.[32] Others, such as James Ridgeway, dismiss the allegations as conspiracy theories with little evidence to substantiate them.[33]

His final Officer Performance Report for his command at Fort Hood called him "one of the Army's best and brightest", Clark was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work at Fort Hood and was promoted to lieutenant general at the end of his command in April 1994. Clark's next assignment was an appointment as the Director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), from April 1994 to June 1996.[19][34]

United States Southern Command

Army regulations set a so-called "ticking clock" upon the promotion to a three-star general, essentially requiring that Clark be promoted to another post within 2 years from his initial promotion or retire. This deadline ended in 1996 and Clark said he was not optimistic about receiving such a promotion because rumors at the time suggested General Dennis Reimer did not want to promote him although "no specific reason was given".[35] General Robert Scales admitted that it was likely Clark's reputation of intelligence within the military was responsible for feelings of resentment against him from other generals. Clark was named to the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) post despite these rumors. Congress approved his promotion to full general in June 1996, and General John M. Shalikashvili signed the order. Clark said he was not the original nominee but the first officer chosen "hadn't been accepted for some reason."[35][36]

The Balkans

See also: War in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Dayton Agreement

Clark began planning work for responses to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina upon his appointment in 1994 as the Director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J5) on the JCS staff. While collecting information to outline military options for resolving the conflict Clark met with Bosnian military leaders including Ratko Mladić, who was later accused of war crimes and genocide. Clark was photographed exchanging hats with Mladić and the photo drew controversy in the United States. A Washington Post story was published claiming Clark had made the visit despite a warning from the U.S. ambassador.[37] Some Clinton administration members privately said the incident was "like cavorting with Hermann Goering."[38] Clark had actually listed the visit in the itinerary he submitted to the ambassador, but says he only learned afterwards that the visit had never been approved. He also said there had been no warning and no one had told him to cancel the visit, although two Congressmen called for Clark's dismissal regardless. Clark later said he regretted the exchange[39] and the issue was ultimately resolved as Bill Clinton sent a letter defending Clark to the Congress and the controversy subsided.[40] Clark later said it was his "first experience in the rough and tumble of high visibility... and a painful few days."[41] Conservative pundit Robert Novak later referred to the hat exchange in a column during Clark's 2004 presidential campaign, citing it as a "problem" with Clark as a candidate.[42]

Clark was sent to Bosnia by Secretary of Defense William Perry to serve as the military advisor to a diplomatic negotiating team headed by assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke. Holbrooke later described Clark's position as "complicated" because while it presented him with future possibilities it "might put him into career-endangering conflicts with more senior officers."[43] While the team was driving along a mountain road during the first week, the road gave way and one of the vehicles fell over a cliff carrying passengers including Holbrooke's deputy, a deputy assistant Secretary of Defense, and an Air Force colonel. The road was patrolled by Serbian troops known to fire at U.N. vehicles. Clark and Holbrooke attempted to crawl down the mountain, but were driven back by sniper fire. Once the fire ceased Clark rappelled down the mountain to collect the bodies of two dead Americans left by Bosnian forces that had taken the wounded to a nearby hospital. After returning to Washington D.C. for funeral services, the negotiations continued and the team eventually reached the Dayton Agreement at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and later signed it in Paris on December 14, 1995.[44]

File:Clark Official NATO Portrait.jpg
Clark's official portrait as SACEUR, courtesy of NATO

Clark returned to the European theater and the Balkans following his USSOUTHCOM position when he was appointed to U.S. European Command in the summer of 1997 by President Clinton. He was, as with SOUTHCOM, not the original nominee for the position. The Army had already selected another general for the post. Because President Clinton and General Shalikashvili believed Clark was the best man for the post, Clark eventually got the nomination. Shalikashvili noted he "had a very strong role in [Clark's] last two jobs."[45] Clark noted during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services committee of the 105th Congress that he believed NATO had shifted since the end of the Cold War from protecting Europe from the Soviet Union to working towards more general stability in the region. Clark also addressed issues related to his then-current command of USSOUTHCOM, such as support for the School of the Americas and his belief that the United States must continue aid to some South American nations to effectively fight the War on Drugs.[39] Clark was quickly confirmed by a voice vote the same day as his confirmation hearing,[46] giving him the command of 109,000 American troops, their 150,000 family members, 50,000 civilians aiding the military, and all American military activities in 89 countries and territories of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.[47] The position made Clark the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), which granted him overall command of NATO military forces in Europe.

Kosovo War

See also: Kosovo War

The largest event of Clark's tenure as SACEUR was NATO's confrontation with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Kosovo War. The United Nations Security Council introduced Resolution 1199 calling for an end to hostilities in Kosovo and Richard Holbrooke again tried to negotiate a peace. This process came to an unsuccessful end, however, following the Racak incident. Then U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tried to organize another diplomatic solution with the Rambouillet Agreement, which Yugoslavia refused. Clark was at the Rambouillet talks and tried to convince Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milošević to agree to peace by telling him "there's an activation order. And if they tell me to bomb you, I'm going to bomb you good." Clark later said Milošević launched into an emotional tirade against Albanians and said that they'd been "handled" in the 1940s by killing large numbers of them.[48][49]

Clark briefing two fighter squadrons deployed to Aviano Air Base in Italy on May 9, 1999

Clark started the bombings codenamed Operation Allied Force on March 24, 1999 on orders to try and enforce UN Resolution 1199 following Yugoslavia's refusal of the Rambouillet Agreement. Secretary of Defense William Cohen felt that Clark had powerful allies at the White House such as President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that were allowing him to circumvent The Pentagon in promoting his strategic ideas, while Clark felt he was not being included enough in discussions with the National Command Authority leading Clark to describe himself as "just a NATO officer who also reported to the United States".[50] This command conflict came to a ceremonial head when Clark was not initially invited to a summit in Washington, D.C. to commemorate NATO's 50th anniversary, despite being its supreme military commander. Clark believed Milošević was holding out so long because he felt he could survive a conflict without the threat of ground troops. Clark eventually secured an invitation to the summit, but was told by Cohen to say nothing about ground troops and Clark agreed.[51]

The flag lowered at the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong in respect for the victims of the embassy bombing[52]

Clark returned to SHAPE following the summit and briefed the press on the continued bombing operations. A reporter from the Los Angeles Times asked a question about the effect of bombings on Serbian forces and Clark noted that merely counting the number of opposing troops did not show Milošević's true losses because he was bringing in reinforcements. Many American news organizations capitalized on the remark in a way Clark said "distorted the comment" with headlines such as "NATO Chief Admits Bombs Fail to Stem Serb Operations" in the New York Times. Clark later defended his remarks, saying this was a "complete misunderstanding of my statement and of the facts" and President Clinton agreed Clark's remarks had been misconstrued. Regardless, Clark received a call the following evening from General Hugh Shelton who said he had been told by Secretary Cohen to deliver a piece of guidance verbatim. "Get your fucking face off the TV. No more briefings, period. That's it."[53][54]

Operation Allied Force reached another problem when NATO accidentally bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on May 7, 1999. The operation had been organized against numerous Serbian targets, including "Target 493, the Federal Procurement and Supply Directorate Headquarters", although the intended target building was actually 300 meters away from the targeted area. The embassy was located at this mistaken target and three Chinese journalists were killed. Clark's intelligence officer called Clark taking full responsibility and offering to resign, but Clark declined saying it was not the officer's fault. Secretary Cohen and CIA Director George Tenet took responsibility the next day. Tenet would later explain in testimony before the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on July 22, 1999 that the targeting system used street addresses which gave inaccurate positions for air bombings and that the various databases of off-limit targets did not have the up-to-date address for the relatively new embassy location.[55][56]

The bombing campaign was ended on June 10, 1999 on the order of Secretary General of NATO Javier Solana after Slobodan Milošević complied with conditions the international community had set and Yugoslav forces began to withdraw from Kosovo.[57] United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 was adopted that same day, placing Kosovo under United Nations administration and authorizing a Kosovo peacekeeping force.[58] NATO suffered zero deaths in combat[59] and two deaths overall, coming from an Apache helicopter crash which NATO attributed to engine failure.[60] The bombing was noted for its high degree of accuracy, with 495 estimated civilian deaths and 820 wounded reported to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as a result of the entire campaign.[59][61] Human Rights Watch estimates the number of civilian deaths due to NATO bombings as somewhere between 488 and 527.[62]

Milošević's term in office in Yugoslavia was coming to an end and he began enacting a series of policies seen merely as attempts to preserve his power. The elections came on September 24, 2000, but protests grew from allegations of fraud and rigged elections that came to a head on October 5 in the so called Bulldozer Revolution. Milošević resigned on October 7. The Democratic Opposition of Serbia won a majority in parliamentary elections that December. Milošević was taken into custody on April 1, 2001, and transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on June 28 to face charges of war crimes and genocide. Clark was called to testify in a closed session of Milošević's trial in December 2003. He testified on issues ranging from the Srebrenica massacre to conversations Clark had had with Milošević over his career.[63] Some groups also label Clark and Bill Clinton (along with several others) war criminals for NATO's entire bombing campaign, saying the entire operation was in violation of the NATO charter.[64][65][66][67]

Priština International Airport

One of Clark's most argued decisions during his SACEUR command was his attempted operation at Priština International Airport immediately after the end of the Kosovo War. Russian forces had arrived in Kosovo and were heading for the airport on June 12, 1999, two days after the bombing campaign ended, expecting to help police that section of Kosovo. Clark, on the other hand, had planned for the Kosovo Force to police the area. Clark called then-Secretary General of NATO, Javier Solana, and was told "of course you have to get to the airport" and "you have transfer of authority" in the area. The British commander of the Kosovo Force, General Mike Jackson, however refused to block the Russians through military action saying "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you." Jackson has said he refused to take action because he did not believe it was worth the risk of a military confrontation with the Russians. American General Hugh Shelton called Jackson's refusal "troubling" and hearings in United States Senate suggested it may amount to insubordination with Senator John Warner suggesting holding hearings on if the refusal was legal and potentially changing those rules if it was.[68] British Chief of the Defence Staff Charles Guthrie however, agreed with Jackson and told Clark this on the day Jackson refused the order.[69] Russian military action in Kosovo was eventually stopped peacefully, as some NATO nations were convinced to disallow Russian aircraft to fly over their territory, halting their ability to bring in forces.[70][71]

Retirement

Clark received another call from General Shelton in July 1999 in which he was told Secretary Cohen wanted Clark to leave his command in April 2000. Clark was surprised by this as he saw SACEURs as expected to serve at least 3 years and often asked to stay on for a 4th, while this date would give him less than 3 years of service at the post.[72] Clark was told this was necessary because General Joseph Ralston was leaving his post as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and would need another 4-star command within 60 days or he would be forced to retire. Ralston was not going to be appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff due to an adulterous affair and the SACEUR position was said to be the last potential post for him. Clark said this explanation "didn't wash" because he believed the legalities could have been sorted out to let him serve a full 3 years.[73] Clinton signed onto Ralston's reassignment, although David Halberstam wrote that both he and Madeleine Albright were angered at Clark's treatment. Clark spent the remainder of his time as SACEUR overseeing peacekeeper forces and, without a new command to take, was forced into retirement from the military on May 2, 2000.[74][75]

Rumors persisted that Clark was forced out due to his contentious relationship with some in Washington D.C., however he has dismissed them calling it a "routine personnel action" and the Department of Defense said it was merely a "general rotation of American senior ranks."[76] However, a NATO ambassador told the International Herald Tribune that Clark's dismissal seemed to be a "political thing from the United States."[77] General Hugh Shelton would say of Clark during his 2004 campaign that "the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I'm not going to say whether I'm a Republican or a Democrat. I'll just say Wes won't get my vote,"[78][79] though Shelton never elaborated further on what these issues were.[80]

Civilian career

Clark had earned an average of $40,000 per year over the course of his military career and, according to the New York Times, retired with "precious little in the bank to show for years of public service."[81] Clark set himself three initial goals in civilian life - to earn $40 million in the business world to let him practice philanthropy, to become a professor, and to become a professional golfer. Clark's inspiration for philanthropy came from billionaire George Soros. Clark began a public speaking tour in the summer of 2000 and approached several former government officials for advice on work after life in government including Newt Gingrich, Mack McLarty, and Richard Holbrooke. Clark took McLarty's advice to move back to Little Rock, Arkansas and Clark took a position with the Stephens Group, an investment firm headquartered there. He took several other board positions at defense-related firms and in March 2003 he amicably left the Stephens Group to found Wesley K. Clark & Associates. Clark began writing, publishing two books - Waging Modern War and Winning Modern War - along with writing the forewords for a series of military biographies, and writing a series of editorials.[82] He had only amassed roughly $3.1 million towards his $40 million goal by 2003, but began considering running for public office instead of pursuing his business career.[83]

2004 presidential campaign

See also: Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2004 and United States presidential election, 2004

Clark has said that he only began to truly define his politics after his military retirement in 2000 around the 2000 presidential election that would give George W. Bush the presidency. Clark had a conversation with Condoleezza Rice, Bush's campaign manager and future National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. She told him that the war in Kosovo would have never taken place under a Bush administration, as they adhered more to realpolitik. Clark found such an administration unsettling, as he had been selected for the SACEUR position because he believed more in the interventionist policies of the Clinton Administration. He said he would see it as a sign that things were "starting to go wrong" with American foreign policy if Bush was elected.[84] Clark supported the administration's War in Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks but did not support the expansion of the War on Terrorism to the Iraq War, although when he first began opposing the Iraq War has been questioned by some. Clark continued to warn people as a commentator on CNN that he believe the United States was undermanned in Iraq, has said the war was "never [about]... WMD or regime change," and believes "the connection to the War on Terrorism was not shown."[85][86]

Clark met with a group of wealthy New York Democrats including Alan Patricof to tell them he was considering running for the presidency in the 2004 election. Patricof, a supporter of Al Gore in 2000, met with all the Democratic candidates and ultimately supported Clark in 2004. Clark has said that he voted for Al Gore in 2000, but has voted for Republicans such as Ronald Reagan, held equal esteem for Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman, and had been a registered independent voter throughout his military career. Ultimately as Clark himself put it, however, he decided he was a Democrat because "I was pro-affirmative action, I was pro-choice, I was pro-education... I'm pro-health care... I realized I was either going to be the loneliest Republican in America or I was going to be a happy Democrat."[87] Clark said he liked the Democratic party, which he saw as standing for "internationalism", "ordinary men and women", and "fair play."[88][89]

A "Draft Clark" campaign began to grow with the launch of DraftWesleyClark.com on April 10, 2003.[90] DraftWesleyClark signed up tens of thousands of volunteers, made 150 media appearances discussing Clark, and raised $1.5 million in pledges for his campaign. DraftClark2004.com, another website in support of drafting Clark, was the first organization to register as a political action committee in June 2003 to persuade Clark to run. They had earlier presented him with 1000 emails in May 2003 from throughout the country asking Clark to run. One of DraftClark2004's founders, Brent Blackaby, said of the draft effort "Just fifty-two years ago citizens from all over the country were successful in their efforts to draft General Eisenhower. We intend to do the same in 2004 by drafting General Clark. If he runs, he wins."[91][92]

Clark spent time during these early stages of the draft movement deciding whether to run, a decision he said was based heavily on deciding whether to expose his family to a presidential campaign. His wife, Gert, said she was "initially... not delighted about it" but later changed her mind after hearing their son Wesley Clark Jr. say that "things have to change, and we're willing to do it. And I want my son to grow up in a different world."[93] Clark went on Meet the Press in June 2003 and said he was "seriously consider[ing]" running for president.[91] Clark believes Bill Clinton encouraged him to run when he attended a party hosted by the Clintons and Bill Clinton toasted Hillary Clinton and Clark as the two "stars" of the Democratic party. Clark's repeated connections with Bill Clinton led pundits to speculate that Clark was being manuvered by the Clintons to change the Democratic field and clear a path for Hillary to enter the race. This theory lasted only a few months and Antonia Felix speculated in her biography of Clark that it came from the largely unexplained connection between Clark and Bill Clinton which led to speculation.[94]

File:WkcAnnouncement1.jpg
Wesley Clark announces his candidacy on September 17, 2003.

Clark announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential primary election from Little Rock on September 17, 2003, months after the other candidates. He acknowledged the influence of the Draft Clark movement, saying they "took an inconceivable idea and made it conceivable".[95] Clark's early campaign staff took on many figures prominent in the 1992 and 1996 Clinton-Gore campaigns, including Mickey Kantor. He also hired one of the founders of DraftWesleyClark.com, John Hlinko, to be his director of Internet strategy. The campaign raised $3.5 million in the first two weeks.[96][97] The internet campaign would also establish the Clark Community Network of blogs[98] which is still used today and made heavy use of Meetup.com, where DraftWesleyClark.com had established the second-largest community of Meetups at the time.[99]

Clark's loyalty to the Democratic party was questioned by some as soon as he entered the race. Senator Joe Lieberman, another 2004 candidate, called Clark's party choice a matter of "political convenience, not conviction." Republican Governor Bill Owens of Colorado and Marc Holtzman have claimed Clark once said "I would have been a Republican if Karl Rove had returned my phone calls." Clark later claimed he was simply joking, but both Owens and Holtzman said the remark was delivered "very directly" and "wasn't a joke." Katharine Q. Seelye wrote that many believed Clark had only chosen to be a Democrat in 2004 because it was "the only party that did not have a nominee."[88] Clark also delivered a speech to the Pulaski County Republican Party in Arkansas saying he was "very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Paul O'Neill - people I know very well - our president George W. Bush."[100] U.S. News and World Report ran a story two weeks later claiming Clark might be considered some form of political run as a Republican.[101]

Clark, coming from a non-political background, had no position papers to define his agenda for the public. Once in the campaign, however, several volunteers established a network of connections with the media and Clark began to explain his stances on a variety of issues. He was, as he had told the Washington Post in October, pro-choice and pro-affirmative action. He called for a repeal of recent Bush tax cuts for people earning more than $200,000 and suggested providing healthcare for the uninsured by altering the current system rather than transferring to a completely new universal health care system. He backed environmental causes such as promising to reverse "scaled down rules" the Bush administration had applied to the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts and dealing with global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Clark also proposed a global effort to strengthen American relations with other nations, reviewing the PATRIOT Act, and investing $100 billion in homeland security. Finally, he put out a budget plan that claimed to save $2.35 trillion over ten years through a repeal of the Bush tax cuts, sharing the cost of the Iraq War with other nations, and cutting government waste.[102] Clark had testified before the House Committee on Armed Services on September 26, 2002[103] that while he supported the Iraq Resolution he believed the country should try other options before the more immediate war President Bush had been calling for at the time, and this testimony was later used during his presidential campaign to portray Clark as pro-war although FactCheck called this a "classic case of ripping quotes out of their full context in order to create a false picture."[104] Clark testified before this committee again in 2005,[105] a hearing Dana Milbank of the Washington Post characterized as having a "different tune" as some of Clark's 2002 testimony that had been portrayed by some committee members as "fuzzy stuff" and "dumb clichés" had proven itself true in the ensuing two and a half years.[106]

Some, such as Clark's biography writer Antonia Felix[107] have speculated that Clark's inexperience at giving "soundbite" answers hurt him in the media during his primary campaign.[108] The day after he launched his campaign, for example, he was asked if he would have voted for the Iraq War Resolution which granted President Bush the power to wage the Iraq War, a large issue in the 2004 campaign. Clark said, "At the time, I probably would have voted for it, but I think that's too simple a question," then "I don't know if I would have or not. I've said it both ways because when you get into this, what happens is you have to put yourself in a position - on balance, I probably would have voted for it." Finally, Clark's press secretary clarified his position as "you said you would have voted for the resolution as leverage for a UN-based solution." After this series of responses, although Clark opposed the war, the New York Times ran a story with the headline "Clark Says He Would Have Voted for War".[109] Clark was repeatedly portrayed as unsure on this critical issue by his opponents throughout the primary season, being forced to continue to clarify his position such as at the second primary debate when he said, "I think it's really embarrassing that a group of candidates up here are working on changing the leadership in this country and can't get their own story straight... I would have never voted for war. The war was an unnecessary war, it was an elective war, and it's been a huge strategic mistake for this country."[110] Another media-incident started when Clark was asked if he believed faster-than-light travel was possible and he responded that he "still believe[d] in E=mc²" but believed that at some point in human history mankind would overcome that barrier. This led to a series of headlines deriding the response, such as "Beam Us Up, General Clark" in the New York Times, "Clark is Light-Years Ahead of the Competition" in the Washington Post, "General Relativity (Retired)" on the U.S. News and World Report website, and "Clark Campaigns at Light Speed" in Wired magazine.[111][112]

Clark (center) with his wife Gertrude (right) at a campaign event in Seattle, Washington on August 19, 2004

Several polls from September to November of 2003 showed Clark leading the Democratic field of candidates or as a close second to Howard Dean. The John Edwards campaign brought on Hugh Shelton - the general who had said Clark was made to leave the SACEUR post early due to "integrity and character issues" - as an advisor, a move that drew criticism from the Clark campaign.[113] Since Dean consistently polled in the lead in the Iowa caucuses, Clark opted out of participating in the caucus entirely to focus on later primaries instead. The 2004 Iowa caucus was a turning point in the campaign for the Democratic nomination, however, as front-runners Dean and Dick Gephardt garnered results far lower than expected and John Kerry and John Edwards campaigns' benefited in Clark's absence. Although Clark performed reasonably well in later primaries, such as a tie for third place with Edwards in the New Hampshire primary and narrowly winning the Oklahoma primary over Edwards, he saw his third-place finish in Tennessee and distant third in Virginia as signs that he had lost the South which his campaign had been centered on. He withdrew from the race on February 11, 2004 and announced his endorsement of John Kerry at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin on February 13.[114] Clark believed his opting out of the Iowa caucus was one of his campaigns biggest mistakes, saying to one supporter the day before he withdrew from the race that "everything would have been different if we had [been in Iowa]."[115]

Post-2004 campaign

A woman holds a Clark sign with one of his 2004 slogans at a Ned Lamont rally Clark attended in 2006

Clark continued to speak in support of Kerry (and the eventual Kerry/Edwards ticket) throughout the remainder of the 2004 presidential campaign, including speaking at the 2004 Democratic National Convention on the final evening.[116] He founded his current political action committee, WesPAC, in April 2004.[117] Fox News Channel announced in June 2005 that they had signed General Clark as a military and foreign affairs analyst.[118] He joined the Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA as a senior fellow. A managing partner of the companies which support the Center, Ronald Burkle, described Clark's position as "illuminat[ing] the center's research" and "teaching [the] contemporary role of the United States in the international community."[119] Clark is currently represented by Greater Talent Network for public speaking and other political events.[120]

Clark campaigned heavily throughout the 2006 midterm election campaign, supporting numerous Democrats in a variety of federal, state-wide,[121] and state legislature campaigns.[122] Ultimately his PAC aided 42 Democratic candidates who won their elections, including 25 who won seats formerly held by Republicans and 6 newly elected veteran members of the House and Senate.[123] Clark was the most-requested surrogate of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee throughout the 2006 campaign,[124] and sometimes appeared with the leadership of the Democratic Party when they commented on security issues.[125][126]

Potential 2008 presidential campaign

See also: United States presidential election, 2008 and Official and potential 2008 United States presidential election Democratic candidates

Clark is mentioned as a potential 2008 presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket. He is ranked within the top Democratic candidates according to some Internet polls.[127][128] However, in national polling, Clark usually garners between 1 and 4 percent of the vote and is sometimes not even included in the list of possible nominees.[129] Democratic Party activist George Soros held a fund-raiser for Clark at his Manhattan home in April 2006, and has donated more personal funds to Clark's candidacy than he has to any other potential Democratic nominee for 2008.[130] The Arkansas Times reported on November 9, 2006 that Clark would likely decide whether or not to run in 2008 "within the next two months" from then, and Clark's spokesperson commented that "that’s true, but [they] don’t have a timeline for when a decision will be made just yet."Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). Clark spoke in Huntsville, Alabama on January 15, 2007 and hinted at a presidential run, saying "When I run I'll be the national security candidate", although the remark was removed from the transcript of the event on Clark's WesPAC website.[131] Clark also spoke at the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting on February 2, 2007,[132] where numerous potential Democratic presidential candidates spoke, though Clark did not himself speak as a candidate. Clark founded the website StopIranWar.com in February 2007 which advocates against an attack on Iran.[133] When asked about a presidential run by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! on March 2, 2007, Clark said "I think about it every day."[134]

Awards and honors

See also: List of Wesley Clark awards and honors

Wesley Clark has been awarded numerous honors, awards, and knighthoods over the course of his military and civilian career. Notable military awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, the Silver Star, and the Bronze Star Medal with an oak leaf cluster.[135] Internationally Clark has received numerous military honors such as the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Grand Cross of the Medal of Military Merit from Portugal and knighthoods.[136] Clark has been awarded some honors as a civilian, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000.[137] The people of Đakovica, Kosovo, named a street after him for his role in helping their city and country.[138][139]

Footnotes

  1. ^ WesPAC - Securing America, WesPAC History. Retrieved November 2 2006.
  2. ^ List of all endorsed candidates from WesPAC - Securing America. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
  3. ^ Felix, Antonia, Wesley K. Clark: A Biography. Newmarket Press; New York, New York, 2004. Pgs 7-9.
  4. ^ Felix, pgs 12-13.
  5. ^ Clark 2004 biography by Clark For President. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
  6. ^ a b c d e American Son by Linda Bloodworth. Produced by Linda Burstyn, Cathee Weiss and Douglas Jackson; edited by Gregg Featherman.
  7. ^ Felix, pgs 14-15.
  8. ^ Felix, pg 22.
  9. ^ Felix, pg 25.
  10. ^ Felix pgs 16-17.
  11. ^ Felix, pg 21.
  12. ^ Felix, pg 41.
  13. ^ Felix, pg 52.
  14. ^ Felix, pg 49.
  15. ^ a b Felix, pgs 54-68.
  16. ^ Felix, pgs 69-80.
  17. ^ Felix, pgs 80-84.
  18. ^ Felix, pgs 85-87.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Detailed resume included with his nomination before the Senate Armed Services Committee, First Session, 105th Congress. July 9, 1997.
  20. ^ Felix, pgs 88-95.
  21. ^ Felix, pgs. 95-97.
  22. ^ "White House Assigns Fellow to OMB Office," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, June 29, 1975.
  23. ^ Felix, pgs 97-102.
  24. ^ Felix, pg 105. "The commander at Fort Carson, Gen. John Hudacheck, had a well-known aversion to West Point cadets and fast-risers like Clark. Even though Clark made quick and outstanding progress with the armor unit, Hudacheck expressed his attitude towards Clark by omitting him from a list of battalion commanders selected to greet a congressional delegation visiting the base."
  25. ^ War in a Time of Peace: Bush, Clinton, and the Generals, by David Halberstam, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001, pgs. 432-433.
  26. ^ Felix, pgs 102-110.
  27. ^ Further information on the BCTP can be found at Warfighter / Battle Command Training Program Exercises. Global Security. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  28. ^ Felix, pgs 110-116.
  29. ^ "Digitization: Key to Landpower Dominance," by Wesley Clark for Army magazine, November 1993.
  30. ^ Felix, pgs 116-120.
  31. ^ Wesley Clark: General Issues by Lowell Pointe for Frontpage Magazine on August 25, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  32. ^ Delta Force at Waco by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair for CounterPunch on June 1, 1999. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
    From Waco To Belgrade: Wesley K. Clark and America's "Army of the Future" by Ken McCarthy for BrassCheck in 1999. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
    Waco.. the Wesley Clark Connection by Don Stacey on January 24, 2004. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
    Clark tanks used in Waco siege by Kelly Patricia O'Meara on October 16, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
    General Wesley Clark from Waco to Yugoslavia from The 7th Fire. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
    US Army used tanks in Waco siege and Violated Posse Comitatus for DOJgov.net on October 16, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  33. ^ General Alarm - Conspiracy Theorists See Clark as Another Piece of the Waco Puzzle by James Ridgeway for the Village Voice September 24-30, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2003.
  34. ^ Felix, pgs 120-122.
  35. ^ a b Clark, Waging, pg 68.
  36. ^ Felix, pgs 131-134.
  37. ^ Clark, Waging, pg 38
  38. ^ Clark's Military Record by KATHARINE Q. SEELYE and ERIC SCHMITT for the New York Times on September 20, 2003. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  39. ^ a b Nominations before the Senate Armed Services Committee, First Session, 105th Congress. July 9, 1997.
  40. ^ Felix, pgs 125-126.
  41. ^ Clark, Waging, pg 40.
  42. ^ The Trouble with Wes by Robert Novak on Townhall.com on September 22, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  43. ^ To End a War by Richard Holbrooke, New York: Random House, 1999, pg. 9.
  44. ^ Felix, pgs. 126-129
  45. ^ "Wesley K. Clark, A Candidate in the Making, Part 2: An Arkansas Alliance and High-Ranking Foes" by Michael Kranish for the Boston Globe on November 17, 2003.
  46. ^ Nomination: PN382-105 on July 9, 1997. Retrieved December 14, 2006 from Thomas.gov.
  47. ^ Felix, pg. 137.
  48. ^ Interview with Wesley Clark for PBS Frontline.
  49. ^ Felix, pgs. 138-140.
  50. ^ Clark, Waging, pg. 342.
  51. ^ Clark, Waging, pg. 269.
  52. ^ Consulate General of the United States Hong Kong & Macau (1999-08-02). "Statements on NATO Bombing of China's Embassy in Belgrade" (HTML). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2006-10-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help) (no longer available at source, text can be found here)
  53. ^ Clark, Waging, pg. 273.
  54. ^ Felix, pgs. 140-143.
  55. ^ Tenet, George (1999-07-22). "DCI Statement on the Belgrade Chinese Embassy Bombing House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Open Hearing" (HTML). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2006-10-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  56. ^ Clark, Waging, pgs. 296-297.
  57. ^ Press Briefing by Javier Solana on June 10, 1999 from the NATO website.
  58. ^ Resolution 1244 adopted by the United Nations Security Council on June 10, 1999.
  59. ^ a b The Impact of the Laws of War in Contemporary Conflicts (PDF) by Adam Roberts on April 10, 2003 at a seminar at Princeton University titled "The Emerging International System – Actors, Interactions, Perceptions, Security". Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  60. ^ Two die in Apache crash by BBC News on May 5, 1999. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  61. ^ International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Final Report to the Prosecutor by the Committee Established to Review the NATO Bombing Campaign Against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, para. 53. Available on the ICTY website. Also published in 39 International Legal Materials 1257-83 (2000).
  62. ^ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign by Human Rights Watch in February 2000. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  63. ^ Felix, pg. 152.
  64. ^ An Open Letter to Michael Moore: You Are Way Off Base About Wesley Clark by Terry Lodge for CounterPunch on September 17, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  65. ^ Don't Be Fooled Again: Gen. Wesley Clark: War Criminal by Mitchel Cohen for CounterPunch on September 17, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  66. ^ Citizen Clark? - Or, Why Electing a Mass Murderer Is a Really Bad Idea by Nebojsa Malic on September 18, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  67. ^ Indictment accusing Bill Clinton, General Wesley Clark and others for war crimes against Yugoslavia on SerbiaInfo on July 22, 1999. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  68. ^ Top U.S. General Calls Command Standoff in Kosovo 'Troubling' : Disobeying Orders: NATO Veil Lifted by Joseph Fitchett for the International Herald Tribune on September 11, 1999. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  69. ^ Online Newshour: Waging Modern War interview by Margaret Warner for PBS on June 15, 2001. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  70. ^ Confrontation over Pristina airport for BBC News on March 9, 2000. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  71. ^ Wesley Clark's 'High Noon' Moment for Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation on September 17, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  72. ^ Clark, Waging, pg. 408.
  73. ^ Clark, Waging, pg. 409.
  74. ^ Ralston's bio from the NATO website. Last updated January 20, 2003. When Ralston is listed as taking the USEUROCOM position (May 2, 2000) Clark no longer has a command.
  75. ^ Felix, pgs. 147-150.
  76. ^ Nato commander denies snub for BBC News on July 29, 1999. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  77. ^ General's Early Exit Upsets NATO by Joseph Fitchett for the International Herald Tribune on July 29, 1999. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
  78. ^ Town Crier's Gen. Shelton comments picked up by national media by Bruce Barton for the Los Altos Town Crier on October 1, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  79. ^ Hugh Shelton smears Wes Clark by William Saletan for Slate on September 29, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  80. ^ Felix, pg. 202.
  81. ^ "General Clark and the Hustings: Complexity and Contradiction," New York Times, November 23, 2003.
  82. ^ Op-Eds from Securing America. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  83. ^ Felix, pgs 154-173.
  84. ^ "The Last Word: Wesley Clark from Newsweek. July 14, 2003.
  85. ^ General Wesley Clark: A Call to Arms from NewsMax by Dave Eberhart on August 25, 2003.
  86. ^ Felix, pgs 189-190.
  87. ^ "In His Own Words". Washington Post, October 19, 2003.
  88. ^ a b "To Find Party, General Marched to His Own Drummer," New York Times, October 5, 2003.
  89. ^ Felix, pgs 190-191.
  90. ^ Archived Clark bio from his 2004 campaign site and Clark for President. Clark For President - P.O. Box 2959, Little Rock, AR 72203. This version is from the Internet Archive on December 5, 2003.
  91. ^ a b "Draft Clark 2004 for President Committee Files with FEC," US Newswire, June 18, 2003.
  92. ^ Felix, pgs. 191-193.
  93. ^ Gertrude Clark interview on C-Span's "American Journal," January 25, 2004.
  94. ^ Felix, pgs. 195-196.
  95. ^ Clark's Announcement speech in Little Rock by Wesley K. Clark hosted on Clark04 on September 17, 2003. Retrieved February 4, 2007.
  96. ^ "Wesley Clark Raises More than $3.5M in Fortnight," Forbes, October 6, 2003.
  97. ^ Felix, pgs. 196-197.
  98. ^ The Clark Community Network from WesPAC - Securing America. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  99. ^ Case Studies: Draft Wesley Clark by Grassroots Enterprises. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  100. ^ Was Wesley Clark a Republican? from FactCheck.org on January 14, 2004. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  101. ^ The Chameleon Candidate by Doug Ireland for the LA Weekly on September 25, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  102. ^ Felix, pgs. 197-199.
  103. ^ Clark's 2002 testimony (warning, large file, may be slow to load), from the House Armed Services Committee on September 26, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2007
  104. ^ RNC's Gillespie Gets It Wrong on Clark and Iraq from FactCheck.org on January 22, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  105. ^ Clark's 2005 testimony from WesPAC - Securing America on April 6, 2005. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  106. ^ Same Committee, Same Combatants, Different Tune by Dana Milbank for the Washington Post on April 7, 2005. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  107. ^ Felix, pg 199, "Clark learned that his intellectual style of considering an issue from every angle and ruminating on several alternatives would not serve him well in the sound-bite format of modern political rhetoric."
  108. ^ Wesley Clark: Mending our torn country into a nation again by Jerseycoa on the DemocraticUnderground on January 19, 2004. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
  109. ^ "Clark Says He Would Have Voted for War," New York Times, September 19, 2003.
  110. ^ "Clark Under Sharp Attack in Democratic Debate," Washington Post, October 10, 2003.
  111. ^ Felix, pgs. 174-175.
  112. ^ Clark Campaigns at Light Speed by Brian McWilliams on September 30, 2003. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
  113. ^ Clark Communications Director questions John Edwards retaining Hugh Shelton by Matt Bennett, hosted on Clark04.com on November 11, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
  114. ^ Wes Clark Endorses John Kerry by Wesley Clark on February 13, 2004. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
  115. ^ Felix, pgs. 203-206.
  116. ^ Video of Clark's speech from the Washington Post website on July 29, 2004. Retrieved January 31, 2007. Full schedule can be seen here.
  117. ^ History section of WesPAC: Securing America. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  118. ^ Gen. Wesley Clark Joins FNC as Foreign Affairs Analyst from TVWeek by Michele Greppi on June 15, 2005. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  119. ^ Gen. Wesley Clark to Join UCLA Burkle Center for UCLA News by Judy Lin on September 16, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  120. ^ Wesley K. Clark on the Greater Talent Network homepage. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  121. ^ All Endorsed Federal/Statewide candidates from WesPAC: SecuringAmerica. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  122. ^ All Endorsed State/Local candidates from WesPAC: SecuringAmerica. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  123. ^ Time to Lead from WesPAC: SecuringAmerica on November 8, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  124. ^ Clark considering presidential bid by the Arkansas Times Staff for the Arkansas Times on November 19, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  125. ^ DEMOCRATS—JOINED BY GENERAL WESLEY CLARK—RELEASE NEW REPORT ON BUSH NATIONAL SECURITY FAILURES from WesPAC: Securing America on September 5, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  126. ^ Democratic Leadership Call for a New Direction on Security from Securing America: WesPAC on September 13, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
  127. ^ Web Poll results from ChooseOurPresident2008 by Alex Christensen. Retrieved October 3 2006.
  128. ^ 2008 straw poll by kos for DailyKos on January 16, 2007. Retrieved January 26 2007.
  129. ^ Summary of 2008 Democratic Nomination Polling from PollingReport.com. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
  130. ^ "Billionaire Soros Gives Financial Boost to General Clark" by Gerstein, Josh for the New York Sun on October 13, 2006.
  131. ^ General Wesley Clark at UAW Local 1314 in Huntsville, AL, Transcript by Melange, on SecuringAmerica. Retrieved January 26, 2007. (The phrase is still in the hosted video, and was in the original transcript posted)
  132. ^ General Wesley Clark at the 2007 Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting from WesPAC: Securing America on February 2, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2007.
  133. ^ "StopIranWar.com" at the Huffington Post
  134. ^ Gen. Wesley Clark Weighs Presidential Bid: "I Think About It Everyday" by Amy Goodman from Democracy Now! on March 2nd, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2007.
  135. ^ U.S. Military decorations from SecuringAmerica. Retrieved October 3, 2006.
  136. ^ International honors from SecuringAmerica. Retrieved October 3, 2006
  137. ^ Civilian honors from SecuringAmerica. Retrieved October 3, 2006.
  138. ^ 4th image down from A Wes Clark Democrat, May 26, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
  139. ^ Former NATO commander, retired Gen. Wesley Clark to visit Kosovo from Kosava Report on May 24, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006.

References

  • Clark, Wesley K. (foreword) (2006). Great Generals series. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Clark, Wesley K. (2001). Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-277-7.
  • Clark, Wesley K. (2004). Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-043-X.
  • Felix, Antonia (2004). Wesley K. Clark: A Biography. New York: Newmarket Press. ISBN 1557046255.

External links

Preceded by Supreme Allied Commander Europe (NATO)
1997—2000 		Succeeded by


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