GEN Clark's Comments about Sen. McCain

[jkm_101_fso]

I'm sure everybody heard about it:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n4217971.shtml

I won't lie, I haven't watched the interview, but heard some of the comments on the radio.

I know we have some very wise elders on this council and was curious if any of you personally worked for or with General Wes Clark. What was his reputation while in Uniform? Did his political aspirations begin while he was in the military?

Is the consensus that these comments were of his own accord or did the Democratic leadership put him up to it? (Did Bob Schieffer [sp?] lead him)

Is Clark a potential VP candidate? Did he ruin his chances? What has Obama said in response?

I try to stay as non-partisan as possible; which is ethical for all active duty military; but this is quite interesting...

[Stevely]

In one sense, he's right, in that being a pilot and a prisoner of war are not qualifications, in and of themselves, that one would make a good executive, but I don't recall McCain claiming that it would. His Vietnam experience is the measure of his devotion to his country. So I think it's a graceless thing to say, but it is politics. Of course, that means Clark is fair game, too, and thus it's pretty rich that he should harp on qualifications based on wartime command experience, based on his record in Kosovo, especially with the airport incident.

I never served under him but know some folks who did, they say he was a jerk, interested in his rater and senior rater, not so much for his troops. FWIW.

[SWCAdmin]

From the article cited by the OP:

"If Barack Obama's campaign wants to question John McCain's military service, that's their right," McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said after Clark's appearance Sunday. "But let's please drop the pretense that Barack Obama stands for a new type of politics. The reality is he's proving to be a typical politician who is willing to say anything to get elected, including allowing his campaign surrogates to demean and attack John McCain's military service record."

Wow. Cuts cleanly through about 17 layers of ju jitsu that were trying to get started there.

[Van]

My thoughts on Wesley Clark and his conduct of the Kosovo campaign are here. In his own account of the events leading up to the conflict and the course of the Kosovo conflict, he railroaded the U.S. into a conflict that probably didn't have to happen as he placed foreign interests ahead of U.S. interests. His agenda was to "prove" the relevance of NATO (at the request of Javier Solana of Spain, according to Clark's version of the story), when the reason for NATO (the Soviet Union) was no more.

Clark's credentials as an authority on international affairs, as an authority on the qualifications to be a head of state, and as political commentator leave much to be desired.

[Ken White]

...I never served under him but know some folks who did, they say he was a jerk, interested in his rater and senior rater, not so much for his troops. FWIW.

with him by telephone in 1991 when he was the CG at the NTC, in addition to a lot of anecdotal evidence from a couple of contemporaries, former seniors and some former subordinates, I think you are, as they say, too kind...

Way too kind. Aside from Pristina, the fact that Clark helped Holbrook set up the Dayton accords which were a direct lead-in to Kosovo and the fact that the entire Kosovo operation was almost a farce in a great many respects, one should also recall Wesley's electric Bicycle for combat troopies (LINK).

I'm still pondering the pandering and patent stupidity in that idea -- and how a bicycle rider is going to use a weapon. Talk about questioning the judgment of others...

The foregoing is military-related and has nothing to do with his politics.

[jkm_101_fso]

I'm still pondering the pandering and patent stupidity in that idea -- and how a bicycle rider is going to use a weapon. Talk about questioning the judgment of others...

This cannot really be serious...maybe we can put a turret on the handlebars?

[SWJED]

My only experience with him was sitting in a waiting room just prior to us going on Larry King Live with one other guest. I spent my entire adult life in or with the Marine Corps and we have our egos. His trumped all - hands down. There was a good moment though - the guest on the CNN show just prior - another Marine and a good friend of mine - was walking out and Clark commented to him that he did not like appearing or discussing with others (one-man show I guess). The Marine remarked (in a way I can't do justice to here) - then how are you going to handle the debates? Clark was in the mix (putting out feelers if I remember correctly) for a presidential run at the time - April 2003.

[John T. Fishel]

of the US Army School of the Americas when Clark was CINC Southcom. I was seated next to him at dinner. My dinner conversation was pleasant but entirely non-substantive, not even about USARSA which was his purpose for being there.

I knew and had dealings with every Southcom Cinc from Dennis P. McAuliffe through Tom Hill. I respected all of them to a greater or lesser extent - save one. I particularly liked Jack Galvin, Goerge Joulwon, and Chuck Wilhelm. I established a friendly working relationship with Paul Gorman (on the USARSA BOV) and a strong personal friendship with Fred Woerner.

Wes Clark is the exception I refer to above.

Cheers

JohnT