Enter Clark - The near-left

Enter Clark - The near-left is singing the Alleluiah Chorus - Wesley Clark is going to enter the presidential race today.

His supporters claim his leadership experience as one of his main qualifications.

But while Clark (who came up through the Armor branch, and has commanded tank units from company through division strength) has an impressive record (including a combat tour in Vietnam, like most of his classmates that progressed beyond Lieutenant Colonel in rank), it's got its warts. They might be considered serious warts, for someone who aspires to lead the free world.

This BBC piece might call his leadership into question:

"But General Clark's plan was blocked by General Sir Mike Jackson, K-For's British commander.

'I'm not going to start the Third World War for you,' he reportedly told General Clark during one heated exchange.

General Jackson tells the BBC: ''We were [looking at] a possibility....of confrontation with the Russian contingent which seemed to me probably not the right way to start off a relationship with Russians who were going to become part of my command.'' "

In fact, his main qualification to leadership, especially in the Kosovo campaign under President Clinton, may have been...

...his proximity to Clinton. David Hackworth notes:

"He's a boy from Arkansas who's connected to Clinton from '66 at Oxford. He has gone up the political route. He was Alexander Haig's aide-de-camp; he was a White House fellow. He didn't have the kind of assignments that a real muddy-boots grunt would have, someone like Schwarzkopf. If you had Schwarzkopf running the capaign, you would see a far different campaign, meaning you would hit their forces with overwhelming power, and thump the son-of-a-bitch in the head with a two-by-four on the first hit so he's seeing stars from then on."

In other words, General Clark is another Clinton hack (forgive the pun).

Posted by Mitch at September 17, 2003 07:43 AM