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Wesley Clark

From dKosopedia

General Wesley K. Clark

Contents

Introduction

General Wesley K. Clark was the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO from 1997 to 2000, during which time he oversaw the military operations in Kosovo which successfully halted the ethnic cleansing there. In late 2003, he launched a bid for the Democratic Presidential nomination, but won only a single primary, in Oklahoma, and took second place in several others before dropping out to support the eventual nominee, John Kerry. He later formed WesPAC. He was speculated on as a running mate for John Kerry, but never seemed to be in serious consideration. Clark spent the remainder of 2004 stumping everywhere from Michigan to Missouri to Alaska in support of Kerry and other Democratic candidates. He also gave what many considered one of the best speeches at the Democratic National Convention. He is also rumored to be considering a run for President in 2008.

Biography

Early life, family and schooling

Wesley Clark was born Wesley Jay Kanne on December 23, 1944 at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago. His mother, Venteta Updegraff, was an Arkansas native from a large family. Her father was a lumber mill worker and both of her parents were born in Arkansas. Pretty and independent, she left home at eighteen and took a job as a stenographer, eventually moving north to Chicago after a short marriage and divorce. Wesley’s father, Benjamin Kanne, was an attorney who worked for the city as legal consul and in private practice. Benjamin’s parents were Russian Jews that had immigrated to the United States to escape the pogroms of the late 1800’s. His legal career was intertwined with his involvement in politics; he made a run for a seat on the city council while an assistant prosecutor and as alderman of the Fourth Ward in 1927. He was a Delegate at the 1932 Democratic Convention. When Veneta and Benjamin married in 1939, they entered into a “mixed marriage”; Veneta was a Methodist and Benjamin a Reform Jew. Such a match was not common at the time. Veneta was exposed to the prejudice Jews had to endure and it disturbed her. The couple agreed not to raise Wesley within the Jewish faith and she took him with her to a Methodist church on Sundays.

In 1948, the family was shocked when Benjamin died in his sleep of heart failure, despite apparent good health. He was only 51 years old. Clark remembers, “My father was a tremendous influence in my life, and then one night he read to me, and I woke up in the middle of the night and there were a lot of adults in the apartment. They kept me from going in the bedroom, and that was the night he died.” Although Clark was only 4 at the time, he remembers his father fondly. "I remember he went out to buy me a present every Saturday. I remember he read to me every night. He loved three things: pinochle, horses, and politics, plus my mother and me." At the time of his father’s death, Wesley developed a speech impediment that he eventually overcame.

Veneta said the memories of her surroundings were too painful and decided to return to Little Rock. She was not close to the Kanne clan and living in Chicago was expensive. Left with little after her husband’s death, she took a job as a secretary at a local bank and moved into her parents' apartment, depending on them to watch over Wesley while she was at work (her father had now retired). Working full-time, she eventually saved enough money to buy a home in the upscale neighborhood of Pulaski Heights and brought her parents with her. “I was the poorest kid in the richest neighborhood” in Little Rock, recalled Clark.

Fearing the prejudice her son would encounter in Arkansas, Veneta made the decision to keep his Jewish ancestry hidden, even from Wesley himself. Clark would not learn of it until he was a young adult.

Wes and his Grandparents

Wes was a curious and active child, displaying early signs of the intellectual capacity, drive and self-discipline that would serve him well throughout his life. Friends remember Clark stopping his own playtime to do his schoolwork, which he always took seriously. He had a natural aptitude for math and science, which developed into a lifelong interest. Model building was a favorite pastime, as well as a love of toy soldiers. Wesley also took a strong interest in religion at a young age, continuing to attend a Baptist church regularly, despite his mother’s lack of participation. He would continue his activities within the church youth group throughout his teenage years.

Wes joined the Boys Club when he was seven years old, attending a class to overcome his speech impediment. The Boys Club became a central part of his life. Here he took up swimming, which he excelled in, became a camp counselor and found a father figure, Jimmy Miller. Miller, who was the swimming coach and ran the Kiwanis summer camp, was committed to instilling ideals of character and leadership in the boys under his charge. He found an eager student in young Wesley, who attended his Saturday leadership classes. Clark has retold the story of Miller’s challenge to a group of boys to jump to from a high bridge to the water below, an activity Miller indulged in himself, which he assured them was safe. Those who dared would be allowed to become camp counselors. They had been skinny dipping at the time and the approach of a car full of women gave the incentive that had been floundering. Wes took the leap. “The afterglow lasted a good two weeks, at least. Or maybe forty years. You have to have courage and faith. And you have to expect to go through some trials to be a leader.” As a counselor with 16 boys under his charge, Clark found satisfaction in learning the basics of leadership. He would go on to win the Boys Club “Boy of the Year” award, chosen out of 5,400 members.

Veneta met and eventually married Victor Clark, a bank vice-president, in 1954. He was divorced and had one son from his previous marriage. He also had a drinking problem, which he overcame, but not before it had ruined his banking career. His employment thereafter was sporadic and Veneta was often the sole breadwinner for the family. Those periods were stressful for the family, Clark remembers. “I loved him dearly, but he hardly ever made any money because he’d been divorced and was an alcoholic. And he just had a hard time getting a job that was commensurate, really, with his ability.” Victor took Wesley fishing and hunting on the weekends. He never met his stepbrother while growing up. Clark spoke of his mother as “a strong woman with strong ideas, and she was very protective of me” and a motivating force in his life. “It was my mother who was pushing me.”

Wes continued to excel academically in High School, where he was known as a classic “smart kid”, always in the top ten percent of his class, an honors student in math, English and science. He became President of the National Honor Society, edited the literary journal of the English honors class and took the first calculus classes offered at the school. He also joined and found success in the debate club, which he would continue at West Point and Oxford. Clark was chosen along with other exceptionally bright students that displayed leadership potential for the American Legion Boys State, a mock government exercise that Bill Clinton would participate in a few years later.

Forming a contrast to this bookish image was Clark’s success as a competitive swimmer. Although no team, or even a pool, existed at Hall High, Wes took it upon himself to form one, acting as both coach and captain (the Boys Club pool was used for practice). During a state meet a member of the team was out due to illness and Clark decided to race two of the legs of a four-man relay. A teammate, Phillip McMath recalls, “When he swam the anchor leg of that relay, he was behind. And he had already been in the water for an event. So there was no way he was supposed to catch those guys that were fresh. He caught them and passed them, we won the event.” The team won a Big Nine Championship that year. McMath was convinced that Wes had Olympic potential as a swimmer. But Clark’s main interest lay elsewhere.

Growing up against the backdrop of the cold war and into the Kennedy era, Wes was drawn to the military as a form of national service and wanted to go to West Point. “It was my belief in service that led me to West Point. It was the year after John F. Kennedy admonished us to ask not what our country could do for us, but what we could do for our country.” He also acknowledged that this respect for the military was “a southern thing.” When he learned that his less than 20/20 vision would not prevent him from attending, his mind was set, turning down full scholarships to both Harvard and Yale. “I wanted to be an officer and a leader in the Army,” Clark has said. “I wanted public service.” In order to attend West Point, a nomination from a member of Congress or the Department of the Army was required. After being rejected by State Senator John. L. McClellan as “not old enough, big enough or smart enough”, Clark obtained a nomination from Arkansas Representative Dale Alford, who decided which of the boys he would support by making them take a civil service test. Wes earned the top score, and went on to take the West Point academic and physical exams. He received his letter of acceptance to the school in March of 1962.

West Point and Oxford

Clark’s first exposure to a military academy came during his sophomore year in high school. Three of the local schools had shut down because of the Arkansas integration upheaval and his parents decided to send him to Castle Heights Academy in Tennessee for a year in anticipation of future closings. Wes found that he “never enjoyed standing inspections, polishing shoes, marching in parades. It just seemed like a waste of time to me.” For Clark, West Point was “a means to an end.” "I didn't like military school -- I liked the chance to make a difference. I wanted the opportunity for public service. And military seemed to be the right opportunity for that. I figured I would just have to put up with the military school even if I didn't like it that much." At West Point, the discipline, protocol and structure would be far more all-encompassing, starting off with a two-month hazing process by the upperclassmen.

The academic demands on the first-year cadets were also intense, including mathematics six days a week, but Clark was undaunted, declaring that he would come in first in every class. He almost did, missing his goal by a single class. (The class was, ironically, Russian, a language that Wes had taught himself as a child. The classmate who took the top spot from him chalked it up to the fact that the textbook used was the same he had had in his previous high school year.) This academic achievement didn’t necessarily endear him to all his fellow classmates, however. Theodore Hill, his roommate, recalls, “I remember he would be angry at some of the people who went out of their way to harass him because he was doing well academically, or didn’t think he was macho enough. Wes is not one of those back-slapping, everybody-is-my-buddy types. He is a private person. I think some people were just intimidated by his intellectual power. But I loved it. We talked for hours.” Although he was still enthusiastic about math and science, he found himself drawn in another direction through a social science elective course he took in his sophomore year, international affairs.

Clark also continued his high school interests, joining the debate and swim teams. He was able to travel to Europe in his sophomore year and returned to Little Rock to speak at high schools and civic clubs about his experiences at West Point. The debate team took the most of his extracurricular time, however, and during a trip to New York City for a competition he met his future wife, Gert Kingston. Gert, a Brooklyn native from an Irish Catholic family, worked as a staff assistant at a brokerage firm. She had been asked by her father to attend a Navy USO dance as a favor to his secretary, who was a volunteer. She reluctantly accepted. Wes and some of his fellow cadets had crashed the dance. Attractive, smart and outgoing, “there was a lot of competition for Gert”, a friend remembers. “I figured I’d better get there first”, Clark recalled, and he introduced himself to the pretty blonde. They began to date.

West Point Graduation: Gert, Wes and Veneta

The year of his graduation, 1966, Clark came in first in his class, and was to be given a number of honors for his achievements. On the day of the ceremony he awoke to find that he had corneal abrasions in both his eyes from his contact lenses. Victor Clark accepted his awards in his place. He graduated 2nd lieutentant with the rest of his class.

Clark earned a Rhodes Scholarship and traveled to England to attend Oxford’s Magdalen College for two years, where he took the “PPE” program: Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He enjoyed the contrast from his structured West Point learning experience. Oxford was an open, self-motivated environment and individual tutors guided his classes. He joined the Oxford debate and swim teams.

Although he was engaged to Gert by this time, the scholarship required that first-year students be bachelors, so they had to wait until the first summer to marry. Gert had been living with another West Point Rhodes scholar and his wife. They returned to Brooklyn for the ceremony.

In the late 1960’s criticism of the Vietnam War was reaching fever pitch and Clark found himself in the midst of the controversy during his time at Oxford. He responded defensively at the time, as he was embarked on a military career and destined for Vietnam himself. Most of his fellow West Point classmates were actively deployed, and a former roomate of Clark’s had been killed in action. He considered the attacks personal, rather than against the policy. This passion against the war also found its way into the Protestant churches he had been attending. Wes began to accompany Gert to Catholic Mass and became interested in her faith. He met a priest and WWII veteran, Michael Hollings, who spoke with Clark about Catholicism and brought him to youth and student groups. His intellect and personality impressed Clark and he determined that he would convert but did not find the time.

It was while he was attending Oxford that Clark learned of his Jewish ancestry through a phone call from a Kanne cousin, Molly Friedman, who lived in England. Veneta had been secretly keeping in contact with the Kanne family and Molly asked her permission to contact Wes now that he had reached adulthood. Veneta agreed. Wes and Molly met after the phone call and he learned of the background that had been hidden from him. Although he was at first shocked by this news, he quickly became interested in his Kanne family history and made no attempt to hide this side of his family thereafter.

Clark earned excellent assessments for his work at Magdalen, nearly making First Honors. He left England in 1968 to take the Basic Course as Armor Officer and Ranger training. He would find that his Rhodes scholarship, and the intellectual cachet that accompanied it, would not always be a desirable accomplishment in the military. Retired General Barry McCaffery, a friend, remarked: “Wes was always looked on as too well educated, too wired, too good-looking. He’s not a simple crunch soldier. The Rhodes scholars have always been a little suspect in the army.” Clark himself has said, “In the United States Army, from the time I was a West Point captain, really, I was a marked man. There are three terrible things that can happen to you in the United States Army, if you’re an officer. You can win the Congressional Medal of Honor. You can be a Heisman Trophy winner. Or you can be a Rhodes scholar.”

Military Career

From Captain to Major, 1968-1975

After returning from England Clark was promoted to Captain and assigned his first command as Armor Officer of A Company, Fourth Battalion, a light tank company at Fort Riley in Kansas. He received impressive evaluations for his performance from his commanding officer. “[T]he morale, enthusiasm, and general attitude of the company was so astounding that it was favorably commented on by a large number of senior officers. This was largely due to the superior leadership of Captain Clark. Not content to only strive for high standards of performance, he also always considered first the welfare of the man under his command”.

After five months with A Company, Clark received his orders for duty in Vietnam. Gert was three months pregnant at the time. He arrived in May of 1969 and was assigned to work for the chief deputy of staff of the First Infantry Division at Lai Khe as the Assistant G-3 (operations and planning). His success resulted in reassignment as G-3 research and evaluation officer, a position normally held by a major. While in Viet Nam he also converted to Catholicism.

In 1970 Clark entered combat duty, assigned as Commanding Officer of A Company, First Battalion, Sixteenth Infantry of the First Infantry Division. While on patrol in a jungle near Saigon, searching for Viet Cong, his 25-man platoon was attacked by a group hiding in an old bunker complex. In the hail of AK-47 gunfire, Clark was shot four times, in the shoulder, hand, hip and leg. He shouted to his platoon the location of the incoming fire but he wasn’t aware, he recalls, that he had been hit until his wounded hand dropped his rifle. He looked down to see bone jutting out and realized that he was covered in blood.

A sniper in his platoon, Michael McClintic, pushed him down and opened fire on the enemy, while Clark continued to order his troops from the ground to form a base of fire and called for backup. “The guy emptied an AK magazine at me, and I turned just as he fired, so he stitched me up the right side of my body instead of taking me in the throat and gut. He shot the M-16 out of my hand and put a hole in my leg and another one through my shoulder. I was lying on the ground bleeding and yelling, “Get on your feet and assault now.”

McClintic was also shot during the ambush. “The guy was actually there firing back while I was hollering at the company to come up”, recalls Clark. The Viet Cong retreated and Clark and McClintic were evacuated by helicopter. Clark’s commanding officer, David C. Martin, recalls that Clark still did not realize how badly he had been shot, responding to questions about his wounds: “"I don't think I'm shot too bad”. McClintic received a Bronze Star and Clark a Silver Star, although Martin originally recommended a Bronze Star with Valor (both men received a Purple Heart). Officers in Viet Nam were usually awarded higher honors than enlisted men, but Martin has said that he had no problem with the upgrade because Clark was leading his men and retained control of the company while wounded and under fire. Clark commented, "I'm not going to say I was a hero. I think a hero is somebody who saves somebody else's life through risking his own life. What I did is I did my duty. My duty was to command the company. I got shot and I maintained command and gave the orders and directions.” He believes that McClintic "should have gotten something more . . . these awards were never fair." He didn’t meet the man who had “probably saved my life” until 33 years later, when the Boston Globe located McClintic.

The Award for Silver Star reads, "As the friendly force maneuvered through the treacherous region, it was suddenly subjected to an intense small arms fire from a well-concealed insurgent element. Although painfully wounded in the initial volley, Captain Clark immediately directed his men on a counter-assault of the enemy positions. With complete disregard for his personal safety, Captain Clark remained with his unit until the reactionary force arrived and the situation was well in hand. His courageous initiative and exemplary professionalism significantly contributed to the successful outcome of the engagement. Captain Clark's unquestionable valor in close combat against a hostile force is in keeping with the finest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry Division, and the United States Army."

After a few days in the hospital, Clark was flown back to the States for two months of recuperation at Valley Forge General Hospital in Pennsylvania. It was there that he first saw his son, Wesley, Jr. “I saw him for the first time when he was four or five months old. I had a hook in my hand and it scared [my wife] when I tried to hold him. But he didn’t seem to mind.” It would take him another year of rehabilitation to recover from his injuries, which doctors had warned him would leave him with a permanent limp due to the large amount of muscle lost to his right calf. Clark refused this prognosis, teaching himself to walk again and to use his injured hand. He would go on to occasionally receive perfect scores on his physical fitness tests throughout his career.

Returning to active duty, Clark took command of Company C of the 32nd Armor Division at Fort Knox in Kentucky. The company was comprised of men like himself, recovering from injuries that prevented physical training or the ability to shoot a rifle. Although understaffed by sixty-percent, it was still expected to provide the same number of light tanks for the armor school at the base. Clark recalls, “They were good people, and I loved that company more than any other command I ever had because of what the soldiers meant to me. That convinced me more than anything else to stay in the army because I loved the experience of working with the troops.”

After eight months with C Company, Clark took a short-term staff position in Washington, DC, as a Special Assistant for the Modern Volunteer Army in Office of the Army Chief of Staff, where his design for a new education program for enlisted men was adopted as policy. Brig. General Robert Montaque reviewed him as “one of the best captains I have ever known”.

In 1971 the Clark family moved to West Point where Clark took a three-year teaching position. Although originally assigned to teach principles of economics he took over the political philosophy class after the assistant professor was reassigned. Clark was in a familiar element in an academic environment, finding a gift for teaching that resulted in his promotion to assistant professor within a year. Fellow instructor Col. Jack Jacobs remembers, “He was an extremely knowledgeable, compelling teacher and he was extremely well-liked by his students.” Col. George Osborn reviewed Clark as “generally quiet and reserved, but has an excellent sense of humor and almost unfailing cheerfulness. He has mastered the Socratic discourse as a technique of teaching, and uses it with outstanding effect in the classroom. In an old-fashioned sense, this man is a teacher whose students love him…” Clark also coached the debate team and was assistant coach of the swim team. He was awarded an Army Commendation Medal at the end of his assignment.

During his time at West Point, Clark was recommended for selection to attend the Command and General Staff College, which was granted. He graduated first in his class, earning a second Masters degree in Military Arts and Science, and was promoted to Major in 1975.

Biography: 1975 onwards

Incomplete. Contact DU Wes Clark group

On the Issues

General Clark's 100 Year Vision for America is available at http://securingamerica.com/vision.

For an overview of Clark's current policy priorities, see http://securingamerica.com/taxonomy/term/3.

More detailed policy briefs from his 2004 Presidential campaign are available at http://www.clark04.com/issues/

His vision addresses the real problems that face real people every day. His strategies for national and economic security invest in people while returning the country to a path of long-term fiscal discipline. Clark believes that, together, we can build a safer, stronger America for our children.

2004 Endorsements

Fifty-five U.S. Ambassadors and diplomats endorsed Clark in 2004. The full list of ambassadors and diplomats is below.

For more, go to http://www.clark04.com/press/release/221/

Statements on Clark

George McGovern on Wes Clark's Democratic values, January 18, 2004

"Like Wes Clark, I'm a veteran. I was an airman in World War II. And I believe there is nothing more patriotic than serving your country.

I also believe there is nothing more patriotic than speaking out - and standing up for what you believe in. That was one of the reasons I ran for president in 1972 - because I believed that Vietnam was a not a war America should be fighting. Back then, Wes Clark was an officer in the United States Army. And in the election of '72, he voted for the other candidate. Let's call it youthful indiscretion. The good news is that this time we both agree.

Today, we are fighting the wrong war in Iraq. And that's one of the reasons I'm standing here today. Because there is only one man in this race with four stars on his shoulders and thirty-four years of military experience. There is only one man in this race who stopped genocide and saved 1.5 million Kosovar Albanians from ethnic cleansing. There is only one man in this race who has a success strategy to get us out of the war in Iraq - and get our servicemen and women home safely. And that man is Wes Clark.

Wes Clark is also a champion of America's working families, because he knows that you can't be strong abroad unless you're strong at home. Wes Clark understands the problems facing ordinary Americans, especially the three million Americans who've lost their job since George W. Bush arrived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And the 44 million Americans don't have health care, and the thousands who can't afford the sky-rocketing costs of education.

Wes Clark is the only man who can get our country back on track. He's got a jobs program to get our economy going ... a real tax reform to help our working and hard-pressed families ... and a health care plan to make health care affordable for all Americans and universal for all our children. He wants to fight for all Americans, from all walks of life. These are not just Democratic values. These are American values."

http://www.clark04.com/press/release/193/

Earth Day Founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson, one of the most accomplished and respected public servants in Wisconsin history also endorsed Wes Clark's environmental ethos on January 10, 2004

"Nelson said he believes Clark will be a strong leader on the environment. "I've read his environmental statement," Nelson said. "It's very good, and I agree with it. Clark's environmental position is spelled out very well and it hits the important points."

Nelson, who like Clark was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Clinton, said he felt good about Clark even before they met. "Clark looks presidential," Nelson said, citing the former General's calm demeanor and forthrightness in recent television appearances. "He handles the tough questions better than anyone else."

http://www.clark04.com/press/release/167/

Mary Frances Berry, Former Chair Of The United States Commission On Civil Rights, Endorsed General Clark and Served On Clark04 National Steering Committee

"I've never endorsed a presidential candidate before," said Dr. Berry. "But when I talk to General Clark, and when I listen to him, I can see him as a president for all Americans."

Dr. Berry is Chair of the United States Commission on Civil Rights and a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Berry led the Commission's investigation of voting rights violations in Florida in the wake of the 2000 election. The United States Commission on Civil Rights investigates civil rights violations and works to ensure that all citizens are afforded equal protection under the law.

http://www.clark04.com/press/release/153/

Sources

Books

Clark, Wesley, Waging Modern War, PulicAffairs, 2001 Felix, Antonia, Wesley K. Clark, A Biography, Newsmarket Press, 2004 Halbestram, David, War In A Time Of Peace, Bush, Clinton and the Generals, Scribner, 2001 Holbrooke, Richard, To End A War, Modern Library, 1999

Articles

Wesley Kanne Clark, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 11/30/97 Kranish, Michael, The Boy from Litte Rock Chooses military path, The Boston Globe, 11/16/2003 Chaplin, Gordon, Battalion Commander; If there's a World War III, Wes Clark may be your man at the front, The Washington Post, 5/10/81

Other

Video, American Son, Wes Clark Campaign Video, 2003 Transcripts, "The Record", Iowa Public Television, 1/12/04

Links

Notes

[Most of this page's content, including the entire Biography, Retrieved from "Demopedia: Wesley Clark"

Analysis

Author Ray Bradbury, who criticized Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 asserted that Moore's charge against President Bush's questionable military service was the "kiss of death" to Clark's campaign.[1] Moore attended an appearance to publicly endorse the General. "He slandered the president to General Clark, and Clark allowed him to do it," Bradbury said. "Clark should have said: 'Don't say that. It is not true.' That day Clark lost his chance to become president." Of course it could be argued that Ray Bradbury completely missed the mark by implying that Clark should not have allowed him to do it. Michael Moore was simply telling the truth about George Bush's military record, and Wesley Clark would never deny another citizen his right to free speech.

What Has Been Said By and About Wesley Clark

"Nothing is more American, nothing is more patriotic, than speaking out, questioning authority and holding your leaders accountable."

Wes Clark


"Just when the world is being dragged into the death spiral of an unending cycle of violence by a vision-less, coldblooded collection of think-tank warriors goose-stepping their way into the new millennium with a stunning lack of respect for human rights, the environment, or international law, along comes a man with the proven credentials of intelligence, integrity, and courage singularly equipped by his spirit and experience to lead us out of this mess. Don't listen to what the lying liars say about him; listen to what he says. Wesley Clark is a prayer answered."

Peace, Kris Kristofferson


"Major Clark is one of the most outstanding officers of his grade in the U.S. Army...an officer of impeccable character with a rare blend of personal qualities and professional attributes which uniquely qualify him as a soldier-scholar. While he has the intellectual grasp of world affairs attained only by the top scholars in the field, he projects soldierly qualities of strength, character, leadership, and above all an unyielding sense of personal responsibility. It is this sense of responsibility which clearly sets him apart from his contemporaries. [He] has the intellectual, moral and physical stamina, coupled with an unrelenting quest for excellence, which insures the completion of every task to near perfection. Major Clark's earnestness, sincerity of purpose and absolute dedication convey a moral force in his work which gives him a significant voice in this headquarters..."

General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., July 19, 1978


"I asked a whole lot of my friends who were generals and colonels and majors, who served over General Clark and under General Clark and every last one of them said to me that this is a good man, and if he were leading our nation they would be proud. [He is a] son of the South capable of making a dangerous world a safer place for everybody."

Andrew Young


"General Wesley Clark carried out the policy of the NATO Alliance to stop massive ethnic cleansing in Kosovo with great skill, integrity, and determination."

Bill Clinton


"To those who say that Wes Clark has never held political office: anyone who can command NATO, and keep all those forces together, and win that war without losing one American life, knows what it means to hold political office."

Tom Harkin


"Wes Clark has been a superb battalion commander and will be a superb brigade commander. He is an officer of the rarest potential and will clearly rise to senior general officer rank. He will be one of the Army's leaders in the 1990's."

General Colin Powell, May 21, 1982


"My Enron experience has brought home to me just how important the tone at the top is. [Clark has] integrity, he's not going to mislead the American people and he has a longterm vision. I think Wes Clark is just the person to help rebuild and restore the damage that has been done by the way we bullied our way into the war."

Sherron Watkins, Enron whistle-blower, Time Person Of The Year 2002


"You will determine whether rage or reason guides the United States in the struggle to come. You will choose whether we are known for revenge or compassion. You will choose whether we, too, will kill in the name of God, or whether in His name, we can find a higher civilization and a better means of settling our differences."

Wes Clark

Books authored by Clark

Books featuring Clark



Also Related

External Links

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This page was last modified 17:32, 15 February 2007 by dave.saber@verizon.net. Based on work by Bartfart, CD and AlanF and dKosopedia user(s) Allamakee Democrat, PatriotismOverProfits, Jbet777, Safta, JamesB3, Dave B, Pingz, Lapis, Jumbo and Clang. Content is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.


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