Wesley Clark: Difference between revisions

General Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) was the United States Army General who as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO commanded Operation Allied Force. He had a distinguished career in the Army and the Department of Defense. Clark retired a four-star general, and received many US and foreign decorations for his service. A candidate for the 2004 Democratic nomination for President of the United States, Clark withdrew from the primaries on February 11, 2004.

Clark's father Benjamin Kanne was an Orthodox Jew, a Democratic Party politician, and a lawyer, who died in 1948. His mother, Veneta (Updegraff) Bogard Kanne, then returned home to Little Rock and married a former banker, Victor Clark. Wesley was brought up a Baptist Christian, and attended public schools. During the Vietnam war, he married Gertrude Kingston of Brooklyn, New York, and became a Roman Catholic. Clark now attends Presbyterian services. They have a son, Wesley Jr, and a grandson Wesley Clark III, who was born on Christmas 2003.

Clark graduated first in his class at West Point, and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He also graduated from the National War College, Command and General Staff College, Armor Officer Advanced and Basic Courses, and Ranger and Airborne schools.

Clark was wounded by a sniper while an infantry company commander in Vietnam. Later, he was an instructor and later an Assistant Professor of Social Science at West Point. He holds the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Clark headed the US military team during negotiations that led to the Bosnian Peace Accords at Dayton, under the overall leadership of Richard Holbrooke.

From 1997, he was head of the U.S. European Command (CINCEUR), responsible for about 109,000 U.S. troops and all U.S. military activities in 89 countries and territories of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As Supreme Allied Commander (SACEUR) he also had overall command of NATO military forces in Europe and led approximately 60,000 troops from 37 NATO and other nations in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

As SACEUR, he confronted Yugoslavia over Kosovo. NATO's 78-day bombing campaign ended with the Kumanovo truce, a withdrawal of Yugoslav military and police force from Kosovo, and the entry of NATO and other KFor forces. In December, 2003, he testified during Milosevic's trial. His appearance was not public and transcripts of his testimony were subject to U.S. review before being released, a precaution the U.S. didn't take when Madeleine Albright testified. Clark's testimony was sought because he had spoken with Milosevic for a total of more than 100 hours, in his role as the head of the U.S. military team during the Dayton Agreement negotiations and as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

The most controversial instance of his command in the Kosovo War came after the end of the military campaign and involved Russia's use of an airfield in Kosovo. After a small Russian force left their peacekeeping station in Bosnia unannounced and and took control of the Slatina airfield, near Pristina, on June 10, 1998, there was (according to a BBC report) a "battle of wills" between Clark and the British NATO commander, Lt. Gen. Michael Jackson. Clark ordered British forces to block the runways to the airfield, to prevent the Russian troops from being resupplied from their homeland. This manuever would have been one step short of hostile, and Jackson did not comply, reportedly later saying: "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you." If Jackson had followed Clark's order, and hostilites had broken out with Russia, Jackson might have been guilty of gross insubordination for having initiated conflict with a nation not at war with Great Britain.

Clark, in an NPR interview, said that the incident was a surprising moment for him. Clark claims that his order to block the runways was refused by an emotional Jackson and that he took the matter up the British chain of command. In his book Waging Modern War, Clark says Jackson protested, "Sir, I'm a three-star general; you can't give me orders like this," and that he responded, "Mike, I'm a four-star general, and I can tell you these things."

Clark stated that General Sir Charles Guthrie, British Chief of the Defence Staff, agreed with Jackson. Guthrie, according to Clark, also told him that Hugh Shelton, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also agreed with him. Clark said he found this very surprising, contending that the original suggestion to block the Russians came from Washington. Clark stated that he called the Pentagon, looking for support, and was told by Shelton: "We don't want a confrontation, but I do support you". Clark said that he told Shelton: "Then you've got a policy problem". Clark maintained in the NPR interview that the matter was a difference in the perception of the policy between the US administration and the British government. Clark said he believed he was carrying out the suggestions of the administration in Washington.

The Clinton administration later persuaded Hungary and Romania to deny Russia flight over their airspace, preventing the Russians from landing transport planes carrying reinforcements to their troops at Pristina. In July 1999, the Russians agreed to integrate their forces into NATO's operations.

According to an article by Lois Romano in the Washington Post (October 19, 2003) Clark "became the first allied commander to run and win a war [yet] lose his command."

Clark was selected for the post by Secretary of Defense William Cohen "over the objections of the Army," says Romano, yet became locked in a conflict with him over the direction of the war. "It was planned as a strategic air campaign" while Clark pushed a ground invasion—a plan Cohen "adamantly resisted."

The article continued: "Even though Clark held the 19-nation coalition together through 78 days of bombing, some Pentagon officials and subordinates came to view him as a headstrong leader, unable to work collegially." Cohen relieved Clark of his duties in July 1999, several months early, "a public humiliation for a man whose service was his life."

Clark responded to claims his military peers have negative views of him by saying "How do you think I could have succeeded in the military if everybody didn't like me? It's impossible,"^[2]

Since his retirement from the army, Clark has worked as a military and international affairs analyst, including a stint as a commentator for CNN. In mid-2003, He began flirting with a Democratic presidential candidacy in 2002, including visits to the all-important first primary state of New Hampshire.

By August 2003, several organized groups were making a nationwide effort to "draft Clark" for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2004 Presidential election. CNN on August 13 showed a commercial by one of these groups, and interviewed Clark. He disavowed any connection with the "draft Clark" groups, but said he had been considering his position and that within a few weeks he would likely make public his decision on whether or not to run. He also fueled speculation with a television interview in which he first declared himself a Democrat.

On September 17 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Clark announced his intention to run in the presidential primary election for the Democratic Party nomination, becoming the tenth and last Democrat to do so (coming many months after the others): "My name is Wes Clark. I am from Little Rock, Arkansas, and I am here to announce that I intend to seek the presidency of the United States of America." He said, "We're going to run a campaign that will move this country forward, not back."

Originally heralded as an anti-war general, he stumbled rather seriously in the first few days of his candidacy, changing his answer at least twice on how he would have voted on the Iraq war and at one point calling a press aide up to the stage with whom to confer before answering a question.

His campaign has so far focused on themes of leadership and patriotism; early campaign ads have relied heavily on hagiography. His late start having left him with relatively few detailed policy proposals, a weakness which was apparent in his first few debates (though he has recently presented a major tax-relief plan). Many Democrats have flocked to his campaign due to his impressive military background, seeing such foreign policy credentials as a valuable asset in challenging George W. Bush post-September 11. Advisors and supporters have sometimes sought to portray him as more electable than Howard Dean, who was the frontrunner for the party's nomination up until the Iowa caucus.

Heavy criticism of Clark began almost the moment he entered the race, mostly coming from his rivals. A relatively recent convert to the Democratic Party, Clark has admitted to having voted for Presidents Nixon and Reagan, and have drawn attention to positive comments he has made about the Bush administration and its foreign policy team, including one at a GOP fundraiser in 2001. He also has been criticized for giving guarded and unclear answer on the issue of gays in the military. Questions have also been raised about his involvement in lobbying the Pentagon.

In answer, Clark supporters have emphasized the progressive character of his policy positions. A frequent refrain, echoed in the campaign's official "Talking Points for Supporters," is that he is "pro-choice, pro-affirmative action, pro-environment, pro-health care, and pro-labor."

In a thirty-second campaign commercial aimed at young people released October 30, 2003, his presidential campaign made reference to the hip hop duo OutKast. In the ad, Clark is sitting in a coffee shop with a dozen middle-class young adults of various American ethnicities. The young adults do not speak, but sit and listen as Clark appears to be answering their questions. "Well, to answer your questions, no, I would not have voted for the Iraq war...I am pro-choice and I am a strong believer in Affirmative Action...And I don't care what the other candidates say, I don't think OutKast is really breaking up. Andre 3000 and Big Boi just cut solo records, that's all." The last comment prompts one of the young adults, a blonde-bearded caucasian, to say approvingly "alright" and to tap fists with Clark.

Clark's campaign also made an aggressive effort to develop a strong base of Meetup users, starting in November, 2003, and "Clark in 2004" was soon the second most popular Meetup topic.

In January of 2004, engaged in an active campaign to win or place second in New Hampshire, Clark announced a plan that would raise upper income bracket rates in order to cut income taxes for "all families of four earning below 50,000". This is income, and not FICA and Medicare Taxes, which make up half or more of the tax burden of lower income earners.

Following his narrow victory in the Oklahoma Primary on February 3, he moved on to campaign heavily in Tennessee and Virginia, states he hoped would provide him the necessary momentum to remain in the race. After placing third in the primaries in both Tennessee and Virginia, he withdrew from the race on February 11. A day after quitting, Clark announced he would endorse John Kerry at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin.

• 1944 Born in Chicago, Illinois
• 1948 Father dies
• 1966 Graduates first in his class from US Military Academy at West Point

• 1966-1968 Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics
• 1969-1970 Commander of a mechanized infantry company in combat in Vietnam wounded four times receiving Purple Heart and Silver Star
• 1971-1974 Instructor and Assistant Professor of Social Science at West Point.
• 1975-6 White House Fellow, Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
• 1994-6 Director of the Pentagon's Strategic Plans and Policy operation, responsible to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for world-wide politico-military affairs and U.S. military strategic planning. Led the military negotiations for the Bosnian Peace Accords at Dayton.
• 1996-7 Commander in chief of the U.S. Southern Command, Panama, controlling all U.S. forces & most U.S. military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• 1997-2000 Supreme Allied Commander of NATO (SACEUR), and Commander-in-Chief for the United States European Command (CINCEUR).
• June 2000 Retires from military service
• July 2000 Senior adviser at CSIS
• 2000-2, Corporate consultant for Little Rock-based Stephens Group Inc. helps develop emerging-technology companies.
• 2003-2004 Attempt to become the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States

This list is not complete

• Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a business services and development firm based in Little Rock
• Founder & Chairman of "Leadership for America", an independent non-partisan, non-profit organization "fostering the national dialogue about America's future"
• Senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Director of the Atlantic Council
• Board member of the International Crisis Group
• Chairman of the board of WaveCrest Laboratories of Dulles, Va., a technology company specializing in electric propulsion systems
• Senior military analyst for CNN, commenting on the US anti-terrorism activities, the 2003 invasion of Iraq and foreign policy

• Silver Star
• Bronze Star Medal (2 awards)
• Purple Heart
• Distinguished Service Medal
• Defense Distinguished Service Medal (5 awards)
• Meritorious Service Medal (2 awards)
• Legion of Merit Medal (4 awards)
• Army Commendation Medal (2 awards)

• Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bill Clinton
• Honorary knighthood (UK) in recognition of his role in the Kosovo War
• Honorary knighthood (Netherlands)
• Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)

Clark received more than 20 other major military awards from non-US governments.

• Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo and the Future of Combat (2001, 2002), detailing diplomacy backed by force that was used in the Kosovo war. ISBN 158648043X
• Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire (September 2003) ISBN 1586482181

• Official campaign site: www.clark04.com
• Profile - Esquire magazine
• Center for Strategic and International Studies home page

• Leadership for America home page, decommissioned Sept 23, 2003
• The Atlantic Council of the United States home page
• The International Crisis Group home page
• Wavecrest Labs home page
• "Media Silent on Clark's 9/11 Comments", FAIR report, June 20, 2003
• Background on Clark's positions on war
• Wes Clark campaign commercial, October 30, 2003
• Wesley Clark, Ft. Benning Booster about Clark's involvement in and support for the controversial School of the Americas
• Clark to Quit Presidential Campaign - Reuters via Yahoo! News

¹The following references report the confrontation. Clark devotes an entire chapter to the incident in his book Waging Modern War (Chap. 15).

• International Herald Tribune
• CNN, 12 June 1999
• Sunday Times, 2 August 1999
• The Guardian, 11 May 2000

²The following reference reports conflicts leading to Clark relief from command, and other biographical information:

• A Hero to Some; To Others, Headstrong The Washington Post, October 19, 2003