In doing some basic research on Weasely ClarkBar, I’ve stumble onto a story originally run on the Voice of America in early August of 1999. Much has been suggested about why Clark got canned, along with many denials that he WAS canned. There are there options given only one of which makes any sense. The one involving making a hole for Ralston. Let’s face it; Clinton never did anything that didn’t benefit him politically.
Here’s what the US Government news outlet under Bill Clinton, had to say near the end of Clinton’s last term:
DATE=8/4/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=CLARK-NATO-U-S
NUMBER=5-43999
BYLINE=ANDRE DE NESNERA
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Near the end of last month, the Pentagon forced U-S General Wesley Clark to retire from his post as NATO supreme allied commander in Europe in April of next year, three months before the end of his official tour of duty. In this report from Washington, National Security Correspondent Andre de Nesnera looks at General Clark’s contributions in the Kosovo air campaign and discusses some of the reasons why the Pentagon may have decided to remove him from his senior NATO post.
TEXT: General Wesley Clark has been NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe since July 1997. In that capacity, he was responsible for conducting the western alliance’s successful 78-day air campaign against Serb forces in Kosovo – NATO’s only offensive military endeavor in its 50-year history.
Retired Colonel David Hackworth – a decorated U-S veteran from the Korean and Vietnam wars – says General Clark has not received the necessary accolades for his Kosovo campaign.
/// HACKWORTH ACT ///
He is a winner. He is the first General in U-S military history who fought a war, sustained – as we know – no friendly casualties and at the end of the war didn’t get a bunch of medals, didn’t get a victory parade down (New York’s) Fifth Avenue and ended up getting the sack.
(getting fired)
/// END ACT ///
Colonel Hackworth – now a military analyst – is referring to U-S Defense Secretary William Cohen’s decision to replace General Clark as Supreme NATO Commander in April of next year – three months before his three-year term expires.
Colonel Hackworth says Mr. Cohen’s decision to replace General Clark can only be interpreted as a slap at him.
/// SECOND HACKWORTH ACT ///
From my experience, looking over the past NATO Commanders, the average time that people like (General) Bernard Rogers, General (Lyman) Lemnitzer, General (Lauris) Norstad, was a five-year tour of duty – General (Alexander) Haig. So it wasn’t – as it is being put out now by the Pentagon – (seen) as a three-year tour. This guy envisaged staying there until he could move back to the U-S-A and become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
/// END ACT ///
Many analysts and military experts agree with Colonel Hackworth’s assessment. And the question they are asking is why was General Clark fired?
One interpretation is that General Clark advocated a much more vigorous military campaign against Serb forces in Kosovo including the introduction of ground forces.
Retired Colonel Dan Smith – a West Point classmate of General Clark – says the NATO Commander believes the only way you can achieve success militarily, is to have troops on the ground.
/// CLARK ACT ///
He is of the school which in the United States is generally attributed to General Colin Powell: if you are going to fight, you go in with both feet and you go in fast and you go in hard with overwhelming force – and I think that was what Wes was trying to push NATO into.
/// END ACT ///
During the 11-week air campaign, there were signs of friction between General Clark and senior Pentagon officials – especially over the use of ground forces.
That option was essentially rejected by the Clinton administration, putting General Clark in direct opposition to current US policy. Paul Beaver – senior analyst with the British publication “Jane’s Defense Weekly” – says General Clark disagreed with another senior NATO officer about the use of ground troops in the Kosovo campaign.
/// BEAVER ACT ///
Certainly he wanted to be more robust in the Kosovo landing operation. He wanted to go and confront the Russians at Pristina airfield. And that was actually a matter of some debate between him and the ground force commander (British General) Sir Mike Jackson in which Sir Mike Jackson won, because in his words it would have started World War Three and we weren’t quite ready for that.
/// END ACT ///
Sources in the U-S and British military say the confrontation between General Clark and British General Mike Jackson happened June 24th – 12 days after Russian troops occupied Kosovo’s Pristina airfield, surprising NATO officials. According to the sources, British Prime Minister Tony Blair backed General Jackson, while General Clark did not receive the support from senior Pentagon and White House officials – another sign of their eroding confidence in the senior NATO Commander.
But U-S officials have dismissed any notion that disagreements with General Clark led to the decision to retire him early.
Analysts say another explanation for General Clark’s early departure was US Defense Secretary Cohen’s desire to place a trusted colleague – Air Force General Joseph Ralston, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – into a senior NATO post.
Retired Colonel Dan Smith (from the Washington-based Center for Defense Intelligence), says General Ralston could not be re-appointed as vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since he has held that post for two consecutive terms. So the Pentagon had to find him another posting to keep him on active duty – and Colonel Smith says General Clark’s European Command was the logical choice.
/// SECOND SMITH ACT //
The European Command, which has been (reserved for the) army for many, many, many years. I think you have to go back to the early 1950’s to find an Air Force officer (there) (General Lauris Norstad, 56-62). But that is one in which an Air Force officer could logically serve in and I think it came to – well, if we are going to keep General Ralston, the only place he could go to was the European Command – and that means that General Clark was going to have to leave three months before his basic term is up. Of course most EUCOM Commanders are extended into their fourth year. So it looks a little strange.
/// END ACT ///
In the final analysis, according to sources, General Clark’s premature departure from his senior NATO post was due to a combination of factors: first, the Pentagon’s displeasure with his – as one analyst said – more bellicose views. And the need to find a suitable position for a well-liked, senior US officer who otherwise would have to leave active duty.
So as one analyst put it: “General Clark had to go.”(Signed)
NEB/ADEN/KL
04-Aug-1999 14:37 PM EDT (04-Aug-1999 1837 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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Reuters’ Cynthia Littleton reports that:
” Fox served up a reality one-two punch that propelled the network to the top spot Monday evening with the third season opener of ‘American Idol’ and the 9 p.m. bow of ‘My Big, Fat Obnoxious Fiance.’
‘Idol’ stormed back into primetime at 8 p.m. with an average of 24.8 million viewers and 12.5 rating/30 share in the adults 18-49 demographic, according to preliminary estimates from Nielsen Media Research.”
For a while, couldn’t figure this one out. But I think I have.
Cold temps, along with the ungodly boring events in Iowa.
Who said the Democrats weren’t responsible for dumbing down a nation?
“COLUMBUS, Ohio – After seven years of debate, lawmakers moved closer Wednesday to passing a law that would bar Ohio from recognizing same-sex marriages and keep some state employees from getting benefits for their domestic partners”
Silandara’s Blog is a nice respite from the political world, at least for today. Some wonderful writing. Her grandmother has died, and she’s going through a hard time just now. Hasn’t posted in a few days. But what she has up is quite good. A small modification of the tortured artist effect, I suppose.
“Nany has been viewed, funeraled, sung to, cremated, scattered, cried over and said good bye to. And that leaves me too sad to blog. I know she’s not gone, that her spirit remains. But the separation still hurts — I’m not sure how emotional pain can cause a physical aching in the heart region, but it does.”
Stop by and drop her a line. She could use a friend, I think.
Or, just read. Which I suppose is the highest compliment a writer, even a blogger, can get.
The Washington Times and damned few other places, are reporting that:
” Shi’ite Muslims marched through Baghdad for a second day yesterday, this time demanding the execution of Saddam Hussein whose Sunni-dominated regime repressed the Shi’ite majority for decades. “
Democrats for Bush/Cheney 2004
A great story this, and a worthwhile site.
Me at Drezner’s place this morning. Italics are the person I’m responding to, and below it, my response. I’d like to say I’m shocked by his suggestions, here, but I’m really not, as you’ll see.
Don’t be surprised by volitility among the candidates. The number one criteria of a sizable number of Democrats (myself included) is who can win in November. All other considerations are secondary. Who has the best health care plan? Who has the best economic stimulus plan? Who has the best whatever? Who Cares! The important thing is to win.
Astonishing.
This strikes me as remarkably similar to the attitude displayed by Mario Cuomo some years ago, between the November election of Bill Clinton, and the inauguration. Cuomo was quoted as saying at that stage, ‘What I wanted is what (Clinton) has done’. Since he was not in office, yet, one can only assume Cuomo was speaking of Clinton’s winning the election.
But what exactly does that get, if the policies espoused by each candidate, don’t matter? It gets the only thing that matters to a Democrat; power. Power, one logically asks, to do what?
I mean, here we have it in black and white…(OK, two shades of gray) which policies are better for America don’t matter to these people. All they care about is their political party.
Is this what Washington warned us about in his farewell address?
Am I the only one who roiled a bit at Pelosi?
“But event the most powerful nation in the history of the world must bring other nations to our side to meet common dangers.”
Perhaps she wasn’t listening to the same speech I was, where President Bush rattled off a rather impressive list of other nations who are involved in Iraq. It annoys me this lieeps being spread by the leftist media.
Perhaps what bothers her is our lack of full butt-kissing of the UN.
Matter of fact, you KNOW that’s what her complaint is.
And did she really misquote Kennedy, using the line ‘citizens of the world’?
Telling, that.
Boortz apparently shares my thoights as regards the reaction of the Democrats last night during the SOTU address:
“My most vivid memory of last night’s speech was the Democrats clear hatred of the mention of anything relating to tax cuts. It’s clear that Democrats hate the idea of tax cuts for anyone but their core constituency with a blinding passion. There was applause from the Democratic side of the aisle when Bush pointed out that if the Congress didn’t act to make his tax cuts permanent there would be a massive tax increase. Amazing. There seems to be no greater crime to a Democrat than to allow a successful person to keep one more dollar than necessary of the money they have earned from their hard work and good decision making.”
The George W. Bush Conspiracy Generator
This Java app spits out conspiracy theories that are more plauseable than what one finds in one of Dean’s Speeches.
Examples:
George W. Bush caused the Cubs to lose to the Marlins in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series so that white men, gun owners, oil companies, and big corporations could conquer Muslims.
George W. Bush allowed 9/11 to happen so that big corporations, Ann Coulter, and Rush Limbaugh could offend Michael Moore.
Mort Kondrake has an interesting take on the election:
“Here’s a harrowing pair of facts for Democrats: In 60 years, no Democrat has ever won the presidency without carrying the youth vote. And right now President Bush’s approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds is 62 percent, higher than his nationwide rating. “
Which means, of course that the little barn dance out in Iowa last night is all but meaningless.
New York Gov. George Pataki (R) is reportedly taking in campaign money at a fast pace, even that fund raising is being outdone by Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D). Spitzer is pretty much a lock for the nomination for Govenor in 2006, or so says the Albany Times-Union.
Trouble for the Democrats is that frees up Pataki to run for Hillary Clinton’s US Senate seat, where he’s favored by 2 to 1 at the moment, to win. The other interesting point is Rudy Gulianni stands an equal chance to Pataki’s, if he decides to run for Schumer’s seat.
Ananova is reporting today that:
“J.R.R. Tolkien’s great-grandson has backed Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson to make a film version of The Hobbit. Jackson has already said he’d be interested if a deal on the film rights can be agreed”
Hmmm. Might be worth while. If a film was ever going to be made, I’d guess now would be the time, before the sets and props developed for LOTR get too messed up by time and so on.
