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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq was "a perfect example" of military domination while failing to achieve victory, retired general and Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark wrote in a new book. Clark, who joined the 2004 race last week, also said he learned in November 2001 that the Bush administration's plan for invading Iraq and ousting President Saddam Hussein had been part of a broader five-year military campaign in seven countries that Washington accused of supporting terrorism. He believed that would be a mistake, Clark wrote in "Winning Modern Wars. Iraq, Terrorism and the American...

Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, the Little Rock native and former NATO supreme allied commander in Europe, has resigned as managing director of merchant banking for the Stephens Group Inc. of Little Rock effective Friday, a company spokesman confirmed. "He told several of us that his first assignment would be to Kuwait City for CNN," Stephens spokesman Frank Thomas said. "It was a very amicable parting, very comfortable." Clark couldn't be reached for comment Friday morning. He joined Stephens in July 2000, the same month he retired from the Army. He serves on the boards of directors of Acxiom...

Dear Debra,One anecdote in this overlong book sums up its tone and content. New to the Balkan crisis, U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark telephones Joe Ralston, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and describes the call this way: "'Sir, I'm sorry to wake you. What's up?' I almost always called him 'Sir.' He was a year senior by date of rank to four stars, a year older, and was above me in the U.S. chain of command." Waging Modern War must have more Sirs in it than any book since Boswell's Life of Johnson--and there's a reason for...

NEW YORK -- Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, the newest Democratic presidential candidate, said that when he returned to the Pentagon in November 2001 he had a chat about Iraq. In an exclusive excerpt from Clark's book, "Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire," published in Newsweek's Sept. 29 issue, Clark wrote of speaking with senior military staff officers about Iraq. Clark said Iraq was being discussed as part of a five-year plan involving the countries of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Somalia and Sudan. "I thought, this is what they mean when they talk about 'draining the swamp.' It...

I've told a couple of friends this story over the past couple of years, and they've urged me to express it in a more public forum if General Wesley Clark ever threw his hat into the Presidential ring. So, in response to recent events... I knew one of the liaison officers who was serving with the Russian Brigade in Bosnia. The Brigade has been there for several years, and works closely with the U.S./NATO. The U.S. military provides liaison officers who live with the Russians and serve as the direct contact conduit between the Russian and U.S./NATO command structure. Clark...

General Wesley Clark Wants To Be President. But History Is Working Against Him. Former NATO Commander Wesley Clark will formally announce his candidacy for president of the United States in Little Rock on Wednesday. The retired general's entrance into the crowded field of Democrats is seen as a way to counter President George W. Bush's advantage as a wartime leader in next year's election. Given some of Clark's comments in interviews, such as his claim that "progressive taxation" was one of America's founding principles, we can conclude that domestic policy is not his strong suite. But even with Clark's military...