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A Message from Wes ClarkFebruary 18, 2004    Dear loyal supporter,I can't thank you enough for all the support you've shown my family and me over the past 5 months, and especially in the last week since my decision to leave the presidential race.  Your emails, letters, and phone calls have meant a lot to Gert and me.Right now, we're looking forward to a little time off.  Today, Gert and I are flying to Los Angeles to spend the next week with Wes, Astrid, and my new grandson.  During the next few weeks, I'll be reflecting a lot on all...

Clark's Son Blasts Media for Campaign Coverage 31 minutes ago Add Politics to My Yahoo! By Arthur Spiegelman OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Retired general Wesley Clark (news - web sites)'s only son blasted the media for its coverage of his father's bid for the Democratic nomination Tuesday and said he would like to see his father withdraw from the race if he does not win the Oklahoma primary. Reuters Photo AP Photo Slideshow: Wesley Clark Wesley Clark Jr. a 34-year-old screenwriter, in a meeting with reporters while his father called voters from a phone bank, said; "I'd like to see...

An Army of OneWhy Wes Clark's coworkers hated him. It appears that Wesley Clark's political career will be remembered as one of those inexplicable and regrettable momentary fads, like flash mobs, the XFL, or Tickle-Me-Elmo. Or New Coke, although even that syrupy misstep probably could have gotten more than 13 percent in New Hampshire.So there's less need to understand why Clark was so hated by so many people he worked with in the Army than when he was a potential viable candidate. Nonetheless, Clark is, at press-time, ahead in Oklahoma — he could still add himself to the list of...

Wesley K. Clark Remarks for True Values Tour Tulsa, Oklahoma January 28, 2004Good morning, Tulsa! It's great to here today, in my first stop after a very successful night in New Hampshire! For four months now, I've traveled the country, talking to voters, and more importantly, listening to them. And what I'm hearing down here in Oklahoma is no different than what I've heard in New Hampshire and across America: under George W. Bush, America has lost its way. Eight million Americans are out of work. Forty-four million without health care. College costs are through the roof. And twelve...

Apparently tired of being challenged on supporter Michael Moore's assertion that President Bush was a "deserter," Wesley Clark's campaign is considering hiring a private investigator to look into Bush's activities in Texas and Alabama during his National Guard service way back when. At least one other campaign is said to be considering sending opposition researchers down south to look into Bush's record. In the past, campaign staffers for both Clinton and Gore had tried to make hay of the rumors that Bush had somehow taken advantage of his family name during that period. Despite of months of effort, they failed...

JENNINGS: At one point Mr. Moore said in front of you that he'd like to see a debate between you and President Bush, who he called a deserter. Now that's a reckless charge not supported by the facts and I was curious to know why you didn't contradict him and whether or not you think it would have been a better example of ethical behavior to have done so? CLARK: Well, I think Michael Moore has the right to say whatever he feels about this. I don't know whether this is supported by the facts or not. I've never looked...

Press Release Source: Newsweek NEWSWEEK: Clark Ran Afoul of His Bosses While NATO Commander Because He Was Less Than Forthcoming, A Knowledgeable Source Says Sunday January 25, 9:57 am ET Clark Insists: 'The Buck Usually Stopped On My Desk' # NEW YORK, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- When Gen. Hugh Shelton, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters last September that General Wesley Clark was fired as commander of NATO because of "integrity and character issues" an uneasy pall was cast over Clark's presidential bid. Now, Newsweek has learned that Clark ran afoul of his bosses while NATO...

Clark Questions Patriotism of Rich! January 23, 2004 On Friday, WGIR radio host Mike Ball asked fired General Wesley Clark - a.k.a. General Jack D. Ripper - about his plan to force people with incomes over a million dollars a year to pay for all his social programs. Ball referenced the fact that those people already pay a largely disproportionate share of the taxes in this country. (data) Again, the top 1% in this country (those making $293K+) earned 37.42% of all the income tax revenue the IRS collected in 2000 and 33.9% of it in 2001. Clark snapped,...

Former Clinton White House attack dog and one-time Gore campaign communications director Chris Lehane didn't deny last Sunday allegations that he's Gen. Wesley Clark's presidential campaign dirty trickster. Asked if he was "the guy behind the dirty tricks," Lehane brushed aside the question, telling Fox News Channel's Rita Cosby, "Well, you know, there has not been a single thing that's been covered on Howard Dean or any of these other candidates that was not accurate and true. Reporters report the information based on the facts." Cosby pressed Lehane to confirm or deny his role as the Clark campaign's primo attack...

The fired NATO Supreme Allied Commander continues to win friends and influence others, this time by questioning other people's military service. Speaking about his rival John Kerry, Weasly actually said "Well, he's got a military background, but nobody in the race has got the kind of background I've got. I've negotiated peace agreements, I've made a major alliance in war." What a pathetic waste of space. It's a wonder his head fits through the door. It's also obvious that the Clintonistas are running the campaign, with Bill and Hitlary pulling the strings. Weasly has now decided that the best way...

PEMBROKE, N.H. - Wesley Clark (news - web sites) suggested Saturday that questions remain about President Bush (news - web sites)'s Vietnam-era service in the Texas Air National Guard, but the retired general stopped short of endorsing a comment by actor-director Michael Moore that Bush was "a deserter." Moore, a Clark supporter, introduced the Democratic presidential nominee at a campaign rally here by saying he looked forward to debates between Clark, if he wins the Democratic nomination, and Bush. "I want to see that debate: the general versus the deserter," Moore said to enthusiastic applause at a packed rally in...

Spokespeople for General Wesley Clark lashed out against both Republicans and some fellow Democrats who say he has waffled on Iraq. Their candidate, they say, has not wavered one bit on the issue -- most Tuesdays. "Gen. Clark was a steady and outspoken critic of what he saw as an unjustifiable war against another nation," maintained James Rubin, Clark's chief foreign policy advisor. "Except for last Tuesday… and the third Tuesday in December… and another Tuesday back in October…" he went on to explain. Surprisingly, in a rare episode of goodwill on the Democratic campaign trail, Clark's rivals decided not...

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) -- Wesley Clark's income quickly multiplied after his retirement from the military, rising to $1.6 million in 2002, according to financial records released Friday by the Democratic presidential candidate. More than $1 million of Clark's 2002 income came from speaking fees and from payments he received as a military analyst for CNN. Clark released five years of military records, tax returns and other financial documents. He and his wife, Gertrude, saw their family income soar after he retired in 2000 from the Army. The Clarks' joint tax returns show an adjusted gross income of $92,673 in 1998...

JAN 16, 2004 FRI Wesley Clark - the real Democratic dud BY DOUG BANDOW FOR THE STRAITS TIMES FORMER General Wesley Clark has become the great hope for establishment Democrats seeking to stop front-runner Howard Dean in his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. Yet Gen Clark, who has based his campaign on his foreign policy credentials, actually has the strangest foreign policy views of anyone in America's presidential race. While Democrats were firing away at each other in the aftermath of the capture of Saddam Hussein, Gen Clark was at The Hague, seeking to hype his candidacy by testifying...

<p>Congressional testimony by Wesley Clark in fall 2002 contradicts the early antiwar stance the candidate has promoted since entering the race last summer.</p> <p>At a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee in September 2002, Mr. Clark expressed no misgivings about the imminent war with Iraq and called deposed dictator Saddam Hussein a credible threat to the United States. Since then, Mr. Clark has proclaimed his strong opposition to the war "from the beginning," and has continued to state that position at debates and events nationwide.</p>

MANCHESTER, N.H. - (KRT) - Ed Gillespie, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, charged Thursday that retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark endorsed President Bush's policy toward Iraq two weeks before Congress voted to authorize Bush to go to war. If true, that would contradict the core message of Clark's presidential campaign. The complete transcript of Clark's Sept. 26, 2002, testimony, however, reveals that Clark didn't endorse Bush's policy during the congressional hearing, and that the Republican charge is based on selected excerpts of his remarks. Gillespie accurately quoted portions of Clark's testimony before the House Armed Services Committee in...

January 15, 2004, 8:45 a.m. General Dud Wes Clark's no foreign-policy wiz. By Doug Bandow Former General Wesley Clark has become the great hope for establishment Democrats seeking to stop frontrunner Howard Dean. Yet Clark, who has based his campaign on his foreign-policy credentials, actually has the strangest foreign-policy views of anyone in the presidential race. While Democrats were firing away at each other in the aftermath of the capture of Saddam Hussein, Gen. Clark was at the Hague, seeking to hype his candidacy by testifying at the U.N. trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic. Clark, who prosecuted the...

Many of you have written to me in the past months asking, "Who are you going to vote for this year?" I have decided to cast my vote in the primary for Wesley Clark. That's right, a peacenik is voting for a general. What a country! I believe that Wesley Clark will end this war. He will make the rich pay their fair share of taxes. He will stand up for the rights of women, African Americans, and the working people of this country. And he will cream George W. Bush. I have met Clark and spoken to him on...

Address for Clark's Testimony on Iraq War: http://www.house.gov/hasc/openingstatementsandpressreleases/107thcongress/02-09-26clark.html

Can anything be more moving than the joyous throngs swarming the streets of Baghdad? Memories of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the defeat of Milosevic in Belgrade flood back. Statues and images of Saddam are smashed and defiled. Liberation is at hand. Liberation - the powerful balm that justifies painful sacrifice, erases lingering doubt and reinforces bold actions. Already the scent of victory is in the air. Yet a bit more work and some careful reckoning need to be done before we take our triumph. In the first place, the final military success needs to be assured. Whatever...