Clark Ran Afoul of His Bosses While NATO Commander Because He Was Less Than Forthcoming

Prnewswire ^ | Sunday January 25, 9:57 am ET

[Brian Mosely]

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 chief because he was less than forthcoming, according to a knowledgeable source.(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040125/NYSU004 )

The problem materialized during the Kosovo war in the Spring of 1999, on morning conference calls with then Defense Secretary William Cohen and Shelton, report Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas and Washington Correspondent T. Trent Gegax in the February 2 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, January 26). From his NATO headquarters in Brussels, Clark wanted to wage the war more aggressively, but back in the Pentagon, Cohen and Shelton were more cautious.

They would give Clark explicit instructions on, for instance, the scale of the bombing campaign. "Clark would say, 'Uh-huh, gotcha," says Newsweek's source. But then he would pick up the phone and call [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair and [Secretary of State] Madeleine [Albright]." As Clark knew full well, Blair and Albright were more hawkish than Shelton and Cohen. After talking to the State Department and NATO allies, Clark would have a different set of marching orders, says the source, who has spoken about the matter with both Cohen and Clark. "Then, about 1 o'clock, the Defense Department would hear what Clark was up to, and Cohen and Shelton would be furious."

But Clark insists to Newsweek, "I was forthcoming. If [Cohen and Shelton] gave me an instruction, I did it. I would never have not done what they told me to do. But the truth is, they weren't in touch with the situation well enough to tell me everything to do. It's why you have the title supreme allied commander...The buck usually stopped on my desk...I had, by necessity, a certain independence. Yet no matter how many times I tried to bring Hugh Shelton and Washington to understand the allied side, it didn't compute. They just didn't see it."

[woofie]

I get it.... Clark is a hawkish dove

[Semper Paratus]

That type of behavior would get you fired as a store clerk.

In retrospect it is scary how much firepower that loose cannon had at his disposal.

[cripplecreek]

clark missed his meeting with honesty because he was off trading headgear with a war criminal.

[Pikamax]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4052506/

full story there
but beware the last paragraph.

[Enterprise]

"integrity and character issues"

As others will undoubtedly point out, if Clark has no integrity or character then he's the perfect Democrat candidate for President.

[leadpenny]

Notice who is NOT mentioned in the piece. Of course that person was busy with other matters of state and things under the desk.

[DoctorMichael]

Organizational Rule #1: It's not nice to go behind the boss's back; It's bad for your career.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Lord Acton has Clark's number.

[woofer]

Of course that person was busy with other matters of state and things under the desk.

Bad, leadpenny, bad.

You mis-spelled thongs again.

[cripplecreek]

that brings up another small matter. (at least in my eyes)

while the search for war criminals and violence continue in the balkans, clark can call it a win. seems to me that the situation isnt all that much different in iraq, yet clark calls it a miserable failure.

[ChadGore]

Members of the military should follow orders, unless you're a purfumed prince ?

[petitfour]

Consider, for instance, the approach used by Secretary of State Albright. When she first pushed to threaten force against the Serbs in Kosovo, a senior administration official exclaimed, "You people always want to bomb someone. It's some kind of orgasm." Albright silenced the men in the room by remarking, "I forget what an orgasm is."

Now, that's humor.

[Pukin Dog]

This is only the beginning of the things Clark did in Kosovo.

He deliberately misstated civilian casualties, and in the case of the F-15 that took out a civilian train, Clark had the film of the incident altered to make it look like an accident, then when discovered, he blamed the bombing on the pilot, who was only following orders to hit that target.

The drip-drip of information on Clark will become a steady stream should he do well in NH. I suspect he wont, and most of the dirt on Clark will not come out until much later.

[lonestar]

I think Clark is the perfect candidate to be supported by the Clintons. He's a pathological liar.

[SkyPilot]

Consider, for instance, the approach used by Secretary of State Albright. When she first pushed to threaten force against the Serbs in Kosovo, a senior administration official exclaimed, "You people always want to bomb someone. It's some kind of orgasm." Albright silenced the men in the room by remarking, "I forget what an orgasm is."

Why? A pair of AA Duracells only run about $3.99.

[The UnVeiled Lady]

As others will undoubtedly point out, if Clark has no integrity or character then he's the perfect Democrat candidate for President.

How little integrity or character do you have to have to be fired by Bill Clinton???????

[cripplecreek]

thats one dog that will get his day. democrats scream "wheres the proof?"

i guess they've never heard the term "dont shoot till you see the whites of thier eyes".

[prairiebreeze]

From that link: General Shelton, Clark's aides are quick to note, is now listed as an unpaid adviser to the John Edwards campaign.

and this: As an ambitious officer, Clark gained a reputation among his peers for telling different people what they wanted to hear, without seeming to realize that his listeners might later compare notes and accuse Clark of being two-faced.

IOW, Clark LIES!! Clark's been taking notes from Kerry it seems, because this is a well-documented tactic of Kerry's too.

Pinging for reference.

[Trust but Verify]

Most ironic line in article:

As NATO commander, Clark told NEWSWEEK, "I wore two hats."