Posted on 04/25/2005 9:12:56 AM PDT by areafiftyone
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, April 25 (UPI) -- Former NATO Supreme Commander Gen. Wesley Clark said Iraq won't be a Vietnam for the United States and counseled Washington should start negotiations with countries around Iraq to put an end to growing violence in the region.
"Iraq won't be another Vietnam," Clark said over the weekend at the fourth Eurasian Media Forum in Almaty. "The U.S. military had no high-tech dominance that it has today."
Clark, who sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. president in the 2004 race, said Washington should convince nations neighboring Iraq that a stable Baghdad is in their interest.
"I think we should now work through the United Nations," he said. "Enough is enough."
A veteran of several wars and operations, including Vietnam, Clark said he did not anticipate the Iraq war would have gone on this long.
"It was clear to me that we would get Saddam (Hussein) maybe in two to three weeks," he said. "I didn't anticipate the violence that is now following."
Clark and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle answered questions from more than 300 journalists, academicians, diplomats and politicians at the Media Forum.
Perle, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, also said Iraq won't be another Vietnam, saying the situation in Baghdad was unfolding and people of there had shown courage by voting in January's election.
Responding to questions on the U.S. rationale for war on Iraq, criticized by many in the international community, Perle defended Washington's position.
"We went into Iraq because we felt Saddam was a threat," he said. "We went to liberate the people of Iraq from a brutal dictator who has killed millions of people."
He added: " Whether we were able to find weapons of mass destruction or no but we did the right thing by intervening in Iraq."
Clark echoed those views.
"We in the USA feel that people are created equals and they should have their say in there governments," he said.
Replying to a question on U.S. foreign policy, Perle said Washington was increasingly engaged with many Muslim countries to improve the American image "but we are completely uncomfortable with dictatorships."
Perle also ruled out the possibility of military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of secretly building nuclear weapons.
" I do not see any such preparation but we do want people of Iran to have their own governments instead of some mullahs running the nation," he said.
The fourth Eurasian Media Forum aims to promote East-West cooperation and international understanding of Eurasian issues through dialogue between the media, the business community, politicians and academicians.
If I remember aright, Clark was in the forefront who were talking up the "quagmire" issue a couple of years ago. Sounds to me like he is truth challenged.
Wes Clark is delusional. A stable Iraq is not in Iran's, Saudi's or Syria's interest, though it is for Kuwait and Turkey. Kuwait and turkey aren't causing the problems.
And, again, precisely correct.
What the US military DIDN'T have then was a decisive commander and chief.
For want of determined, decisive political leadership a war was lost, millions executed, millions more exiled, whole countries destroyed, and guys like Clark still can't figure out what happened.
Keep in mind this moron was actually a commissioned General in our Armed Forces! Scary, isn't it?And there are plenty more morons where this one came from: in the upper ranks of the military and all through the State Department.
Just think of what Bush has to deal with every day. Rino traitors in the house and senate, and career traitors in all branches of the government. It's depressing.
Nicely put!
We take for granted the strategic advantage that this administration has demonstrated by going forward in strength with a full commitment to WIN this war. There was a time for negotiations and that passed. Then we went in to WIN the war and to topple the stupid thug.
THAT made all the difference in the world. The Kerry strategy would have played us weak and allowed the savage punks to look really strong. The "Oh my! another Vietnam!" strategy of the Dems would have yielded another Vietnam, the one they actually predicted.
Bush saved us from that.
In the words of Bruce Willis in Die Hard, "Welcome to the party, pal."
Which is just ONE of the many reasons YOU aren't calling the shots! For crying out loud this numb nutz was relieved of duty by a draft dodger!.. How messed up do you have to be when a peacenic starts a war puts you in charge of it, and you still wind up screwing it up?
Clark is straining mightily for relevance...or is it a spot on the ticket with Hillary in '08?
Wesley is the commenment speaker at Cornell soon (following on the heels of such notables as Sandy Berger and Janet Reno in recent years). He better get his message back to the ultralefty corner if he wants a warm welcome in liberalville.
>>>Wesley is the commenment speaker at Cornell
Just a minor point of clarification. Clark will be the convocation speaker. The president of the university always gives the commencement address.
Just think of what Bush has to deal with every day. Rino traitors in the house and senate, and career traitors in all branches of the government. It's depressing.
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I appreciate that. This is why I keep saying that "Washington is out of control". It is. Both functionally and politically.
It was people like Weasley Clark, working from the DEMOCRAT McNamara "there's no way we can win" model, who gave us the Vietnam betrayel.
Hillary is not stupid enough to have someone on her ticket with NO political experience. She is alot smarter than that. Her ticket if she runs (and we all know she will) will be a very well thought out one. She is NOT going to be that easy to beat as we seem to think she is.
Agreed.
However, Clark did help lead our nation into Clinton's Kosovo Quagmire in support of the Muhammedan terrorists there.
Thanks for nuthin', Wesley!
PJ, Might want to keep an eye out for this one.
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