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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Wesley Clark: Showboating Egotist or Devious Political Operator?

Nearly seven years ago to the day, Christopher Caldwell shared his opinions of Wesley Clark and Clark’s “score-settling and ass-covering” book Waging Modern War in Slate Magazine.

It’s dressed up as the autobiography of a war hero. It has...250 pages on the Kosovo campaign of 1999, which Clark led militarily, in his role as Supreme Allied Commander--Europe (SACEUR), and in which his plans to escalate the war through personnel-killing Apache helicopters and 200,000 American ground troops were (thank God) consistently rebuffed by Washington.

Hmm. Wonder if sitting your fanny in a leather bound chair out of harms way qualifies you to be President more than “riding around” in a fighter jet?
“Riding around”? What a complete and utter A-hole this guy is to denigrate the service of any fighter pilot like that!

...(Clark’s) methods led him into a propagandistic press strategy that was transparent to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention to the war. And they hurt him in U.S. military circles, where he was considered a showboating egotist and a devious political operator.

The more things change the more they stay the same, eh?

So, Chris...what do you really think?

As you may perhaps glean, I was not (to put it mildly) a big fan of the Kosovo operation in the first place, and I think Clark was one of its least honorable and most self-serving participants.

Showboating egotist, devious political operator, and surrogate attack dog for Barack Obama! Heh.

Hat tip The Corner
Cross Posted at Proof Positive

Comments

Well, proof, Clark gets a lot of media coverage for his wacked out comments.  For the media and apparently our society, sex, violence and radical behavior are the key interest points.


You don’t have to be a moron to be a liberal Democrat but it sure helps.

docdave on July 2, 2008 at 11:32 am
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Wonder if sitting your fanny in a leather bound chair out of harms way qualifies you to be President more than “riding around” in a fighter jet?

No being an Airborne Ranger Company Commander earning both the Bronze and Silver Star might.

You guys are pathetic.  If a soldier is Republican than their military career is off limits for comment, but if they don’t drink the conservative kool-aid than anything is fair game.

Hawk on July 2, 2008 at 01:08 pm
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You guys are pathetic.

Squawk: You think his comment about McCain was either fair, balanced or accurate?

He shot off his mouth as a partisan hack and is now reaping what he has sown. You got a problem with that?



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on July 2, 2008 at 01:14 pm
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You guys are pathetic.  If a soldier is Republican than their military career is off limits for comment, but if they don’t drink the conservative kool-aid than anything is fair game.

I’m pathetic?  I’m pretty sure that just yesterday I wrote a post saying that Clark’s criticism was right, and that McCain’s military service doesn’t necessarily qualify him to be President.


When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

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Rob on July 2, 2008 at 01:21 pm
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You think his comment about McCain was either fair, balanced or accurate?

Yes, it is 100% right.  A fighter pilot is not executive experience.

Hawk on July 2, 2008 at 01:43 pm
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Yes, it is 100% right.

I was speaking about his comment that he was just “riding around” in a fighter plane. Is that 100% right?



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on July 2, 2008 at 03:46 pm
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Note to the reading impaired: This post was about a review of Wesley Clark’s book as it reflected his character. His self-serving, less than honorable, showboating egotist, devious political operator character.

I took exception to ONE of WC’s remarks about McCain. Squawk comes here and defends a different remark. When challenged on that (and challenged may be the correct term to use for Squawk!) he appears to be strangely silent.



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on July 3, 2008 at 04:53 am
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(Note the WC reference was for our British friends!)



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on July 3, 2008 at 04:54 am
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