General Clark Says Bush Wrecking the Military

Posted on June 14, 2005

Former NATO commander General Wesley Clark is less than pleased with the total lack of a coherent strategy in Iraq. He said that Bush's foreign policy is undermining support for our military.

Clark, who was a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, said the president's use of the armed forces has hurt recruitment efforts and eroded public support for the military.
"We have to make our legislators and president understand we believe in a volunteer force, and we expect him to have the leadership to guide our country in the right way in foreign affairs without wrecking the military institutions that keep us safe," Clark said while attending a fundraiser for Manchester Democrats.
He also accused the administration of committing soldiers in Iraq without proper planning and support. "(Bush) used fear, the fear of the American people to take us into a war that was purely elective," Clark said. Clark also voiced strong support for Democratic National Committee head Howard Dean, who has been criticized for comments attacking Republicans. "We've got to protect our freedom and our liberty," Clark said. "I'm proud of Howard Dean. I'm proud of the Democratic party. And we're going to stand together as a party."

It's interesting that he voiced support for Howard Dean, who is being continually quoted out of context by the media. Clearly, there's a campaign afoot to make Dean look like a madman. But this time it's not working. Dean's tough and he's doing what he needs to do as the head of the DNC. He's certainly right that polls show that Americans want someone to stand up to the neocons and their destructive agenda.

So will Clark run for president in 2008? He entered the 2004 campaign too late, but he had strong support. And his military credentials would be a great asset in the 2008 race. Clark's not saying one way or another, but he did say he's not ruling anything out. Clark in '08? Could be.