Wesley Clark Talks Russian Invasion of Georgia

Posted on August 16, 2008

General Wesley Clark discusses recent events in Georgia, and why Putin's griping about the missile shield in Poland should be ignored.

Tom Foreman: Even if we consider that though, what do we make of moves like this talk about the missile shield in Poland? Certainly the Russians say that is a direct slap at them over this problem in Georgia. Is it, to your read and is it a smart move?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well no, it's not a direct slap at them, and it's something that's been on the books for a long, long time. We've talked about this for a decade, and they've been consulted on it. They've met with it. They know what the capabilities of the system are. This is just an example of Russian rhetoric aimed at intimidating Europe. It doesn't intimidate the United States. But the United States' reaction then can either bring Europe together with the United States or we can chill the relations with Europe. So, we want to be careful. This, this is not something that the Russians have a right to respond on, and their response is unjustified. But on the other hand, we want to make sure our European allies all see it our way.
Tom Foreman: How do you read Putin's intentions right now when you look at Georgia and you look at his response to the rest of the Western world over issues like Iraq and Iran and oil supplies and everything?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Putin believes in re-establishing Russia's power. He wants Russia to be an important factor in every issue in the world. He'd like to regain the empire that Russia lost with the breakup of the Soviet Union. He'd love to see the reintegration of Ukraine. Belarus wants to be reintegrated. The Russians've put that on hold, because it's such a basket case. But with Ukraine and Belarus together, then the absorption of some of these other countries, he believes, that are on the periphery could happen, and Russia would once again be a, a much great- it'd be a superpower - unlike what it is today except through the nuclear capacity of course. And so, Georgia, in Putin's mind is probably the first step. They've long prepared Ossetia, South Ossetia and, and Abkhazia along with other areas on the periphery of Russia as, as, a-as grips into the near, what they call 'the near abroad'. This is a strategic crisis. It's been building for a long time. It just broke out into the open now, but we've seen its roots back more than a decade.

Clark always has excellent insights. Which just makes it more disturbing that new reports say that Barack Obama told Clark that there was no need for him to attend the Democratic Convention in Denver. No need? I guess that means he's not on the short list for VP. This is a boneheaded move by the Obama campaign.