Wesley K. Clark
Born December 23, 1944 (1944-12-23) (age 63)
General Wesley Clark
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1966–2000
Rank	General
Commands held	Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, United States European Command, United States Southern Command
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Kosovo War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (5) Army Distinguished Service Medal (2) Silver Star Legion of Merit (4) Bronze Star (2) Purple Heart French Ordre national du Mérite German Merit Cross of the Federal Republic (Order of Merit)

Wesley Kanne Clark (born December 23, 1944) is a retired General of the United States Army. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star General officer rank Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE) is the central command of NATO Military forces Composition The main combat power of EUCOM is formed around the US Seventh Army, US Sixth Fleet and Third Air Force. The United States Southern Command ( USSOUTHCOM) located in Miami, Florida, is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands (COCOMs in the The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security This article concerns the United States Army Distinguished Service Medal The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The The National Order of Merit (in French Ordre national du Mérite) is an Order of Chivalry awarded by the President of the French Republic. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit officially Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star General officer rank The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Clark was valedictorian of his class at West Point, was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford where he obtained a degree in PPE (Philosophy, Politics & Economics), and later graduated from the Command and General Staff College with a master's degree in military science. Valedictorian is an academic title typically conferred upon the highest ranked student among those being graduated from an educational institution "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, Rhodes Scholarship Rhodes scholar redirects here Rhodes Scholar redirects here Rhodes scholars The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Philosophy Politics and Economics or Politics Philosophy and Economics (often abbreviated to PPE) is a popular Interdisciplinary degree which The Command and General Staff College ( C&GSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a United States Army facility that functions as a Graduate school Military Science is the process of translating National defence policy to produce Military capability by employing Military scientists including He spent 34 years in the Army and the Department of Defense, receiving many military decorations, several honorary knighthoods, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government Awards and decorations of the United States military are Military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is along with the equivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed

Clark commanded Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo War during his term as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE) is the central command of NATO Military forces The North Atlantic Treaty Some of Clark's command decisions during the conflict, such as his statements at press briefings and his actions at Priština International Airport, were heavily criticized. Pristina International Airport (Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Prishtinës Serbian: Међународни аеродром Приштина Međunarodni aerodrom Priština At times, he had a difficult relationship with Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Hugh Shelton, which led to rumors Clark was forced into retirement, though both he and the Department of Defense said his retirement was merely standard personnel movement. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U William Sebastian Cohen (born 28 August 1940) is an author and American politician from the U The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer overall in the United States Armed General Henry Hugh Shelton (born January 2, 1942) is a retired American career military officer

Clark joined the 2004 race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination as a candidate on September 17, 2003, but withdrew from the primary race on February 11, 2004, after winning the Oklahoma state primary, endorsing and campaigning for the eventual Democratic nominee, John Kerry. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Ten candidates vied for the nomination including retired four-star general Wesley Clark, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, John Edwards Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator Clark currently leads a political action committee — "WesPAC: Securing America" — which was formed after the primaries,^[1] and used it to support numerous Democratic Party candidates in the 2006 midterm elections. In the US, a Political Action Committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group regardless of size organized to elect political candidates The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday November 7 2006. ^[2] Clark was considered a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2008, but, on September 15, 2007, endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from ^[3]

Early life and education

Clark's paternal great-grandfather was a Belarusian Jew who immigrated to the United States in response to the Pale of Settlement and anti-Semitic violence from Russian pogroms. Prior to World War II, Jews were the third largest ethnic group in Belarus, and comprised more than 40% of the population in cities and towns American immigration ( emigration to the United States of America) refers to the movement of non-residents to the United States. The Pale of Settlement (Черта́ осе́длости cherta osedlosti) was the term given to a region of Imperial Russia, along its western border in which Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility The Russian Empire ( Pre-reform Russian: Pоссійская Имперія Modern Russian: Российская Империя translit: Rossiyskaya A pogrom is a form of Riot directed against a particular group whether ethnic religious or other and characterized by destruction of their Homes Businesses Clark's father, Benjamin J. Kanne, graduated from the Chicago-Kent College of Law and served in the U.S. Naval Reserve as an ensign during World War I, although he was never assigned to a combat mission. Chicago-Kent College of Law, the law school affiliated with the Illinois Institute of Technology, is nationally recognized for the scholarship and accomplishments of its The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the reserve component of the United States Navy. Ensign (ˈɛnsən is a junior rank of commissioned officer in the militaries of some countries normally in the infantry or navy World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Kanne, living in Chicago, Illinois, became involved with ward politics in the 1920s as a prosecutor and served in local offices. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. In the United States a ward is an optional division of a City or Town, especially an electoral district for administrative and representative purposes He went on to serve as a delegate to the 1932 Democratic National Convention that nominated Franklin D. Roosevelt as the party's presidential candidate^[4] (though his name does not appear on the published roll of convention delegates^[5]). The 1932 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago Illinois from June 27 - July 2, 1932. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by

Kanne came from the Kohen family line,^[6] and Clark's son has characterized his grandparents' marriage, between Jewish Benjamin and Methodist Veneta Kanne,^[7] as "about as multicultural as you could've gotten in 1944. A kohen (or cohen, Hebrew כּהן "priest" pl כּהנִים kohanim or cohanim) has a separate status in Judaism. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations "^[8]

Clark was born Wesley Kanne in Chicago on December 23, 1944. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His father Benjamin died on December 6, 1948, following which his mother then moved the family to Little Rock, Arkansas. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Little Rock is the Capital and the most populous city of the U Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. This move was made for a variety of reasons, including escaping the greater cost of living in a large city such as Chicago, the support Veneta's family in Arkansas could provide, and her feeling of being an outsider to the remaining Kanne family as she did not share their religion. ^[9] Once in Little Rock, Veneta married Viktor Clark, whom she met while working as a secretary for a local bank. ^[10] Viktor raised Wesley as his son, and officially adopted him on Wesley's 16th birthday. Adoption is the act of legally placing a child with a Parent or parents other than those to whom they were born Wesley's name was changed to Wesley Kanne Clark. Viktor Clark's name actually replaced that of Wesley's biological father on his birth certificate, something Wesley would later say that he wished they had not done. A birth certificate is a Vital record that documents the birth of a child ^[11] Veneta raised Wesley without telling him of his Jewish ancestry to protect him from the anti-Semitic activities of the Ku Klux Klan occurring in the South at the time. Ku Klux Klan ( KKK) is the name of several past and present secret domestic terrorist organizations in the United States, generally in the southern states that are ^[12] Although his mother was Methodist, Clark chose a Baptist church after moving to Little Rock and continued attending it throughout his childhood. Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. ^[13]

He graduated from Hall High School with a National Merit Scholarship, and helped take their swim team to the state championship, filling in for a sick teammate by swimming two legs of a relay. Hall High School, located in Little Rock Arkansas, is a comprehensive four-year public high school in the Little Rock School District (LRSD enrolling 1464 The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic Scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance During a relay race, members of a team take turns Running, Orienteering, Swimming, Cross-country skiing, Biathlon, or Skating ^[8][14][15] Clark has often repeated the anecdote that he decided he wanted to go to West Point after meeting a cadet with glasses who told Clark (who wore glasses as well) that one did not need perfect vision to attend West Point as Clark had thought. For other uses see Anecdota. For a comparison of anecdote with other kinds of stories see Myth legend fairy tale and fable. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, Officer Cadet is a rank held by military Cadets during their training to become Commissioned officers The term Officer Trainee is used interchangeably Eye examination Visual acuity (VA is acuteness or clearness of vision, especially form vision which is dependent on the sharpness of the retinal focus within the ^[8][16] Clark applied, and received his acceptance letter on April 24, 1962. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Military career

Clark's acceptance letter from West Point

Clark's military career began July 2, 1962 when he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, West Point is a federal military reservation (and a Census-designated place) located North of the Village of Highland Falls in Orange County New York New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Clark later said an important influence on his view of the military came from Douglas MacArthur's famous "Duty, honor, country" speech given to the class of 1962, only months before Clark entered West Point. General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. A recording of the speech was played for Clark's class when they first arrived. ^[8][17]

Clark sat in the front in many of his classes, a position held by the highest performer in class. Clark participated heavily in debate, was consistently within the top 5% of his class as a whole (earning him a "Distinguished Cadet" patch on his uniform), and ultimately graduated as valedictorian of West Point. Debate ( American English) or debating ( British English) is a formal method of interactive and position representational Argument. Valedictorian is an academic title typically conferred upon the highest ranked student among those being graduated from an educational institution The valedictorian is first to choose which career field of the Army to serve in, and Clark selected armor. Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of Armoured fighting vehicles in Modern warfare. He met Gertrude Kingston, his future wife, at a USO dance for midshipmen and West Point cadets. "USO" redirects here for other uses see USO (disambiguation The United Service Organizations Inc For the fish called midshipman see Midshipman fish. The rank of midshipman is one of the oldest ranks still in existence ^[8][17]

Clark eventually applied for a Rhodes Scholarship and learned in December of his senior year at West Point that he had been accepted. Rhodes Scholarship Rhodes scholar redirects here Rhodes Scholar redirects here Rhodes scholars He spent his summer at the United States Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Airborne School is run by the 1st Battalion (Airborne 507th Infantry, U Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southwest Clark worked in the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) program during his Rhodes Scholarship, completing his degree at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford in August 1968. Philosophy Politics and Economics or Politics Philosophy and Economics (often abbreviated to PPE) is a popular Interdisciplinary degree which Magdalen College redirects here see also Magdalene College Cambridge Magdalen College (ˈmɔːdlɨn "maudlin" is one of the constituent The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the While he was at Oxford, a Jewish cousin of Clark's who lived in England telephoned Clark and informed him of his Jewish heritage (after asking his mother if she would allow it). England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Clark spent three months after graduation at Fort Knox, Kentucky, going through Armor Officer Basic Course, then went on to Ranger School at Fort Benning. Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The United States Army Ranger School is an intense nine-week-long combat leadership course oriented to small-unit tactics and conducted in three separate three-week-long He was promoted to captain and was assigned as commander of the A Company of the 4th Battalion, 68th Armor, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. See " Captain " for other versions of this rank In the uniformed services of the United States, captain is a federal A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City Kansas ( is a Midwestern state in the central region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the American " ^[18]

Vietnam

Clark's Silver Star citation

Clark was assigned a position in the 1st Infantry Division and flew to Vietnam on May 21, 1969 during the U. The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army &mdashnicknamed “ The Big Red One ” after its Shoulder patch; and also nicknamed " The Fighting Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia He worked as a staff officer, collecting data and helping in operations planning, and was awarded the Bronze Star for his work with the staff. The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service Clark was then given command of A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division in January 1970. In February, only one month into his command, he was shot four times by a Viet Cong soldier with an AK-47. The AK-47 (contraction of Russian Автомат Калашникова образца 1947 года; Avtomat Kalashnikova obraztsa 1947 goda; "Kalashnikov's The wounded Clark shouted orders to his men, who counterattacked and defeated the Viet Cong force. A counterattack Clark had injuries to his right shoulder, right hand, right hip, and right leg, and was sent to Valley Forge Army Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania to recuperate. Valley Forge General Hospital is a former Military hospital in Phoenixville Pennsylvania. Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, 28 miles (45 km northwest of Philadelphia, at the The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the encounter. The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. ^[19]

Clark had converted to Catholicism, his wife Gertrude's religion, while in Vietnam. He saw his son, Wesley Clark, Jr. , for the first time while at the Valley Forge Hospital. ^[20] Clark commanded C Company, 6th Battalion, 32nd Armor, 194th Armored Brigade, a company composed entirely of wounded soldiers, at Fort Knox. In 1957 the 194th Armored Brigade was formed by the US Army's Combat Developments Command to test new materiel at Fort Ord California Clark has said this command is what made him decide to continue his military career past the four-year commitment required by West Point, which would have concluded in 1971. Clark completed his Armor Officer Advanced Course while at Fort Knox, taking additional elective courses and writing an article that won the Armor Association Writing Award. His next posting was to the office of the Army Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the "Modern Volunteer Army" program from May to July 1971. The Chief of Staff of the United States Army ( CSA) is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army and is member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D He then served as a social studies instructor at West Point for three years from July 1971 to 1974. Social Studies is a term used to describe the broad study of the various fields which involve past and current human behavior and interactions ^[21][22]

Clark graduated from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), earning his military Master of Arts degree in military science from the CGSC with a thesis on American policies of gradualism in the Vietnam War. The Command and General Staff College ( C&GSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a United States Army facility that functions as a Graduate school A Master of Arts ( Latin: Magister Artium) is a Postgraduate academic Master's degree awarded by universities in a large Military Science is the process of translating National defence policy to produce Military capability by employing Military scientists including A dissertation (also called thesis or disquisition) is a document that presents the author's Research and findings and is submitted in support of candidature Gradualism is the belief that changes occur or ought to occur slowly in the form of gradual steps (see also Incrementalism) Politics and society In Politics Clark's theory was one of applying force swiftly, which was being advocated by many soldiers at the time, a concept that would eventually become established as U. S. national security policy in the form of the Weinberger Doctrine and its successor, the Powell Doctrine. The Weinberger Doctrine was a list of points governing when the United States could commit troops in military engagements The " Powell Doctrine " is a Journalist -created term named after General Colin Powell in the run-up to the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Clark was promoted to major upon his graduation from the CGSC. Please see " Major " for other countries that use this rank In the United States, Major is a Military rank denotes ^[23]

Post-Vietnam

In 1975, Clark was appointed a White House Fellow in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as a special assistant to its director, James Thomas Lynn. The White House Fellows program was established by President of the United States Lyndon B The Office of Management and Budget (OMB is a Cabinet -level office and is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP James Thomas Lynn (born February 27 1927) was a US administrator. He was one of only 14 appointed out of 2,307 applicants. ^[24] Lynn also gave Clark a six-week assignment to assist John Marsh, then a counselor to the President. John Otho Marsh Jr (born August 7, 1926) served as the United States Secretary of the Army between 1981 and 1989 Clark was approached during his fellowship to help push for a memorial to Vietnam veterans. He worked with the movement that ultimately helped lead to the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a national War memorial located in Washington D C. Clark took two commands with the 1st Armored Division based in Germany from August 1976 to February 1978, first over the 3rd Battalion 35th Armor and then the entire 3rd Brigade. The 1st Armored Division &mdashnicknamed “ Old Ironsides ”&mdash is a standing armored division of the United States Army with base of operations Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ^[21] Clark's brigade commander while in the former position said Clark was "singularly outstanding, notably superb. " Regarding his term as brigade commander, one of his battalion commanders called Clark the "most brilliant and gifted officer [he'd] ever known. "^[25] He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his work with the division. The Meritorious Service Medal is a military award presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding non-combat meritorious

The brigade commander had also said that "word of Major Clark's exceptional talent spread", and in one case reached the desk of then Supreme Allied Commander Alexander Haig. Supreme Allied Commander is the title held by the most senior commander within certain multinational military alliances Alexander Meigs Haig Jr (born December 2 1924 is a retired four-star General in the United States Army who served as the U Haig personally selected Clark to serve as a special assistant on his staff, a post he held from February 1978 to June 1979. While on staff at SHAPE, Clark wrote policy reports and coordinated two multinational military exercises. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE) is the central command of NATO Military forces As a result of his work on Haig's staff, Clark was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit. Please see " Lieutenant Colonel " for other countries which use this rank In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding After his European post, he moved on to Fort Carson, Colorado where he served first as the executive officer of the 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division from August 1979 to February 1980, then as the commander of the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division from February 1980 to July 1982. Fort Carson is a United States Army installation located immediately south of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, and 30 While executive officer literally refers to a person responsible for the performance of duties involved in running an Organization, the exact meaning of the role is variable The 4th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado, with four Brigade combat According to the American journalist David Halberstam, the commander at Fort Carson had a reputation of disliking West Point graduates and fast-rising officers such as Clark. David Halberstam ( April 10 1934 – April 23 2007) was an American Pulitzer Prize -winning Journalist ^[26][27] After two years of not making the list to rise from battalion commander to brigade commander, Clark decided to attend the National War College. The National War College (NWC of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. After studying there from June 1982 to 1983, Clark graduated and was promoted to full colonel in October 1983. See also Colonel In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, colonel ^[21][28]

Portrait of Brigadier General Clark as a commander at Fort Irwin

Following his graduation, Clark worked in Washington, D. C. from July 1983 to 1984 in the offices of the Chief and Deputy Chiefs of Staff of the United States Army, and earned a second Legion of Merit for his work. The Chief of Staff of the United States Army ( CSA) is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army and is member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff He then served as the Operations Group commander at the Fort Irwin Military Reservation from August 1984 to June 1986. Fort Irwin & the National Training Center (NTC is a major Training area for the United States Military. He was awarded yet another Legion of Merit and a Meritorious Service Medal for his work at Fort Irwin, and was then given a brigade command at Fort Carson in 1986. He commanded the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry there from April 1986 to March 1988. Veneta Clark, Wesley's mother, fell ill as he began this command and died on Mother's Day in 1986. Mother's Day is a day honoring Mothers celebrated on various days in many places around the world After Fort Carson, Clark returned to the Command and General Staff College to direct and further develop the Battle Command Training Program (BCTP) there until October 1989. The BCTP was created to teach senior officers war-fighting skills, according to the commanding general at the time. ^[29] Then on November 1, 1989 Clark became a general with his promotion to brigadier general. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. ^[21][30]

Clark returned to Fort Irwin and commanded the National Training Center (NTC) from October 1989 to 1991. Fort Irwin & the National Training Center (NTC is a major Training area for the United States Military. The Gulf War occurred during Clark's command, and many National Guard divisional round-out brigades trained under his command. For the National Guard of a State and other countries' National Guard see National Guard. Multiple generals commanding American forces in Iraq and Kuwait said Clark's training helped bring about results in the field and that he had successfully begun training a new generation of the military that had moved past Vietnam-era strategy. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed He was awarded yet another Legion of Merit for his "personal efforts" that were "instrumental in maintaining" the NTC, according to the citation. He served in yet another planning post after this, as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Concepts, Doctrine, and Developments at Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia. United States Army Training and Doctrine Command ( TRADOC) is an army command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Monroe, Virginia Fort Monroe (also known as Fortress Monroe) is a Hampton Virginia, military installation located at Old Point Comfort, which is on the tip of the While there, he helped the commanding general of TRADOC prepare the army for war and develop new post-Cold War strategies. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the One of Clark's major pushes was for technological advancement in the army to establish a digital network for military command that Clark called the "digitization of the battlefield. A computer network is a group of interconnected Computers. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics "^[31] Clark was promoted to Major General in October 1992 at the end of this command. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries ^[21][32]

Fort Hood and the Waco Siege

See also: Waco Siege

Clark's final divisional command came with the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. The Waco Siege (also known as the Waco Massacre) took place on February 28 The 1st Cavalry Division ( "First Team") is a rapidly deployable heavy Armored division of the United States Army with base of operations Fort Hood, named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, is a United States Army post located halfway between Austin and Waco Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Clark was in command during three separate deployments of forces from Fort Hood for peacekeeping in Kuwait.

Once promoted to a full 4-star general, Clark assumed command of USSOUTHCOM in June 1996.

Some critics, such as CounterPunch and FrontPageMag.com, have made allegations that Clark was, to some degree, involved in the Waco Siege, where 74 Branch Davidian followers were killed during the final raid, including their leader David Koresh. CounterPunch is a biweekly Newsletter published in the United States that covers politics in a manner its editors describe as "muckraking with a radical FrontPage Magazine (also known as FRONTPAGEMAGCOM) is an online conservative political magazine edited by David Horowitz and is published The Waco Siege (also known as the Waco Massacre) took place on February 28 The Branch Davidians are a Sect that originated from a schism in 1955 from the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists, themselves former members of the David Koresh ( August 17, 1959 &ndash April 19, 1993) was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect, believing himself Groups making allegations of Clark's involvement note that Clark's second-in-command at the time, future General Peter Schoomaker, met with Texas governor Anne Richards and then-Attorney General Janet Reno, who were also allegedly involved with the siege. General Peter J Schoomaker (b February 12, 1946) was the 35th Chief of Staff of the United States Army, serving from August 1, This article is about the American politician/teacher for the Australian-American actress see Ann Richards (actress. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement Janet Reno (born July 21, 1938) was the Attorney General of the United States ( 1993 &ndash 2001) They also note that some military technology and personnel from Fort Hood, including two M1 Abrams tanks, were lent^[33] to the FBI for the operation. The M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. Some also suggest that, given the sensitive nature of the materials lent for the operation, Clark had some knowledge of and perhaps a hand in planning the Waco Siege. ^[34] Others, such as James Ridgeway, dismiss the allegations as conspiracy theories with little evidence to substantiate them. James Ridgeway (born 1936 is a prominent American investigative Journalist. A conspiracy theory attributes the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually Political, Social or Historical events or the concealment ^[35]

His final Officer Evaluation Report for his command at Fort Hood called him "one of the Army's best and brightest"; Clark was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his work at Fort Hood and was promoted to lieutenant general at the end of his command in April 1994. The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States of America military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious This article is about a United States military rank For other countries that use a similar rank see Lieutenant General. Clark's next assignment was an appointment as the Director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J5), on the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), from April 1994 to June 1996. The Joint Chiefs of Staff ( JCS) is a group comprising the Chiefs of service of each major branch of the Armed services in the United States armed forces ^[21][36]

United States Southern Command

Army regulations set a so-called "ticking clock" upon the promotion to a three-star general, essentially requiring that Clark be promoted to another post within 2 years from his initial promotion or retire. This deadline ended in 1996 and Clark said he was not optimistic about receiving such a promotion because rumors at the time suggested General Dennis Reimer did not want to promote him although "no specific reason was given". Dennis Joe Reimer (born July 12, 1939) was Chief of Staff of the United States Army from June 20, 1995 to June 21, ^[37] General Robert Scales admitted that it was likely Clark's reputation of intelligence within the military was responsible for feelings of resentment against him from other generals. Clark was named to the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) post despite these rumors. The United States Southern Command ( USSOUTHCOM) located in Miami, Florida, is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands (COCOMs in the Congress approved his promotion to full general in June 1996, and General John M. Shalikashvili signed the order. In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star General officer rank General John Malchase David Shalikashvili (ჯონ მალხაზ შალიკაშვილი (born June 27 1936 is a retired officer of the United States Clark said he was not the original nominee, but the first officer chosen "hadn't been accepted for some reason. "^[37][38]

The Balkans

Bosnia and Herzegovina

See also: War in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Dayton Agreement

Clark began planning work for responses to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina upon his appointment in 1994 as the Director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J5) on the JCS staff. The War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, commonly known as the Bosnian War, was an international armed conflict that took place between March 1992 and November 1995 The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol The War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, commonly known as the Bosnian War, was an international armed conflict that took place between March 1992 and November 1995 While collecting information to outline military options for resolving the conflict, Clark met with Bosnian military leaders including Ratko Mladić, who was later accused of war crimes and genocide. The Army of the Republika Srpska (Војска Републике Српске (ВРС Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske Ratko Mladić (Ратко Младић râtkɔ mlǎːditɕ born March 12, 1942, was the Chief of Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska (the Bosnian War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction in whole or in part of an ethnic racial religious or national group Clark was photographed exchanging hats with Mladić, and the photo drew controversy in the United States. A Washington Post story was published claiming Clark had made the visit despite a warning from the U.S. ambassador. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D This article contains several lists of Ambassadors from the United States. ^[39] Some Clinton administration members privately said the incident was "like cavorting with Hermann Göring. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also spelled Goering) (12 January 1893 15 October 1946 was a German Politician, Military leader and a leading member "^[40] Clark had actually listed the visit in the itinerary he submitted to the ambassador, but says he learned only afterwards that the visit had never been approved. He also said there had been no warning and no one had told him to cancel the visit, although two Congressmen called for Clark's dismissal regardless. The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Clark later said he regretted the exchange,^[41] and the issue was ultimately resolved as President Clinton sent a letter defending Clark to the Congress and the controversy subsided. ^[42] Clark said it was his "first experience in the rough and tumble of high visibility. . . and a painful few days. "^[43] Conservative pundit Robert Novak later referred to the hat exchange in a column during Clark's 2004 presidential campaign, citing it as a "problem" with Clark as a candidate. Conservatism in the United States includes a variety of political ideologies including Fiscal conservatism, Supply-side economics, Social conservatism Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak (born February 26, 1931) is a Conservative American political commentator syndicated columnist and journalist ^[44]

Clark was sent to Bosnia by Secretary of Defense William Perry to serve as the military advisor to a diplomatic negotiating team headed by assistant Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U William James Perry (born October 11, 1927) is an American businessman and engineer who was the United States Secretary of Defense from The United States Secretary of State (commonly abbreviated as SecState) is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with Foreign affairs Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (born April 24, 1941 to a Russian Jewish and German Jewish family in New York City) is an American Holbrooke later described Clark's position as "complicated" because while it presented him with future possibilities it "might put him into career-endangering conflicts with more senior officers. "^[45] While the team was driving along a mountain road during the first week, the road gave way, and one of the vehicles fell over a cliff carrying passengers including Holbrooke's deputy, Robert Frasure, a deputy assistant Secretary of Defense, Joseph Kruzel, and Air Force Colonel Nelson Drew. Robert C Frasure ( April 20, 1942 - August 19, 1995) was an American Diplomat and the first American Ambassador to See also Colonel In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, colonel Clark and Holbrooke attempted to crawl down the mountain, but were driven back by sniper fire. Once the fire ceased, Clark rappelled down the mountain to collect the bodies of two dead Americans left by Bosnian forces that had taken the wounded to a nearby hospital. Abseiling (German abseilen, "to rope down" rappelling in American and British English is the controlled descent down a rope in Rock climbing After returning to Washington D. C. for funeral services, the negotiations continued and the team eventually reached the Dayton Agreement at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and later signed it in Paris on December 14, 1995. The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Greene and Montgomery counties eight miles (13 km) northeast of Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the County seat and largest city of Montgomery County. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 ^[46]

Clark's official portrait as SACEUR, courtesy of NATO

Clark returned to the European theater and the Balkans following his USSOUTHCOM position when he was appointed to U.S. European Command in the summer of 1997 by President Clinton. The United States Southern Command ( USSOUTHCOM) located in Miami, Florida, is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands (COCOMs in the Composition The main combat power of EUCOM is formed around the US Seventh Army, US Sixth Fleet and Third Air Force. He was, as with SOUTHCOM, not the original nominee for the position. The Army had already selected another general for the post. Because President Clinton and General Shalikashvili believed Clark was the best man for the post, Clark eventually got the nomination. Shalikashvili noted he "had a very strong role in [Clark's] last two jobs. "^[47] Clark noted during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services committee of the 105th Congress that he believed NATO had shifted since the end of the Cold War from protecting Europe from the Soviet Union to working towards more general stability in the region. Advice and consent is an English phrase frequently used in enacting formulae of bills and in other legal or constitutional contexts describing a situation in The Committee on Armed Services is a Committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the The North Atlantic Treaty Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Clark also addressed issues related to his then-current command of USSOUTHCOM, such as support for the School of the Americas and his belief that the United States must continue aid to some South American nations to effectively fight the War on Drugs. The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation ( WHISC or WHINSEC) formerly the School of the Americas ( SOA; Spanish: South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The War on Drugs is a prohibition campaign undertaken by the United States government with the assistance of participating countries intended to reduce the Illegal ^[41] Clark was quickly confirmed by a voice vote the same day as his confirmation hearing,^[48] giving him the command of 109,000 American troops, their 150,000 family members, 50,000 civilians aiding the military, and all American military activities in 89 countries and territories of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. A voice vote in a Legislative body refers to a Vote taken on a topic where the participants merely respond verbally to a question with a spoken "yea" (yes The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. ^[49] The position made Clark the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), which granted him overall command of NATO military forces in Europe. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE) is the central command of NATO Military forces

Kosovo War

See also: Kosovo War

The largest event of Clark's tenure as SACEUR was NATO's confrontation with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the Kosovo War. The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Савезна Република Југославија / Savezna Republika Jugoslavija) or FRY was a federal state The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 The United Nations Security Council introduced Resolution 1199 calling for an end to hostilities in Kosovo, and Richard Holbrooke again tried to negotiate a peace. This process came to an unsuccessful end, however, following the Račak incident. Then U. S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright tried to force Yugoslavia into allowing separation of Kosovo with the Rambouillet Agreement, which Yugoslavia refused. Madeleine Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová on May 15, 1937) was the first woman to become United States Secretary of State. The Rambouillet Agreement is the name of a proposed peace agreement between then- Yugoslavia and a delegation representing the ethnic- Albanian majority population of Clark was at the Rambouillet talks and tried to convince Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milošević by telling him "there's an activation order. And if they tell me to bomb you, I'm going to bomb you good. " Clark later said Milošević launched into an emotional tirade against Albanians and said that they'd been "handled" in the 1940s by killing large numbers of them. } Albanians (Shqiptarët are an Ethnic group and a Nation, in the sense of sharing a common Albanian culture speaking the Albanian language Ethnic cleansing is a Euphemism referring to the persecution through imprisonment expulsion or killing of members of an ethnic minority by a majority to achieve ethnic homogeneity ^[50][51]

Clark briefing two fighter squadrons deployed to Aviano Air Base in Italy on May 9, 1999

Clark started the bombings codenamed Operation Allied Force on March 24, 1999 on orders to try and enforce UN Resolution 1199 following Yugoslavia's refusal of the Rambouillet Agreement. Aviano Air Base is a NATO Airbase in northeastern Italy, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Secretary of Defense William Cohen felt that Clark had powerful allies at the White House such as President Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that were allowing him to circumvent The Pentagon in promoting his strategic ideas, while Clark felt he was not being included enough in discussions with the National Command Authority, leading Clark to describe himself as "just a NATO officer who also reported to the United States". William Sebastian Cohen (born 28 August 1940) is an author and American politician from the U See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. National Command Authority ( NCA) is a term used by the United States military and government to refer to the ultimate lawful source of military orders ^[52] This command conflict came to a ceremonial head when Clark was not initially invited to a summit in Washington, D. C. to commemorate NATO's 50th anniversary, despite being its supreme military commander. Clark eventually secured an invitation to the summit, but was told by Cohen to say nothing about ground troops, and Clark agreed. ^[53]

The flag lowered at the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong in respect for the victims of the embassy bombing^[54]

Clark returned to SHAPE following the summit and briefed the press on the continued bombing operations. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe ( SHAPE) is the central command of NATO Military forces A reporter from the Los Angeles Times asked a question about the effect of bombings on Serbian forces, and Clark noted that merely counting the number of opposing troops did not show Milošević's true losses because he was bringing in reinforcements. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed Many American news organizations capitalized on the remark in a way Clark said "distorted the comment" with headlines such as "NATO Chief Admits Bombs Fail to Stem Serb Operations" in The New York Times. Clark later defended his remarks, saying this was a "complete misunderstanding of my statement and of the facts," and President Clinton agreed Clark's remarks had been misconstrued. Regardless, Clark received a call the following evening from General Hugh Shelton who said he had been told by Secretary Cohen to deliver a piece of guidance verbatim. General Henry Hugh Shelton (born January 2, 1942) is a retired American career military officer "Get your fucking face off the TV. No more briefings, period. That's it. "^[55][56]

Operation Allied Force experienced another problem when NATO bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on May 7, 1999. See also Targeting of civilian areas during Operation Allied Force On May 7 1999 in Operation Allied Force, NATO bombs hit the Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The operation had been organized against numerous Serbian targets, including "Target 493, the Federal Procurement and Supply Directorate Headquarters", although the intended target building was actually 300 meters away from the targeted area. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The embassy was located at this mistaken target, and three Chinese journalists were killed. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Clark's intelligence officer called Clark taking full responsibility and offering to resign, but Clark declined, saying it was not the officer's fault. Secretary Cohen and CIA Director George Tenet took responsibility the next day. Director of the Central Intelligence Agency ( D/CIA) serves as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which is part of the United States Intelligence George John Tenet (born January 5, 1953) was the Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency Tenet would later explain in testimony before the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on July 22, 1999 that the targeting system used street addresses, which gave inaccurate positions for air bombings and that the various databases of off-limit targets did not have the up-to-date address for the relatively new embassy location. The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Silvestre Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) ^[57][58]

The bombing campaign was ended on June 10, 1999 on the order of Secretary General of NATO Javier Solana after Milošević complied with conditions the international community had set and Yugoslav forces began to withdraw from Kosovo. Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ( NATO) is the chair of the North Atlantic Council, the supreme decision-making organisation of the Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, PhD (born 14 July 1942 in Madrid, Spain is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP ^[59] United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 was adopted that same day, placing Kosovo under United Nations administration and authorizing a Kosovo peacekeeping force. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 authorised an international civil and military presence in Kosovo, then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Kosovo Force ( KFOR) is a NATO -led international force responsible for establishing a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, the self-proclaimed independent ^[60] NATO claimed to have suffered zero deaths in combat^[61] thus making Clark the first US general to win a war without losing a single soldier to combat. NATO did suffer two deaths overall; coming from an Apache helicopter crash that NATO attributed to engine failure. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[62] The bombing was noted for its high degree of accuracy, with estimated 495 civilian deaths and 820 wounded reported to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia as a result of the entire campaign. The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991 ^[61][63] Yugoslavia estimated that number of civilians killed is higher than 2,000 and that more than 5,000 have been wounded. ^[64] Human Rights Watch estimates the number of civilian deaths due to NATO bombings as somewhere between 488 and 527. Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. ^[65]

Milošević's term in office in Yugoslavia was coming to an end, and he began enacting a series of policies seen merely as attempts to preserve his power. The elections came on September 24, 2000, but protests grew from allegations of fraud and rigged elections that came to a head on October 5 in the so-called Bulldozer Revolution. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople The 5th October Overthrow (sometimes colloquially called the Bulldozer Revolution) is a term referring to the series of events that occurred in 2000 in the Federal Republic Milošević resigned on October 7. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) The Democratic Opposition of Serbia won a majority in parliamentary elections that December. The Democratic Opposition of Serbia ( Демократска oпозиција Cрбије, ДОС; Demokratska opozicija Srbije, DOS) was a wide The first free democratic elections after the fall of Slobodan Milošević were held in the Republic of Serbia (a constituent state of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) on Milošević was taken into custody on April 1, 2001, and transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on June 28 to face charges of war crimes and genocide. Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Clark was called to testify in a closed session of Milošević's trial in December 2003. He testified on issues ranging from the Srebrenica massacre to conversations Clark had had with Milošević over his career. The Srebrenica Massacre, also known as Srebrenica Genocide, was the July 1995 killing of an estimated 8000 Bosniak men and boys in the region of Srebrenica ^[66] Some groups also label Clark and Bill Clinton (along with several others) as war criminals for NATO's entire bombing campaign, saying the entire operation was in violation of the NATO charter. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia took place during the Kosovo War. ^{[67][68][69][70]}

Priština International Airport

One of Clark's most argued decisions during his SACEUR command was his attempted operation at Priština International Airport immediately after the end of the Kosovo War. Pristina International Airport (Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Prishtinës Serbian: Међународни аеродром Приштина Međunarodni aerodrom Priština Russian forces had arrived in Kosovo and were heading for the airport on June 12, 1999, two days after the bombing campaign ended, expecting to help police that section of Kosovo. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Clark, on the other hand, had planned for the Kosovo Force to police the area. The Kosovo Force ( KFOR) is a NATO -led international force responsible for establishing a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, the self-proclaimed independent Clark called then-Secretary General of NATO Javier Solana, and was told "of course you have to get to the airport" and "you have transfer of authority" in the area. Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, PhD (born 14 July 1942 in Madrid, Spain is the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP The British commander of the Kosovo Force, General Mike Jackson, however refused to block the Russians through military action saying "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located General Sir Michael David "Mike" Jackson GCB, CBE, DSO, DL, (born 21 March 1944) is a British World War III (also WWIII, or Third World War) denotes a successor to World War II (1939&ndash1945 that would be on a global scale with " Jackson has said he refused to take action because he did not believe it was worth the risk of a military confrontation with the Russians. American General Hugh Shelton called Jackson's refusal "troubling," and hearings in the United States Senate suggested it may amount to insubordination, with Senator John Warner suggesting holding hearings regarding whether the refusal was legal and potentially changing those rules if it was. General Henry Hugh Shelton (born January 2, 1942) is a retired American career military officer The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Insubordination is the act of a subordinate deliberately disobeying a lawful order John William Warner (born February 18 1927 is an American Politician, who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and has served as the ^[71] British Chief of the Defence Staff Charles Guthrie, however, agreed with Jackson and told Clark this on the day Jackson refused the order. The Chief of the Defence Staff ( CDS) is the professional head of the British Armed Forces. General Charles Ronald Llewelyn Guthrie Baron Guthrie of Craigiebank, GCB, LVO, OBE, DL (born 17 November 1938 ^[72] Russian military action in Kosovo was eventually stopped peacefully, as some nations, including Bulgaria and Romania (both of which sought eventual NATO membership), disallowed Russian aircraft to fly over their territory, halting their ability to bring in forces. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania ^[73][74]

Retirement

Clark received another call from General Shelton in July 1999 in which he was told that Secretary Cohen wanted Clark to leave his command in April 2000. Clark was surprised by this, as he saw SACEURs as being expected to serve at least 3 years and often asked to stay on for a 4th, while this date would give him less than 3 years of service at the post. ^[75] Clark was told that this was necessary because General Joseph Ralston was leaving his post as the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and would need another 4-star command within 60 days or he would be forced to retire. Joseph W Ralston ( November 4, 1943 in Hopkinsville Kentucky) is currently the United States Special Envoy for Countering the The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( VJCS) is by law the second highest ranking military officer overall in the United States Armed Forces ranking Ralston was not going to be appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff due to an extramarital affair in his past, and the SACEUR position was said to be the last potential post for him. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer overall in the United States Armed ^[76] Clark said this explanation "didn't wash" because he believed the legalities could have been sorted out to let him serve a full 3 years. ^[77] Clinton signed onto Ralston's reassignment, although David Halberstam wrote that both he and Madeleine Albright were angered at Clark's treatment. David Halberstam ( April 10 1934 – April 23 2007) was an American Pulitzer Prize -winning Journalist Clark spent the remainder of his time as SACEUR overseeing peacekeeper forces and, without a new command to take, was forced into retirement from the military on May 2, 2000. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ^[78][79]

Rumors persisted that Clark was forced out due to his contentious relationship with some in Washington D. C. ; however, he has dismissed them, calling it a "routine personnel action," and the Department of Defense said it was merely a "general rotation of American senior ranks. "^[80] However, a NATO ambassador told the International Herald Tribune that Clark's dismissal seemed to be a "political thing from the United States. The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international Newspaper "^[81] General Hugh Shelton would say of Clark during his 2004 campaign that "the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I'm not going to say whether I'm a Republican or a Democrat. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. I'll just say Wes won't get my vote,"^[82][83] though Shelton never elaborated further on what these issues were. ^[84]

Civilian career

Clark had earned an average of US$40,000 per year over the course of his military career and, according to The New York Times, retired with "precious little in the bank to show for years of public service. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been "^[85] Clark set himself three initial goals in civilian life — to earn $40 million in the business world to let him practice philanthropy, to become a professor, and to become a professional golfer. Philanthropy is the act of donating money goods services time and/or effort to support a socially beneficial cause with a defined objective and with no financial or material The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies In Golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained Clark's inspiration for philanthropy came from billionaire George Soros. George Soros (ˈsɔroʊs or /ˈsɔrəs/ Hungarian ˈʃoroʃ (born August 12, 1930, in Budapest, Hungary, as György Schwartz) is Clark began a public speaking tour in the summer of 2000 and approached several former government officials for advice on work after life in government, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich, White House Chief of Staff Mack McLarty, and Richard Holbrooke. A public speaker is a person who makes speeches in Public settings The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer&mdashor speaker &mdashof the United States House of Representatives. Newton "Newt" Leroy Gingrich, (born Newton Leroy McPherson on June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the Speaker The White House Chief of Staff is the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President Thomas F "Mack" McLarty III (born June 14, 1946) is a prominent Arkansas business and political leader and former White House Chief of Staff Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke (born April 24, 1941 to a Russian Jewish and German Jewish family in New York City) is an American Clark took McLarty's advice to move back to Little Rock, Arkansas, and took a position with the Stephens Group, an investment firm headquartered there. Little Rock is the Capital and the most populous city of the U Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. He took several other board positions at defense-related firms, and in March 2003 he amicably left the Stephens Group to found Wesley K. Clark & Associates. Clark began writing, publishing two books — Waging Modern War and Winning Modern Wars — along with writing the forewords for a series of military biographies, as well as a series of editorials. A foreword is a (usually short piece of writing often found at the beginning of a book or other piece of Literature, before the introduction, and written by someone An editorial, leader (UK or leading article (UK is an article in a Newspaper or Magazine that expresses the opinion of the Editor ^[86] He had amassed only about $3. 1 million towards his $40 million goal by 2003, but began considering running for public office instead of pursuing his business career. ^[87]

2004 presidential campaign

See also: Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2004 and United States presidential election, 2004

Clark has said that he began to truly define his politics only after his military retirement in 2000 around the 2000 presidential election that would give George W. Bush the presidency. Ten candidates vied for the nomination including retired four-star general Wesley Clark, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, John Edwards The United States presidential election of 2004 was held on Tuesday November 2, 2004, to elect the President of the United States. The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Democratic candidate Al Gore, then Vice President, and Republican George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Clark had a conversation with Condoleezza Rice. Condoleezza Rice (born November 14 1954 is the 66th United States She told him that the war in Kosovo would have never taken place under a Bush administration, as they adhered more to realpolitik. Realpolitik ( German: de real “realistic” “practical” or “actual” and de Politik “politics” refers to politics or diplomacy based primarily Clark found such an administration unsettling, as he had been selected for the SACEUR position because he believed more in the interventionist policies of the Clinton administration. Interventionism is a term for a Policy of non-defensive (proactive activity undertaken by a Nation-state, or other Geo-political Jurisdiction He said he would see it as a sign that things were "starting to go wrong" with American foreign policy if Bush was elected. ^[88] Clark supported the administration's War in Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks but did not support the Iraq War. The War in Afghanistan, which began on October 7 2001 as the U The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign Clark continued to warn people as a commentator on CNN that he believed the United States was undermanned in Iraq, and has said the war was "never [about]. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner . . WMD or regime change," and believes "the connection to the War on Terrorism was not shown. A weapon of mass destruction ( WMD) is a weapon which can kill large numbers of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures (e "^[89][90]

Clark met with a group of wealthy New York Democrats including Alan Patricof to tell them he was considering running for the presidency in the 2004 election. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Patricof, a supporter of Al Gore in 2000, met with all the Democratic candidates and ultimately supported Clark in 2004. Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former Clark has said that he voted for Al Gore in 2000, but has voted for Republicans such as Ronald Reagan, held equal esteem for Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman, and had been a registered independent voter throughout his military career. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general In Politics, an independent is a Politician who is not Affiliated with any Political party. Ultimately as Clark himself put it, however, he decided he was a Democrat because "I was pro-affirmative action, I was pro-choice, I was pro-education. Affirmative action in the United States|Employment equity (Canada|Reservation in India|Numerus clausus The term affirmative action describes many policies aimed at a historically Overview See also Ethical aspects of abortion Pro-choice advocates emphasize their beliefs that having a child is a personal choice that affects a woman's body and Education in the United States is provided mainly by government with control and funding coming from three levels federal, state, and local. . . I'm pro-health care. Health care in the United States is provided by many separate legal entities . . I realized I was either going to be the loneliest Republican in America or I was going to be a happy Democrat. "^[91] Clark said he liked the Democratic party, which he saw as standing for "internationalism", "ordinary men and women", and "fair play. For the Marxist concept of internationalism see Proletarian internationalism. "^[92][93]

A "Draft Clark" campaign began to grow with the launch of DraftWesleyClark. In Elections in the United States, political drafts are used to encourage or compel a certain person to enter a political race by demonstrating a significant groundswell of com on April 10, 2003. Events 879 - Louis III becomes King of the Western Franks. 1407 - the lama Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[94] DraftWesleyClark signed up tens of thousands of volunteers, made 150 media appearances discussing Clark, and raised $1. "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" 5 million in pledges for his campaign. Fund and Release (also called Threshold Pledge) is a system developed to address one of the problems of distributed Funding: that before putting up their own DraftClark2004. com, another website in support of drafting Clark, was the first organization to register as a political action committee in June 2003 to persuade Clark to run. In the US, a Political Action Committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group regardless of size organized to elect political candidates They had earlier presented him with 1000 emails in May 2003 from throughout the country asking Clark to run. One of DraftClark2004's founders, Brent Blackaby, said of the draft effort: "Just fifty-two years ago citizens from all over the country were successful in their efforts to draft General Eisenhower. The Draft Eisenhower movement was the first successful political draft of the 20th century to take a private citizen to the Oval Office. We intend to do the same in 2004 by drafting General Clark. If he runs, he wins. "^[95][96]

Clark spent time during these early stages of the draft movement deciding whether to run, a decision he said was based heavily on deciding whether to expose his family to a presidential campaign. His wife, Gert, said she was "initially. . . not delighted about it," but later changed her mind after hearing their son Wesley Clark, Jr. say that "things have to change, and we're willing to do it. And I want my son to grow up in a different world. "^[97] Clark went on Meet the Press in June 2003 and said he was "seriously consider[ing]" running for president. Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. ^[95] Clark believes Bill Clinton encouraged him to run when he attended a party hosted by the Clintons, and Clinton toasted his wife Hillary and Clark as the two "stars" of the Democratic Party. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from Clark's repeated connections with Bill Clinton led pundits to speculate that Clark was being maneuvered by the Clintons to change the Democratic field and clear a path for Hillary to enter the race. A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the Social sciences This theory lasted only a few months, and Antonia Felix speculated in her biography of Clark that it came from the largely unexplained connection between Clark and Bill Clinton that led to speculation. ^[98]

Wesley Clark announces his candidacy on September 17, 2003. Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.

Clark announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential primary elections from Little Rock on September 17, 2003, months after the other candidates. Ten candidates vied for the nomination including retired four-star general Wesley Clark, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, John Edwards Events 1176 - The Battle of Myriokephalon is fought 1462 - The Battle of Świecino (or Battle of Żarnowiec Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. He acknowledged the influence of the Draft Clark movement, saying they "took an inconceivable idea and made it conceivable". ^[99] Clark's early campaign staff took on many figures prominent in the 1992 and 1996 Clinton-Gore campaigns, including Mickey Kantor. The United States presidential elections of 1992 featured a battle between incumbent President, Republican George H The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former Michael "Mickey" Kantor (born August 7, 1939 in Nashville Tennessee) is an American politician and Lawyer. He also hired one of the founders of DraftWesleyClark. com, John Hlinko, to be his director of Internet strategy. Some of the Draft Clark movement people played a major role in Clark's and later Kerry's campaign and even became delegates at the Democratic National Convention like Dr. Dritan Zela, an Albanian-American and the co-founder of the Draft Clark movement in Arizona. The campaign raised $3. 5 million in the first two weeks. ^[100][101] The internet campaign would also establish the Clark Community Network of blogs,^[102] which is still used today and made heavy use of Meetup.com, where DraftWesleyClark. A blog (a contraction of the term " Web log " is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary descriptions of Meetupcom (also called Meetup) is an online Social networking portal that facilitates offline group meetings in various localities around the world com had established the second-largest community of Meetups at the time. ^[103]

Clark's loyalty to the Democratic Party was questioned by some as soon as he entered the race. Senator Joe Lieberman called Clark's party choice a matter of "political convenience, not conviction. Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman (born February 24 1942 is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. " Republican Governor Bill Owens of Colorado and University of Denver president Marc Holtzman have claimed Clark once said "I would have been a Republican if Karl Rove had returned my phone calls. Bill Owens is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. The University of Denver ( DU) founded in 1864 is the oldest private University in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. Marc Holtzman was the first Secretary of Technology for the state of Colorado and served as the first and only President of the Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) was Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W " Clark later claimed he was simply joking, but both Owens and Holtzman said the remark was delivered "very directly" and "wasn't a joke. " Katharine Q. Seelye wrote that many believed Clark had only chosen to be a Democrat in 2004 because it was "the only party that did not have a nominee. Katharine Q Seelye is a political reporter for The New York Times. "^[92] On May 11, 2001, Clark also delivered a speech to the Pulaski County Republican Party in Arkansas saying he was "very glad we've got the great team in office, men like Colin Powell, Don Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Paul O'Neill — people I know very well — our president George W. Pulaski County is the largest county by population in the US state of Arkansas with a population of 361474 at the 2000 United States Census Colin Luther Powell, KCB (Honorary MSC, (born April 5, 1937) is a retired General in the United States Army. Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9 1932 is a United States Businessman, Politician, the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney (born January 30 1941 is the forty-sixth and current Vice President of the United States. See Paul O'Neill for other people with this name Paul Henry O'Neill (born December 4, 1935) served as the 72nd United Bush. "^[104] U. S. News and World Report ran a story two weeks later claiming Clark might be considered some form of political run as a Republican. ^[105]

Clark speaking to a group of college students during the 2004 campaign

Clark, coming from a non-political background, had no position papers to define his agenda for the public. Once in the campaign, however, several volunteers established a network of connections with the media, and Clark began to explain his stances on a variety of issues. He was, as he had told The Washington Post in October, pro-choice and pro-affirmative action. The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D He called for a repeal of recent Bush tax cuts for people earning more than $200,000 and suggested providing healthcare for the uninsured by altering the current system rather than transferring to a completely new universal health care system. A tax cut is a reduction in taxes. Economic stimulus via tax cuts along with interest rate intervention and deficit spending are one of the central tenets of Keynesian economics Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region He backed environmental causes such as promising to reverse "scaled down rules" the Bush administration had applied to the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts and dealing with global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A Clean Air Act describes one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of Smog and Air pollution in general The Clean Water Act is the primary Federal law in the United States governing Water pollution. Global warming is the increase in the average measured temperature of the Clark also proposed a global effort to strengthen American relations with other nations, reviewing the PATRIOT Act, and investing $100 billion in homeland security. The USA PATRIOT Act, commonly known as the Patriot Act, is a controversial Act of Congress that U The term homeland security refers to the broad national effort by all levels of government to protect its territory from hazards both internal and external natural and man-made Finally, he put out a budget plan that claimed to save $2. 35 trillion over ten years through a repeal of the Bush tax cuts, sharing the cost of the Iraq War with other nations, and cutting government waste. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign ^[106] Clark had testified before the House Committee on Armed Services on September 26, 2002^[107] that while he supported the Iraq Resolution he believed the country should try other options before the more immediate war President Bush had been calling for at the time, and this testimony was later used during his presidential campaign to portray Clark as pro-war although FactCheck called this a "classic case of ripping quotes out of their full context in order to create a false picture. The US House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee, is a Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. " Iraq Resolution " and " Iraq War Resolution " are popular names for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 FactCheckorg is a nonprofit Website that describes its own goal as " the level of deception and confusion in U "^[108] Clark testified before this committee again in 2005,^[109] a hearing Dana Milbank of The Washington Post characterized as having a "different tune" as some of Clark's 2002 testimony that had been portrayed by some committee members as "fuzzy stuff" and "dumb clichés" had proven itself true in the ensuing two and a half years. Dana T Milbank (born 27 April, 1968) is an American political reporter for The Washington Post. ^[110]

Some, such as Clark's biography writer Antonia Felix,^[111] have speculated that Clark's inexperience at giving "soundbite" answers hurt him in the media during his primary campaign. A sound bite is an audiolinguistic and social communications phenomenon whose nature was recognized in the late 20th century helped by people such as Marshall McLuhan. ^[112] The day after he launched his campaign, for example, he was asked if he would have voted for the Iraq War Resolution, which granted President Bush the power to wage the Iraq War, a large issue in the 2004 campaign. Clark said, "At the time, I probably would have voted for it, but I think that's too simple a question," then "I don't know if I would have or not. I've said it both ways because when you get into this, what happens is you have to put yourself in a position — on balance, I probably would have voted for it. " Finally, Clark's press secretary clarified his position as "you said you would have voted for the resolution as leverage for a UN-based solution. A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the News media and using News management techniques helps " After this series of responses, although Clark opposed the war, The New York Times ran a story with the headline "Clark Says He Would Have Voted for War". ^[113] Clark was repeatedly portrayed as unsure on this critical issue by his opponents throughout the primary season, being forced to continue to clarify his position such as at the second primary debate when he said, "I think it's really embarrassing that a group of candidates up here are working on changing the leadership in this country and can't get their own story straight. . . I would have never voted for war. The war was an unnecessary war, it was an elective war, and it's been a huge strategic mistake for this country. "^[114]

Another media incident started during the New Hampshire primary September 27, 2003, when Clark was asked by space shuttle astronaut Jay C. Buckey what his vision for the space program was after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called the Space Transportation System ( STS) is the Spacecraft currently used by the United States Dr Jay Clark Buckey Jr (born June 6, 1956 in New York City) is an American Astronaut, having flown aboard one Space shuttle The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disintegrated over Texas Clark responded he was a great believer in the exploration of space but wanted a vision well beyond that of a new shuttle or space plane. "I would like to see mankind get off this planet. I'd like to know what's out there beyond the solar system. " Clark thought such a vision could probably require a lifetime of research and development in various fields of science and technology. Then at the end of his remarks, Clark dropped a bombshell when he said "I still believe in E = mc². In Physics, mass–energy equivalence is the concept that for particles slower than light any Mass has an associated Energy and vice versa. But I can't believe that in all of human history we'll never ever be able to go beyond the speed of light to reach where we want to go. I happen to believe that mankind can do it. I've argued with physicists about it. I've argued with best friends about it. I just have to believe it. It's my only faith-based initiative. "^[115] This led to a series of headlines deriding the response, such as "Beam Us Up, General Clark" in The New York Times, "Clark is Light-Years Ahead of the Competition" in The Washington Post, "General Relativity (Retired)" on the U.S. News & World Report website, and "Clark Campaigns at Light Speed" in Wired magazine. USNews & World Report is an influential weekly American Newsmagazine published in Washington D Wired is a full-color monthly American Magazine and on-line periodical published in San Francisco, California since March 1993 ^[116][117]

Clark (center) with his wife Gertrude (right) in Seattle, Washington on August 19, 2004

Several polls from September to November of 2003 showed Clark leading the Democratic field of candidates or as a close second to Howard Dean. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American The John Edwards campaign brought on Hugh Shelton — the general who had said Clark was made to leave the SACEUR post early due to "integrity and character issues" — as an advisor, a move that drew criticism from the Clark campaign. Johnny Reid "John" Edwards (born June 10 1953 ^[118] Since Dean consistently polled in the lead in the Iowa caucuses, Clark opted out of participating in the caucuses entirely to focus on later primaries instead. The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U The 2004 Iowa caucuses marked a turning point in the campaign for the Democratic nomination, however, as front-runners Dean and Dick Gephardt garnered results far lower than expected, and John Kerry and John Edwards campaigns' benefited in Clark's absence. In the United States, the 2004 Iowa Democratic caucuses (held January 19) were the first major test of some of the leading contenders for the Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt (born January 31, 1941) is a former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator Although Clark performed reasonably well in later primaries, such as a tie for third place with Edwards in the New Hampshire primary and narrowly winning the Oklahoma primary over Edwards, he saw his third-place finish in Tennessee and distant third in Virginia as signs that he had lost the South, which his campaign had been centered on. The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide Political party Primary elections held in the United States every four years as part of Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive He withdrew from the race on February 11, 2004 and announced his endorsement of John Kerry at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin on February 13. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Madison is the capital of the US state of Wisconsin and the County seat of Dane County. Events 1258 - Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed ^[119] Clark believed his opting out of the Iowa caucus was one of his campaign's biggest mistakes, saying to one supporter the day before he withdrew from the race that "everything would have been different if we had [been in Iowa]. "^[120]

Post-2004 campaign

A woman holds a Clark sign with one of his 2004 slogans at a Ned Lamont rally Clark attended in 2006. Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont Jr (born January 3, 1954

Clark continued to speak in support of Kerry (and the eventual Kerry/Edwards ticket) throughout the remainder of the 2004 presidential campaign, including speaking at the 2004 Democratic National Convention on the final evening. The 2004 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention that took place from July 26 to July 29, 2004 ^[121] He founded his current political action committee, WesPAC, in April 2004. In the US, a Political Action Committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group regardless of size organized to elect political candidates ^[122] Fox News Channel announced in June 2005 that they had signed General Clark as a military and foreign affairs analyst. ^[123] He joined the Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA as a senior fellow. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United ^[124] A managing partner of the companies that support the Center, Ronald Burkle, described Clark's position as "illuminat[ing] the center's research" and "teaching [the] contemporary role of the United States in the international community. Ronald Wayne Burkle (born November 12, 1952 in Pomona California) is an American Business magnate. "^[125]

Clark campaigned heavily throughout the 2006 midterm election campaign, supporting numerous Democrats in a variety of federal, statewide,^[126] and state legislature campaigns. The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday November 7 2006. ^[127] Ultimately his PAC aided 42 Democratic candidates who won their elections, including 25 who won seats formerly held by Republicans and 6 newly elected veteran members of the House and Senate. A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning "old" is a person who has or is working in the armed forces The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives ^[128] Clark was the most-requested surrogate of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee throughout the 2006 campaign,^[129] and sometimes appeared with the leadership of the Democratic Party when they commented on security issues. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (commonly referred to as the " D triple C," or the " D-Trip " is the Democratic Hill ^[130][131]

Clark has opposed taking military action against Iran and in January 2007 he criticized what he called "New York money people" pushing for a war. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. This led to accusations of antisemitism. ^[132]

Involvement in 2008 presidential race

See also: United States presidential election, 2008 and Official and potential 2008 United States presidential election Democratic candidates

Clark was mentioned as a potential 2008 presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket before endorsing Hillary Clinton for President. The United States presidential election of 2008, scheduled for Tuesday November 4 2008 will be the 56th consecutive Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26 1947 is the junior United States Senator from ^[133] Before that time, he was ranked within the top Democratic candidates according to some Internet polls. ^[134][135]

Since endorsing Hillary Clinton, Clark has campaigned for her in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Ohio and was even featured touting Hillary's experience in a campaign commercial. He has been mentioned as a possible Vice Presidential candidate for both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama because of his southern and national security credentials.

Support for fellow Democrats

Wes Clark is a major supporter of fellow Democrats running for office. His organization, WesPAC, is an ActBlue-active PAC that aims to ‘help Democrats gain momentum toward making major gains this November. ActBlue is a United States political committee established in June 2004 that enables anyone to fundraise on the Internet for the Democratic Party candidates ’ Among other efforts, Clark is supporting a slate of veterans, including Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, Leonard Boswell, Eric Massa, and Charlie Brown. Patrick Murphy may refer to Patrick Murphy (politician, US Representative from Pennsylvania Patrick Murphy (giant (1834&ndash1862

Awards and honors

See also: List of Wesley Clark awards and honors

Wesley Clark has been awarded numerous honors, awards, and knighthoods over the course of his military and civilian career. The following is a list of awards and honors awarded to Wesley Clark. Notable military awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, the Silver Star, and the Bronze Star with an oak leaf cluster. The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is a United States military award which is presented for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to national security An oak leaf cluster or oakleaves is a common device which is placed on U The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service ^[136] Internationally Clark has received numerous military honors such as the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Grand Cross of the Medal of Military Merit from Portugal and knighthoods. Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit officially Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. ^[137] Clark has been awarded some honors as a civilian, such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a decoration bestowed by the President of the United States and is along with the equivalent Congressional Gold Medal bestowed ^[138] The people of Đakovica, Kosovo named a street after him for his role in helping their city and country. Đakovica, Djakovica or Gjakova ( Albanian: Gjakova or Gjakovë; ^[139][140] Alabama has also named a boulevard after Clark in the city of Madison. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Madison is a city in Limestone and Madison Counties in the US ^[141][142] Municipal approval has been granted for the construction of a new street to be named "General Clark Court" in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Virginia Beach (pronounced /vɚˌdʒɪnjəˈbiːtʃ/ is an Independent city located in the South Hampton Roads area and one of the largest cities in The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state ^[143] He has also been appointed a Fellow at the Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA. The University of California Los Angeles (generally known as UCLA) is a public research university located in Westwood Los Angeles, California, United

Notes

References

• Clark, Wesley K. (foreword) (2006). Great Generals series. Palgrave Macmillan.  
• Clark, Wesley K. (2001). Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-277-7.  
• Clark, Wesley K. (2004). Winning Modern Wars: Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 1-58648-043-X.  
• Felix, Antonia (2004). Wesley K. Clark: A Biography. New York: Newmarket Press. ISBN 1557046255.  

External links

• WesPAC
• Draft Clark for President (archive only)
• Wesley Clark campaign contributions from the FEC
• Wesley Clark campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.org
• Wesley Clark Issue positions and quotes
• Wesley Clark collected news stories and commentary
• Wesley Clark Speaks About His New Memoir, War, and the Upcoming Election