After reading Shaina Hanson’s Oct. 17 editorial, “Clark has best chance to win,” I feel compelled to set the record straight regarding Gen. Wesley Clark.
I have a lot of respect for the members of the U.S. military, and was intrigued when Clark announced his candidacy for the presidency. I delved into Clark’s history in order to determine if he was truly qualified for the position. Some of the incidents I found in his record are shocking.
During his command of NATO forces in the former Yugoslavia, Clark gave orders that could have started World War III. He ordered British paratroopers to assault and take control of half an airfield that was currently occupied by units of the Russian military.
Had it not been for the clear thinking of British Gen. Sir Mike Jackson who replied, “I’m not going to start the third world war for you,” an attack on Russian troops who were not threatening NATO forces could have quickly become a global catastrophe.
Clark also advocated to a congressional delegation the bombing of targets in Hungary along with Russian warships that entered the area during the air campaign in Yugoslavia. Either of these would have had serious consequences.
Clark has also ignored warnings of civilian authorities on at least one occasion. On a fact-finding mission to Bosnia in 1994, Clark was repeatedly warned not to meet with Serbian commander Ratko Mladic.
Even at that time Mladic was a wanted war criminal for the massacre of several thousand civilians. Clark ignored these warnings and met with Mladic anyway.
A man who willingly rubs elbows with mass murders is not what I want in any government official, much less the president of the United States.
Prestigious members of the military have little respect for Clark as well.
Col. David Hackworth commented, “Known by those who’ve served with him as the ultimate ‘perfumed prince’ he is far more comfortable in a drawing room discussing political theories than hunkering down in the trenches where bullets fly and soldiers die.”
Gen. Hugh Shelton, when asked, “What do you think of Gen. Wesley Clark and would you support him as a presidential candidate?” replied, “I’ve known Wes for a long time. I will tell you 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’ll just say Wes won’t get my vote.”
Clark is in possession of no attributes that I and a lot of other Americans would want the commander in chief of our country to have. He has a record of actions that show him unfit for the position.
Nathan Whitfield is a junior aerospace engineering major.