An Idle Musing On Gen. Clark

[BJ]

I'm amazed, a little bewildered and a touch embarrassed by the fawning over retired General Wesley K. Clark among some Democratic circles.

This man, after all, spent his entire adult life as a member of a rigidly hierarchical, authoritarian organization, the United States Army, rising to be one of its supreme autocrats. To my way of thinking, this is the very antithesis of the kind of trait required of a democratic leader. Say what you will about President Clinton he was never an autocrat, constrast his style of governance with the current administration's.

Of course there have been very successful military leaders who were effective Presidents, George Washington, one of our greatest Presidents, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. And there have been spectacular, though popular, failures, U.S. Grant comes readly to mind . So it's not to say that Gen. Clark might making an effective President.

However, I think that as more light is shed on General Clark and his career his star(s) will fade. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, the more the General has to answer for his positions, or take one, the greater his discomfort in the public light will be.

While I find myself disagreeing with editorialists Jeffery St. Clair and Alexander Cockburn on some issues, in fact they can be infuriatingly abrasive at times, they are thought provoking. They've reposted their June 1999 profile on General Clark. I think it many be instructive.
http://www.counterpunch.org/stclair09172003.html

[wyldwolf]

1. I see no problem...

"This man, after all, spent his entire adult life as a member of a rigidly hierarchical, authoritarian organization, the United States Army, rising to be one of its supreme autocrats. To my way of thinking, this is the very antithesis of the kind of trait required of a democratic leader."

I see absolutely NO problem in this.

[fjc]

2. Hatchet job.

While I certainly think we should all be as scrutinizing as possible about Gen Clark as he is systematically disrobed by the campaign for President, I nonetheless recognize a hatchet job when I see one, from right or left. The poster appears "fair and balanced," then links us to this kind of crap? Counterpunch sounds a bit like FAIR, to me.

[newyawker99]

6. Hi fjc!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Vikingking66]

3. see, the funny thing is no one knows that Washington was like as president

His administration oversaw the crushing of the Shays and Whiskey Rebellions, which was hypocritical to say the least. He also enthusiastically carried out the extermination of Native Americans.
Besides that, he really didn't do much.

[wyldwolf]

4. Didn't every president from Washington to, oh, say, 1900 or so...

...enthusiastically carried out the extermination of Native Americans?

[soothsayer]

5. This is the place that suggests he was instrumental in the Waco mess

True? Or not true? I can't tell what's real and what's a big fat lie.

on edit: here's the link to the story that suggests he was involved (not definitive by any means)
http://www.counterpunch.org/waco.html

[paulk]

7. take counterpunch with a HUGE grain of salt

they have an agenda.
They didn't like Al Gore much, either.