Clark calls war mistake but warns against withdrawal deadline
Originally published in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Aug 30, 5:23 PM EDT
Clark calls war mistake but warns against withdrawal deadline
By JR ROSS
Associated Press Writer
(see this diary on the reporter's attempt to set Clark and Feingold against each other, and especially this comment)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark called the war in Iraq a strategic blunder that has been poorly handled by the president, but he advised Tuesday against setting a deadline to withdraw U.S. troops, as fellow Democrat U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold suggested.
Clark, a four-star general who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2004, called the war a mistake during a stop in Wisconsin to raise money for fellow Democrats. He said President Bush failed to plan for the aftermath of the initial invasion and committed a "strategic blunder" that cost 1,900 lives and $200 billion.
Still, he said his military experience has convinced him setting deadlines does not work. Clark spent 34 years in the military, including time as supreme allied commander of NATO.
"You put the deadline out there for us to come home, it's used against us," Clark said.
Feingold, D-Wis., earlier this month said the U.S. should set a target date of Dec. 31, 2006, to have all of its soldiers out of Iraq. He said the proposal was meant to jump start the process of bringing American troops home.
Wisconsin state Republican chairman Rick Graber said Clark's criticism of the war was politically motivated and a sign he will run for president in 2008. He said most Americans believe a deadline to withdraw from Iraq is a bad idea and Clark's comments show how little support exists for Feingold's target.
Feingold said in a statement Tuesday the deadline is meant as a target date to end the mission in Iraq and allow the U.S. to refocus its efforts on the larger fight against global terrorism rather than let the war "dominate our security strategy and drain vital security resources for an unlimited amount of time."
Clark dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination last year after a poor showing in the early primaries and caucuses. He visited Wisconsin Tuesday for two fundraisers, one for the state party and another for U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.
After the party luncheon, Clark appeared at a news conference in Madison flanked by Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, who led his Wisconsin campaign in 2004. He said he has not made any decisions about 2008 and was focused on helping Democrats in next year's elections project an image as a party strong on foreign affairs as well as domestic issues.
