Clark: War wrong but don't pull out
Originally published in the Madison Capital Times
Clark: War wrong but don't pull out
Ex-general speaks here
By Anita Weier
August 31, 2005
Former presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark said Tuesday in Madison that the war in Iraq was a bad mistake, has been badly run and has hurt the war on terrorism by angering young men throughout the Islamic world.
But he said U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., is wrong in saying a timeline should be set for pulling out.
"I fully sympathize with anyone who wants us out of Iraq. ... We should use force only, only as a last resort. I never saw an imminent threat in Iraq. I called it an elective war before we ever went to it, and I warned that we should not go there until we had the aftermath well thought-out and planned. Of course, none of that was done," said Clark, retired supreme allied commander in Europe.
"It's been a strategic blunder. It's cost the lives of almost 1,900 Americans. It's cost close to $200 billion, and it ain't over yet. And so, we know it was a mistake and now the majority of the American people realize it."
Nevertheless, based on his military experience, the United States has to find a smart way out, he said.
"As a matter of practice, it's better not to set a deadline. You put the deadline out there for us to come home, it's used against us. It undercuts us," said Clark, who was in Madison to raise funds for Democratic candidates.
"I believe what we need is strong diplomacy in the region, talking to nations we don't necessarily agree with. You cannot fix Iraq in isolation with its neighbors. It is on the fault line between Shiite and Sunni Islam, and the neighbors have to be part of the solution."
He added that the United States must also give its men and women in uniform the resources they need to control the border and train Iraqi forces and police.
"There is still an opportunity to come out of this with something better than a failure by the United States - if the administration heeds the warnings right now," Clark said.
He also praised Wisconsin officials for the benefits and protections they have given to those who have served in the military and their relatives.
"I wish every state in America and I wish our Congress would follow the example of the unselfish commitment made by the people of Wisconsin," Clark said during a press conference at the State Capitol.
"This is not a partisan issue. This is the basic stuff of America. America is a nation that's been formed because people cared enough to risk their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to defend this country and protect it. Those of us who can't do that owe them a special repayment."
Congress should fully fund the Veterans Administration and make sure that all veterans including those who have served in the National Guard and Reserves - receive sufficient medical care, training and education, and that they can reclaim their civilian jobs when they return.
Besides raising funds for candidates, Clark said he is trying to lead the Democratic Party in a new direction.
"I am trying to help candidates craft a strong image of the Democratic Party and help us be present in all corners of America," he said.
Denying that he was actually running for president in 2008, Clark said he believes strongly in a two-party system and that Democrats must become a "full-service" party to win races in 2006.
"It is past time Democrats could say 'leave it to the Republicans,'" Clark warned. "That's not the case on foreign affairs. Some of their principles and ideas are not going to give us success. ... George Bush has had his day and he's bollixed it up."
He said major issues include much more than terrorism threats and the military situation in Iraq.
"It's the outsourcing of jobs to China and India. It's the almost steady rise in the price of gasoline. We need leadership in the country that deals not only with matters at home but matters abroad," Clark said.
The Democrats must not only be the party of health care and education, but must also be the party that can be relied on for national security, foreign trade and energy independence, he added.
"We believe in equality and opportunity at home and we believe in discourse. We see that force should be used only, only as a last resort. We are not a party that is anti-war. We are a party that is pro a common vision for humanity and believes we have to use all the tools of American statecraft ... to help guide the evolution of the international system in a direction that's congenial to our interests and values," he said.
Clark is now an investment banker and crisis planner in Little Rock, Ark.
Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, who supported Clark in 2004 in his race for president, said after his remarks Tuesday, "I will never lose my belief that this man was well-suited to lead this country. I wish he were there now."
