General Clark says he'd relieve Rumsfeld of his command.
Being relieved of command is something about which General Clark knows personally. While Spoons correctly ponders the fairness of General Shelton's vague remarks about Clark's character and speculation is bandied about in the media concerning Clark's sudden departure from NATO, this article offers a peek behind the curtain of Pentagon silence around Clark and his departure from Europe.
"Recounting the episode Thursday to a Senate committee, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry Shelton, offered a glimpse of the decision-making process at the highest levels that rarely surfaces on either side of the Atlantic.""Backed by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, General Clark initially asked General Jackson to send a joint British-French airborne force. French officials have subsequently said their government endorsed the plan and then withdrew at London's request.
..."Later in the same day, General Clark sought a U.S.-led force to get to Pristina ahead of the Russians, but was told that they lacked the regulation quantity of ammunition for the mission. European officials maintain that General Shelton also refused to provide Pentagon backing for U.S. involvement, apparently because of concern about possible casualties."
A whiff of General Ripper emanates from what we know of Clark's command during the Kosovo war that is not reassuring. That Cohen cashiered Clark is troubling, voters are entitled to the truth. This is not bean ball, does Clark possess the temperment to command the US military and foreign policy unchecked?
His waffling on Iraq is also troubling, he appears to be pettily vindictive when things do not work out his way. The General should clear the air and release his service records, just as we expect a civilian candidate to provide transparency regarding his past, so should General Clark.