Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark writing book to be released in '07

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas: Retired U.S. Army Gen. Wesley Clark said he is writing a book to be published next year but said political observers should not read too much into that.

Clark, who lives in Arkansas, has said he is considering running for president. But he said his book announcement is not evidence that he will run.

"I just want to participate in the American dialogue about where we are as a nation," Clark said Wednesday.

Clark, who unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination in 2004, said his untitled book will be published next year.

"It's going to be about different aspects of America that I've lived through," Clark told The Associated Press. "I'm going to talk about growing up in the South. I'm going to talk about Vietnam and the Army. I'm going to talk about rebuilding the Army, and I'm going to talk about the post Cold War world."

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Posted by awcd at 4:35 PM | Permalink

Retired Col. Ken Allard examines his (and Clark's) experiences with SecDef Rumsfeld, as military commentators on CNN leading up to the war. Allard's book is called "Warheads: Cable News And the Fog of War," available at Amazon.

San Antonio Express-News, 11/15/06

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Some of us got an up-close and personal view of all this.

As "Warheads," my term for the principal military analysts of cable TV networks, we were granted unprecedented access to Rumsfeld and his inner circle

Tactfully termed "retired military advisers to the secretary of defense," the group, started in late 2002, included generals such as Wes Clark, Barry McCaffrey, Don Shepperd and Dave Grange, men with a profound understanding of war. Given the slightest chance, they might have offered Rumsfeld some usefully independent views.

We were, after all, doing precisely that every night on your TV. As the networks struggled to cater to an audience with few personal connections to war, the Warheads were hastily recruited to stand before the cameras and put things into context — hopefully in three minutes or less.

The Pentagon quickly grasped these new realities, reasoning it was senseless to cajole the press corps while making no effort to have the party line uttered from our lips.

During our sessions with him — 17 in all — it was difficult not to like Rumsfeld or admire his razor-sharp wit. But I didn't have to work for him or bear personal responsibility for his decisions. It became progressively clearer that the Warheads would never make the slightest dent in his mental defenses. From my humble seat at the far end of his conference table, I recalled one of the oldest jests in academe: That Rumsfeld was using the Warheads the same way a drunk uses a lamppost — for support rather than illumination.

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Posted by awcd at 10:31 AM | Permalink

Amarillo College Ranger, 11/2/06

Gen. Wesley Clark to speak in Amarillo

Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Gen. Wesley Clark will speak and sign books at the Globe-News Center at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9. A private reception will precede the event at 6 p.m.

The speech will be part of the AC Distinguished Lecture Series. For ticket information and prices, call 371-5322.

Posted by awcd at 11:40 AM | Permalink

WaPo's "Reliable Source" notes a book party Wes Clark co-hosted last night with GQ. General Clark wrote the foreword to This Is Our War: A Soldiers' Portfolio by David Friedman & the Editors of GQ, a collection of battlefield photos taken by soldiers in Iraq. This was a pretty fun publishing do, according to Wonkette, who I imagine might have gained a fresh appreciation of gentlemen soldiers in an encounter with a 4-Star General at the party. Too funny. Nice aim, Wonkette.

Starpower rating: Good. The party was hosted by GQ editor Jim Nelson and General Wesley Clark, both of whom are slender, boyishly handsome men. General Clark was much smaller than we expected — since, you know, he’s a general and all. Terry McAuliffe was present, looking very well-preserved. Also attending were Jack Kemp and Rep. Michael Conaway (R-Texas). Pollster Cornell Belcher was styling in a dark, pin-striped suit, which he paired with Converse sneakers (John Varvatos, natch).

Our brush with celebrity: General Clark’s hand grazed our groin area! It was totally accidental, and totally our fault. We were crossing the room a little too quickly, perhaps chasing after a tray of miniature crab cakes, when an errant hand gesture from the General resulted in the groin-graze. It was entirely our fault, due to our sudden movement across a crowded room.

Even though we're to blame, General Clark graciously apologized — just like a military man to accept full responsibility. But really, General, no apologies necessary! It’s not every day that we get quasi-frottage from a former presidential candidate.

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(But it was pretty entertaining watching Terry McAuliffe cheer lustily for himself — to the snickering of other attendees — when Gen. Clark mentioned him during his speech. And did we mention that General Clark’s hand briefly touched our crotch?)

Posted by awcd at 11:36 AM | Permalink

Alan Axelrod, author of a previous book about General Patton, Patton on Leadership, and now Patton: A Biography, was at a Manhattan Barnes & Noble tonight for a book signing and discussion with General Wesley Clark. Clark edits Palgrave MacMillan's Great General Series of which Axelrod's newest Patton book is one. The event was shown on C-Span, BookTV's "Public Lives," and can be watched here. Palgrave will also be coming out with The Battle for Peace : A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose by General Anthony Zinni next week.

Posted by awcd at 5:34 PM | Permalink

General Clark will host "After Words" on Book TV this weekend. Saturday, February 11 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, February 12 at 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm on C-Span2.

This week on After Words, journalist David Rieff explains the history of interventionism and how it has influenced U.S. foreign policy in his book, "At the Point of a Gun: Democratic Dreams and Armed Intervention." Mr. Rieff was a supporter of intervening militarily during both the Rwandan and Bosnian Genocide, until the war in Iraq changed his opinion. He now believes that intervention should only be used as a last resort. He is interviewed by Gen. Wesley Clark (Ret.) Former NATO Allied Supreme Commander, who led the military operation in Kosovo.

Posted by awcd at 8:02 AM | Permalink