EDITOR: I am writing in response to the opinion page column in
the Dec. 26 edition headlined Behind-the-scenes lobbying.
EDITOR:
I am writing in response to the opinion page column in the Dec. 26 edition headlined Behind-the-scenes lobbying.
Specifically, I want to respond to the spurilous and false statements made by columnist Robert Collins regarding General Wesley Clark’s departure as SACEUR, Commander-in-Chief of EUCOM, and Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Southern Command.
Let me revisit the actual press conference that took place in May 2000 with Secretary of Defense Wm.S. Cohen and Gen. H.H. Shelton at a Department of Defense news briefing:
Q: … any word on how he (Clark) has performed his job?
Cohen: He has done an extraordinary job. Gen.Clark is one of our most brilliant officers.
Q: Is his leaving a reflection on his performance? Cohen: “No reflection at all. He has done an outstanding job …”
You can read the entire Dept. of Defense interview at www.defenselink.mil/news/May2000.
The right wing slings mud without checking the accuracy of their facts, and yet wraps the flag of the United States around themselves as if no one else can claim to be a patriot.
Whether you choose to vote for Bush or for Clark, General Wesley Clark has earned the respect of Americans the hard way. He has taken bullets from AK-47s in Vietnam and led his unit to finishing their mission; he commanded his troops to a win in the war in Kosovo and removed a brutal Yugoslav dictator without the loss of a single American life. Under his command 1.5 millionAlbanian lives were saved from ethnic cleansing.
Clark is a man who finished first in his class at West Point and later taught economics. He can credibly speak to America’s role in the world from a position of strength, intelligence and integrity. I am proud to support Wes Clark for president in 2004. Visit www.clark04.com for more information on this great candidate.
Kristine Dillon, Gilroy
