Comments on: CLARK CAN’T REMEMBER http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/clark_cant_remember/ Online Journal of Politics and Foreign Affairs Fri, 9 Jan 2009 10:59:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Steven http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/clark_cant_remember/#comment-6009 Steven Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=3292#comment-6009 Exactly. It would have garnered him much positive feedback. Waffling makes you look like you are trying to hide something. Exactly. It would have garnered him much positive feedback. Waffling makes you look like you are trying to hide something.

]]> By: Jem http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/clark_cant_remember/#comment-6010 Jem Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000 /?p=3292#comment-6010 It's interesting that in today's WaPo article about him, almost none of his peers would go on record with their opinions about him--and that almost all of them found significant flaws in his leadership style (though none questioned his intellect). These opinions are consistent with what I've heard from mid-grade officers who worked with/for him (yes, they had individual contact with him and were not just observers from afar)--very smart, a real politico, and with a real streak of weirdness in his decisions. It's especially amusing to read the comments about his "war" being successful. Most of the reasoned commentary I've heard/read concludes the effort was successful DESPITE Gen. Clark, not because of him. One of his great successes was to strike up a nice, friendly discussion with (and have a picture taken of himself wearing the hat of) noted war criminal Ratko Mladic...Mladic hadn't been indicted yet, but was already a well-known figure. It's the equivalent of having Marshall shown wearing Himmler's hat in 1938. --- It's interesting that in today's WaPo article about him, almost none of his peers would go on record with their opinions about him--and that almost all of them found significant flaws in his leadership style (though none questioned his intellect). These opinions are consistent with what I've heard from mid-grade officers who worked with/for him (yes, they had individual contact with him and were not just observers from afar)--very smart, a real politico, and with a real streak of weirdness in his decisions.

It's especially amusing to read the comments about his "war" being successful. Most of the reasoned commentary I've heard/read concludes the effort was successful DESPITE Gen. Clark, not because of him. One of his great successes was to strike up a nice, friendly discussion with (and have a picture taken of himself wearing the hat of) noted war criminal Ratko Mladic...Mladic hadn't been indicted yet, but was already a well-known figure. It's the equivalent of having Marshall shown wearing Himmler's hat in 1938.

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