-Caveat Lector- >From Chicago-Sun Times http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/novak06.html Balkan failure is Clark's May 6, 1999 BY ROBERT NOVAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Who is responsible for an air offensive that is building anti-American anger across Europe without breaking the Serbian regime's will? The blame rests heavily on Gen. Wesley Clark, the NATO supreme commander. After 40 days, U.S.-dominated NATO air strikes no longer even pretend to aim solely at military targets. Pentagon sources admit that the attacks on the city center of Belgrade are intended to so demoralize ordinary citizens that they force President Slobodan Milosevic to yield. That has not yet happened, but diplomats believe the grave damage done to American prestige in Central and Eastern Europe will outlive this vicious little war. "The problem is Wes Clark making--at least approving--the bombing decisions," said one such diplomat, who then asked rhetorically: "How could they let a man with such a lack of judgment be [supreme allied commander of Europe]?" Through dealings with Yugoslavia that date back to 1994, Clark's propensity for mistakes has kept him in trouble while he continued moving up the chain of command thanks to a patron in the Oval Office. In the last month's American newspaper clippings, Clark emerges as the only heroic figure of a non-heroic war. Indeed, his resume is stirring: first in his class at West Point, Rhodes scholar, frequently wounded and highly decorated Vietnam combat veteran, White House fellow. He became a full general about as fast as possible in peacetime. But members of Congress who visited Clark at his Brussels headquarters in the early days of the attack on Yugoslavia were startled by his off-the-record comments. If the Russians are going to sail war ships into the combat zone, we should bomb them. If Milosevic is getting oil from the Hungarian pipeline, we should bomb it. NATO's actual air strategy did not go that far, but increasingly, it has reflected Clark's belligerence. Even the general's defenders in the national security establishment cannot understand the targeting of empty government buildings in Belgrade, including Milosevic's official residence. Civilian damage and casualties in Kosovo and elsewhere in Serbia are too widespread to be accidental. Sources inside the U.S. high command say this week's disabling of Belgrade electrical power facilities was intended to destroy civilian morale. The Pentagon has announced NATO "area bombing" with "dumb" bombs carried by B-52s--clearly an anti-population tactic. In a highly limited war, Clark is using the methods of total war. One American diplomat with experience in the Balkans, who asked that he not be quoted by name, told me that ground forces are needed and he is appalled by the bombing of civilian targets. "It has no military significance, and it is pointless--utterly pointless," he added. "But it has a terrible impact on us. This bombing in the heart of the Balkans is costing us." That cost is viewed by State Department professionals as the product of Clark's deaf ear when it comes to diplomacy. His classic gaffe came in 1994 when he went off to meet Ratko Mladic, the brutal Bosnian Serb commander now sought as a war criminal, at his redoubt in Banja Luka. Mladic concluded their meeting by saying how much he admired Clark's three-star general cap. Impulsively, the American general exchanged hats with the notorious commander, who has been accused of ethnic cleansing, and even accepted Mladic's service revolver with an engraved message. That escapade cost Victor Jackovich his job as U.S. ambassador to Bosnia. He was sacked partly for not exercising sufficient restraint on the mercurial Clark and for not preventing him from gallivanting off to Banja Luka. The sequel came at Belgrade a year later during the diplomacy leading to the Dayton peace conference. Milosevic, smiling broadly, humiliated Clark by returning his hat to him. That helps explain the general's intense personal animosity for the Yugoslav president. Clark is the perfect model of a 1990s political four-star general. Clark's rapid promotions after Dayton--winning his fourth star to head the Panama-based Southern Command and then the jewel of his European post--were both opposed by the Pentagon brass. But Clark's fellow Arkansan in the White House named him anyway. The president and the general are collaborators in a failed strategy whose consequences cast a long shadow even if soon terminated by negotiation. Robert Novak appears on the CNN programs "Capitol Gang" at 6 p.m. Saturday and "Evans, Novak, Hunt and Shields" at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Back to Novak Page <Picture: Wanna join the fun? Check out JustPlay!> [News] [Sports] [Business] [Showcase] [Classifieds] [Columnists] [Feedback] [Main Menu] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From WorldNetDaily http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_rockwell/19990506_xclro_violence_c.shtm l Violence Chic ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On cue, the midgets in the Senate are holding hearings on violence in the public schools. What's to blame for the shootings in Colorado? Several members lashed out at a predictable target: Hollywood and its supposed glorification of violence. But kids these days don't have to go to the movies to see maiming and killing. They can see the real thing by turning on the nightly news. Once again, it's government, not private industry, that provides the worst example to children. U.S. bombs do to Belgrade what tornadoes did to Oklahoma and Kansas, and the senators think they can send a non-violent message to young people? Worse, Clinton and Gore think pious speeches can blunt the reality that the U.S. military is killing civilians in foreign countries every day. If offing people you hate is OK in Pristina, why not Littleton? The primary sponsor of violence chic is not the movies, which portray fantasy, but the government, which engages in real-life war. The seventy premature babies in a Belgrade hospital, whose incubators went dead after the U.S. "soft bombed" an electrical plant, are the real-life casualties of Clinton's war. To gin up the Gulf War, the Bush administration told stories about Iraqi troops dumping preemies on the floor, stories which turned out to be false. This time, however, it is for real, but it is the U.S. doing it. The sixty people incinerated on board a civilian bus in Kosovo were made of flesh, bone, and blood, not frames on a film. No wonder the violent imagination of the killer Eric Harris ran wild with dreams of joining the war. He told one and all he was prepared to fight, not for his country, but for the sheer thrill of killing people who don't stand a chance of fighting back. Unable to get to Yugoslavia, he decided to cover the home front. If violence in the Balkans is getting to be old hat, turn your attention to Iraq, where the bombings and bloodshed, not to speak of the murderous sanctions, have been relentless. With everyone's attention riveted on Yugoslavia, the U.S. has stepped up its war on Iraq, with almost daily skirmishes against radar and other sites, and the deaths of dozens of civilians. While nature ravished the American Midwest, an unnatural disaster befell Northern Iraq. U.S. jets launched missiles near Mosul, killing two civilians and mutilating another 12. Twenty-five miles north of Mosul, a family of seven was snuffed out by U.S. bombs. Official excuse No. 1: the U.S. was targeting air-defense sites. Gee, but isn't that a funny place for a family to live? Official excuse No. 2: Saddam Hussein is placing these sites in civilian neighborhoods to deter attacks. But why would he think this would deter anything, given the U.S. performance in his own country and Yugoslavia? Official excuse No. 3: The U.S. had to act because Saddam was planning a showdown while the Pentagon is occupied in the Balkans. But what kind of "showdown" is this broken regime in a broken country capable of? Enough of this nonsense. The credibility of administration spokesmen has begun to run very thin. For instance: a court recently cleared the owner of the Sudanese pharmaceutical plant of having had any connection to chemical weapons. But this was a year after the U.S. reduced the entire place to rubble, and insisted, vehemently and for many months, that it was making chemical weapons to be used against Americans. Moreover, these same administration spokesmen denounced all skeptics as wackos with an agenda, or people in the pay of terrorists. It is the Clinton administration, not the movies, that is the source of the new violence chic. And herein lies the greatest tragedy of the present regime. If there was ever any hope that Clinton might do some good for his country, it stemmed from his youthful protests against aggressive U.S. wars. Was there a commitment to something right and true in this man who otherwise appeared to have no moral core? If nothing else, he might have kept us out of war. Alas, war is now one of his many unsavory legacies. Not even his redeeming qualities redeemed him in the end. For him, that weapon of mass destruction called government provides tangible proof that he is somebody important. He can turn off the power in a Belgrade hospital. He can blow up buses. He can decide who and what to destroy, any place on earth. He can determine whether sick children in Iraq have access to medical supplies. (His answer is no.) Thank God his plan to nationalize all of American medicine failed. If politicians want to send a moral message to American kids, let them start by stopping their own acts of violence. Then they could give us the gun control we need: background checks and waiting periods for politicians trying to buy bombers, and safety locks on Tomahawk missiles. Parents, freed from the influence that officially sanctioned violence has on their children, can take it from there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. is president of the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From Wash (DC) Post Vets Want US Troops Out of Balkans Thursday, May 6, 1999; 5:00 a.m. EDT INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The nation's largest veterans organization has urged President Clinton to immediately withdraw U.S. troops from the Balkans. ``We believe the best thing we can do to support our troops, to protect our troops, is to bring them home,'' said Harold L. ``Butch'' Miller, national commander of The American Legion. ``We believe we are getting into a bad situation in Kosovo.'' The Legion's national executive committee unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday calling for all U.S. soldiers, pilots and support staff to be removed from the region. The resolution says the U.S.-led NATO attacks against Serbia ``could only lead to troops being killed, wounded or captured without advancing any clear purpose, mission or objective.'' The Legion would permit U.S. involvement if Congress passes a resolution supporting the NATO action; U.S. troops are led only by U.S. commanders; the president explains why the action is ``in our vital national interests;'' and guidelines for the campaign, including an exit strategy, are established. The Legion, which represents about 2.9 million American veterans, has scheduled a news conference today to discuss the resolution, which is being delivered to the White House and all members of Congress. � Copyright 1999 The Associated Press ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At SalonMagazine.CoM http://www.salonmag.com/news/feature/1999/05/06/war/index1.html Declaring war on undeclared war A lawsuit could force President Clinton to get Congress' OK on Kosovo. ----AND---- April 30, 1999 Lawsuit Filed by Congressman Campbell in Federal District Court http://www.house.gov/campbell/lawsuit.htm <<Twelve pages of images of paperwork>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From CounterPunch.Org A Vain, Pompous, Brown-noser Meet the Real Gen. Clark Anyone seeking to understand the bloody fiasco of the Serbian war need hardly look further than the person of the beribboned Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley K. Clark. Politicians and journalists are generally according him a respectful hearing as he discourses on the "schedule" for the destruction of Serbia, tellingly embracing phrases favored by military bureaucrats such as "systematic" and "methodical". The reaction from former army subordinates is very diffe<Picture>rent. "The poster child for everything that is wrong with the GO (general officer) corps," exclaims one colonel, who has had occasion to observe Clark in action, citing, among other examples, his command of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood from 1992 to 1994. While Clark's official Pentagon biography proclaims his triumph in "transitioning the Division into a rapidly deployable force" this officer describes the "1st Horse Division" as "easily the worst division I have ever seen in 25 years of doing this stuff." Such strong reactions are common. A major in the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado when Clark was in command there in the early 1980s described him as a man who "regards each and every one of his subordinates as a potential threat to his career". While he regards his junior officers with watchful suspicion, he <Picture>customarily accords the lower ranks little more than arrogant contempt. A veteran of Clark's tenure at Fort Hood recalls the general's "massive tantrum because the privates and sergeants and wives in the crowded (canteen) checkout lines didn't jump out of the way fast enough to let him through". Clark's demeanor to those above is, of course, very different, a mode of behavior that has earned him rich dividends over the years. Thus, early in 1994, he was a candidate for promotion from two to three star general. Only one hurdle remained - a war game exercise known as the Battle Command Training Program in which Clark would have to maneuver his division against an opposing force. The commander of the opposing force, or "OPFOR" was known for the military skill with which he routinely demolished opponents. But Clark's patrons on high were determined that no such humiliation should be visited on their favorite. Prior to the exercise therefore, strict orders came down that the battle should go Clark's way. Accordingly<Picture>, the OPFOR was reduced in strength by half, thus enabling Clark, despite deploying tactics of signal ineptitude, to triumph. His third star came down a few weeks later. Battle exercises and war games are of course meant to test the fighting skills of commanders and troops. The army's most important venue for such training is the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, where Clark commanded from October 1989 to October 1991 and where his men derisively nicknamed him "Section Leader Six" for his obsessive micro-management. At the NTC, army <Picture>units face a resident OPFOR that has, through constant battle practice coupled with innovative tactics and close knowledge of the terrain, become adept at routing the visiting "Blue Force" opponents. For Clark, this naturally posed a problem. Not only were his men using unconventional tactics, they were also humiliating Blue Force generals who might nurture resentment against the NTC commander and thus discommode his career at some future date. To the disgust of the junior OPFOR officers Clark therefore frequently fought to lose, sending his men on suicidal attacks in order that the Blue Forces should go home happy and owing debts of gratitude to their obliging foe. All observers agree that Clark has always displayed an obsessive concern with the perquisites and appurtenances of rank. Ever since he acceded to the Nato command post, the entourage with which he travels has accordingly grown to gargantuan proportions to the point where even civilians are beginning to comment. A Senate aide recalls his appearances to testify, prior to which aides scurry about the room adjusting lights, polishin<Picture>g his chair, testing the microphone etc prior to the precisely timed and choreographed moment when the Supreme Allied Commander Europe makes his entrance. "We are state of the art pomposity and arrogance up here," remarks the aide. "So when a witness displays those traits so egregiously that even the senators notice, you know we're in trouble." His NATO subordinates call him, not with affection, "the Supreme Being". "Clark is smart," concludes one who has monitored his career. "But his whole life has been spent manipulating appearances (e.g. the doctored OPFOR exercise) in the interests of his career. Now he is faced with a reality he can't control." This observer concludes that, confronted with the wily Slobodan and other unavoidable variables of war, Clark will soon come unglued. "Watch the carpets at NATO HQ for teeth marks." CP >From http://www.eucom.mil/people/clark/bio.htm <<excerpted>> General Clark is a 1966 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he graduated first in his class. He holds a master's degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar (August 1966-August 1968). General Clark grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. <<end excerpt>> >From http://usembassy.or.cr/bioclint.html <<excerpted>> A fifth-generation Arkansan, President Clinton was born on August 19, 1946. He spent the first years of his life in Hope and then moved with his family to Hot Springs, where he graduated from high school. The President earned a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1968 and a law degree from Yale Law School in 1973. He also studied at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar from 1968 to 1970. <<end excerpt>> A<>E<>R ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished. -Johann Christoph Schiller, German Writer (1759-1805) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
