http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/06/much-ado-about-nothing/?page =2
The Washington Times LETTERS Sunday, 6 June 2008 Your story "Obama defends his, McCain's patriotism" (July 1) misses the whole point. It was not John McCain's patriotism but his judgment that was questioned by Gen. Wesley Clark. Gen. Clark acknowledged Sen. McCain's service that made him a hero to millions but stated that the poor judgment, in Gen. Clark's view, that Mr. McCain has shown on some of the most important issues in recent years bring into question his qualification to be commander-in-chief. If Gen. Clark, who ran for president twice, is such an expert on judgment, let us take a closer look at his "judgment" as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), in particular how his faulty judgment and personal ambition could have caused World War III and, if he had had his way, could have resulted in thousands of casualties in an ill-conceived land war in Kosovo. In his book, "Waging Modern War," Gen. Clark wrote about his fury upon learning that Russian peacekeepers, without his permission as NATO commander, had entered the airport at Pristina, Kosovo, before British or American forces. In the 1999 article "The guy who almost started World War III," the British newspaper the Guardian revealed that "if NATO's supreme commander, the American General Wesley Clark, had had his way, British paratroopers would have stormed Pristina airport, threatening to unleash the most frightening crisis with Moscow since the end of the Cold War." The article was referring to the incident when General Sir Michael Jackson, commander of the international KFOR peacekeeping force, told Gen. Clark, "I'm not going to start the third world war for you," when he refused to accept an order to send assault troops to prevent Russian troops from taking over the airfield of Kosovo's provincial capital. The Times of London reported in 2001 that Gen. Jackson [was] told that he would have to resign if he refused to obey an order by the American commander of Nato's forces[.]" If Gen. Clark had had his way, we might have gone to war with Russia - or started a new Cold War. We can only hope that Gen. Clark, once described by Col. David Hackworth as a "perfumed prince," will stop embarrassing himself, and us, with his frantic attempts to be relevant. COL. GEORGE JATRAS, USAF (RET.) Camp Hill, Pa.
