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Wesley Kanne Clark KBE (born December 23, 1944) is
a retired general|four-star general in the United
States Army|U.S. Army. As the Supreme Allied
Commander of NATO from 1997 to 2000, Clark
commanded Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo
War|Kosovo conflict. Before this, he had a
distinguished career in the Army and the United
States Department of Defense|Department of
Defense. Clark received many Awards and
decorations of the United States military|military
decorations over the course of his career. He was
a candidate for the  United States Democratic
Party|Democratic Party U.S. Democratic Party
presidential nomination, 2004|presidential
nomination in 2004, but withdrew from the race on
February 11 after a poor showing in the Democratic
primaries and actively campaigned for eventual
Democratic nominee John Kerry. Currently, Clark
leads the WesPAChttp://www.securingamerica.com
political action committee. Clark is considered a
potential candidate for the Democratic nomination
for president in U.S. presidential election, 2008|
2008.

==Early life, education, and military career==
Clark was born in Chicago, Illinois|Chicago,
Illinois, on 23 December 1944. His father,
Benjamin Kanne, was a Democratic politician, World
War I veteran, and lawyer who died in 1948 when
Wes was five years old (some sources say four
years old). His father also was a Reform
Judaism|Reform Jew (Clark's middle name, Kanne,
refers to his father's lineage as a Kohen, a
descendant of the ancient Jewish
priests).#Notes|1 

After the death, Veneta Updegraff Bogard Kanne,
Clark's mother, returned to her home in Little
Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1954, she
married former banker Victor Clark. Wesley grew up
as a Baptist and attended public school|public
schools. He graduated from Hall High School as
valedictorian, having led the swim team to the
state championship.



In July 1962, at the age of 17, Clark entered the
United States Military Academy|U.S. Military
Academy in West Point, New York|West Point, New
York, beginning his 38 years in the U.S. armed
forces|U.S. military. Here Clark met Gertrude
"Gert" Kingston of Brooklyn, New York|Brooklyn at
a dance for the U.S. Navy|Navy. Clark graduated as
the valedictorian in June 1966. As the first in
his class, he earned the right to choose his
branch of service first. Washington Post
military-affairs reporter Rick Atkinson wrote:
:"Now, an officer stood at the podium in South
auditorium and began calling out names by class
rank.
::"Clark, Wesley K.
:"Wes Clark stood up, the first to choose his
branch. Brilliant and intense, he had ranked at
the top of his class for three of the four years
and would spend his first years after graduation
at Oxford as a Rhodes scholar.
::"Armor! Clark declared.
:"His classmates responded with a series of cheers
and catcalls, which continued through each
section."

Clark married Gert, and became a Roman Catholic
(Clark now attends Presbyterian services). Two
months later, in August, Clark was on the road
again, this time to complete his studies as a
Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen
College, Oxford|Magdalen College at the University
of Oxford. There he studied Philosophy, Politics
and Economics (PPE), earning a second Bachelor's
Degree|B.A. in August 1968. Once home, he attended
the Armor Officer Basic Course in the Army Armor
School at Fort Knox until October and the Army
Ranger Course in the Army Infantry School at Fort
Benning until December.

The following year, Clark commanded A Company
(military unit)|Company of the 4th Battalion, 68th
Armor, 82d Airborne Division at Fort Riley,
Kansas. In May, he was called to duty in Vietnam
during the Vietnam War. For the rest of the year,
Clark served in Vietnam as the Assistant Staff
Officer (Assistant G-3) of the Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 1st Infantry Division. In
January, Clark was promoted to Captain, and was
given command of a mechanized infantry unit
— the A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th
Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. 



The next month, February 1970, then 25, Clark was
wounded by a sniper in the jungle. Ambushed by the
Viet Cong, Clark was shot four times (in the right
shoulder, right hand, right hip and right leg)
before he could find cover. He managed to shout
commands to troops, who launched a counterattack
and defeated the enemy force. Clark's wounds were
treated, and he was flown back to the United
States to recuperate at Valley Forge Hospital.
There he saw his new four-month-old son, Wesley
Jr., who had been born in his absence. He also was
awarded the Bronze Star and Silver Star:
:"As the friendly force maneuvered through the
treacherous region, it was suddenly subjected to
an intense small arms fire from a well-concealed
insurgent element. Although painfully wounded in
the initial volley, Captain Clark immediately
directed his men on a counter-assault of the enemy
positions. With complete disregard for his
personal safety, Captain Clark remained with his
unit until the reactionary force arrived and the
situation was well in hand. His courageous
initiative and exemplary professionalism
significantly contributed to the successful
outcome of the engagement. Captain Clark's
unquestionable valor in close combat against a
hostile force is in keeping with the finest
traditions of the military service and reflects
great credit upon himself, the 1st Infantry
Division, and the United States Army."

After recovering, Clark continued his military
career. From May to September 1970, Clark
commanded the C Company, 6th Battalion, 32d Armor,
194th Armored Brigade at Fort Knox; from October
of that year to May 1971 he commanded the 1st
Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division at
Fort Carson. After this, Clark spent the June and
July in Washington, DC as a Staff Officer in the
Modern Volunteer Army program, working as a
Special Assistant for the Chief of Staff. Clark
later returned to West Point for three years as an
instructor and Professor|Assistant Professor of
Social science|Social Science.

After this, he graduated from the National War
College and Command and General Staff College, as
well as completing Armor Officer Advanced and
Basic Courses and Army Ranger and Airborne
schools. 

From 1975 to 1976, Clark was a White House Fellow
and served as a Special Assistant to the Director
of the Office of Management and Budget. Later, he
was an instructor and Professor|Assistant
Professor of Social science|Social Science at West
Point.

Clark commanded the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th
Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado and
later trained there and in Germany. He was later
promoted to general. During the Persian Gulf War,
Clark became Commander of the Army National
Training Center, in charge of arranging the 1st
Cavalry Division's three emergency deployments to
Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. In 1994,
Clark was again promoted, and started working with
the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Director for
Strategic Plans and Policy. During this time,
Clark ensured that the United Nations and
Department of Defense worked together during the
invasion of Haiti.

==In the Balkans==


Under the overall leadership of Richard Holbrooke,
Clark headed the United States armed forces|U.S.
military team during negotiations that led to the
Dayton Agreement|Bosnian Peace Accords, in Dayton,
Ohio|Dayton, Ohio. 

From 1997, he was head of the U.S. European
Command (Commander, United States European
Command|CINCEUR), responsible for about 109,000
U.S. troops and all U.S. military activities in 89
countries and territories of Europe, Africa, and
the Middle East. As Supreme Allied Commander
(SACEUR) he also had overall command of NATO
military forces in Europe and led approximately
60,000 troops from 37 NATO and other nations in
Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia-Herzegovina. 

As SACEUR, he confronted Yugoslavia over Kosovo
War|Kosovo. NATO's 78-day bombing campaign ended
with the Kumanovo truce, a withdrawal of Yugoslav
military and police force from Kosovo, and the
entry of NATO and other Kosovo Force soldiers. In
December 2003, Clark testified at Milosevic's
trial in the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia|International Criminal
Tribunal. His appearance was not public and
transcripts of his testimony were subject to U.S.
review before being released, a precaution the
U.S. didn't take when Madeleine Albright
testified. Clark's testimony was sought because he
had spoken with Milosevic for a total of more than
100 hours, in his role as the head of the U.S.
military team during the Dayton Agreement
negotiations and as NATO's Supreme Allied
Commander in Europe.

However, in April 1999 Clark had stated (in an
interview with the BBC program Panorama, that the
NATO bombing campaign “was not designed as a
means of blocking Serb ethnic cleansing. It was
not designed as a means of waging war against the
Serb and MUP paramilitary police forces in Kosovo.
Not in any way. There was never any intent to do
that. That was not the idea.” Thus, the war's
opponents claimed that NATO's armed intervention
was both unlawful in nature and means.

Another controversial part of Clark's command in
Kosovo came after the end of the military campaign
and involved the use of a Kosovo airfield by the
Russian military. After a small Russian force left
their peacekeeping station in Bosnia unannounced
and took control of the Slatina airfield, near
Pristina, on June 10, 1999, there was (according
to a BBC report) a "battle of wills" between Clark
and the British NATO commander, Lt. Gen. Mike
Jackson. Clark ordered British forces to block the
runways to the airfield, to prevent the Russian
troops from being resupplied from their homeland.
This maneuver would have been one step short of
hostile, and Jackson did not comply, reportedly
later saying: "I'm not going to start the Third
World War for you."

Clark, in an NPR interview, said that the incident
was a surprising moment for him. Clark stated that
his order to block the runways was refused by an
emotional Jackson and that he took the matter up
the British chain of command. In his book Waging
Modern War, Clark says Jackson protested, "Sir,
I'm a three-star general; you can't give me orders
like this," and that he responded, "Mike, I'm a
four-star general, and I can tell you these
things." 

Clark stated that General Charles Guthrie | Sir
Charles Guthrie, British Chief of the Defence
Staff, agreed with Jackson.  Guthrie, according to
Clark, also told him that Hugh Shelton, the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also agreed
with him. Clark said he found this very
surprising, contending that the original
suggestion to block the Russians came from
Washington.  Clark stated that he called the
Pentagon, looking for support, and was told by
Shelton: "We don't want a confrontation, but I do
support you."  Clark said that he told Shelton:
"Then you've got a policy problem". Clark
maintained in the NPR interview that the matter
was a difference in the perception of the policy
between the US administration and the British
government. Clark said he believed he was carrying
out the suggestions of the administration in
Washington.

The Clinton administration later persuaded Hungary
and Romania to deny Russia flight over their
airspace, preventing the Russians from landing
transport planes carrying reinforcements to their
troops at Pristina.  In July 1999, the Russians
agreed to integrate their forces into NATO's
operations.

==Presidential candidacy==

After retiring from the army, Clark worked as a
military and international affairs analyst,
including a stint as a commentator for CNN.  He
began preparations for a United States Democratic
Party|Democratic U.S. presidential election,
2004|2004 presidential candidacy in 2002,
including visits to the all-important first
primary state of New Hampshire.

By August 2003, several organized groups began a
US|nationwide campaign to "Political draft|draft
Clark" for the Democratic Party's nomination for
the 2004 presidential election. CNN on 13 August
showed a Television commercial|commercial by one
of these groups, and interviewed Clark. He
disavowed any connection with the "draft Clark"
groups, but said he had been considering his
position and that within a few weeks he would
likely make public his decision on whether or not
to run. He also fueled speculation with a
television interview in which he first declared
himself a Democrat.

On September 17, 2003 in Little Rock, Arkansas,
Clark announced his intention to run in the U.S.
Democratic Party Presidential Primary,
2004|presidential primary election for the
Democratic Party nomination, becoming the tenth
and last Democrat to do so (coming many months
after the others): "My name is Wes Clark.  I am
from Little Rock, Arkansas, and I am here to
announce that I intend to seek the presidency of
the United States of America."  He said, "We're
going to run a campaign that will move this
country forward, not back."

His campaign focused on themes of leadership and
patriotism; early campaign ads   relied heavily on
biography. His late start left him with relatively
few detailed policy proposals. This weakness was
apparent in his first few debates, although he
soon presented a range of position papers,
including a major tax-relief plan. Many Democrats
flocked to his campaign.  They were drawn by his
impressive military background, and saw  such
foreign policy credentials as a valuable asset in
challenging George W. Bush post-September 11, 2001
Terrorist Attacks|11 September. Advisors and
supporters portrayed him as more electable than
Howard Dean, who was the frontrunner for the
party's nomination up until the Iowa caucus.

Criticism of Clark began almost the moment he
entered the race. Originally heralded as an
anti-war general, he stumbled in the first few
days of his candidacy. He was perceived as
changing his answer on how he would have voted on
the Iraq war resolution.  His supporters argued
that his perceived indecision was due to lack of
experience with the media and their insistence on
short "sound bite" answers.   

A relatively recent convert to the Democratic
Party, Clark stated that he voted for Republican
candidates in the past, including Presidents
Richard Nixon|Nixon and Ronald Reagan|Reagan.  He
previously made positive comments about the Bush
administration and its foreign policy team,
including one at a GOP fundraiser in 2001.
Questions were also raised about his involvement
in lobbying the the Pentagon|Pentagon.

In answer, Clark supporters emphasized the
progressive character of his policy positions. A
frequent refrain, echoed in the campaign's
official "Talking Points for Supporters," is that
he is "pro-choice, pro-affirmative action,
pro-environment, pro-health care, and pro-labor." 


Clark was supported by documentary filmmaker
Michael Moore, as well as pop music|pop singer
Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna, who held a
fundraiser for his campaign at her Los Angeles
home.  

In a thirty-second campaign commercial aimed at
young people released October 30, 2003, his
presidential campaign made reference to the hip
hop duo OutKast. In the ad, Clark is sitting in a
coffee shop with a dozen middle-class young adults
of various American ethnicities. The young adults
do not speak, but sit and listen as Clark appears
to be answering their questions. "Well, to answer
your questions, no, I would not have voted for the
Iraq war...I am pro-choice and I am a strong
believer in Affirmative Action...And I don't care
what the other candidates say, I don't think
OutKast is really breaking up. Andre 3000 and Big
Boi just cut solo records, that's all." The last
comment prompts a blond-bearded young man to say
approvingly "all right" and to tap fists with
Clark. 

Clark's campaign also made an aggressive effort to
develop a strong base of Meetup.com|Meetup users,
starting in November, 2003, and "Clark in 2004"
was soon the second most popular Meetup topic,
immediately following "Dean in 2004".

His campaign developed a very strong Internet
following which was brought together with an
ambitious Web initiative: the
http://www.forclark.com/ Clark Community Network,
an integrated system of blogs and Web tools.  Its
E-Blocks, and campaign train allowed Clark to
raise more money during January 2004 than any
other candidate.  This innovative technology was
cutting edge, but largely overlooked by media
excitement over the Dean Internet strategy.

In January of 2004, he decided to bypass
campaigning in the Iowa caucus, instead focusing
his campaign to win or place second in New
Hampshire, and announced a plan that would raise
taxes on upper-income individuals in order to cut
income taxes for "all families of four earning
below United States dollar|$50,000". Wesley Clark,
Jr.|His son later mused that the former was a
fatal mistake.  Clark focused on winning New
Hampshire, or placing second to Dean, to position
himself to defeat presumed frontrunner Dean, but
when John Kerry and John Edwards each placed ahead
of Dean in the Iowa caucuses, they drew the media
focus in the days immediately before the New
Hampshire primary. Clark took third place in New
Hampshire, behind New Englanders Kerry and Dean. 
The younger Clark suggested that had Clark
remained a candidate in Iowa he, instead of Kerry
and Edwards, might have benefited from Dean's drop
in support.

Despite this setback, Clark decided to remain in
the race, at least until February 3, when 8
primaries — many in the U.S. Southern
states|South, Clark's regional base — would
be held. He won only the Oklahoma primary.
Following 3 February, he moved on to campaign in
Tennessee and Virginia, states he hoped would
provide him the necessary momentum to remain in
the race.  After placing third in the primaries in
both Tennessee and Virginia, he withdrew from the
race on February 11, 2004. A day after his
withdrawal, Clark announced he would endorse John
Kerry, at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin.

==After the primaries==

Following Clark's endorsement of John Kerry, he
worked to fundraise and speak out against the
George W. Bush|Bush administration and their
handling of Iraq. He wrote extensive editorial
articles, made frequent appearances on televised
political talk shows, and founded a new political
action committee called
http://www.securingamerica.com WesPAC.

In addition, he has maintained a very strong
following of dedicated supporters who discuss and
spread his ideals presented during the primaries.
They have called themselves "Clarkies",
"Clarkistas," Wes Clark Democrats, or Wes Wingers.

Following John Kerry's defeat in the U.S.
presidential election, 2004|2004 election, Wesley
Clark is viewed as a possible Democratic Party
candidate for President or Vice President in the
U.S. presidential election, 2008|2008 presidential
election, one who can unite the various factions
of the Democratic party, as well as bringing in
independents and moderate Republican voters.

In June 2005 Fox News Channel announced that they
had signed General Clark as a military and foreign
affairs analyst.

==Life events==
*1966 June, Marries Gertrude Kingston.
*1969-1970 Commander of a mechanized infantry
company in combat in Vietnam wounded four times
receiving Purple Heart and Silver Star
*1975-6 White House Fellow, Special Assistant to
the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget. 
*1994-6 Director of the Pentagon's Strategic Plans
and Policy operation, responsible to the Joint
Chiefs of Staff for world-wide politico-military
affairs and U.S. military strategic planning. Led
the military negotiations for the Bosnian Peace
Accords at Dayton. 
*1996-7 Commander in chief of the U.S. Southern
Command, Panama, controlling all U.S. forces &
most U.S. military activities in Latin America and
the Caribbean. 
*1997-2000 Supreme Allied Commander of NATO
(SACEUR), and Commander-in-Chief for the United
States European Command (CINCEUR). 
*June 2000 Retires from military service
*July 2000 Senior adviser at Center for Strategic
and International Studies|CSIS 
*2000-2002|2, Corporate consultant for Little
Rock-based Stephens Group Inc. helps develop
emerging-technology companies.
*2003 17 September, Announces candidacy to become
the Democratic Party nominee for President
*2004 11 February, Withdraws from race for
Democratic Party Presidential nominee

==Current offices==

This list is not complete
*Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates,
a business services and development firm based in
Little Rock
*Founder & Chairman of "Leadership for America",
an independent non-partisan, non-profit
organization "fostering the national dialogue
about America's future"
*Senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies
*Director of the Atlantic Council
*Board member of the International Crisis Group
*Senior military analyst for Cable News
Network|CNN, commenting on the US War on
Terrorism|anti-terrorism activities, the 2003
invasion of Iraq and foreign policy
*(As of June 2005) Military and foreign affairs
analyst, Fox News Channel

==Military decorations==

Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 4
Oak Leaf Clusters)

For Bosnia service
Joint Staff, end of tour
For service at U.S. Southern Command
For service as Commander of the Kosovo
conflict
For service as Supreme Allied Commander,
Europe

Distinguished Service Medal (with Oak Leaf
Cluster)

1st Cavalry Division
Upon Retirement

Legion of Merit (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)

Shape 1979
D.A. Staff 1983
MJC 1986
MJC 1991

Silver Star Medal
Bronze Star Medal (with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster)
Purple Heart
Meritorious Service Medal (with Oak Leaf
Cluster)
Army Commendation Medal (with Oak Leaf
Cluster)
Joint Meritorious Unit Citation
National Defense Service Medal (with service
star)
Vietnam Service Medal (with 3 service stars)
Army Service Ribbon
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge
Parachutist Badge
Ranger Tab
Army Staff Identification Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge


==Other honors==


Honorary Knight Commander of the Most
Excellent Order of the British Empire;
Commander of the Legion of Honor (France);
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the
Federal Republic of Germany;
Knight Grand Cross in the Order of
Orange-Nassau, with Swords (Netherlands);
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the
Republic of Italy;
Grand Cross of the Medal of Military Merit
(Portugal);
The Commander's Cross with Star of the Order
of Merit of Republic of Poland;
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg;
Grand Medal of Military Merit (White Band)
(Spain);
The Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
(Belgium);
Cross of Merit of the Minister of Defense
First Class (Czech Republic);
Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic;
Commander's Cross, The Silver Order of Freedom
of the Republic of Slovenia;
Madarski Konnik Medal (Bulgaria);
Commemorative Medal of the Minister of Defence
of the Slovak
Republic First Class (Slovakia);
First Class Order of Lithuanian Grand Duke
Gediminas (Lithuania);
Order of the Cross of the Eagle (Estonia);
The Skandeberg Medal (Albania);
Order of Merit of Morocco;
Order of Merit of Argentina;
The Grade of Prince Butmir w/Ribbon and Star
(Croatia)
The Military Service Cross of Canada




==Notes==

1 For more information on Clark's
Jewish heritage and his religious views in
general, see the following:
:Kampeas, Ron.
"http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticle
id=13221&intcategoryid=3 Latest contender for
president comes from long line of rabbis." JTA
News 17 September 2003
:Kampeas, Ron.
"http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead
=Clark%B4s+name+shows+lineage&intcategoryid=3
What´s in a name? For Clark, clues to his Jewish
heritage." JTA News 14 October 2003
:Kampeas, Ron.
"http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displ
aystory/story_id/1008/format/print/edition_id/8/di
splaystory.print Rabbinical past revised: Wesley
Clark corrects Jewish heritage remarks." JTA News
17 October 2003
: Clark, Wesley.
http://www.belief.net/story/136/story_13636.html
Interview with Steven Waldman. Beliefnet.
¹The following references report the
confrontation. Clark devotes an entire chapter to
the incident in his book Waging Modern War (Chap.
15).
*http://www.iht.com/IHT/DIPLO/99/jf061999.html
International Herald Tribune
*http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9906/12/kosovo.07
/#3 CNN, 12 June 1999
*http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-9
908/msg00007.html Sunday Times, 2 August 1999
*http://www.guardian.co.uk/Kosovo/Story/0,2763,219
520,00.html The Guardian, 11 May 2000

==Sources==
*Atkinson, Rick. The Long Gray Line: The American
Journey of West Point's Class of 1966. 1999. ISBN
0805062912. 
*Clark For President.
http://www.clark04.com
*Clark, Wesley K. Waging Modern War: Bosnia,
Kosovo, and the Future of Combat. 2002. ISBN
1586481398.
*Clark, Wesley K. Winning Modern Wars: Iraq,
Terrorism, and the American Empire. 2003. ISBN
1586482181. 
*Felix, Antonia. Wesley K. Clark: A Biography.
2004. ISBN 1557046255.
*Junod, Tom. "The General." Esquire. August
2003: Volume 140, Issue
2.http://www.esquire.com/cgi-bin/print
tool/print.cgi?pages=9&filename=%2Ffeatures%2Farti
cles%2F2003%2F030801_mfe_clark.html&x=62&y=15



start box
succession box | before = Gen. George Joulwan |
title = Supreme Allied Commander Europe (NATO) |
years = 1997—2000 | after = Gen. Joseph
Ralston
end box