Posted on 09/25/2003 3:42:02 PM PDT by kattracks
Presidential front-runner Gen. Wesley Clark blew a gasket while attending a conference in California several years ago, throwing a temper tantrum so ugly that it "had to be seen to be believed," according to one eyewitness.
The account of Clark's meltdown comes from WABC Radio's Monica Crowley, who attended the event and personally witnessed the future presidential candidate in full hissy-fit mode.
"At the end of the conference, everybody was sort of leaving the hotel and checking out at the same time," Crowley told her audience Wednesday night.
"Clark proceeded to throw a fit that had to be seen to be believed - something about how his luggage was being handled," she explained.
Crowley said Clark was so "abusive, condescending and mean" to the hotel staff that the conference organizer later felt compelled to apologize on his behalf.
The WABC host allowed that while Clark could have been "having a bad day," there "seems to be a pattern of behavior here that raises questions about his temperament and ability to be a civilian commander in chief."
In a report that surfaced yesterday, Clark's former boss, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Hugh Shelton, said Clark had to be relieved of duty as Supreme Allied commander of NATO over "character and integrity issues." Shelton announced that Clark wouldn't get his vote for president.
Another hair-raising anecdote comes from British Lt. Gen. Michael Jackson, who said that Clark ordered him to attack Russian forces that had unexpectedly occupied the Pristina airport during the Kosovo conflict.
Jackson refused, telling the future presidential front-runner, "I'm not going to start the third world war for you."
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
2004 Elections
A division commander, which Clark was at that time, cannot do that on his own. First, the DOG or whoever must make the request. Then there is a Congressionally mandated procedure for providing military equipment to civil law enforcement that requires high level Army involvement. If approved, the closest Army installation with the requested equipment is tasked to provide it. In the Waco case, it was Fort Hood, TX. The III Corps commanded by LTG Funk would then have designated either the 1st Cav commanded by MG Clark or the 2d Armor commanded by MG Bates (I think--the names are starting to run together on me!) to provide the Bradleys & Combat Engineer Vehicles that were used at Waco--no crews, BTW--equipment only.
In any event, even though Clark has many faults, Waco was not one of them.
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