Gen. Clark: Saddam Not a Criminal

NewsMax.com ^ | 9/21/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

In a little noticed interview with Fortune Magazine last week, presidential frontrunner Gen. Wesley Clark defended Saddam Hussein against charges that he was engaged in crimes against his own people at the time the Iraq war started, contending instead that the Iraqi dictator should have gotten a pass because his atrocities took place ten years ago.

Asked why it was right for President Clinton to use military force to halt Slobodan Milosevic's crimes against humanity in Kosovo, but not for President Bush to do the same thing against Saddam, Clark said that in Iraq, "The imminence of stopping a guy from committing a crime in progress - it wasn't there."

"In Kosovo you had ethnic cleansing actually unfolding, and we had intervened to stop it," the ex-NATO commander insisted, without commenting on the torture chambers, rape rooms and mass graves discovered in Iraq by coalition forces.

Instead, the Democratic frontrunner suggested that the Iraqi dictator deserved a pass by outlining what Fortune described as Clark's "Statute of Limitations for Genocidal Thugs."

"It was ten years ago that Saddam brutalized the Shiite Muslims in the south," he argued. "And he used chemical weapons 15 years ago."

Instead, said the retired military man, Saddam brutality was really no worse than crimes committed by leaders in China more than a decade ago, telling Fortune:

"We still deal with communist China, right? During the Cultural Revolution they had cannibalism in China. And the same guys that ran over the students in Tiananmen, they're still there."

Fortune writer Bill Powell pointed out, however, that while China is still a police state, "the recently departed General Secretary Jiang Zemin, to take but one example, was promoted from mayor of Shanghai to succeed Deng Xiaoping in part because he avoided bloodshed during Tiananmen. . . . Have you ever heard of Saddam promoting someone because he avoided killing somebody?"

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

2004 Elections
Saddam Hussein/Iraq

[MWS]

Instead, said the retired military man, Saddam brutality was really no worse than crimes committed by leaders in China more than a decade ago, telling Fortune: "We still deal with communist China, right? During the Cultural Revolution they had cannibalism in China. And the same guys that ran over the students in Tiananmen, they're still there."

The things that China did ten years ago to dissenting protestors were atrocious as well. The fact that a man that makes comments like this can be considered a potential major presidential candidate in an American election scares the crap out of me.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Does it bother anyone when an American presidential candidate shills for a deposed socialist dictator?

This is the standard -- and extremely ignorant -- Neo-Dim answer regarding wrong-doing and evil dicators. Saddam's atrocities were ten years ago, so give him a pass. Castro's atrocities were years ago, so give him a pass. Bill's atrocities were years ago, so give him a pass.

While we're at it, let's also give a pass to Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc. All murdering Communist dictators of the past get a pass, because we all know that Communism really would have worked were it not for the imperialist hegemonic USA.

[gaspar]

Words do have consequences. When Clark decried the "failure" of the US policy vis-a-vis Turkey, and when he termed Ankara's unwillingness to allow the 4th Division to move through Turkey "a significant problem", and when he then claimed that a quick colation victory "was not going to happen," his words were picked up by Egypt's Al-Ahram (27 Mar-2 Apr 2003) and spread around the Arab world. This is a man who will shoot from the lip. He might be advised that one who speaks in haste, repents at liesure. However, it seems that Clark takes advice from no one.

[Sloth]

Has anyone ever noticed that we're the ONLY country on the planet that is expected to answer to the UN?

[concerned about politics]

contending instead that the Iraqi dictator should have gotten a pass because his atrocities took place ten years ago.

Like Clintons rape of Juanita Broadrick?

Instead, the Democratic frontrunner suggested that the Iraqi dictator deserved a pass by outlining what Fortune described as Clark's "Statute of Limitations for Genocidal Thugs."

So, if Bush kills off all the liberals, and flees to another country, he'd be considered innocent if he came back in 2013? Cool!

"We still deal with communist China, right? During the Cultural Revolution they had cannibalism in China. And the same guys that ran over the students in Tiananmen, they're still there."

And the only way Clinton could stop the horrors was to sell them Nuclar missile technology? Does anyone else see something wrong with this logic?

[OldFriend]

It bothers me that the media is hyping a man of questionable sanity.

[woofie]

I'm waiting for Clark's position paper on 'precious bodily fluids'.

What is his position on "flouride"?

[woofie]

It bothers me that the media is hyping a man of questionable sanity.

After Clinton sanity is a relative term

[concerned about politics]

by Clark's logic any torture or murder committed that is NOT IMMEDIATELY dealt with, MUST therefore be excused. This man is an airhead. How did this PASSED OVER Brigadier General make 4 Stars?? Only X42 knows the answer!

Clinton wanted the environmentalist vote. It's just population control.

[cookcounty]

" ....PASSED OVER Brigadier General ...."

How about some detail on this?

[SevenDaysInMay]

If so, V.P. candidate Wesley, should I assume that Hillary cum Bill would not be criminals should they as co-presidents again murder even more Americans inside their church homes under USSA federales JBTs' full auto attack?

"Sovereign immunity" run amok?

Or are you lying again even tho' you're not on Russert's microphone?

[OldFriend]

He kept his mouth shut after the WACA massacre.....That earned him a promotion by slick willie.

Remember too that Louie Freeh promoted Larry Potts after he gave the SHOOT TO KILL order at Ruby Ridge.

[holyscroller]

"Can you believe this salad brain was first in his class at West Point??"

For many years, I worked with gifted children. Sad but true, but many "gifted" people have no common sense. (However I find it hard to believe he was smartest in his class). What ever happened to his creed of Duty! Honor! Country!? Sounds like he knew the words, but didn't have them in his heart. Well it seems the service academies each have their cross to bear. Annapolis had Jimmah Carter, and now Woo Poo has Weaslie Clark.

[concerned about politics]

The clintons socialist dictators and their stooges have, more than likely, been working on Clark for months (when was it first mentined he would run?)and he still sticks his foot in his mouth BIGTIME.

The Klingtons chose Clark for one of two reasons:

#1- He'd lose. That way, they don't have to run against a Democrat. They'll have 2 newbies to run against.

#2- ( Most likely. They've brought in the rapists spin mysters who were able to spin purgery and obstruction of justice into a sex issue)- They want him to win so they can use him as a puppet filler to get the rightous out of the way, and in 2008 throw him into the lions den to get rid of him like they do all their other left over flesh.

[xzins]

dumb and dumber

clark and dean

[GatekeeperBookman]

"... his atrocities took place ten years ago. "

All I can say Is WOW! What an industrial-strength idiot!

I wonder what would say those whose tongues have been recently removed?? Not much I guess-they would either be dead or could not form the words properly!

Clark is a Bozo-in fact, he would not be fit to carry Bozo's brief case.

[A. Pole]

"In Kosovo you had ethnic cleansing actually unfolding, and we had intervened to stop it,"

No, you intervened to ACCELERATE the ethnic cleansing. Number of Christian Serbs was decreasing vs number of Muslim Albanians BEFORE the NATO invasion and speeded up AFTER. Soon Kosovo - the craddle of Serbia will be Serbien frei .

[WOSG]

Yikes ... Folks, we should be encouraging this foot-n-mouth guy on ... he may be a disaster for the Democrats.

[ShandaLear]

In other words, Clark had no problem with all those little kids Saddam had imprisoned in order to control their parents. Interesting...

[OldFriend]

There is an article on the MSNBC website right now about why Clark is running as a dem.

Don't know how to post articles but it is chilling to read. The man truly is insane.