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Dubya
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Constructive Criticism from Clark
Quote:
Clark Says Bremer Should Be Replaced
Candidate Calls For Non-American
By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 7, 2003; Page A03
ORANGEBURG, S.C., Nov. 6 -- Presidential candidate Wesley K. Clark called Thursday for L. Paul Bremer, the head of the U.S. reconstruction effort in Iraq, to be fired and replaced with a non-American as part of a broad strategy to end the U.S. occupation.
Clark, a retired Army general and former military commander of NATO, also broke with many of his Democratic rivals by raising the possibility of increasing the number of U.S. troops to complete the mission. "An increase doesn't mean you're failing," Clark said in a speech here at South Carolina State University.
Clark said the United States needs more special forces and other lighter units so the military can "strike hard" against the enemy and win the war. He said more Arab Americans should be recruited to help provide cultural expertise.
Clark opened the door to a bigger U.S. force on the same day the Bush administration disclosed its plan to possibly reduce the number of soldiers in Iraq next year -- just as the presidential election is heating up. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) this week called for more U.S. troops, breaking with President Bush.
The United States should not pull out of Iraq but instead make several changes to transfer power quickly to NATO and the Iraqis, Clark said. "Every American should understand: Early exit means retreat or defeat. We can have neither."
Of the nine Democratic presidential candidates, only Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) have called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa) this week called for a "decisive" withdrawal of the troops.
In his speech, Clark sided with six other rivals in calling for a speedier transfer of power and a bigger role for other nations in the rebuilding effort. This has become the standard Democratic approach for dealing with Iraq, though Clark offered several new proposals to make this happen. Bush wants the United States to head the entire rebuilding process until the Iraqis themselves can take over and run their war-torn country.
What also set Clark apart from the Democratic field was his call for Bremer and the Coalition Provisional Authority he heads to be replaced by a non-American in charge of a new Iraqi Reconstruction and Democracy Council, which would include representatives from the United States and its allies. In his speech, Clark did not explicitly call for Bremer to be fired, but he did so during an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."
Facing a mostly African American audience here, Clark said: "It's really our only hope for gaining broader international support. Nations are more likely to share burdens if they are also sharing decisions."
The Arkansas Democrat, who entered the race almost two months ago, outlined a muscular foreign policy, including his version of Bush's policy of preemptively striking nations as part of the war on terrorism. "I would not hesitate to act preemptively if the U.S. was in imminent danger," Clark said. But he added that Bush's policy is more one of "preventive war," which Clark condemned as a strategy of hitting nations that do not pose an imminent threat. Iraq fits this category, he said.
Clark, who has been criticized by his rivals for waffling on whether he supported the congressional resolution authorizing the war in the first place, blasted Bush for misleading the country into the conflict. But he said Saddam Hussein, at the very least, was trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction and that the Iraqi people are much better off with him gone.
With foreign policy expected to play a major role in the 2004 election, Clark said Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, should remain in power but report to a new NATO council.
The United States should immediately help the Iraqis establish a new government appointed by the 50 city and regional councils now operating in Iraq, he said. This would be similar to how state legislatures in this country used to elect members of the Senate. To crimp the flow of terrorists into the country, he said the United States should find ways to work with Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia and make safeguarding the borders the highest priority.
Finally, to help repair alliances with other nations, Clark would create a new Atlantic Charter to define common threats and solutions. Cognizant that many Americans loathe ceding control to other countries, the United States under Clark's plan would retain the right to act alone and deny allies veto power over security matters.
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This is the sort of inclusive foreign policy we need in Iraq and elsewhere. I'd also like to repeat:
Quote:
Of the nine Democratic presidential candidates, only Al Sharpton and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) have called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops. Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa) this week called for a "decisive" withdrawal of the troops.
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That's right, no serious candidate will run away from Iraq, as many on this thread have alleged.
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"In Iraq, no doubt about it, it's tough. It's hard work. It's incredibly hard. It's - and it's hard work. I understand how hard it is. I get the casualty reports every day. I see on the TV screens how hard it is. But it's necessary work. We're making progress. It is hard work."
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