Gen. Shelton shocks Celebrity Forum, says he won't support Clark for president

Queasy

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Aug 24, 2001
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Retired General H. Hugh Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on 9/11, shared his recollection of that day and his views of the war against terrorism with the Foothill College Celebrity Forum audience at Flint Center, Sept. 11 and 12.

His review of that historic event and his 38 years in the military kept the audience's rapt attention throughout. But it was his answer to a question from the audience at the end that shocked his listeners.

"What do you think of General Wesley Clark and would you support him as a presidential candidate," was the question put to him by moderator Dick Henning, assuming that all military men stood in support of each other. General Shelton took a drink of water and Henning said, "I noticed you took a drink on that one!"

"That question makes me wish it were vodka," said Shelton. "I've known Wes for a long time. I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I'm not going to say whether I'm a Republican or a Democrat. I'll just say Wes won't get my vote."

 

kaizersose

Golden Member
May 15, 2003
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Originally posted by: Queasy
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...I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart..."

integrity and character issues? i wonder if it will ever come out what those are.
 

digitalsm

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2003
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Originally posted by: BaliBabyDoc
Sounds personal . . .

Its not, his character is in question over various things he did in the last decade in the military. His higher ups didnt like him, the people under him did like him. The military by in large doesn't like him.
 

Gaard

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2002
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You never answered me the last time you made the claim that most of the military doesn't like him. I'm not calling you a liar, I'd just like to know how you know this.
 

burnedout

Diamond Member
Oct 12, 1999
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Originally posted by: kaizersose
Originally posted by: Queasy
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...I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart..."

integrity and character issues? i wonder if it will ever come out what those are.
Supposedly, he went behind the backs of General Shelton and SoD Cohen to run the Kosovo campaign his own way.
 

digitalsm

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2003
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Originally posted by: Gaard
You never answered me the last time you made the claim that most of the military doesn't like him. I'm not calling you a liar, I'd just like to know how you know this.

Shelton is far from the only one that has called Clarks character and intgerity into question, hes just the most recent to do it. Clarks ingerity has been called into question before him running for President. Clark was talked about even before the Clinton Admin(more specifically, the Pentagon and the DoD, his higher ups) pushed him out of the military.

He lost his command two different times in the 1990s. Which leads many to question why he ever recieved his 4th star. You dont just get your command yanked from you, do realitively nothing for a few years, then become a 4 star General. Nor do you get pulled from being the Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe, for no reason.

To put it bluntly he screwed up one to many times, and was forced out. He can call it an early retirement, but his situation was more a kin to asking someone to resign for screwing up, than retiring.
 

dahunan

Lifer
Jan 10, 2002
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I wonder if there is a possibility that he doesn't like some of their secret dealings and lets them know about it... afterall he is supposed to follow every order without flinching.
 

Miramonti

Lifer
Aug 26, 2000
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I'm not surprised he's got a big ego and stepped on some people along the way, almost everyone does whos gotten to the top or near it.

Not a big deal at this point imo.
 

Gaard

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2002
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Originally posted by: digitalsm
Originally posted by: Gaard
You never answered me the last time you made the claim that most of the military doesn't like him. I'm not calling you a liar, I'd just like to know how you know this.

Shelton is far from the only one that has called Clarks character and intgerity into question, hes just the most recent to do it. Clarks ingerity has been called into question before him running for President. Clark was talked about even before the Clinton Admin pushed him out of the military.

So there's really nothing to suggest that most of the military doesn't like him? It might be more accurate for you to say that a lot of people in the military have a problem with him, as opposed to saying most of the military don't like him.
 

digitalsm

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2003
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Originally posted by: Gaard
Originally posted by: digitalsm
Originally posted by: Gaard
You never answered me the last time you made the claim that most of the military doesn't like him. I'm not calling you a liar, I'd just like to know how you know this.

Shelton is far from the only one that has called Clarks character and intgerity into question, hes just the most recent to do it. Clarks ingerity has been called into question before him running for President. Clark was talked about even before the Clinton Admin pushed him out of the military.

So there's really nothing to suggest that most of the military doesn't like him? It might be more accurate for you to say that a lot of people in the military have a problem with him, as opposed to saying most of the military don't like him.

Lets put it this way, those in the Pentagon, and DoD in the mid-late 1990s today do not like Clark.
 

Gaard

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2002
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Assumptions don't equal fact on my planet. But whatever...I can see you're pretty adamant about it.
 

digitalsm

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2003
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Originally posted by: dahunan
I wonder if there is a possibility that he doesn't like some of their secret dealings and lets them know about it... afterall he is supposed to follow every order without flinching.

Hes the one that disgraced himself by meeting with a KNOWN war criminal, that was being investigated by the US, NATO, UN etc. He meet with this person while on active duty as a Lt General, even after the State Department told him not to. His actions back then were enexcusible, he knew full well what this man did, but yet boosed it up with him and traded gifts, to the ire of the State Department, DoD and Pentagon, he was then yanked from his command, and was never on a list to get his 4th star until he appealed to one of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs at the time. No where was he ever listed as in line for his 4th star, but then he just got it, not typical protocal for getting a 4th Star.

Its funny you know almost nothing about the guy, but you trust him, over his superior officers. Hes done some disgraceful things, Im sure more will come out. I dont foresee him winning the nomination.

Its kinda funny that the Clinton admin hated this guy, but the Clintons are somehow backing him now. Its just slightly odd.
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
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Originally posted by: digitalsm
Originally posted by: dahunan
I wonder if there is a possibility that he doesn't like some of their secret dealings and lets them know about it... afterall he is supposed to follow every order without flinching.

Hes the one that disgraced himself by meeting with a KNOWN war criminal, that was being investigated by the US, NATO, UN etc. He meet with this person while on active duty as a Lt General, even after the State Department told him not to. His actions back then were enexcusible, he knew full well what this man did, but yet boosed it up with him and traded gifts, to the ire of the State Department, DoD and Pentagon, he was then yanked from his command, and was never on a list to get his 4th star until he appealed to one of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs at the time. No where was he ever listed as in line for his 4th star, but then he just got it, not typical protocal for getting a 4th Star.

Its funny you know almost nothing about the guy, but you trust him, over his superior officers. Hes done some disgraceful things, Im sure more will come out. I dont foresee him winning the nomination.

Its kinda funny that the Clinton admin hated this guy, but the Clintons are somehow backing him now. Its just slightly odd.

Others have already refuted your arguements in other threads, including the fact that Clinton and others later regretted their misguided(others deceived Clinton in order to get Clark removed) treatment of Clark.
 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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ahh the old slander a person without revealing any specifics so your comments cannot be refuted; man the are really breaking out their best tricks for Clark.
 

friedpie

Senior member
Oct 1, 2002
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Look, when the Clinton White House with all the scandals and bullcrap that went on there for 8 years pulls your butt out of Bosnia you know something is up.
:)

 

friedpie

Senior member
Oct 1, 2002
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Others have already refuted your arguements in other threads, including the fact that Clinton and others later regretted their misguided(others deceived Clinton in order to get Clark removed) treatment of Clark.

What can't be refuted is that Clark 1) met with a war criminal against State Dept. warnings, 2) threatened to attack Hungary if they sold fuel to the Serbs, 3) asked the British to assault the Russians who had landed at a NATO airfield. He seemed to be rather wreckless. I find it funny that the dems are so excited to have a military man in their corner they overlook the fact that he might be kind of dangerous.

It's not hard for objective people to see how Clinton is now willing to promote Clark for the good of the democratic party. It's their trump card, a 4 star general, something the dems are salivating over because everyone percieves them as being weak on defense issues. It wasn't the conservatives, by and large, that opposed the Iraq war.

 

kylebisme

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2000
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Originally posted by: friedpie
Look, when the Clinton White House with all the scandals and bullcrap that went on there for 8 years pulls your butt out of Bosnia you know something is up.
:)

that is exactly why i cannot rightly consider the clinton's adminstations actions as any blimish on clark.
 

dahunan

Lifer
Jan 10, 2002
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Originally posted by: friedpie
Look, when the Clinton White House with all the scandals and bullcrap that went on there for 8 years pulls your butt out of Bosnia you know something is up.
:)


When your current president is guilty of desertion of his (Vacaton Hideaway) "National Guard" duty then you know the voters have their head up their ass.

http://www.awolbush.com/
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
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First in his class in West Point tells me the rest of his class didn't like him. :D
 

BaliBabyDoc

Lifer
Jan 20, 2001
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Supposedly, he went behind the backs of General Shelton and SoD Cohen to run the Kosovo campaign his own way.
MacArthur?

Lets put it this way, those in the Pentagon, and DoD in the mid-late 1990s today do not like Clark.
Uh yeah . . . thanx for the detail . . . I wonder what Clark did to piss off the janitor.
rolleye.gif


Hes the one that disgraced himself by meeting with a KNOWN war criminal, that was being investigated by the US, NATO, UN etc.
I guess you are talking about Rumsfeld when he met Saddam in 1983? Do you think Russia is a gem for many of their actions in Chechnya? That would mean meeting with Putin has disgraced most of the current Bush administration. Our best buddy in northern Afghanistan is Doston. He's a paragon of virtue.

By the way . . . who is this KNOWN war criminal and when did they finally put this terror to society away?