Kerry Press Release: General Wesley Clark on Troop Redeployments

[Skinner]

For Immediate Release
August 18, 2004

Statement by General Wesley Clark on Troop Redeployments from Europe and Asia

Washington, DC - General Wesley Clark issued the following statement today.

“President Bush’s decision to redeploy approximately 70,000 U.S. troops from Europe and Asia will significantly undermine U.S. national security. As we face a global war on terror with Al Qaeda active in more than 60 countries, now is not the time to pull-back our forces, and I question why President Bush would want to do this now.

“First, removing U.S. forces from the Korean Peninsula at a critical juncture in diplomatic efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program will send a dangerous signal of weak U.S. resolve to Kim Jong Il.

“Second, withdrawing forces from Europe will further undermine already strained relations with long-time NATO allies, will be interpreted as the distancing of the U.S. from NATO, and will set back U.S. efforts to encourage greater NATO participation in Iraq.

“Third, bringing U.S. forces back to the U.S. will not enhance our ability to deploy U.S. forces quickly to key hot spots around the world -- all of which are more accessible from Western Europe than from the continental U.S.

“Finally, this redeployment will do nothing to ease the strain on our overstretched military forces. Worse, it will increase the burden on many military families as troops will be separated from their families during more frequent and unaccompanied deployments to Eastern Europe.

“This ill-conceived move and its timing seem politically motivated rather than designed to strengthen our national security.”

-30-

www.johnkerry.com
Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.

[Gloria]

1. Essay by Jules Witcover in today's local rag had quotes from Clark

on this issue...mentioned the press conference.

Of course, this paper, surrounded by bases, didn't really have a story on the actual press conference.....

[xultar]

2. Wesley K. Clark is my President!!!!..............Let's discuss this though

So what does it mean that this was released by the Kerry team?

[Julien Sorel]

3. That Kerry smells blood.

This issue has legs, I suspect. It just feels like the wrong decision, as if the priorities in the White House are all about the election, none about the country.

[xultar]

7. Well if he couldn' t bring Iraq vets home so he brought home the

guys who are helping to keep N Korea in check.


Yeah, Brilliant Dumb-ya

[Jai4WKC08]

18. It may help the repugs with congressional elections

Imagine 'em all telling their constituents, "Keep our party in power and we'll get those troops and families and contracts in our districts and states."

[Maddy McCall]

10. I love that image in your signature.

It's so sweet. :-)

[Jai4WKC08]

17. It was RE-released by the Kerry Campaign today

Clark released it thru the DNC on Monday morning, and it was fairly widely quoted in the media that same day.

I think maybe, altho I claim no inside info, that with Kerry off in Idaho, Clark decided to speak out more as former NATO Supreme Allied Commander than as Kerry surrogate. Gave Kerry a chance to form his own position, even a little distance if he decided he wanted it, but still addressed Bush's announcement immediately, as was needed. Fortunately, Kerry has endorsed the same position, as voiced at the VFW convention today, and Kerry's staff released the statement.

The statement has been up on the WesPAC website since at least yesterday. www.wespac2004.com

[Leilani]

4. Excellent Statement

& excellent global thinking, by Wes Clark, who can run circles around the Bush Administration.

Go Wes!

[oasis]

5. Gen. Clark reporting for duty.

:thumbsup:

[Kukesa]

6. Permission to come aboard, Sir?

That's what he said to John Kerry when he dropped out of the primaries.

This man has class!

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. Thank you Wes Clark!

“First, removing U.S. forces from the Korean Peninsula at a critical juncture in diplomatic efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program will send a dangerous signal of weak U.S. resolve to Kim Jong Il."

How in the heck can anyone see that as a good thing?

[Pepperbelly]

11. another factor ... while actually negotiating with N Korea ...

we give up half of what the N Koreans want without a single concession from them? Has the whole damned White House staff gone utterly insane?

[Cha]

22. Guess so!

[Maddy McCall]

9. If Wes didn't already have Gert, I'd marry him.

:D

I just ADORE this man!

[Meshuga]

12. It's more like...

Bush sees he is going to lose so he has to f-up the country as much as he can because he needs to accomplish the harm he would have done if re-elected in four years compressed in four months.

[realFedUp]

13. Schwarzkopof's argument was effective on Hardball Wed.

Actually Schwarzkopof might have more credibility
with Republicans....

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/
• The situation in Najaf
Aug. 17: Gen. Norman Schwarzkopof talks about the situation in Najaf.

[FrenchieCat]

14. Will ask again,

Why is this man not the VP on the ticket, at least? It appears that, based on most of the important issues of the campaign, he would have been so much more effective on so many different levels, it's not even funny.

[dogman]

15. Neither Rove, the media, or many Dems who were voting for Kerry wanted it.

But it seems this question has been asked more lately.

[FrenchieCat]

16. In fact, it's not funny at all, but

rather very sad for this election and the Dems.

Just watched Hardball....and our "friend" said something I had forewarned about...called the current VP, the Incredible shrinking man. Saying that maybe he wasn't all that of an orator. Hel-lo? I told many that the current VP candidate was hyped via the media...and what the media giveth, it taketh away...when it is ready.

Why do I have foresight like this? It's killing me. I'd rather be a sheeple. Cause this accuracy rate of mine is really doing me damage!

[dogman]

20. Unfortunately many of us saw it.

We were accused of being one issue advocates falling into B$$$'s trap, defining the contest in his terms. I still hope to be proven wrong because B$$$ must go. I know you hope so too. Like you say, it would be hard to take comfort in being correct in your opinion.

[Justice]

27. That Was a Cheap Shot

by Matthews and the truly evil Orin from the Post (who is completely negative on Kerry and completely positive on Bush - sickening)

Kerry's people need to do something to get Edwards more attention in the media. I heard they are together on Friday in NC.

[SangamonTaylor]

28. why? because Clark attacked Kerry in Tennessee

Clark was my 2nd pick (after Edwards) but his attack of Kerry (and Edwards) during the Tennessee and Virginia and OK primaries doomed his chances as a VP. It really left too much for the other side to throw back in our faces.

Kerry picked up Edwards' sunny optimism and has been doing much better lately (considering the mud that's been thrown at him).

[Cha]

19. I wonder whose brilliant idea this was to ...

"redeploy approximately 70,000 U.S. troops from Europe and Asia"?

And make it sound like the troops were coming home?

rovemiester?

It's really good to hear General Clark giving rational reasons why this is a bad idea.

Wonder what the other military people think about this..the soldiers?

[VolcanoJen]

21. Anyone catch that pissed-off VFW Delegate, and Korean War Veteran...

... on "ABC World News Tonight"?

The cameras caught him in a fury of disgust over Bush's decision to withdraw troops from the DMZ. Hearing it from him really brought it home for me.

Thank you, Wes Clark!! You stud. :-)

[Cha]

23. I don't know too much about the military so I would

like to know why this "VFW Delegate" thought it would be a bad idea?


Thanks!

[VolcanoJen]

24. His thoughts were....

... that the moment we pull away from the DMZ in Korea, the North Koreans will see that as a symbol of US defeat and will march across the border to take South Korea.

He was a Korean Vet, and it must be painful for Korean Vets (and there are more than a few generations of them, now) to see that we, as a nation, appear to be throwing in the towel when it comes to Korean affairs.

Another Korean vet added, during the broadcast, that Bush himself declared North Korea as a member of the "Axis of Evil," and was terribly disappointed in Bush's decision to abandon that particular prong in the war.

[Cha]

25. Thanks, that helps me understand.

[TacticalPeek]

26. Clark transcript with CNN's Leslie Blitzer today:

BLITZER: Now to a man who served in the United States Army for 33 years, retired General Wesley Clark, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, a one-time presidential candidate who now strongly supports John Kerry. General Clark is joining us now from Little Rock, Arkansas, where he lives.

All right, General, let's talk about some of the points that the White House -- Sean McCormack, the spokesman for the NSC, just made, specifically that this whole criticism is wrong because this has been in the works for years. Those troop deployments were based on a Cold War against the former Soviet Union that simply doesn't exist, and this is the military itself came up with.

What's wrong with that argument?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK, FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED CMDR.: Well, what's wrong with it is that the Cold War was over about 14, 15 years ago, and we adjusted our troop deployments in Europe. We adjusted that troop strength 10 years ago in the mid-1990s. We needed those forces in Germany as a reaction force.

Germany's five, six, seven hours from hotspots in the Middle East, north Africa, or further east in the Caucuses. Kansas and Colorado are 16 to 20 hours away. So, they're more accessible if they're there in Europe. That's why we kept them there.

BLITZER: Well, let me -- let me interrupt you for a second. What they say is, moving troops, as you well know, you can put them on a plane, they can fly 10 hours, they can fly 15 hours. Moving troops is relatively easy.

It's moving the hardware -- the tanks. the armored personnel carriers. You have to preposition the heavy armor, the heavy equipment -- that's what they want to do -- and bring the troops home because it really doesn't make any difference if you're flying from Kansas or if you're flying from Munich.

CLARK: Wolf, that's really not actually the heart of their plan. Their plan is to take away the families and the troops in the central part of Europe that have been the glue that have held the alliance together, and then to put the troops on hardship tours, unaccompanied by families, for six months or nine months back to these small, forward operating locations in eastern Europe.

And they will not have their heavy equipment there. They're going to keep in Europe lighter forces. The reason we kept the heavy forces in Europe is we know we have to have the heavy equipment there. So, that's Europe.


more, scroll about half way down
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0408/18/nfcnn.01.html


Clark has such a quiet and respectful way of destroying bullshit artists, they seldom get the license number of the rhetoric truck that leaves tire marks on their face.