Top military commander General Wesley Clark visited New Hampshire yesterday.
He spoke to high school and college students, endorsed Democratic candidate Katrina Swett in the race for the second congressional district seat, and talked with veterans about the impending decision to strike Iraq.
NHPR's Raquel Maria Dillon was at the American Legion in Manchester. She brought back this report.
FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER GENERAL WESLEY CLARK POURED HIMSELF A COKE AT THE BAR AT SWEENY POST�
:14 WWII VET: WHAT PART OF CALIFORNIA ARE YOU FROM?
CLARK: I GREW UP IN ARKANSAS, BORN IN CHICAGO, WENT BACK HOME AFTER I GOT OUT OF THE MILITARY.
WHILE IN WASHINGTON CONGRESS DEBATED GOING TO WAR WITH IRAQ, THE HIGHLY-DECORATED GENERAL SAT DOWN UNDER A DISCO BALL AND GARLANDS OF FAKE FALL LEAVES TO TALK TO VETERANS. THE TOPIC WAS FOREIGN POLICY, POST-9-11. CLARK WAS A CLINTON-APPOINTEE AND THE COMMANDER OF NATO FORCES IN KOSOVO. HE EXPRESSED HIS RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION�S IRAQ POLICY.
CLARK: WELL I THINK WE�RE ON COURSE ACTUALLY� THE DEBATE WAS COCKEYED. IT�S HARD TO UNDERSTAND BECAUSE WE STARTED WITH THE CONCLUSION AND NOW WE�RE MOVING BACKWARDS TO THE EVIDENCE.
CLARK SAID HE HAS RESERVATIONS ABOUT RUSHING INTO IRAQ. HE SAYS SADDAM HUSSEIN IS A DICTATOR WHO�LL RESPOND ONLY TO BRUTE FORCE... BUT THAT FORCE SHOULD BE APPLIED CAREFULLY WITH THE CONCENSUS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
BUT MANY OF THESE MEN � LIKE DAVE BALDENELLI WHO WAS IN THE NAVY RESERVES FOR 26 YEARS � THINK THE UNITED NATIONS HAS OUTLIVED ITS USEFULNESS.
:24 BALDENELLI: I THINK I�D BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL SIR, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT. THAT THE UNIFORM THAT YOU WORE, THAT I WORE THAT WE ALL WORE � WAS FOR THAT FLAG, NOT FOR THE UNITED NATIONS. AND YES YOU NEED AN INT�L FORUM. I DON�T MEAN TO SOUND LIKE A REDNECK, I JUST GET ANNOYED WHEN I HEAR SINCE 9-11, PEOPLE ARE TELLING US HOW WE SHOULD TO DEFEND OURSELVES. BUT I�M FEARFUL OF ENTANGLING ALLIANCES.
:29 CLARK WELL I THINK YOU PUT YOUR FINGER ON A KEY ISSUE THERE. HOW DO YOU BALANCE OFF U-S SOVEREIGNTY? IF YOU CAN OPERATE WITHIN A U-N FRAMEWORK, YOU REDUCE THE LEVEL OF RESISITANCE TO THE U-S, AND YOU DISTRIBUTE THE BURDEN ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ AFTER WE WIN THE FIGHTING.
ONLY ONE VET SPOKE UP AGAINST ATTACKING SADDAM HUISSEN� BOB GRADY FOUGHT IN KOREA AS A RESERVIST�
GRADY: I HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE LATEST ACTION. WE�RE HATED WORLDWIDE. WE MUST BE DOING SOMETHING WRONG. THERE�S NO REASON FOR US TO GO IN THERE. (WHISPER IN BACKGROUND) ISRAEL IS UNDER A THREAT. ABSOLUTELY. BUT NOT US.
GRADY�S QUESTION PROVOKED SOME WHISPERS AND GRUMBLES.
AFTERWARDS, GRADY SAID HIS TRAINING AS A FLIGHT ENGINEER TAUGHT HIM TO PAY ATTENTION, TO QUESTION AND CHECK EVERYTHING, BECAUSE LIVES DEPENDED ON IT.
:34 GRADY: I THINK THE COUNTRY IS BEING RAILROADED INTO THIS, GOING PELLMELL. THEY HAVE CONCLUSIVE PROOF � MY QUESTION IS, WHAT IS IT? SHOW ME THE PROOF. WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO SO QUICKLY INTO THIS?
RMD: ARE YOU IN THE MINORITY HERE AT THE AMERICAN LEGION?
GRADY: OH YES! MY WIFE AND I ARE� HEHEHE. SURE WE ARE! HEHE.
RMD: WHAT DO YOU THINK HE�S HERE FOR?
GRADY: I THINK HE�S HERE TO CALM PEOPLE LIKE ME. THERE AREN�T MANY OF US HERE.
THE REST OF THE VETS SAID THEY WERE IMPRESSED WITH CLARK�S PITCH FOR PATIENCE AND CONSENSUS, EVEN IF THEY WEREN�T READY TO BUY INTO HIS PHILOSOPHY. RAY DUGDALE SAYS THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION SHOULDN�T HAVE TO WAIT FOR U-N APPROVAL.
:12 DUGDALE: AS FAR AS PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE, I DON�T FIND THAT UNUSUAL AT ALL. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE A PLAN, THEY TAKE ACTION AND THEN THEY GO FOR PUBLIC SUPPORT LATER. TO ME THAT�S CALLED LEADERSHIP.
AND WHILE THEY�RE HONORED THAT A FOUR-STAR GENERAL CAME TO SOLICIT THEIR OPINIONS, THE LEGIONAIRES SUSPECT CLARK HAS OTHER MOTIVES.
BACK AT THE BAR, CARL BOISVERT (BOW-ver), WHO WAS IN THE INVASION OF NORMADY � SPECULATED ABOUT CLARKS� FUTURE AMBITIONS.
:11 BOISVERT: WELL HE�S GOING TO RUN FOR OFFICE, TO ME THERE�S NO QUESTION. HE�S EITHER LOOKING FOR AN APPOINTMENT OR HE�S GONNA RUN FOR OFFICE. HE�S A VERY ARTICULATE FELLA�
THE GENERAL ACCEPTED A PLAQUE AND SHOOK MORE HANDS, THEN HEADED OFF TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE TO TALK TO POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS.
:22 BOISVERT: I CAN ALMOST TELL YOU THE QUESTIONS THEY�RE GOING TO ASK HIM. THEY DON�T FEEL LIKE WE DID BACK IN WWII, OUR GENERATION. WE WANTED TO DEFEND THE FLAG. THEY�RE SO SATISFIED IN THEIR OWN LITTLE ENVIRONMENT. IF THEY WENT OVER THERE AND LOOKED HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE � THIS IS FREEDOM HERE!
AFTER SPEAKING WITH STUDENTS, CLARK MET WITH DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE MARTHA FULLER CLARK.
FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I�M RMD.
