A pilot writes: Great commentary this week. The more I listen to Wes Clark, the more I dislike him and see his lack of integrity. I am a [plane] pilot in the Air Force and I just recently flew with [an officer] who cares very little about Wes Clark. This [officer] said that Gen Clark has 3 personal traits that, when combined, make a very “dangerous” personality. They are 1) unbridled ambition, 2) extreme intellect/intelligence, and 3) incredible narcissism. It was absolutely amazing to listen to this senior [officer] talk to us about what drove then Gen Clark to make some of the decisions he made during Op. Allied Force. It gave me more insight to how Gen Clark thinks which is why I mentioned earlier about disliking him the more I listen to him. That is the main reason I enjoyed your latest commentary because it touched on the very subject I and the [officer] were talking about as we flew into Iraq and Afghanistan.
I’ve heard this from Marines, I’ve heard this from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. Interesting, isn’t it, that those who know Wesley best are so opposed to him. But then, on the other hand, Madonna and Michael Moore think he’s spiffy. That should tell you everything you need to know about his electability.
By the way, I don’t believe the Republican rumors that Clark is any kind of stalking horse for the Clintons. Not for a second. The man is far too vain and ambitious to willingly play the patsy, and he’s intelligent enough to see through their generally rather obvious machinations. Contrary to what people believe, neither Bill nor Hillary are especially intelligent – from what I understand, Clark is at least a level up on both of them. This would not be unusual. I happen to know that at least one member of Bill Clinton’s Joint Chiefs – not Wesley Clark – had an IQ that exceeded his 137 by almost 40 points.