I have a lot of respect for anyone who reaches the rank of general or admiral. It takes intelligence, hard work, dedication, imagination, and superb people, political and organizational skills. Or at least I used to think this. Every time Wesley Clark speaks, my belief in what it takes to reach such a high level of command takes another hit:
Retired Army General Wesley K. Clark yesterday suggested that President Bush bears some responsibility for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying the administration had been warned about the threat of Osama bin Laden but did not act quickly enough to prevent the tragedy.
"Now, we know who did 9/11," Clark told a roomful of business people at a law firm in Portsmouth, saying the Bush administration should be investigated for its actions prior to the attacks. Bush, he said, is "responsible for our preparation, our defense, and that's the issue. . . . This was a president who was in charge in this country for almost nine months, and failed" to defend the country.
I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to document any of the many things that are so, so wrong with this utterance. I'm not wasting any more time pointing out what General Shelton has already alluded to.