Clark Lashes Out as Character Questions Mount

Democratic presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark lashed out on Thursday against military colleagues who have attacked his character in an attempt to warn the public that he should not serve as president of the United States.

Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, Gen. Clark responded to charges from former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Henry Shelton, who revealed in September that the presidential candidate had to be relieved as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO during the Kosovo War over what Shelton described as questions of "character and integrity."

But in quotes picked up by the New York Sun, Gen. Clark angrily told the audience that his departure "had nothing to do about my character or integrity." He then added that Gen. Shelton's remark "constitutes a smear."

Clark's smearmonger charge against Shelton represents a considerable escalation of the rhetoric in the controversy, and comes as new allegations from several additional military men threaten to further tarnish his image.

Weeks after Shelton offered his assessment, William Cohen, who wasD defense secretary at the time Clark was ousted, told CNN: "There was friction between General Clark and myself. ... I felt that the ax, as such, when it fell, spoke for itself."

Retired Army Lt. Gen. Marc Cisneros went so far as to brand Clark a liar, citing a 1996 episode in which he and Clark were competing for the same job, a four-star position heading the U.S. Southern Command.

Cisneros, who had the Army's backing, told the Associated Press that when he confronted Clark about the matter, he "just outright lied" and denied he was seeking the job, which eventually did go to Clark.

"I worry about his ethical standards regarding honesty and forthrightness," Cisneros told the AP.

Former Army chief of staff, retired Gen. Dennis Reimer, has told reporters that Clark is intelligent and hardworking, but says the Democratic candidate "focused too much upward and not down on the soldiers.

"I've always believed you ought to be looking down toward your soldiers and not up at how to please your boss. ... I just didn't see enough of that in Wes."

Retired Army Brig. Gen. David Grange says that Clark would be so focused on success that he would not be aware of the feelings and concerns of the people around him. Says Gen. Grange, "There's no question that General Clark is for General Clark."

In October, Clark released his military records in an attempt to rebut the mounting criticism - and many of these documents do indeed praise his character.

As noted by USA Today, however, the records made public by Clark end when he became a three-star general - precisely the period when the controversy about his character arose.

Kristin Billera contributed to this report.

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