Clark Almost Blundered Into World War III, Says Brit General

Gen. Wesley Clark is being praised by Democrats as a man of keen intellect and sound judgment, but a top military commander who served under him in the Kosovo War said he had to overrule the former NATO commander out of fear he was about to start World War III.

When Gen. Clark got word that Russian forces were about to occupy the Serbian airport at Pristina, he ordered British Lt. Gen. Michael Jackson to parachute troops onto the tarmac to confront the Red Army.

Gen. Jackson flatly refused to obey Clark's direct command, reportedly telling the general-turned-presidential candidate, "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you."

Gen. Jackson isn't the only military man who has expressed concern that the would-be president is something of a loose cannon.

At the height of the war Gen. Clark held a news conference, without clearing it with the Pentagon, where he admitted that Slobodan Milosevic had succeeded in sending reinforcements into Kosovo. The comment prompted a call from Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Hugh Shelton.

According to Thursday's Washington Times, Shelton barked at Clark: "The secretary of defense asked me to give you some verbatim guidance, so here it is. Get your ... face off the TV."

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