Wes has an important op-ed in the New York Times today. Here's part of what he says:

In a little more than a year, the Army has procured and fielded in Iraq more than a thousand so-called mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles. The lives of hundreds of soldiers and marines have been saved, and their tasks made more achievable, by the efforts of the American automotive industry. And unlike in World War II, America didn’t have to divert much civilian capacity to meet these military needs. Without a vigorous automotive sector, those needs could not have been quickly met.

More challenges lie ahead for our military, and to meet them we need a strong industrial base. For years the military has sought better sources of electric power in its vehicles — necessary to allow troops to monitor their radios with diesel engines off, to support increasingly high-powered communications technology, and eventually to support electric propulsion and innovative armaments like directed-energy weapons. In sum, this greater use of electricity will increase combat power while reducing our footprint. Much research and development spending has gone into these programs over the years, but nothing on the manufacturing scale we really need.

Those are excellent points. We need to help Wes get this important message out as widely as possible.

but, they may be a beginning. Teddy Roosevelt was right when he said:

A man who is good enough to shed blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.

Here's to fallen comrades, and to those who have thus far survived as well. May they and their families receive not only our thanks and everlasting gratitude, but also that ever promised square deal.

I hope you can appreciate the following video tributes:

Vietnam Vets.

UPDATE: Here is a Rocky Mountain News report about Wes in Pueblo, where Barack and Michelle Obama are shortly to appear:

2:40 p.m. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who once considered his own run for president, has rallied the troops in Pueblo by saying he thinks Obama will be “a great president.”

"As of 12:50 PM, Hillary Clinton has opened up a wide lead over Senator Obama, but it's still early and precincts are still reporting."

http://www.nwprogressive.org/weblog/2008/01/obama-clinton-trading-lead-in-nevada.html

"With 11 percent of precincts reporting, Clinton had 47.8 percent of the vote to 45.4 percent for Obama. John Edwards was third with 5.8 percent, according to figures from the Nevada Democratic Party."

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gew72GFo3pVWjPCO1EQkfcEAuOaw

Wes Clark is not opposed to withdrawing from Iraq. He is opposed to withdrawing before we do all we can to gain an agreed plan by governments in the region. He advocates diplomacy, and there is no other candidate with Wes Clark's diplomatic experience and acceptance in the international community.

Arrogance and ignorance have gotten us where we are today in Iraq. Wes Clark understands that there are many other governments and many millions of people with a stake in what happens next. He also realizes that we certainly do not have all the answers, including the answers to the questions as to when and how we should bring our troops home. His call for vastly increased regional diplomacy is not just noble. It is essential to the restoration of our lost credibility in international affairs.