General Wesley Clark on Fox News 12/15/05
December 15, 2005
Transcript by Reg NYC
Bill Hemmer: Now the question is 'what next' for the people in Iraq, and 'what next' for the US military.
General Wesley Clark, Fox News analyst, Supreme NATO Commander with me now, and General, it's nice to have you here.
Good afternoon to you.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Great to be with you, Bill.
Bill Hemmer: What's next for Iraq when they wake up tomorrow?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, they have voted for an Assembly. So, now the Assembly has to elect the government, and there's some very important issues right up at the top.
First of all, who's going to comprise that government? Is it going to be lead by the Islamist Parties, lead by Mr. Hakim, or is it going to be lead by Iyad Alawi, who is a secularist? And what role will the Sunnis have in that government, and then what can be done about some of the provisions of the Constitution that the Sunnis find most objectionable? For example, they're very concerned that they won't have access to the oil revenues, and they're concerned that the militant Islamists in the south will want to set up a sort of a mini-state there that caters to Iran and that takes away the secular freedoms that the rest of the Iraqis would like to have.
Bill Hemmer: Last January, it took some time to get that interim government in place and set up after extensive negotiations. Can you avoid that possibility this time around?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: No, I think it's going to be worse this time, because actually this is when it's for keeps, and so this- Not only is it for keeps this time, but it's also critical to defeating the legitimacy of the insurgency. So, this is a time we have to link the political and the military more skillfully than we've- more, more credibly than we'd been able to do in the past.
Bill Hemmer: So then put one and two together. The vote is today, that's one. If you're able to maneuver the political front as you mentioned there, going into January and February, is the US military a step closer to home after this?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It all depends on how we can bring this to a conclusion. You know, you've got to translate the military leverage that we have into the kinds of changes in the Constitution and the make-up of the government that are needed to unify the country. If it goes the wrong way, it could result in a fracturing of the country. So, it's a really critical moment for Iran- Iraq and for Iran, who's looking on very anxiously from the border and wondering if they're going to maintain their influence there.
Bill Hemmer: What does this say to you: 'The most democratically elected government in the history of the Arab world,' when you hear that statement?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, you know- It's pretty exciting, isn't it? But the question is- here's the thing that we all have to keep in mind: There've been a lot of elections in the Arab world. You know, Saddam Hussein was elected by 99%.
Bill Hemmer: 99% we heard every year.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: This, this is a much more fair election. The question is: can we actually get a democratic government in place, or is it going to be a one-vote kind of a government that after it's in charge it shuts down the the trappings of democracy as we know it?
Bill Hemmer: Can you, can you even wade into the argument right now as to what happens with this insurgency after this vote? It certainly is not going to kill it off. Does it dampen it and to what degree?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: It won't kill it off. It should. I mean, it depends on really the shape of the government that emerges. If we've got a government that comes out that really can bring the Sunnis in and address their concerns and issues, so they feel like they've got a stake in the country, then that'll take a lot of the steam out of the insurgency. You'll still have the jihadists who are there-
Bill Hemmer: Mm
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -who simply are looking for a foothold in the Arab world and want to cause mischief and attack Americans. But a lot of their support's coming from disaffected Sunnis who see the Shiite militant Islamist take-over in this interim government, and they're opposed to it.
Bill Hemmer: We're going to have a lot to talk about. Wesley Clark, thanks.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Alright, Bill. Good to be with you.
Bill Hemmer: Good to have you in the studio, today.
