General Wesley Clark on WYNC's Leonard Lopate Show

September 17, 2007
transcript by Reg NYC

Leonard Lopate: General Wesley Clark is the kind of decorated Army officer who graduated first in his class from West Point. Later he served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander and led the Operation Allied Force in Kosovo under President Clinton. And during the 2004 Presidential campaign, General Clark entered the race in response to mounting requests from the blogosphere and a call from Charles Rangel. Now, as the 2008 race is gearing up, General Clark has written a memoir with Tom Carhart Called A Time To Lead. It is published by Palgrave MacMillan. And I'm very pleased that it brings Wesley Clark to my show today. Hello.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Hello, Leonard. Thank you very much.

Leonard Lopate: This book has the feel of a candidate's memoir, but didn't you endorse Senator Hillary Clinton over the weekend.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, the book isn't a candidate's memoir. I want to say that in the first place, because what I wanted to do is write about, a book about America. I think this next election and maybe the one after that's going to be about defining who we are as a people. And the only way I knew to write about it really was to talk about the Americas that I've seen living across America in various different ways and abroad and watching America. And so, I thought I'd just write it, you know, about the segregated South that I grew up in, about families and the history and what American families are like. And, and then about the Army and Vietnam and the Army recovering and soldiers in the volunteer force. And then finally about my experiences with American foreign policy and military policy. And then all of that is- I was lucky. I lived abroad at Oxford at a crucial time and saw America through the eyes of others. I-i-it, I just want to talk about our country really.

Born in 1944 in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Wesley Clark distinguished himself early as an athlete and a scholar, leading his high school swimming team to a state championship and graduating first in his class from West Point. In 1966, he was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, where he earned a Masters Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. 

During thirty-four years of service in the United States Army Wesley K. Clark rose to the rank of four-star general as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. After his retirement in 2000, he became an investment banker, author, commentator, and businessman. In September 2003 he answered the call to stand as a Democratic candidate for President of the United States, where his campaign won the state of Oklahoma and launched him to national prominence before he returned to the private sector in February 2004.

American Son
Award-winning producer Linda Bloodworth unveiled "American Son" -- a biopic about the life and times of Wes Clark -- during the Clark for President campaign.

This moving account features Clark's family, life-long friends, and the men and women who served under his command.

It details Clark's accomplishments and tells the story of this true American hero.

American Son was produced by Linda Burstyn, Cathee Weiss and Douglas Jackson. The film was edited by Gregg Featherman.

We encourage you to watch American Son.