Brass Ambition

Wesley Clark climbed fast up the ranks of the Pentagon--charming some, alienating others. How good a general was he?

While the politicians call him General, the generals call him a politician. He once boasted of knowing the cholesterol level of all the officers vying with him for a promotion. The view of Wesley Clark as a hyperambitious, political general is widespread within the military, and though some officers decry those qualities, such traits might be just the thing for a presidential candidate. Right now, Clark's resume is his platform, and he wins high marks from former colleagues for his intelligence and innovation, though not for his warmth or generosity to fellow officers. They praise him for improving the way the...

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