Enceladus
2003-08-26 21:36:01 UTC
Clark Alleges White House Pushed CNN to Fire Him
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
WASHINGTON - The White House pressured CNN to fire former military analyst
Gen. Wesley Clark (search), the retired Army chief told a Phoenix radio
station on Monday.
"The White House actually back in February apparently tried to get me
knocked off CNN and they wanted to do this because they were afraid that I
would raise issues with their conduct of the war," Clark told Newsradio 620
KTAR. "Apparently they called CNN. I don't have all the proof on this
because they didn't call me. I've only heard rumors about it."
CNN had no immediate comment on the general's allegations. White House
officials told Fox News that they are "adamant" that they "never tried to
get Wesley Clark kicked off the air in any way, shape or form." Beyond that,
the White House "won't respond to rumors."
Clark was one of cable network CNN's military analysts and commentators
during the Iraq war. Frequently named as a possible presidential candidate,
Clark has not said whether he is interested in seeking the Democratic
nomination. But, in his comments on the "Drive Home With Preston
Westmoreland Show," Clark indicated that he is debating a bid.
"I had a very clear understanding with CNN that if I ever decided to go
forward in considering becoming a political candidate that I would at that
point, leave CNN. That's what I did in June," he said.
Previously, Clark claimed publicly that after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror
attacks, he was pressured by the Bush administration to link the attacks
directly to Iraq. When pressed on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes show, Clark
refused to name White House names and instead fingered a public policy think
tank in Canada.
"I personally got a call from a fellow in Canada who is part of a Middle
Eastern think tank who gets inside intelligence information. He called me on
9/11," Clark said.
When asked who in the White House contacted him, Clark responded that he was
"not going to go into those sources." Once again, the White House insisted
they never applied any pressure.
Grassroots organizations have encouraged the former NATO (search) commander
to make a run. The DraftWesleyClark.com group commissioned a Zogby poll in
which those surveyed were asked to select a candidate based on his bio
without knowing the candidate's name.
The poll, released Monday, showed Clark with 49 percent support in the
"Blind Bio" survey compared to 40 percent for President Bush.
Matched up against six of the nine Democratic candidates, Clark polled in
first place. That number dropped to fifth place among likely Democratic
primary voters, however, when the candidates were named.
Clark backers still found this data encouraging, noting that he earned high
marks "despite his low name recognition, and the fact that he has not spent
a dime" on campaigning.
Clark, who is holding his decision close to the vest, told the radio
station: "I still am not a candidate. I'm not affiliated with the party, and
I haven't raised a penny of political money."
He said last week that he would decide on whether to run in the next few
weeks.
Clark served as NATO's supreme allied commander and as commander in chief of
the U.S. European Command between 1997 and 2000. In 1999, he led Operation
Allied Force, NATO's military action in Kosovo (search).
Insisting on the accuracy of his military analysis of the Iraq War, Clark
said, "No one ever complained about my analysis being partisan except for
[House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay and he's hardly an unbiased source," Clark
told KTAR.
"I was anything but biased. I was 100 percent objective. I called it right
and I stand by the results," he said.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2003
WASHINGTON - The White House pressured CNN to fire former military analyst
Gen. Wesley Clark (search), the retired Army chief told a Phoenix radio
station on Monday.
"The White House actually back in February apparently tried to get me
knocked off CNN and they wanted to do this because they were afraid that I
would raise issues with their conduct of the war," Clark told Newsradio 620
KTAR. "Apparently they called CNN. I don't have all the proof on this
because they didn't call me. I've only heard rumors about it."
CNN had no immediate comment on the general's allegations. White House
officials told Fox News that they are "adamant" that they "never tried to
get Wesley Clark kicked off the air in any way, shape or form." Beyond that,
the White House "won't respond to rumors."
Clark was one of cable network CNN's military analysts and commentators
during the Iraq war. Frequently named as a possible presidential candidate,
Clark has not said whether he is interested in seeking the Democratic
nomination. But, in his comments on the "Drive Home With Preston
Westmoreland Show," Clark indicated that he is debating a bid.
"I had a very clear understanding with CNN that if I ever decided to go
forward in considering becoming a political candidate that I would at that
point, leave CNN. That's what I did in June," he said.
Previously, Clark claimed publicly that after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror
attacks, he was pressured by the Bush administration to link the attacks
directly to Iraq. When pressed on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes show, Clark
refused to name White House names and instead fingered a public policy think
tank in Canada.
"I personally got a call from a fellow in Canada who is part of a Middle
Eastern think tank who gets inside intelligence information. He called me on
9/11," Clark said.
When asked who in the White House contacted him, Clark responded that he was
"not going to go into those sources." Once again, the White House insisted
they never applied any pressure.
Grassroots organizations have encouraged the former NATO (search) commander
to make a run. The DraftWesleyClark.com group commissioned a Zogby poll in
which those surveyed were asked to select a candidate based on his bio
without knowing the candidate's name.
The poll, released Monday, showed Clark with 49 percent support in the
"Blind Bio" survey compared to 40 percent for President Bush.
Matched up against six of the nine Democratic candidates, Clark polled in
first place. That number dropped to fifth place among likely Democratic
primary voters, however, when the candidates were named.
Clark backers still found this data encouraging, noting that he earned high
marks "despite his low name recognition, and the fact that he has not spent
a dime" on campaigning.
Clark, who is holding his decision close to the vest, told the radio
station: "I still am not a candidate. I'm not affiliated with the party, and
I haven't raised a penny of political money."
He said last week that he would decide on whether to run in the next few
weeks.
Clark served as NATO's supreme allied commander and as commander in chief of
the U.S. European Command between 1997 and 2000. In 1999, he led Operation
Allied Force, NATO's military action in Kosovo (search).
Insisting on the accuracy of his military analysis of the Iraq War, Clark
said, "No one ever complained about my analysis being partisan except for
[House Majority Leader] Tom DeLay and he's hardly an unbiased source," Clark
told KTAR.
"I was anything but biased. I was 100 percent objective. I called it right
and I stand by the results," he said.
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end