General Wes Clark Endorses Kirsten Gillibrand

Citing "Strong Moral Values and Ethics Reform for Washington" Clark says, "New York Needs a Leader Like Kirsten Gillibrand"

October 27, 2006. Little Rock, AR. Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, General Wesley Clark endorses the candidacy of Kirsten Gillibrand for US Congress from the 20th District of New York.

Kirsten Gillibrand is running for Congress to help bring accountability, responsibility, and trust back to our national government. Gillibrand is an accomplished civic leader and attorney in both the public and private sectors. Gillibrand is dedicated to keeping America safe, cutting taxes for middle class families, and investing in economic development to bring jobs and investment back to the 20th District and will be a tireless advocate for our troops who are laying their lives on the line everyday to keep us safe at home.

General Clark said, "Kirsten Gillibrand will ask the tough questions about Iraq and our current policy when she arrives in Washington. She recognizes that our primary duty is to secure a future in which our children and our grandchildren will not have to live in fear of terrorism. This means destroying terrorism at the roots. To further this goal, we must ensure that Iraqis have the best possible opportunity to reject Islamist extremists and choose a democratic society for their own country."

In order to provide the Iraqis with the best opportunity to reject terrorism from within, we must, as Americans, unite behind a clearly defined mission, endpoints and exit strategy. Our mission must be to eliminate terror and to promote self-determination for the Iraqi people. Our strategy for a successful mission should include the following aspects:

• Issue an immediate declaration that the US will not maintain permanent bases in Iraq and will have no claim on Iraqi oil;
• Put the Iraqis on notice that they must decide their own destiny and give them a defined notice period for the Iraqi political groups to choose between compromise and conflict and put a working government in place;
• Provide full US political and military support during this notice period and implement a comprehensive political strategy to give each sectarian group a stake in a peaceful and stable Iraq.
• Commit to redeployment of US forces out of Iraq starting at the end of this notice period.

"Kirsten Gillibrand shares the strong moral values and passion for accountability that is needed urgently in Washington, DC. In voting for Kirsten Gillibrand, New Yorkers will have an opportunity to change the current corrupt politics-as-usual in Washington, DC. To change the current state of affairs, we need to vote for someone who will lead with strong moral values and ethical accountability that Kirsten embodies," said General Wesley Clark.

General Wesley K. Clark is a retired four-star general and served as the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe where he commanded NATO forces and directed Operation Allied Force in the Balkans, putting a stop to the ethnic cleansing by the Serbs. More recently, he was drafted in 2003 to seek the Democratic nomination for President. General Clark remains engaged in public policy and private business development. Authoring two books, Waging Modern Wars and Winning Modern Wars, he and his wife, Gert, still live in Little Rock. He can be reached through his website, www.securingamerica.com.