No Starred Leaders

22 September 2003


Clark Joins Presidential Race

Former 4-Star General Wesley Clark threw his helmet into the ring last week, bringing the number of candidates seeking the Democratic nomination to 10. There is a great froth of fuzzy thinking from those in the media who need a new story now that Governor Dean is yesterday's headline. What's missing is an assessment of how ex-generals do as commander-in-chief. The facts are depressing.

While every schoolchild knows that America's first president, George Washington, also lead the rebel forces in the War of Independence. What few know is that Washington's military record was weak (Thomas Jefferson said he often "Failed in the Field."), and that as president, he is famous for being the first rather than for any specific achievement in office.

This list rapidly declines from there: Andrew Jackson of $20 bill fame acted more like First Consul than anything else, William Henry Harrison died after a month in office, Zachary Taylor (died after less than 2 years in office), Franklin Pierce (brigadier, Bloody Kansas), Andrew Johnson (impeached), and Ulysses Grant (drunk and appointed corrupt cabinet) all figure in the under-average category. Rutherford B. Hayes had an election stolen for him, and removed federal troops from the South before Reconstruction was complete. James Garfield (general of some Ohio Volunteers during the Civil War -- which should be known as the Southern War of Treason) was shot some 4 months into his term by a Mr. Guiteau, to whom he hadn't given a job. Benjamin Harrison, a brigadier in the Civil War, lost the popular vote to Grover Cleveland, won in the electoral college, and is remembered for angering the GOP bosses and reformers alike. And there was Ike, who's main contribution to history was appointing Richard Nixon his vice-president, thereby making Grant look like a great judge of character.

General Clark is his own man, and most likely a better administrator and wiser fellow than some of the rogues on the list. But the great lie is that generals make good political leaders. It's easy to get people to follow orders when a court-martial is the alternative. It's very hard to get them to convince them to cooperate.

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