Back when Wesley Clark ran for the Democratic nomination for president, I didn't know very much about him and I wrongly assumed his only qualification for the job was his military experience. Even that made him more qualified than dubya, but he was never really in the running. I've since learned a lot more about him and I like what I've learned. In 2005 he spent a few days guest blogging at TPM Cafe. You can read a couple of his posts here and here. He took the time to respond to questions and comments from readers and he came across as straight-talking and intelligent. I was particularly impressed that a retired Army general and former NATO commander was calling for less military action and more diplomacy from the Bush administration. He's still doing so. Check out this editorial he wrote for today's Washington Post regarding dubya's expected plan to escalate the war in Iraq.

Yes, several additional brigades in Baghdad would allow for more roadblocks, patrols and neighborhood-clearing operations. Some initial successes would be evident. But how significant would this be? We've never had enough troops in Iraq. In Kosovo, we had 40,000 troops for a population of 2 million. That ratio would call for at least 500,000 troops in Iraq; adding 20,000 now seems too little, too late.

Since Clark was in charge of the US intervention/regime change in Bosnia and it was by all accounts successful, I think we can assume he knows what he's talking about. He thinks we're about to get a bunch more of our troops killed and gain nothing by doing so.

The truth is that the underlying problems are political, not military.
Vicious ethnic cleansing is underway, as various factions fight for power and survival. In this environment, security is unlikely to come from smothering the struggle with a blanket of forces -- and increasing U.S. efforts is likely to generate additional resistance, especially from Iraq's neighbors. More effective action is needed to resolve the struggle at the political level. A new U.S. ambassador might help, but the administration needs to recognize that the neoconservative vision has failed.
Well before the 2003 invasion, the Bush administration was sending signals that its intentions weren't limited to Iraq; "regime change" in Syria and Iran was often discussed in Washington. Small wonder then that both countries have worked continuously to feed the fighting in Iraq.

Read the whole thing. This guy is a thinker and surely America is ready for one of those in the White House.

Housekeeping: I've previously been using Tangerine for quoted material, but today I'm trying Cayenne. Better? Worse? Who cares?