What files does Bush have on Clark?

[Trek234]

This is just a question out of simple curiousity -

Because Clark was a General in the US military obviously he should have extensive files down at the Pentagon. (or wherever they are kept)

Is there any chance that these files could be pulled and be used against Clark by the Bush admin should he get the Dem nomination?

Even if he has nothing negative on file, is there a chance they could be "sexed up"?

[RobertSeattle]

1. There could be a great deal - depends

Every Officer Efficiency Report (OER) his boss made on him. You get about one OER per year in the Army.

Every report he ever signed off on (commands sign off on lots of things - many of which they barely read). Many of these would probably have been classified though.

I'm not sure how "public" these kind of records are though.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. His service Jacket

All of it

[SoFlaJets]

3. In the words of George W Bush

"Bring'em on"

[fob]

4. Surely, may I call you Shirley, you pose this as a rhetorical

question, right?

Is there any chance that these files could be pulled and be used against Clark by the Bush admin should he get the Dem nomination?

[Shipwack]

5. Probably nothing too interesting in service record...

In general, one doesn't get to be General with anything majorly bad in their service record. The only exception I can think of is Admiral Boorda, who went UA (called AWAOL in the Army) at the beginning of the enlisted portion of his naval carreer.

Of course, anything can be twisted around if you try hard enough... If he had the second hightest grade in a classroom of 2 people (even if it was a 3.985 vs a 3.99), it could be leaked that he came in "dead last" in an important course...

All this doesn't count any classified messages that could be unflattering if revealed. For example (and only an example... I in no way accuse Clark of being involved in something like this... this is a purely hypothetical example!), say that he recieved intelligence about a massing of enemy troops near a neutral village. The report cautions that attackingthe enemy here could cause some civillian casualties. Clark could order the attack, noting that in this case, the risk was was worth it (or even saying outright that civillian casualties while regretable, were acceptable in order to take out this threat to our troops. Such a philosophy, while possibly reprhensible, would not be unique to Clark, but would put him in an unfalttering light. Even worse, if the notes were edited to put him in the worse possible light, he couldn't prove that because the leaked memoes are classified!

[TennesseeWalker]

6. Yes. Thanks for the hypothetical.

I'm glad you have the General's best intersts at heart, and want to head off such a negative characterization of him and his orders. Thank God you warned us that such treachery could possibly rear its evil head.

[uptohere]

7. they have ALL the files

but they don't have much more access to them than you do. If its classified then only certain people can see it much less use it. Those people don't have time for that sort of thing.

Nice idea but the public record is probably more than enough to suffice.

[DBoon]

8. Is there any chance

I'd say the odds are approximately 100%