Rating: 
Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: I went in to this with a high regard for General Clark, and I have even more respect for him now. While some reviewers (and here I have to say that I'm a liberal democrat, so I understand) were threatened by the amounts of times the word "Sir" occurs, I have to say that General Clark is the type of guy that merits respect, even from those who have probably never addressed anyone as "Sir."This is a highly readable account of his tenure as SACEUR and his background. I neither found it to be appologetic, nor covering for his accounts, as another reviewer suggested. I'm guessing these other reviewers have zero experience with the military, and it could be off-putting to someone who doesn't inherently understand the respect, pride and esprit de corps that is part and parcel of our armed forces. I think General Clark should be our next president. He'd certainly do alot better than alot of people whom have tried to be leaders, and have only lead our country by the nose into a downward spiral--squandered trillions in budget surplus, and made a shambles of diplomacy--CLARK in 2004~~!!!
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING
Review: I went in to this with a high regard for General Clark, and I have even more respect for him now. While some reviewers (and here I have to say that I'm a liberal democrat, so I understand) were threatened by the amounts of times the word "Sir" occurs, I have to say that General Clark is the type of guy that merits respect, even from those who have probably never addressed anyone as "Sir." This is a highly readable account of his tenure as SACEUR and his background. I neither found it to be appologetic, nor covering for his accounts, as another reviewer suggested. I'm guessing these other reviewers have zero experience with the military, and it could be off-putting to someone who doesn't inherently understand the respect, pride and esprit de corps that is part and parcel of our armed forces. I think General Clark should be our next president. He'd certainly do alot better than alot of people whom have tried to be leaders, and have only lead our country by the nose into a downward spiral--squandered trillions in budget surplus, and made a shambles of diplomacy--CLARK in 2004~~!!!
Rating:
Summary: MUST READ for all officers
Review: I'll make this short and to the point. If you are an officer in the US Army, or any branch of the armed services, you need to read this book. GEN Clark meticulously details the events surrounding the entire NATO operation in Kosovo and gives great insight into what really goes on "echelons above God." It certainly gives me a new perspective on the military planning process and how/why we accomplish what we do. You know what happened during the campaign, now find out why and what each key player was thinking.
Rating:
Summary: Clark is terrific. So is his book.
Review: In this book we see that General Clark is the real force behind the conflict in Kosovo. Clinton rarely appears. I'm not sure Vice President Gore is even mentioned. Cohen and General Shelton are enigmatic. However, Holbrook is terrific. So is Secretary General Javier Solana. I was surprised how much conflict there was between Cohen, Shelton and Clark. It seems to me that the Kosovo conflict would have been much easier if Clinton or Gore had actually bothered to speak to General Clark. Instead, he is left to deal with Cohen and Shelton, who leave him without the resources he needs or even bother to include him in on important meetings. I watched this conflict carefully as it unfolded. All right-wing republicans were rooting for America to lose. The Serbs were savvy enemies. Clinton was in the middle of Monica Lewinsky scandal. I don't think Clark will ever receive the credit he deserves. But some of us out here noticed what he did. General Clark's most important messages concern the future of warfare. He has many important things to say. This timely and important book is required reading for anyone in the military, and anyone voting on military matters. For me it was another great American general writing his story. It is also very well-written and appears to really capture General Clark's voice.
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding book
Review: Obviously, General Clark is not out to win a lot of friends with the publication of this book, a damning account of how politics and war make, at best, awkward bedfellows and at worst, the potential for inadvertent sabotage. More telling (for me, anyway) than the tone of the book, which shows how political claptrap can tie a commander's hands from committing intelligently (no lessons learned from previous conflicts?), Clark shows throughout the entire book that everything we have been taught regarding the basic principles of warfare, from Sun-Tzu to Clausewitz and beyond, have been completely done away with in the Bosnian conflict. Through technology in our weaponry, the delivery platforms, the intelligence, and most pointedly, in our communications networks (particularly the media), by which we more or less spoon-fed Milosevic our every move well in advance, thus eliminating the vital element of surprise. Another notion that has brought angst to most Americans is that of the "no-civilian-casualties" conflict. Clark echoes, point-blank, the same words that every commander throughout the history of modern warfare has muttered - war is hell, and people will be killed, combatants and non-combatants; that's the nature of war. With smart technology at our feet, and brilliant weapons technology knocking at the door, we have come to expect that firing a missile onto a bridge where a bus is passing will somehow have allowed the bus to escape unharmed. It's not possible now, nor will it be possible in the future. The weapons, as Clark states, can only be as perfect as not only the people who develop them, but as the people who upload them, arm them, test them, engineer them, and ultimately fire them. I would take it a step further and add that the weapons are only as good as the intelligence which feeds them. Clark has written a book that deserves recognition as a bold step in Warfare Theory literature, and should be on the Airman's and Soldier's official reading lists for officers and enlisted alike.
Rating: 
Summary: Poorly written but his own words...
Review: Only a short way into this book, I quickly realized General Clark wrote the book himself without the help of a ghost writer. It appears he also lacked the help of a good editor. The story jumps around from thought to thought without solid editorial orginization. Aside from the poor organization of the book, the content has some shortcomings as well. It is extremely self serving and bears little objectivity. I found it disturbing to read that Clark viewed his role as Commander of NATO more seriously than his role as a United States Army Officer. He does not atempt to hide the fact that he entered the US into a war directly against the wishes of his civilian superior. This book makes it clear why Secretary Cohen and General Shelton are not supporting his bid for President and question his integrity. Due to his presidential bid this book is being removed from the Army's Command and General Staff reading list. This is unfortunate despite its poor style because the book serves as a cautionary tale of the possibility to abuse the powers currently resting in the US military unified command structure.
Rating:
Summary: Poorly written but his own words...
Review: Only a short way into this book, I quickly realized General Clark wrote the book himself without the help of a ghost writer. It appears he also lacked the help of a good editor. The story jumps around from thought to thought without solid editorial orginization. Aside from the poor organization of the book, the content has some shortcomings as well. It is extremely self serving and bears little objectivity. I found it disturbing to read that Clark viewed his role as Commander of NATO more seriously than his role as a United States Army Officer. He does not atempt to hide the fact that he entered the US into a war directly against the wishes of his civilian superior. This book makes it clear why Secretary Cohen and General Shelton are not supporting his bid for President and question his integrity. Due to his presidential bid this book is being removed from the Army's Command and General Staff reading list. This is unfortunate despite its poor style because the book serves as a cautionary tale of the possibility to abuse the powers currently resting in the US military unified command structure.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating and Very Readable
Review: The author presents a personal accounting of his time as SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander, Europe). Clark's writing style is very easy to read -- you don't need to be a military expert to understand him. This account is chronological, even sometimes hour-by-hour, and reports on how we got into a war in Kosovo, and why certain key decisions were made. You will be amazed at the revelations Clark makes about Serbian security and intelligence capabilities, Milosovic's character (or lack thereof), tensions within NATO, and the complexities of US military operations. I could hardly put this book down. Sometimes, however, the book reads as a personal defense. He often blames problems with negotiations or operations on higher-ups, or on inherent structrual problems with the SACEUR position. Any reader should know that many people in the military do not view Wesley Clark with high esteem, and blame many of the problems during Kosovo specifically on him. I personally found Clark's version of events generally believable, but I wait for history to pass the final judgement.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is a book worth reading if you are interested in the problems facing a commander on the modern battlefield. Gen. Clark explains the problems and offers solutions. Great book.
Rating: 
Summary: great read
Review: This is a great read... For books similar to this, please visit www.campaign2004.com.
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