The Last Word.(an interview with Gen. Wesley K. Clark )(Interview)

For a self-described "nonpolitical" person, Gen. Wesley K. Clark finds himself in an unusual position: considering a run for the White House. Earlier this year, a grass-roots organization started a campaign to persuade the four-star general to run in 2004. Clark recently received more than a thousand letters from supporters in New Hampshire urging him to run, and last week draftwesleyclark.com opened its national headquarters in Washington, D.C. For Democrats looking to take back the Oval Office, Clark's resume is a godsend--he spent 34 years in the military and served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander and commander in chief of the U.S. European Command from 1997 to May 2000. Clark has not yet decided to take the plunge, but his name has got America buzzing. NEWSWEEK's Michael Hastings asked for his views on how Washington is handling its global role. Excerpts:

HASTINGS: What could you bring to table that the other candidates haven't?

CLARK: I've never really addressed that issue. I'm considering this candidacy because a lot of people have confidence in me and have asked me to consider it. To me, it's really about the issues. I saw it starting to go wrong before the [2000] election. I met with Condi Rice. She told me she believed that American troops shouldn't be keeping the peace--they were the only ones who could kill people and conquer countries, and that's what they should be focused on doing. What she was telling me [was] that she, as a potential Republican national- security adviser, didn't support our engagement in Europe. So I saw it going wrong from there. Then, as the administration took office, I saw more and more what I believed were misunderstandings and missed opportunities.

Where does the United States go from here in Iraq?

You have to define what success is, and then you have to work toward it. I would define it politically. Put in place some kind of Iraqi government that [has] some semblance of democracy. The first thing I'd be doing right now [is] calling provisional, national, regional and local councils together from all parties before elections are held. I would ask for their assistance, their ideas and their support in producing security in the region first and guarding the remaining economic infrastructure. I would lay out to them the limitations of the United States' capabilities. I'd try to get the Iraqis increasingly involved in taking responsibilities. Put an Iraqi face on all the actions that you can and as much of the decision ...