"Well, in many respects, I'd like a chance to help this country. And I don't know if that means being president or doing something else. But I've spent my entire life in public service, except for the last three years. And it's very hard not to think in terms of the welfare of the country, and when you see the country in trouble, in challenge, yes, you'd like to pitch in and help. ¦And I am concerned about many things in the country, not only foreign policy but domestic as well."
-- Wesley Clark, June 15, 2003

Wesley Clark is one of the nation's most distinguished retired military officers. During his thirty-four years of service in the United States Army, he held numerous staff and command positions, rising to the rank of 4-star general. From 1997 through 2000, General Clark was NATO Supreme Allied Commander and Commander in Chief of the United States European Command. In this role, General Clark commanded Operation Allied Force, NATO's first major combat action, which saved 1.5 million Albanians from ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

Clark is a 1966 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point where he ranked first in his class. He holds a Master's Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Clark is a recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards, including the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart, dating back to his experience fighting in Vietnam. He has received honorary Knighthoods from the British and Dutch governments and was made a commander of the French Legion of Honor. In 2000, Clark was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Now in the private sector, Clark is chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark & Associates, a strategic advisory and consulting firm, serves on the boards of several private corporations and non-profit organizations, and comments regularly on politics, diplomacy and public affairs. An acclaimed public speaker and commentator for CNN, he is the author of the best-selling "Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat." Clark is also the Chairman of the Board for "Leadership for America," a non-partisan, non-profit educational organization dedicated to fostering the national dialogue about America's future.

Wesley Clark and his wife live in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was raised. They have one son who lives in New York.