| WASHINGTON
- One mystery solved. Why was Gen. Wesley Clark's
early removal from his post as NATO's top commander
leaked within an hour after Clark himself was informed
of Defense Secretary William Cohen's decision last
week?
Answer: Because Cohen's staff wanted to prevent
Clark, who had led the NATO military campaign
against Yugoslavia and was known to like his job,
from working behind the scenes to undo the decision,
according to a senior Pentagon official.
"They decided to prevent it," said
the official. Included in the cabal that engineered
the plot was Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon,
the official said.
"I don't really have anything to add,"
Bacon said Monday.
Cohen, who clashed with Clark during the war
over Clark's desires to plan for a ground invasion,
made the decision to remove Clark early and without
consulting him beforehand, because he wanted to
find a way to keep Gen. Joseph Ralston, the vice
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ralston,
set to retire next year, said the NATO post was
the only job he wanted.
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