Reply #131: Well, he's not just ANY general

[Jai4WKC08]

Even among the 4-stars, there aren't many who have hobnobbed with some of the people Clark knows personally: heads of state all thru Europe and Latin America, much of Asia and Africa too. People pay good money to get the advice of guys like Clark, with the contacts he has.

But more than who he knows, I think it's a matter of what he knows. Yeah, the defense and diplomacy stuff. But Clark is a Rhodes scholar, afterall. With his masters in PPE, and having taught both economics and philosophy. He reads. And in my unbiased opinion ;) is one of the great minds of our time.

So what blows me away is not what he's making now, but that he could have been doing as well by the time he was 30, had he gotten out of the military after Vietnam, and God only knows how much at this point in his life. Another Soros easily. But he CHOSE a life of public service, living in house trailers and cheap apartments or military quarters (not much better), and driving used cars he had to take personal leave time to get running again.

How many people with his options would have done the same? Yeah, it's starting to pay off financially. But let's face it, there were no guarantees. Military life is hazardous and he could have easily have left Gert and Wes Jr with only that 15K death gratuity they're trying to increase in Congress right now. To tell the truth, Gert is the one who took the real risk of being left destitute, not to mention also living in those trailers and apartments, so I'm doubly glad to see her finally get some benefit.