By Bruce Barton

Gen. Hugh Shelton’s surprise Celebrity Forum comment that questioned the integrity of Democratic presidential candidate Gen. Wesley Clark turned out to be a scoop for the Los Altos Town Crier last week, picked up by major media sources and triggering responses across the country.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during 9/11, lecturing at Flint Center in Cupertino Sept. 12, was asked by moderator Dick Henning, “What do you think of Gen. Wesley Clark and would you support him as a presidential candidate?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Shelton responded: “I’ve known Wes for a long time. I will tell you the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I’m not going to say whether I’m a Republican or a Democrat. I’ll just say Wes won’t get my vote.”

The story, published in the Town Crier’s Sept. 17 issue, was posted on the Los Altos Town Crier’s Web site, losaltosonline.com, and was picked up by the Drudge Report. Members of the Republican National Committee forwarded the comments to national media. As a copyrighted story, all users had to give credit to the Town Crier. As a result, the Crier received phone calls and e-mails from all over the country, offering comments on the story.

“After reading the article regarding Gen. Shelton’s comments on Wes Clark, it is now very clear why the Democrats were so excited to get him on the ticket … he has no integrity or character,” said Bill Frazeer of Marion, Ky. “A perfect Democrat to be president; and with Hillary (Clinton) too, my God! What more could they ask for?”

“Gen. Shelton continues to disparage Gen. Wesley Clark,” wrote in Valerie Sanford of Woodland Hills. “It is outrageous Hugh Shelton should be smearing Gen. Clark again, after Shelton and Defense Secretary William Cohen mischaracterized Clark to President Clinton - who discovered too late that the pair had acted together to lie about Clark. Shame on Shelton and Cohen for using their power in a very harmful way - and extra shame on Shelton for portraying himself as squeaky-clean. As for Shelton adding that he will not support Clark for president, that part is no surprise since he and Cohen are Republicans.”

Others simply questioned the newsworthiness of the story.

“I read with shock and awe the recent ’story’ of how Gen. Shelton declined endorsement of Gen. Wesley Clark - although Gen. Shelton is an inspiring man who overcame much difficulty and personal adversity,” said Jared Feuling of Madison, Wis. “So has, though in different ways, Gen. Clark. I am actually amused that his non-endorsement is considered news. I suppose the presumption is that all military men think alike. I hope you don’t expect all union workers to endorse Democrats, all Enron executives to endorse Republicans, all African-Americans to endorse (Al) Sharpton, or all oil executives and trust fund children to endorse Bush.”

Jim Barnhill, a retired newspaper publisher from Yakima, Wash., e-mailed: “Just had the pleasure of reading your paper’s story on General Hugh Shelton. It was wonderful to see straight, no-spin reporting on this straight-talking general.”

Henning, who organizes the Celebrity Forum lecture series, reported receiving dozens of calls from national media on the story.