Wes Clark Is Making Sense; Therefore, He Must Be Destroyed

General Wesley Clark on Face The Nation, 6/29/08:


CLARK: Because in the matters of national security policy making, it's a matter of understanding risk. It's a matter of gauging your opponents, and it's a matter of being held accountable. John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee. And he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded — that wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, "I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not, do you want to take the risk, what about your reputation, how do we handle this publicly? He hasn't made those calls, Bob.

SCHIEFFER: Can I just interrupt you? I have to say, Barack Obama hasn't had any of these experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down.

CLARK: I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president. (emphasis mine)


I think General Clark is absolutely right in his comments and he's being quite bold in going after McCain's sole advantage in the General Election. A reasonable-thinking person sees the quote above and can discern that, yes Wes Clark, a fellow decorated Vietnam vet, honors John McCain's service and his time in captivity as a POW, but he's saying that being a POW isn't any more or less of a qualification to be president than is being a community organizer and editor of the Harvard Law Review....or a failed oilman and owner of a major league baseball team. McCain will get as much mileage as he can out of his time in captivity; but what has that experience taught him? How has it made him a better candidate? This is a Senator, after all, who is in lockstep with the current administration in wanting to prolong the Iraq debacle another few decades or so. Not to mention the sad spectre of a former POW, a man tortured so severely that he cannot raise his arms above his head, voting to authorize the President to torture whomever he deems worthy.

General Clark isn't "swiftboating" John McCain...he's neither demeaning nor insulting McCain's service in the worst imaginable conditions - he's asking a relevant and wholly legitimate question. How did the 5+ years John McCain suffered as a POW make him a better candidate for President? If the press is going to give McCain a pass on this, why then did they mock and belittle Admiral James Stockdale, Ross Perot's running mate in 1992 and a man who spent 7 years being beaten and tortured in the same POW prison as McCain?

Of course, Republicans desperate for anything to distract the voters away from how badly they've fucked up the nation over the past 7 years will distort Clark's statement and intent as if to show that he's demeaning McCain's service. Nevermind that a scant four years ago, these assholes had no problem questioning the service and patriotism of another Vietnam vet wounded in action:

But in 2008, no one is questioning John McCain's service or his patriotism. Wes Clark just said McCain was a hero of his. No one at the Democratic National Convention will be wearing "Purple Heart Band-Aids" or mock "Hanoi Hilton" pajamas. No Democratic pundit will be appearing on "Hardball" to push the idea that McCain got special treatment in the POW prison or that he should be held accountable for making taped confessions after years of getting his brains beat in.

But let's not pretend that McCain is the second coming of Eisenhower.

P.S. George McGovern, the worst embodiment of liberal evil incarnate in the 20th century and History's Greatest Monster, flew 35 bombing missions in World War II and won the Distinguished Flying Cross as a B-24 pilot without once being shot down or captured. No wonder he got trounced in the electoral college 520-17 against Nixon in '72.

P.P.S. Tonight's statement from Wesley Clark:

"There are many important issues in this Presidential election, clearly one of the most important issues is national security and keeping the American people safe. In my opinion, protecting the American people is the most important duty of our next President. I have made comments in the past about John McCain's service and I want to reiterate them in order be crystal clear. As I have said before, I honor John McCain's service as a prisoner of war and a Vietnam Veteran. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. I would never dishonor the service of someone who chose to wear the uniform for our nation.

John McCain is running his campaign on his experience and how his experience would benefit him and our nation as President. That experience shows courage and commitment to our country - but it doesn't include executive experience wrestling with national policy or go-to-war decisions. And in this area, his judgment has been flawed - he not only supported going into a war we didn't have to fight in Iraq, but has time and again undervalued other, non-military elements of national power that must be used effectively to protect America. But as an American and former military officer, I will not back down if I believe someone doesn't have sound judgment when it comes to our nation's most critical issues.”

Cheers to him for sticking up for his own common sense. Jeers to the Obama campaign for leaving him out to dry.