Clark said that McCain lacked the executive experience necessary to be president, calling him “untested and untried” on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” And in saying so, he took a few swipes at McCain’s military service.
After saying, "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 the armed forces, as a prisoner of war," he added that these experiences in no way qualify McCain to be president in his view:
“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,” Clark said.
“I don’t think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.”
Okay I put in bold the two portions of this article that i think are the most important.
In the top portion Wesley Clark clearly pays homage to McCain's experiences as a POW, which we should all be impressed by.
And in the bottom portion Clark makes the most obvious statement about McCain's mythology that can be made. Being a prisoner of war in no way prepares you to be President, or gives you any special knowledge about how to run the military in a time of war.
Now I am not saying that John McCain's background in the military does not make him more aware of military matters then the average civilian, because I think it does. But that also confuses me about why he votes against bills that provide guaranteed education benefits and why he supports Bush's excuses to use torture. His actions do not seem to be terribly informed by his past experiences.
I mean how can a victim of torture allow our country to adopt torture for the first time in its history?
So making the case that John McCain's experiences in Vietnam do not make him a better candidate for President seems very reasonable. (I heard some reporter on MSNBC making the comment that Clark had called into question McCain's patriotism, but that is a complete fabrication. The only thing Wesley Clark questioned was if McCain's experiences made him more qualified to be our next President, and they do not.)
I disagree.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I wondered on my blog if Wesley Clark is working for PUMA?
The worst thing for Obama is when one of his surrogates questions the military service of his opponent.
Clark's remarks made Obama depart from message today. Not good and not smart. Obama doesn't need this type of help.
And it is perfectly reasonable to have a disagreement about this issue.
ReplyDeleteI will certainly give you the point that it was a politically clumsy thing for Clark to say, but I did not address that part.
My point was that it is being misrepresented as an attack on McCain's patriotism. It is not an "attack" it is a observation that being a POW does not, in and of itself, qualify somebody to be President.
But you think Clark may be a double agent? That is an interesting take on it. I had not considered that it might have been purposeful.
A longtime reader and commenter on my blog pointed out the Clintons and Wesley Clark go back a quarter century to Little Rock.
ReplyDeleteWesley Clark is a loyal Clintonista first and a Democrat second.
I just don't trust the guy.