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General Clark(Ret) Says McCain Has No Executive Military Experience
June 29th, 2008
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From Yahoo News:
Gen. Wesley Clark, acting as a surrogate for Barack Obama’s campaign, invoked John McCain’s military service against him in one of the more personal attacks on the Republican presidential nominee this election cycle.
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.
“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.”
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), also on CBS, was equally uncharitable towards Obama’s record on foreign policy as he continued to distance himself from his former party.
“Sen. Obama, unfortunately, like a lot of the Democratic leadership, continues to take a position that we ought to withdraw … even though the new policy is working,” said Lieberman. “If we had done what Sen. Obama asked us to do for the last couple of years, today Iran and Al Qaeda would be in control of Iraq. It would be a terrible defeat for us and our allies in the Middle East and throughout the world.”
Meanwhile, the opposition narratives for the fall election campaign appeared to be in full force on ABC’s “This Week,” with Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) calling McCain a flip-flopper, while Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty accused Obama of not working in a bipartisan fashion.
Emanuel attacked McCain for changing his position on offshore oil drilling, President Bush’s tax cuts and his relationship with the evangelical community.
Quipped Emanuel: “If flip-flop was an Olympic sport, John McCain would be the first to win a gold medal.”
Those of us who pay attention already understand the point Clark makes, but we’re not allowed to say it; for the Terrible Simplifiers will use the “you didn’t serve so who are you to say that” red herring, and the “dishonoring his service” patriotism bludgeon in response to facts.
If being a POW or being wounded in combat is what makes you prepared to be president, then why do we even let anybody run who doesn’t fit the bill. If that’s the criteria, then most of our presidents in the last 3 decades couldn’t be president.
Clark on the other hand is a combat vet, with executive military of the highest orders, has just about all the credentials in the world behind what he says.
Wesley Clark was commander of a mechanized infantry company, as an Army Captin in Vietnam. From 1997 to 2000 he was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, not only over U.S. forces but over NATO; and led the war in Kosovo.
He was also my presidential pick, who I voted for in the primaries in 2004.
Also read Clark’s OpEd article in the Huffington Post on Bush’s Third Term
A snippet:
While I respect John McCain’s service, I know exactly what he stands for — Bush’s third term. And in national security terms, John McCain is largely untested and untried. He’s never been responsible for policy formulation. John McCain is calculating that he will use the national security debate to his advantage. He’s wrong.
Like Bush, McCain has always been for the use of force, force, and more force. In my experience, the only time to use force is as a last resort. When John McCain talks about throwing Russia out of the G8 and makes irresponsible comments about bombing Iran, he reveals his own disrespect for the office of the presidency.
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Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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I agree with Gen. Clark about this. I don’t see how McCain believe his former POW status makes him in any way ready to be president.
McCain doesn’t really believe anything, except believing in his own ambition.
This is further evident by how his whole campaign right now is arguing against himself, and even threatening to veto his own bills if he becomes president.
Since Clark out-ranks McCain by at least one or two stars, I think he’s earned the right to spin McCain’s service in Viet Nam any kind of way he wants to. Besides…he’s right. Question? Where are all the folks who remember serving with McCain? Was he the only American in that prison camp? Oh, that was 2 questions. But, doesn’t it make you go hmmm? I’m just saying…
What make McCain a “war hero” ? That he was a hot-dog pilot who got his ass shot down ? The FACT that other pilots refused to fly with him because he was concidered too dangerous ? A hero is someone who throws himself on a grenade to save his buddies, or charges a machinehun nest to help the wounded (like Bob Dole). McCain was one of over 2500 P.O.W.’s, nothing special or heroic about that. Then, when he was released, he dumped his handicapped wife (who waited for him) to marry his longtime girlfriend, who just happened to be heiress to a beer distributor fortune. Some hero.
SJP, the thing about what Gen. Clark said, none of it was spin, it’s all actual fact. I noticed while the bobble heads are wringing their hands about it on t.v.; not one of them have even attempted to dispute one word of what Clark says.
This is a great strategy for the Democrats and I hope they keep at it. By they time the campaign is over I’m hoping that McCain is covered in the same filth that they are throwing at Obama. If the Republicans can continue to question Obama’s patriotism and religious affiliations and so on then they deseve to have their candidate under the exact same scrutiny. Not going on the offensive is why John Kerry and Mike Dukakis lost as they did.
You’re right…Clark was truly in the “no-spin zone”! It is interesting that no one is disputing what Clark said. Interesting! Very interesting.
Please check out my latest post…much obliged!