I am in the service and spent a good deal of time running a rifle platoon in SW Baghdad, that doesn’t qualify me to defend the country. It takes experience that I don’t have, and I don’t believe that being in the military up to the General Officer level is an absolute must. Clark should apologize if he truly supports Obama. Obama must not seem like he is rejecting these statements with a wink and a nod. He needs to categorically refute them in order to not become stained by this.

I have been listening to family and friends and talk radio listeners hyperventilating over this for the past two days, when few of them came to the defense of Kerry, Cleland, crap even John Murtha….

I agree, it does Obama no good for this kind of thing to get trotted out, but my point is that this was a nothing comment that got blown up into a huge story by McCain supporters, not due to any real outrage, but simply as an attempt to bash Obama.

As compared to McCain’s 26 years of service, which included squadron command. And his 25 years on the Senate Armed Services Committee, his years as the Navy’s liaison to the Senate, and his lifetime in a family distinguished by generations of Naval command.

AS a designated mouthpiece, Clark is trying to draw attention away from Obama’s utter and complete lack of military and executive experience by running down McCain’s 26-year military record as somehow inconsequential.

It won’t work.

BTW – I supported Kerry and was outraged by the swift boat campaign. I am more amused by this kerfuffle.

Below is the entire relevant transcript:

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 the 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 that calls, Bob.

SCHIEFFER: Well, General, maybe — could I just interrupt you?

CLARK: Sure.

SCHIEFFER: I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences, either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean…

CLARK: Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.

————————————————————

He may be guilty of being a bi glib, but he did not smear a war veteran and POW, unlike the Swift Boaters, who each outright lied or contradicted earlier statements they had made about Kerry.

If you really want to be outraged by what Clark said (incidentally, Clark was wounded during battle in Vietnam as well and was awarded a silver star), I can accept your outrage, but only if you are equally outraged at the smears by the right against John Kerry and Max Cleland, which were far more repulsive.

Exactly. And one more. It seems to have had the effect of “giving permission” to Obmaa supporters in the blogosphere and msm to dis McCain’s service with the disingenuous fig leaf “I honor his service but…“ for cover. Said supporters then proceeding to make an argument that will never draw a single McCain supporter to Obama, but will drive some independent and moderate voters away (See Schmedlap above). So instead of this being a one day non-story that is soon forgotten, we’ll probably be seeing discussion of this as if it is a real issue for the rest of the campaign – kept alive by Obama supporters, to his detriment.

Also, strike Wes Clark from the potential VP list.

Obama can allow Clark’s comments to run unfettered in the media, and it may come back to bite him as it could rouse support for McCain, or encourage supporters of Obama to see him as under-handed by attacking someones military record, regardless of whether or not thats whats actually happening.

This is all about perceptions, and in this case the perception could be that Obama is using his surrogates to try and bloody McCain’s war-record. That has a couple negative ramifications from actually highlighting the fact that McCain actually has a war record and Obama doesn’t (which regardless of rationale has proved to be a biggie for US voters), to making people feel like Obama is just another cookie-cutter, do anything to win politician. Neither of which are good for him.

For what? For telling the American people, and apparently you, that it is time to wake up and recognize that electing the guy you want to have a beer with or was a war hero POW does not qualify one to be President. There are many in politics and in the military who would make better Presidents than John McCain, including Wes Clark I might add.

Wes Clark said nothing wrong. He never dishonored McCain. I am a Vietnam vet and retired military. I would know disparagement if I heard it. I have written many a comment to newspapers and to blogs taking issue with those who call McCain “cowardly” and “stupid” and other names. Quite often these are right wing writers. Today I read similar BS about Clark in the NRO.

I honor McCain’s service but I would not vote for him because his response to everything is the right wing militaristic response. Incidentally, Barry Goldwater did not think much of him as a politician either.

Please tell me what egregious statement Clark made that he needs to apologize for.