Let's be clear: Wesley Clark, GENERAL Wesley Clark, neither said nor did anything to demean John McCain's service to this country.
Here's the full quote from Gen. Clark from yesterday's Face the Nation that has stirred up all this controversy:
"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....
...I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president."
What is so damn wrong about what Gen. Clark said? He spoke the truth. He did say, after all, that he honors McCain's service and that McCain was a hero to him. But being in the military does not necessarily prepare you for being President. And although it makes for a sympathetic story, being shot down and held as a POW is not a qualification for being President.
And for Gen. Clark to be attacked by John McCain for being somehow disrespectful to the military is absurd. McCain should apologize. The media should apologize for making this a lead story today. And Barack Obama also owes Gen. Clark an apology for coming out against them today. Why isn't anyone standing up and saying that Gen. Clark has said nothing wrong? But once again, the media and our Democratic nominee is falling into the trap of appeasing the Republicans. John McCain says Obama needs to go to Iraq. What does Obama do? Schedule a trip to several countries around the world, with the anticipation of an unscheduled visit to Iraq. McCain says that Gen. Clark was disrespectful to the military. Obama comes out, agrees, and condemns Gen. Clark. And all the while, the media plays along.
I'm sick and tired of the reputation of great men and women being destroyed by the Republicans, the media, and the lack of backbone by some members of the Democratic party. It happened to Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Bob Kerrey, and now Gen. Wesley Clark. Enough is enough.
1 comment :
This was bound to happen. The news media who promoted Obama over Clinton in the Primaries will now turn on him or any one else who supports Obama no matter what they say. And of course they will give McCain and the Republican party as much time as they want to reply and not only blow everything out of propotion but lie about the statements made. President Truman said it best over 50 years ago when he said the Republicans were a bunch of Damm Liers. And 50 years later he is still right. Some of America's best and finest Presidents did not have military experience, The American people need to remind themselves of that every time the news media and Republicans open their mouth.
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