Dear Dr. Democrat:
Is retired Gen. Wesley Clark going to go to hell for trashing John McCain’s military record on TV?
Martial Problems
Dear Martial:
This controversy is not about what Clark said. It’s really about polls showing Obama ahead of McCain by double digits. Those numbers put the McCain team on the offensive, seeking out an opening, any opening, that would enable them to change the subject from gas prices to security and McCain’s military creds.
What really happened was:
SCHIEFFER: Well, General… 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.
WESLEY CLARK: Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification for being president.
The fact is, only one U.S. president has been shot down in a plane during wartime — Poppy Bush. Since the other 42 weren’t shot down, being shot down is clearly not a requirement to be president.
Of course, facts don’t matter to Republicans. The McCain campaign responded to Clark’s statement with unbridled outrage: “Stop trashing McCain’s military record!”
Faced with this, Team Obama unfortunately did a full John Kerry: The senator “regrets” that Gen. Clark trashed McCain’s military record. Sen. Obama admires John McCain’s record, no — he worships McCain’s record. Senator Obama would never besmirch McCain’s patriotism.
Obama revealed a weak spot and the McCain team has been exploiting it ever since.
Monday night, in an interview with Keith Olbermann on “Countdown,” Sen. Jim Webb said something like, “John McCain is a friend of mine but I wish he’d dial back on the politicization of the military. Not everyone in the military agrees with his political views.”
The McCain team responded with more manufactured outrage, accusing Webb is participating in a concerted effort with the Obama campaign, Wes Clark and Keith Olbermann to trash Sen. McCain’s military record.
Last night, McCain demanded that Obama “cut loose” Wes Clark, even though McCain has not cut loose Charlie Black who recently said a 9/11 style attack on American soil would probably help McCain get elected. Plus, Clark is not officially tied to the Obama campaign. (However, he was spotted in D.C. going into a building a few minutes after Caroline Kennedy, who is vetting Obama’s vice presidential picks, went into the same building.)
Obama could have stopped this on Monday by pushing back. Instead, he laid down and let the GOP run over him.
The Obama campaign needs to change the subject in the media — today. Where is the war room? Where is the rapid response?
Obama made a misstep by disavowing Wes Clark’s simple statement of fact, and playing into McCain’s desperate attempt to keep his military record from scrutiny. In 2004, Kerry was “swift-boated” with a pack of lies. Look how easy it will be to “swift-boat” McCain with a pack of truths.
“McCain spent 5 years in Hanoi during the Viet Nam war. During this time, he made a communist propaganda film, admitting to “air piracy”, and admitted supplying the communist North Vietnamese with military information in exchange for better medical care. Who knows what other aid and comfort he gave to our enemies? What McCain did is by any definition - TREASON! Do you think that being a traitor to the United States qualifies him to be president?”
If they’re indignant because of what Wes Clark said, they’ll positively explode if a well-funded 527 pastes this all over the media.
if being a decorated war vetran qualifies one to be commander in chief, would that have made timothy mcveigh an unassailable presidential candidate ?