Gen. Wesley Clark: McCain Is "Untested And Untried"

General Wesley Clark was on "Face The Nation" defending Barack Obama and assailing John McCain. Most of what he says about Obama is a pack of cliches that has no substance to it at all. The usual stuff about Obama being a uniter, being charismatic, being an agent of hope and change in the face of the politics of old. He says that the most powerful tool a president has is "the power of persuasion." The power of persuastion is certainly important, especially in persuading Congress and the American people to implement policy. It is important in foreign policy as well, most specifically when dealing with rational actors on the world stage that can be persuaded to do something that is in America's interest. But to think that the "power of persuasion" is going to be of any use at all when dealing with madmen like the Iranian Mullahs and Ahmadenijad is both naive and dangerous. He goes on to say explain why McCain is apparently "untested and untried" but just about everything he says about lack of real leadership or experience could much more easily be applied to Barack Obama. Bob Schieffer even calls him on it, and Clark's lame response is that Obama is running on judgement, charisma, and communication skills. Clark then says, "Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." If there is one thing that need not be done when it comes to John McCain, it is denigrate his service and sacrifice on behalf of this country in Vietnam. It certainly shows something about McCain's patriotism and character and is not something that should be minimized. The general then goes on to say that Bush has used "military force" as the solution to "all the nation's security problems." Has he used it in his six-party talks with North Korea? Has he used it yet against Iran? Has he used it against Syria? Has he used it against Hugo Chavez? Can anyone seriously say that Bush has relied ont the military to solve "all the nation's security problems" without seeming like a typical pundit rather than a respected general? Clark then shoots of the typical anti-administration talking points about Iraq. Unfortunately, General Clark has become a typical Democratic operative rather than an unbiased military expert. That is of course his right, but it is also my right to point out when what he says defies logic.

CNN reports that "McCain's campaign has been calling on Obama to condemn comments from retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who said this weekend that McCain's service in Vietnam did not necessarily mean that he was qualified to serve as commander-in-chief." I think that Obama, who gave a speech today about not questioning patriotism, should distance himeslf from his military advisor's comments that "riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down" is not "a qualification to be president." Though on the face of it, he is right that it is not a sole "qualification" for being president, it is an important part of McCain's personal history that reflects his character and love of country. It should not be belittled as part of the campaign.


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