Wesley Clark Hits Out At McCain's Military Service

Today marked a new low for the Obama campaign..hitting Senator John McCain's military record.

This morning, on CBS' "Face the Nation" Retired General Wesley Clark, serving as a surrogate for the Obama campaign hit out at McCain's military record, and told host Bob Schieffer that Senator McCain doesn't have the executive leadership experience to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

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.

After saying, "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 added that these experiences in no way qualify McCain to be president in his view:

“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.”

Now, a real journalist might have countered with a follow up question to Clark about how Barack Hussein Obama's career as a 'community activist' plus one undistinguished term in the Illinois state senate and an equally undistinguished half term as a US senator qualify him to become president..but that's not the way CBS and Schieffer play the game, at least when there's a Democrat involved.

McCain to his credit has never tried to exploit his military service overtly - unlike say, John Kerry who's seeming mention of his Vietnam service every other sentence became a national joke. Instead, McCain has used it in a dignified manner as part of a long career of public service.

Speaking of which, back in 2004 when Wesley Clarke was running for president and the Democrats were desperate for a presidential candidate with at least some kind of national security cred, it seems to me that General Clark made quite a huge deal about his military service as a qualification for office. Now, I personally find it odd that General Clark of all people would be hitting out at John McCain, who with all his faults at least knows how to handle himself when confronted by evil.

Oh, the photo above? That's Wesley Clark clowning and exchanging hats with Bosnian war criminal Ratko Mlidic, back in the good old days before the Hero of Kossovo was relieved of his command. Some Clinton administration members were quoted as privately saying that the incident was "like cavorting with Hermann Göring".

Funny how stuff like that keeps coming to the surface for these people.

hat tip to In from the Cold