Here's an example of a John McCain ad, where he's obviously not (not) running on his military record and experience as a POW as qualification for the presidency.
But it's off limits for Wes Clark or other Democrats to point out that McCain's Vietnam experience does not qualify him for the presidency. Sheesh.
The Columbia Journalism Review goes there, a bit, taking down the current press meme that Clark's statements regarding McCain's fitness for the presidency constitutes an attack on McCain's military service.
It’s crucially important that we have a political debate in this country that’s at least sophisticated enough to be able to handle the following rather basic idea: Arguing that a person’s record of military service is not a qualification for the presidency does not constitute “attacking” their military credentials; nor can it be described as invoking their military service against them, or as denying their record of war heroism.
That’s not a very high bar for sophistication. But right now it’s one the press isn’t capable of clearing.
And to top it all off, all of this goes on at the same time that Joe Lieberman's claims -- on the same show -- that the U.S. will get hit by a terrorist attack in the first year of an Obama administration go essentially unchallenged.
TPM has put together a video of the media nonsense:
Here's Wes Clark's statement:
Statement by General Wesley K. Clark (ret):
"There are many important issues in this Presidential election, clearly one of the most important issues is national security and keeping the American people safe. In my opinion, protecting the American people is the most important duty of our next President. I have made comments in the past about John McCain's service and I want to reiterate them in order be crystal clear. As I have said before I honor John McCain's service as a prisoner of war and a Vietnam Veteran. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. I would never dishonor the service of someone who chose to wear the uniform for our nation.
John McCain is running his campaign on his experience and how his experience would benefit him and our nation as President. That experience shows courage and commitment to our country - but it doesn't include executive experience wrestling with national policy or go-to-war decisions. And in this area his judgment has been flawed - he not only supported going into a war we didn't have to fight in Iraq, but has time and again undervalued other, non-military elements of national power that must be used effectively to protect America. But as an American and former military officer I will not back down if I believe someone doesn't have sound judgment when it comes to our nation's most critical issues.
And so we get to the real point of all of this: to discredit Wes Clark, one of most credible voices on national security and defense in the Democratic party. If the Republicans can bludgeon the press into making someone like General Clark irrelevant or a liability, they can make John McCain essentially unassailable.
Which is the point.
This is not a fair fight. And by "rejecting" Clark's comments, the Obama campaign has handed the right an unearned victory.
