Pulling Rank
This weekend Wesley Clark caused a bit of an uproar when he questioned whether John McCain’s time spent as a prisoner of war really counted as foreign policy experience. McCain’s camp responded angrily. How dare Wesley Clark question the judgment of a war hero?
It’s true that John McCain was once subjected to unthinkable torture advanced interrogation techniques. However, since this is now the kind of thing that McCain approves of using on our “enemies”, I am far less inclined to be sympathetic towards him.
Also, on issues of defense, I am much more willing to listen to Wesley Clark, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander who spent 34 years in the Army, and has a fucking Masters in military science from the Command and General Staff College, over the words of a former Navy Captain who’s greatest military accomplishment appears to be a chronic inability to keep his plane in the air. (Before ever going to Vietnam McCain crashed his plane twice and once even collided with power lines.)
The point here is not to question John McCain’s military service. The point is that as an argument for his judgment and preparedness to lead our nation, his being a “war hero” is an unreliable, even misleading metric. John McCain may have served our nation to the best of his ability (and suffered horrific consequence as a result) but this should not give him carte blanche to spend four more years inflicting horrific wounds on the men, women and children suffering daily from George W. Bush’s failed foreign policy.
Update: McCain’s campaign is now playing defense and has set up a “McCain Truth Squad” to combat stories like, well… like this one I guess.
Late Update: That was fast… Like a fucking idiot, Obama has distanced himself from Clark, therby giving McCain yet another free pass. We’re still trying to win this thing, right?
“As he’s said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain’s service, and of course he rejects yesterday’s statement by General Clark,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton says in a statement.
Late Late Update: TPM points out that McCain’s point man on the “Clark Flap” is non-other than Swift Boat Veterans for Truth’s own Bud Day! Maybe Obama’s people should have taken a second to do some fucking research before throwing Clark under the bus?
Super late update that should seriously just be a new post or something: In a statement tonight Wesley Clark issued an apology. Just kidding.
“…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.”
Apology? Come on! This is Wesley Fucking Clark we are talking about! This guy wears a turtleneck under a blazer in the middle of the summer and he could STILL kick the crap out of your dad!
About The Author - Stirling McLaughlin is an Art Director, Designer and Illustrator in New York City. Stirling enjoys vegan baking, expensive sportswear and mustard and relish sandwiches. Stirling lives in Manhattan with his wife Dawn and daughter Nika. - Visit Stirling's site.
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ha ha “McCain Truth Squad.” “Those 12,000 people i napalmed were AL QUAEDA.