Wesley Clark (R) with pal Michael Moore
"Where were you stationed, Mike?"
"Whadda'ya mean 'stationed', Wes"
(Michael Moore never served in the military, but he is a movie executive, sort of.)
I hate to take a shot at a retired general, but Wesley Clark's belittling of John McCain's military record this weekend in promoting the candidacy of Barack Obama is laughable. Appearing on CBS' "Face the Nation", Clark pointed out that McCain's experience as a Navy squadron commander did not give him the executive experience to qualify him to be president (saying that it was not a wartime squadron). He called McCain, "untested and untried". Clark also pointed out that getting in a plane and getting shot down did not qualify anyone to be president.
Compared to whom, Sir? If you are comparing yourself to McCain in terms of executive experience, then your argument might have credence since you were a commanding general leading troops in a war (as unseemly as it is for a general to belittle the military service of a lesser officer who survived the explosions on the USS Forestal and five years of captivity and torture in a North Vietnamese prison camp).
Yet, it is Barack Obama who Clark is representing. What executive (or military) experience does Obama have? Answer: None. How in the world can Clark try to make an argument that McCain lacks the executive experience necessary to be president-and pointing out his military record as proof-when Obama doesn't even have that much? Forget the fact that McCain has over 20 years more service as a senator than Obama. (Yes, I am aware of the argument that senators don't execute anything.)
Maybe Clark might want to draw a comparison between McCain and the general's old pal, Bill Clinton, a certified, bonafide draft dodger, something that Mr Clark chooses not to point out or talk about.
As I have pointed out before, as a Viet Nam-era veteran who was stationed in Germany, I am very careful about judging the military records of others. (I never joined those questioning John Kerry's service in Viet Nam, for instance.) I would not question General Clark's military service in any way because it certainly ranks way above mine. Yet, it must be pointed out that since retiring from the military, Clark has basically been little more than a political hack for the Democrats. He is promoting Obama's candidacy, which is his right. Probably, he has visions of being Obama's running mate and perhaps even being president someday. That is also his right. If you want to split hairs and agree that McCain's military service was not "executive" in nature, that may be true. However, Clark's remarks can only come across as being petty.
I think it would be fitting and proper for General Clark to come out with a "clarification" of his remarks, as they say in politics. Whatever anyone thinks of McCain or his candidacy, his military record deserves more than the dismissive remarks of Wesley Clark.
2 comments:
I have no qualms about questioning General Clarks miltary service; not one bit!
There is no question that there are members of the military that are not fit to serve even those who attain higher rank and make it through the twenty plus years to retirement.
Having donated twenty-one years of my life to the same branch as Clark, I was in position to witness the smart-ass lazy types who took advantage of the system for personal gain. Not ever staioned with Clark does not take away that umbrage...he fits the picture. Clark is 'book-smart' with no common sense. He obviously played the politics game to get where he's at. I could give you examples of officers that I knew personally that played the same game (I should not exclude enlisted men for I also knew some of them smart-ass lazy types).
I knew one Captain who's daddy paid for his professional degree that readilly admitted the service was a good place for him to get ahead because he was no good at his profession (the enlisted men did all his dirty work and the good work that made the Capt. look good). Suffice it to say, I followed this guy's career and sure enough he retired at full-bird colonel. There were many of these types including the two officers who wrote each other's meritorious service medal for making it to work in a snow storm. Hey, why not! The more decorations the more promotions. General Clark was all of this and more and I don't have to be his general's aide to say so!
Norm,
With your military service, you certainly have standing to say what you said. In my three years in the Army, I saw similar examples-at all levels.
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