Clark Doesn't Back Off McCain Critique

Retired General Doesn't Apologize For Saying GOP Candidate's Service Does Not Qualify Him To Be President

(AP)  Retired Gen. Wesley Clark of Little Rock on Tuesday rejected suggestions that he apologize for saying John McCain's medal-winning military service did not qualify him for the White House.

Elaborating, Clark said a president must have judgment, not merely courage and character.

Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential hopeful, said Clark's comments had been inartful. But McCain's campaign judged them worse, and worked to stoke the controversy.

One ally of the Republican presidential contender accused Obama of "winking and nodding" when he should be condemning Clark and his comments. "This is now about Obama, not Wesley Clark," added Orson Swindle on a conference call with reporters organized by the Republican presidential candidate's campaign.

Swindle, a retired colonel and - like McCain - prisoner of war in Vietnam, added that Obama should tell his surrogates to "knock this crap off."

Clark set off the controversy on Sunday when he said McCain's wartime experience as a Navy pilot and his command of an air squadron in peacetime was did not provide him with experience needed to become president.

"I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president," he added at the time.

McCain frequently emphasizes his military service as he campaigns for the White House.

Obama, who did not serve in the military, frequently cites his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as evidence of the judgment needed in a commander in chief.

Despite criticism from Republicans, Clark declined to back down in a morning interview with ABC on Tuesday. "The experience that he had as a fighter pilot isn't the same as having been at the highest levels of the military and having to make ...life or death decisions about national, strategic issues," he said.

Asked whether he felt he owed McCain an apology, Clark responded, "I'm very sorry that this has distracted from the message of patriotism that Sen. Obama wants to put out."

Later, in a National Public Radio interview, Clark was asked about his statements in 2004 that Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, had "heard the thump of enemy mortars, He's seen the flash of tracers" and could lead in a time of war.

"I think that you can always cite a candidate's service in the armed forces as a testimony to his character and his courage. But I don't think early service justifies moving away from looking at a candidate's judgment," he replied.

McCain's campaign responded with its second conference call by surrogates on this subject in two days.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., rebutted Clark's claim by arguing that McCain's years as a prisoner of war and the mistreatment he endured made him uniquely qualified to lead the campaign in the Senate to ban the use of torture in the interrogation of detainees in the war on terror.

"Nobody could have taken the floor and spoken about detainee policy" the same way, Graham added.

Obama, campaigning in Ohio, said he did not believe Clark's intent was the same as critics who four years ago challenged John Kerry's account of his own wartime service in Vietnam. The so-called Swift Boat ads are is widely blamed by Democrats for playing a role in Kerry's defeat in the presidential race in 2004.

"I don't think that Gen. Clark had the same intent as the Swift Boat ads of four years ago. I reject that analogy," Obama said.

He said McCain "deserves the utmost honor and respect for his service to our country."

At the same time, he said his admonishment - in a Monday speech on patriotism - against devaluing McCain's military service had been in early drafts of his speech, and was not added at the last minute in response to what Clark had said.

"The question is why, given all the vast numbers of things that we've got to work on, that would be a top priority of mine," he said. "The fact that somebody on a cable show or on a news show, like Gen. Clark, said something that was inartful about John McCain, I don't think is what is keeping Ohioans up at night," he said.

On Monday, Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton said, "Sen. Obama honors and respects Sen. McCain's service, and of course he rejects yesterday's statement by Gen. Clark."

[jtyler271]

Anyone who survived being a POW deserves respect.

Posted by patriot12436 at 06:06 AM : Jul 03, 2008

Absolutely they deserve respect. But they don''t deserve to have the presidency handed to them.

[actornaught]

What did he say that was wrong or denigrated McCain''''s war service? What?
Posted by SgtRDS-E4 at 02:24 AM : Jul 03, 2008

There is nothing, it''s all yipping-points marching orders, based on hallucination.

With what happened to John, he deserves medical care and respect. At best, it proves he''s not a coward, nothing more.

Obama also proves he''s not a coward, running for president when Colin Powell was too scared. And he has a record of achievement that will only get better, whereas John is rapidly slideing downhill from what was once a fine career.

[actornaught]

Clark "graduated as valedictorian of West Point."

Where was John?

[actornaught]

...Don''''t recall clark being in combat anywhere.
Posted by patriot12436 at 06:06 AM : Jul 03, 2008

Only because you didn''t look. He took 4 rounds from an AK-47, and continued to lead the battle.

Try wikipedia...

[patriot12436]

lambor59
Sweeping leaves for 7 years at Hanoi Hilton ? Anyone who survived being a POW deserves respect. Don''t recall clark being in combat anywhere.

[patriot12436]

sgtrds
I am saying clark was a screw up himself so who is he to criticize anyone.

[lambor59]

Why apologize for Bush''s cronies whose experience is in sweeping leaves for 7 years at Hanoi Hilton?

[lambor59]

W.Clarke is the best US general with all the honor, McCain is as smart as Bush, that''s why he got shot down in VietNam with a sling shot...The Vietnamese had made a mistake by releasing this dumbo old thug.

[sgtrds-e4]

patriot12436

What did he say that was wrong or denigrated McCain''s war service? What?

[patriot12436]

Clark was fired for incompetence, now he is hoping for a diplomatic post. He has no credibility to talk about anyone. He didn''t defend himself against being fired. He knows he screwed up as was said.

[sgtrds-e4]

Wesley Clarke, a man with little integrity and no honor.

Posted by johnmcsame at 11:42 PM : Jul 02, 2008

Please point out to me and others what Wes Clark said that was wrong or the denigrated McCain''s military service. I can''t see what anyone is objecting to, so if you know. let us all know.

[cold777]

Wesley Clarke, a man with integrity and honor.

[johnmcsame]

Wesley Clarke, a man with little integrity and no honor.

[noprejudice]

it''s just too much!! fervan makes outlandish statements, and then this demwatcher has to intercede insults at every posting! if you are not interested in dialogue, pleeeez stop using this as your toxin outlet! find another way to release your anger folks! this should be a great forum for dialogue!

[johnmcsame]

Weasel Cluck is the running dog for the DEMS. He is unleashed whenever the DEMS need a military veteran to demean the military service of a Republican military veteran. Being seen as the running dog for the DEMS is not going to enhance his political career. You may have graduated top of your class but you certainly have little or no integrity.

[medmom04]

demwatcher:
jump on the bandwagon! i am very familiar with our constitution, and what it means. not an army. but thanks for your vomitous input.

[rowdywicca]

Clark needs to keep his mouth shut...his record for unethical orders got him FIRED from his NATO position...

Obama sent out the wrong hit man to diminish McCain''s record! Clark''s record isn''t so damned SHINEY itself!

[realpatriot1]

Conservatives can''t refute what Clark said because it was absolutely true and in no way demeaned McCain''s service. It merely pointed out that his service did not give him any special qualities for the job of President.

Because conservatives can''t refute the obvious truth they instead resort to demeaning Clark''s service thus demonstrating their own hypocracy and disrespect for the military.

It''s a real hoot to hear the same folks who spent all of 2004 trashing Kerry''s service get their panties in a bunch when others fail to blindly salute McCain''s crass use of his military service for political brownie points.

I respect McCain for his service but not for thinking that it affords him some special quality of judgement which his positions on Iraq, Afghanistan, & Pakastan tend to bely.

Others have gone further than Clark and have questioned McCain for his cooperation with the Viet Cong and for his bombing missions over Hanoi and that is dispicable but Clark''s comments were right on the money.

[sgtrds-e4]

In making up phony insults where there obviously were none and then acting so hurt by them, McCain is coming off more like a spoiled whiny little girl then a veteran. He reminds me of what any parent has gone through with kids in the backseat, where McCain is the one crying "Mommy! Daddy! He keeps touching me! Make him stop!" Whah Whah Whah. He''s becoming an embarrassment.

[cdfoxtrot]

DemWatcher, he wasn''t fired from his post as commander in Europe. His retirement occurred during President Clinton''s term, and he''d hardly have been Hillary''s supporter if he''d been forced out. He''s a brilliant man with an incredible resume.

As for his comments on McBush, his comments are spot on. Bombing the c r a p out of people from 35,000 feet doesn''t qualify someone to be president. And McBush clearly didn''t learn a thing from his time as a prisoner, given his support for torture and for breaking the international agreements that the US officially, but not in practice, supports.