I respect Wesley Clark’s service to our country. Seriously injured in Vietnam, he recovered and has spent his career in the military. Respecting Clark the man however is quite another matter. I can respect him no more. His most recent act of utter arrogance was made on national television on Sunday. Given an opportunity to walk his comments back, he further enforced them, leaving no doubt they were not an error or poor choice of words. It was a personal attack and one that was groundless – and which backfired on him.
You may recall that General Clark (ret.) made an aborted run for the Democratic nomination in 2004. His ballyhooed campaign lasted about 10 seconds – vanishing with barely a whisper. Since then General Clark has been a perennial gadfly on every cable channel, news show, and open podium that will have him. Wind him up and he will distort the intentions of the administration and contort the facts on the ground to suit the requirements of his Democratic masters.
His 15 minutes of fame long expired, Clark continues to speak of things as if anyone really cared what he thinks. Senator Obama, in an effort to beef up his military cred, hired Clark as a hack to promote the Senator as a savvy and wizen leader on military issues, in spite of never having worn a uniform. Even in this role Clark bungled the assignment and felt the need to exceed his commission.
On Sunday, in front of the entire world, he proclaimed that Senator John McCain, a man that served his country honorably, spent years in a Vietnam prison camp, and then devoted his life to national service, did not possess qualified military credentials. For those unaware of McCain’s background, he was offered early release from the Hanoi Hilton (as it was called), which he refused unless his fellow prisoners were also freed. In poor health and badly injured he went on to endure years of sadistic torture that have left his body damaged, but his character intact.
Admiral McCain? Almost. Many people do not know that John McCain, who had committed his life to military service, was about to accept a promotion to one star Admiral (Naval equiv of General). He turned down the commission to run for public office. He was successful in that pursuit and has served his nation and state for over 20 additional years.
Clark’s comments, which were immediately disavowed by the always-nimble Obama Spin Machine, are beneath contempt. They were not an accident. They were not a slip of the tongue. They were a calculated attempt to besmirch McCain and nullify his credentials in this particular domain.
From today forward Clark is a non-entity for me. He’s cashed in his credibility and dignity for cheap shots and quick headlines. The fact that it backfired goes to the ineptitude of the effort but does not remove the dark underlying intent.
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We are witnessing yet another transformation of Barak Obama. From darling of the left to champion of middle America. Changing his positions, tweaking views and morphing his rhetoric to fit his needs is something at which he excels. He is certainly not the first politician to pander – in fact we’ve come to almost expect it during election season. The difference with Obama is that he so darn good at it.