Who could blame him?
When we heard General Wesley Clark speak about Senator McCain last Sunday and since, I noticed something in his voice and it sounds a little like anger. Who could blame him?
He threw his Democratic hat into the ring during the presidential election in 2004. This retired four star general, who was the valedictorian of his class at West Point, a Rhodes Scholar and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, ran for president in the 2004 Democratic primary but for whatever reason his campaign did not take off.
Today General Clark is watching Senator McCain. McCain, who graduated near the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy, was a navy pilot who was shot down and captured by the enemy, is now the Republican nominee of his party for president of the United States.
We see the irony there and I’m guessing General Clark sees it too.
Maybe General Clark is feeling a little resentful. He had all the qualifications that many say they are looking for in a presidential nominee and yet he sees Republican, John McCain, reaching that political level with a by far lesser résumé. Who could blame him if there is anger in the General’s voice? I sure don’t.
He threw his Democratic hat into the ring during the presidential election in 2004. This retired four star general, who was the valedictorian of his class at West Point, a Rhodes Scholar and the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, ran for president in the 2004 Democratic primary but for whatever reason his campaign did not take off.
Today General Clark is watching Senator McCain. McCain, who graduated near the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy, was a navy pilot who was shot down and captured by the enemy, is now the Republican nominee of his party for president of the United States.
We see the irony there and I’m guessing General Clark sees it too.
Maybe General Clark is feeling a little resentful. He had all the qualifications that many say they are looking for in a presidential nominee and yet he sees Republican, John McCain, reaching that political level with a by far lesser résumé. Who could blame him if there is anger in the General’s voice? I sure don’t.
posted by pissed off patricia at 1:53 AM
24 Comments:
i am sure there is a little anger inside Gen Clark ----- for many reasons, including jealousy
then again i think there is anger inside all of us that a person with the caliber, demeanor and agenda of john mccain might get elected --
we all should be angry, afraid and saddened if a loser like mccain wins.
Yes - I think he must be ticked off at some level.
And yes - who can blame him?
Nothing in this election, on either side, has much to offer us.
That makes me angry and resentful!
McMediocrity for President! Yeah, I could get so fired up for that!
I don't think General Clark is so much jealous as disgusted that someone like McCain is using a somewhat lackluster military career to insinuate that he should be president just because he got shot down and captured. Secondly, his campaign insisting that that aspect of his past is somehow off limits for discussion is just galling to someone like General Clark especially in light of what was done to Kerry in 2004. The GOP had no problem dragging out every detail of John Kerry's service and proceeding to cover it with lies. What is good for the goose so to speak.
I think the general is completely right, and Obama lost a great opportunity to talk about the difference between himself and McLame.
We've reached a point where even mentioning someone's military service, before they get to the second syllable, is grounds for accusations of hating the military or questioning their patriotism. You know, if they're a Republican.
I really wonder what it would be like to live in a nation of adults and not 299,999,999 children.
What really gets me is that the criticism now seems to be focusing on his observation that getting shot down does not automatically qualify you to be President.
wtf is wrong with saying that? It's absolutely true. I guess the media & politicians haven't yet lost their paranoia about "fact-based reality".
from the blog
http://blog.pennlive.com/committeeofcorrespondence/2008/07/its_going_to_get_ugly.html#more
"If I need a guy on my side in a bad spot, give me John McCain. I despise boot lickers and Clark is that. He kissed up to Bill Clinton and then John Kerry. How does a wounded veteran of Viet Nam hang out with a wannabee like Kerry?"
Besides all that, it must be infuriating to have your own distinguished career maligned by people who support policies that anyone can plainly see aren't working.
I had my left index finger smashed by a hydraulic clamp on an industrial paper cutter when I was 21.
I'm left-handed, and have 20% use of my index finger as a result of the accident in 1982.
As such, I believe I am qualified to be the next president of the Printer's Union.
Please vote for me in October.
Thank you.
Yup. That would suck.
Luf, Us
McCain? Do we really want 4 more years of policies that have wrecked our economy and shamed our nation.
We don't need another dumb con-man to lead the nation further into the cesspool.
We already know military service doesn't qualify one to be president. Even heroic military service in which you win a purple heart or a bronze star doesn't mean you're qualified.
The last presidential election taught us that.
targa's not aiming high enough:
_I'm_ left handed, my hearing is, I think, beginning to fail and I've suffered a micro-break of my left leg. I even had to use a cane for a few weeks.
so, I am qualified to run for president of the US and, if you don't vote for me you're not a true patriot.
Clark spoke the truth and the media and the Republicans hated it.
McCain
McBush
McHoover.
pretty much the same.
I heard Clark getting raked over the coals in an interview on NPR.... cannot understand what all the big whoop is.
The thing that pisses me off the most is that Clark wasn't trying to slam McCain's service record, as much as McCain is hopping furiously around claiming that now. He was responding to Schieffer's question using Schieffer's own phrasing. If he's pissed off, it's probably because the media have so willfully distorted his words in the service of McCain fluffing.
fallenmonk is right on the money! what a stupid diversion - let's get back to the issues.
my god..... we've just had the village idiot in the post of American President for 7 years.... Clark's was a simple factual comment..... obviously Republicans believe the dumber and least qualified the better.....
village idiot...... ideological inbreeding
Yes, but the Repudlickums only know how to nominate idiots for the job. The dumber they are, the more likely they are to be elected.
Patricia,
I am going to go out on a limb here. While I firmly believe that the theatre of politics is beyond absurd, I believe in the reality of the unreality. Meaning, Wesley Clark, as a failed presidential hopeful candidate should know full well how the media will distort his words, as they did so often during his campaign for president. Therefore, I say, shame on him. He needs to know in this world of 24/7 political talking points, with basically two points of view, FOX and MSNBC, Wesley Clark should know full well the fire storm he was creating with his words, and the way his words could easily be twisted to discredit Obama's credentials.
While Clark may have reason to be miffed, he should also know how the political game works. It's not what you are, it's what you can make the voters THINK you are!
Our eventual nominees have came from the bottom of the barrel for some time now, and the current crop shows that to be true.
Nothing like a good sideshow to distract you from the fact that McFossil's unqualified to be president. Way to go, Corporate Media!
I like Wes Clark, and I agree with what he said. It was the truth; how many true things has McFossil said lately? (don't hold your breath)
i had an encounter with general clark at a fund raiser i played. i was going through the "shake and smile" line and he noticed the silver star ribbon lapel pin i wear. it went like this:
clark: where did you get that?
me: dong ap bai
clark: was it wooley there?
me: charles had teeth, sir.
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