Wes Clark Walks Into McCain’s Giant Wood Chipper

[babylonsister]

http://firedoglake.com/2008/06/30/wes-clarke-walks-into-mccains-giant-wood-chipper/

Wes Clark Walks Into McCain’s Giant Wood Chipper
By: Jane Hamsher Monday June 30, 2008 12:06 pm



I understand what Wes Clark was trying to say about John McCain when he said that getting shot out of a plane doesn't qualify as foreign policy experience. I can also understand that every strategist on the Obama campaign must've had apoplexy when they heard the comment. It's exactly what the McCain campaign has been waiting for -- the chance to turn McCain into Petraeus. Small wonder McCain won't accept Obama's denunciation. The whole "Betrayus" episode provides the perfect blueprint for how to turn the press corps into a bunch of pearl-clutching, histrionic nitwits.

I've seen the polling reports -- McCain's Viet Nam experience is like a nuclear warhead, it obliterates everything it touches. Want to talk about the economy? Healthcare? Oil prices? McCain's history as a POW trumps it all. Waldman and Brock talk about it in their book as one of the pillars of the McCain legend. And despite the Fox News contention that "McCain never mentions it" (15 times in one day), McCain does talk about it. All the time. It's all he's got.

I'm sorry Obama accepted the right wing frame that Clark was questioning McCain's patriotism -- he clearly wasn't. The ensuing collective hissy fit on the part of a media (and a nation) held hostage by the War On Terra is both atavistic and exhausting. I understand why team Obama felt that they had to take such nuclear fissile material off the table as quickly as possible, but I'm glad Clark said it. I hope it can help us get to a place where we can recognize that there are many different ways to demonstrate one's patriotism -- say, by being a community organizer for a public housing project -- and that trying to quantify one as inherently better than another is both myopic and unnecessary.

The whole experience, however, does demonstrate that the Republican attack machine is so self-sufficient and freestanding that it doesn't need big GOP money to survive any more. Having claimed a compliant media largely for themselves, they can just put the pig on auto-pilot and go suck Mai Thai's by the pool.

[Coexist]

1. wow.

[woolldog]

2. I thnk Obama comes out looking like a weenie on this.

And the Scarlett Johansson thing as well.

[babylonsister]

4. Scarlett Johansson? Don't you think it was wise of him to nip that

in the bud before rumors started flying, as they would? I do.

As for Gen. Clark, I'm with FDL on this; I'm glad he said what he did and am sorry the Obama camp couldn't find some nuanced way to agree, too. If McSame wins on his VN experience, we're all screwed.

[woolldog]

8. Clark was absolutely right in what he said.

It's a no brainer and he was saying what needs to be said. I'm tired of this "we honor Mccain's service" BS.

Do you think this hurts Clark's VP chances? He's the best choice, imo.

(as for Scarjo, yeah I see your point, but he came off looking defensive. And it ended up making her look bad, which I thought was unchivalrous.)

[babylonsister]

10. I don't know if Gen. Clark was even being considered for VP,

so don't know if he hurt his chances. For all we know, he had tacit approval from the Obama camp to say what he said. I just don't know.

[ihavenobias]

11. Amen, K & R

[THX1138]

3. Amen

Especially the last paragraph. Ain't that the truth

[tishaLA]

5. Correct. We are accepting the RW frame too easily recently

--it's as if the Obama campaign is on autopilot right now because it lacks the creativity it demonstrated throughout much of the primary season, with its uncanny ability to frame the discussion in ways favorable to Sen Obama's message--and the republicon attack machine has been in overdrive, precisely because the Obama campaign has not been communicating effectively.

[napi21]

6. I'm not so sure this isn't going to backfire on the Pubs!

There are a lot of voters out here who have already thought that, and even more who will now question exactly what part of being a pilot and being held captive and tortured DOES qualify a person to be the leader of the Free World! My BIL was a Marine pilot and actually held several management/leadership positions in the Marine Corps during his 23 years of service, but he'd be the first to tell you he wouldn't make a great President! He's a hot head, way too demanding to be able to work with congress and the job just isn't worth the aggrivation! I have to believe there are a lot of other retired military officers who also agree with Wes!

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. Contessa Brewer deserves praise

I know she's said some goofy things in the past. But this morning, after three successive shows stated flat out that Clark had "distored", "attacked", and "parsed" McCain's war record, it finally came to Contessa Brewer to tell it like it is. Clark did nothing more than state McCain's war record a given. But also question whether that given itself qualifies him to be President over Obama. She's the only one I've heard so far today tell the truth after the wild editorializing that the Andrea Mitchells and Monica Novatnys have brayed all morning.

[high density]

9. Clark knew exactly what he was getting into

And I am surprised it took so long for the MSM to pick up his comments. He has been saying the same thing for a couple of weeks now.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

12. Clark treats the American public like adults

not the way the media treats them like children, getting their blood up as though they were watching the WWE. He makes no nonsense logical statements and the media does nothing but distort and try to find controversy. Somehow, when the media replays Clark's comments, they conveniently leave this out about McCain:

"...I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. ..."

[barack the house]

13. You summed that up pretty well. We SHALL overcome though it will take DVDs to debunk his myth.

[uponit7771]

14. Unnn, this looks like the Obama campaign using the MsM for free message output to me, Clark KNEW....

...what he was saying and knew what the reaction would be from the MsM who sucks at the McSame teat

[polichick]

15. It's ironic that "Obama accepted the right wing frame that...

..."Clark was questioning McCain's patriotism" in a speech that was supposed to tackle misconceptions about patriotism.

I hope he's going to have a little time off soon ~ maybe to celebrate the 4th.