Thank you, Wesley Clark
For finally stating the obvious:
Retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, said Republican contender John McCain has oversold his military and national-security experience.
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“I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president,” Clark said.
The presumption that being shot down — which can only be considered a failure, even if one for which McCain is blameless — somehow qualifies McCain as a “war hero” and innately better suited to lead our nation in a time of conflict is one of the most baffling media conventions, along with the “Maverick” tag which McCain claimed before spending 8 years as Bush’s batman and rifle carrier for purposes of supporting each of his disastrous policy initiatives.
Sargent York was a “war hero” — he cleaned out a series of 32 machine guns nests pouring murderous fire on his fellow infantrymen, killing 28 enemy and capturing 132 others, almost singlehandedly. McCain was shot down while attempting to bomb a target.
But even Sargent York, while a truly heroic figure, was not any better suited to be President. And yet in terms of war accomplishments he is vastly more qualified than McCain, who claims that being shot down and confined to prisoner of war status somehow confers strategic judgment and wisdom, like manna.
This story may be apocryphal, but they say McCain’s captors offered him his release and he refused to leave his men behind.
Perhaps all officers made this same decision, I don’t know. But that seems like a pretty brave — call it “heroic” — thing to do.
Being a POW had to have been horrible and McCain survived it. I don’t think that it qualifies him to be president, but I believe that’s where the “hero” label comes from.
I’ve heard that the senior officer at the prison ordered any releases were to be refused unless given to the longest-held captive.
Being a POW had to have been horrible and McCain survived it. I don’t think that it qualifies him to be president, but I believe that’s where the “hero” label comes from.
I just think that’s bullshit. One might argue that we’ve lowered the bar on being a hero (from wiping out a battalion to being captured) except if John Kerry or some other Democrat with a similar war record (bottom of his class, shot down and captured, filmed with his captors) they wouldn’t be calling him a hero.
He served honorably, but there is nothing to distinguish his service record.
McCain was shot down over Hanoi in 1969 while bombing a civilian light bulb factory. In other words, he became a POW after committing a war crime.
Herr Deflator has transgressed. During any period of hostilities a target of opportunity may be inappropriate, but not a war crime. Should he have been given a ‘light bulb’ factory as a target he’s not the war criminal; the targeting authority would have been. Your prejudice is pushing your thinking, that means you’re making major mistakes.
McCain doesn’t belong in the WhiteHouse, Clark is correct. All the media needs to get a life and on McCain’s ass, and you need to stay quiet until you rid yourself of your prejudices.
[...] Fred Kaplan of Slate has delved into the comments of General Wesley Clark about the qualifications of John McCain to be president. (Alex discussed the issue here). [...]