SubscribeWesley Clark: McCain Is Untested, Untried
From the CBS News program "Face The Nation":
SCHIEFFER: With us now from Little Rock, Arkansas, retired General Wesley Clark. He was for Hillary Clinton during the primaries. Once Hillary was out of it, he announced that he was supporting Barack Obama.
And let’s get right to it here, General. You heard what Senator Lieberman said. He said that Barack Obama [sic] is simply more ready to be president than Barack Obama.
General WESLEY CLARK (Retired; Obama Supporter): Well, I think–I think Joe has it exactly backwards here. I think being president is about having good judgment, it’s about the ability to communicate. As one of the great presidential historians, Richard Neustadt, said, `The greatest power of the presidency is the power to persuade.’ And what Barack Obama brings is incredible communication skills, proven judgment. You look at his meteoric rise in politics and you see a guy who deals with people well, who understands issues, who brings people together and who has good judgment in moving forward. And I think what we need to do, Bob, is we need to stop talking about the old politics of left and right and we need to pull together and move the country forward. And I think that’s what Barack Obama will do for America.
SCHIEFFER: Well, you went so far as to say that you thought John McCain was, quote, and these are your words, "untested and untried." And I must say, I had to read that twice, because you’re talking about somebody who was a prisoner of war, he was a squadron commander of the largest squadron in the Navy, he’s been on the Senate Armed Services Committee for lo these many years. How can you say that John McCain is untested and untried, General?
Gen. CLARK: Because in the matters of national security policy making, it’s a matter of understanding risk, it’s a matter of gauging your opponents and it’s a matter of being held accountable. John McCain’s never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the 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. That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded wasn’t a wartime squadron. He hasn’t been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn’t seen what it’s like when diplomats come in and say, `I don’t know whether we’re going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation? How do we handle it publicly?’
SCHIEFFER: Well…
Gen. CLARK: He hasn’t made those calls, Bob. So…
SCHIEFFER: Well, General, maybe–could I just interrupt you?
Gen. CLARK: Sure.
SCHIEFFER: I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean…
Gen. CLARK: Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president…
"Riding in a plane"?
Mind you, if anything like this had been said about a Democrat — and it were true, it would be denounced as "Swift boating."
But since it is a preposterous claim made by a borderline lunatic against a Republican, it is deemed to be a fair and indeed apt criticism by our one party media.
By the way, here is what Mr. Clark said about his idol John Kerry, back in July 20004 at the Democratic National Convention:
Gen. Wesley Clark Talks About John Kerry’s National Security Plan
July 29, 2004
… John Kerry has lived the values of service and sacrifice. In the Navy, as a prosecutor, as a Senator. He proved his physical courage under fire. He’s proved his moral courage, too. John Kerry fought a war and came home to fight for peace - his combination of physical courage and moral values is my definition of what we need in a commander in chief…
Testify!
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22 Responses to “Wesley Clark: McCain Is Untested, Untried”
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June 30th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
What is Clark’s agrument? The untested, untried McCain is a poorer choice than the nothing Obama? What positive contribution to anything or anyone has Obama ever made in his life?
June 30th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Weasely Cluck shouldn’t talk…seeing as how his misguided orders nearly got us into war with Russia in the 1990’s.
Ever notice how the generals with the worst military records, or the ones most despised by their services (Clark, McPeak) back Osama Obama? Maybe it’s a case of the scum being attracted to the scum…
June 30th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Don’t forget Weasely Clucks bombing of the Chinese Embassy during this engagement. ROFLMAO. Now THERE is a military commander who KNOWS what he is doing!
June 30th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Wesley Clark is a phony!! Before he was promised who knows what by the Dems, he was giving after-dinner speeches to Republicans at Lincoln Day dinners in Little Rock.
How ironic that he would discount “riding” in a “fighter plane” – it was a fighter bomber — when air power was the basis for his feeble military campaign in Bosnia, which according to the great Wesley Clark puts him a league with Grant, Patton and Eisenhower.
McCain may not have ordered the bombs dropped; he followed orders and dropped them. And, unlike the B-2 pilots that began and ended their Bosnia missions on US soil climbing to altitudes that made it nearly impossible to be shot down, McCain flew low so as to minimize civilian casualties, putting himself in harm’s way. Wesley Clark must know this, but he says these things to make political points with people too dense to figure this out.
He says that the administration didn’t use diplomacy in the region. How naive is this guy? Does he really believe that Iraq — a country that attacked four of its neighbors, supported terrorists, tried to assassinate a former US president and used chemical weapons against its own people and the Iranians — could be pacified by talking to the mullahs in Iran, the Taliban in Afghanistan, or the Ba’athist in Syria? Or does he think that the people listening to his BS really are that stupid?!
Wesley Clark is a pimp — he’ll hit right in with Huggy Bear’s crowd.
This ranks right up there with Kerry’s claim that if you don’t study hard, you’ll end up in Iraq.
June 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
‘Riding in a fighter plane.’ What a (expletive deleted) creep. Why don’t you go carpet bomb some more innocent civilians, Wes?
June 30th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Here is but one example of Mr. Obama’s amazingly Solomon-like judgment, from his campaign’s website:
It would be interesting to try to find an example of where the great man’s judgment has ever been proved right.
I can’t think of a single instance.
June 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Just to clarify, the A-4 Skyhawk wasn’t a fighter…it was an attack aircraft. Navy fighter pilots don’t like being compared to “attack pukes,” although the attack pilots faced many of the same risks that the fighter guys did.
(Air Force flyer who cringed at people assuming we ALL were “Tom Cruise wannabees”)
June 30th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
A blast from the past:
Michael Moore: “Clark Is The Butcher Of Kosovo” [But We Need Him To Butcher Bush]
http://www.freerepublic.com/fo.....4009/posts
June 30th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
‘Riding in a fighter plane.’ Kind of like McCain saying “Clark? Oh yeah, he was riding in a limo being a ‘general’.” Trouble is, the latter is correct. Skyhawk drives got down and dirty….and got hurt doing it. Clark is just low down and very dirty, period. See what happens when you sell your soul to the highest bidder?
June 30th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
I am far from being a fan of McCain, But I do respect his courage and conviction while he was a prisoner
of the Vietnamese.
Both of those traits are alien to men like Obama and Wesley Clark, Obama flip flops more than any candidate in memory, he is a jumpy little toad that changes direction every time he hears a mouse toot,
Hoping to be on both sides of every issue.
He has no track record other than being a weasel wringing its grubby little paws at the prospect of another easy meal, His record speaks for itself, and it isn’t saying much.
And along comes another attempt from the left to show us that they can find one person from the Military that supports Obama, Well whoopee, I can find several hundred driving to town that hates Obama like a plague.
Clark had the unmitigated gal to fawn over Kerry like a school girl, Kerry, the most despicable excuse for a man that ever walked, a man who’s bravest stunt was to run from the enemy to stab our service members in the back.
All three can now line up and…..
Wait Obama has to wash his mouth out when he is done kissing Bill’s.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Dez is got it RIGHT ALL the way!
I might add, Clark can’t pilot a plane. It takes brains!
Obama, like Kerry is no friend of the American people.
I hope GOD can protect America from the likes of Obama and his friends!
June 30th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Under the bus for you
June 30th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
The big question as always is howcan anyone on BO’s side question the experience of anyone running against him? Seriously, what the hell has that dim-witted, teleprompted idiot ever done? I’m still waiting………….
June 30th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Wesley Clark should be ignored. He was a pathetically poor general. He is an even worse politicain, willing to say anything.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:04 am
Wait a sec.. Wasn’t Gen. Wes Clark the guy that ignored “Posse Comitatus” at Waco to the Branch Davidians ultimate detriment?
July 1st, 2008 at 2:24 am
I personally hope that BHO rewards Clark with a promotion so he will shoot his mouth off even more.
With enough Clark-types on board the Obamabus, the McCain killing-me-softly campaign might just squeak out a win.
July 1st, 2008 at 4:10 am
A Marxist versus a Liberal, the United States can’t win! But at least we can try to take the Congress back, I’m afraid POTUS is lost! :-(
July 1st, 2008 at 6:32 am
Ex general Clark is the epitome of “useful idiot”.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:20 am
Anyone else check out Clark’s service record on Wikipedia? He saw action for all of 1 month before being shot 4 times and taken off the front. The rest of his military career was spent behind a desk or in front of a blackboard. Not to disparage any service personnel for their non-combat roles, but it takes a lot of cajones to chastise a 6 year POW, air wing commander and 20-something year member of the Senate Armed Services Committee as someone without any real military experience.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:31 am
Untested?: Who here among us can truthfully say that they would CHOOSE to stay in the Hanoi Hilton instead of taking the “get out of jail” card presented by the enemy….. I don’t have an answer, nor does anyone else…..This is the TRUE test of what kind of person you really are…..John McCain passed HIS test, a test that most of us hope and pray we never have to take……
Have we come to the point that we belittle a man who passed this ultimate test, but are hesitant to question another man because of his skin color? God help us…..
July 1st, 2008 at 9:26 am
Lipstick on a PIAPS !
well said…
Of course, McCain’s record on Kosovo was absolutely mindless, as he followed his attention getting formula, to wait until he thought the popular fashion became uncertain about the Kosovo Military Operation (about two to three weeks into the effort) to get in front of the camera to say ‘the USA could lose’ and declare his belief we need to deploy ground forces!
It was indeed ironic, as McCain said we SHOULDN’T use Ground Forces in the first Gulf War…
Go figure?
Anyway, this is a topic McCain wants front and center, as he has run on his past heroism as a POW Victim for his entire life - certainly with understandable and commendable reason.
There are so many avenues McCain - nicknamed McNasty - is weak, it is so laughable these Democrats would begin with Vietnam.
Both of these Liberal Senators have absolutely no CEO experience, McCain being a lifelong Washington Beltway player, and Obama a youthful Slick.
Both have never been tested in the role of the ultimate Leadership position as any Governor has experienced.
Both remain embarrassments for the job of POTUS.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
George W. Bush - DC Outsider
Bill Clinton - DC Outsider
Bush 41 - Congress Outsider for the most part
Reagan - DC Outsider
Carter - DC Outsider
Seems to me that we’ve tried the “outsider” thing quite a few times recently, and we haven’t been too happy with the results. Perhaps a “Washington Beltway Player” is exactly what we need.