Barack Obama Folds on General Clark
By Larry Johnson on June 30, 2008 at 10:08 PM in Current Affairs
We know this much about Barack–when the going gets tough he runs like Forrest Gump from the perceived trouble. The list of friends and supporters (not to mention policies) dumped by the Golden Child of Illinois is growing by the week. Wright, Pfleger, Meeks, Ayers, Grandma, FISA, NAFTA. . .ok, you get the drift. Now add to that list Wesley Clark.
I find this funny on so many levels. Let’s start with Wesley Clark pandering his ass off by trying to tout the “leadership” experience of Barack Obama by calling into question John McCain’s actual experience as a commander. Clark had this exchange on Sunday with CBS correspondent, Bob Schieffer:
The retired general Wesley Clark said McCain had not “held executive responsibility” and had not commanded troops in wartime.
McCain’s experience in Vietnam, where he was a prisoner of war for five years, has seemed at times almost to grant him invulnerability to criticism of his security background. But on Sunday he was assailed by a fellow military man, a highly decorated one who was once the NATO supreme commander.
McCain frequently points out that he led “the largest squadron in the U.S. Navy,” but Clark said on CBS television that that was not enough to support a claim to the presidency.
“He hasn’t been there and ordered the bombs to fall” as a wartime commander, the general said on CBS. Clark is mentioned as a possible Obama running mate, although he originally supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.
When the interviewer, Bob Schieffer, noted to Clark that McCain had been shot down over Hanoi, Clark replied, “I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.
Clark is right about one thing–McCain does not have much “command” experience.
In fact, I have several friends who are Vietnam era veterans who have made the same comment. They respect McCain’s courage while held prisoner and his refusal to accept favorable treatment from the North Vietnamese. But they share Clark’s view that getting shot out of the sky says nothing about one’s leadership abilities or qualities. It is simply bad, fucking luck.
The military guys who are combat vets have a pretty interesting sense of humor that does not always translate well to the civilian world. Clark’s remark probably strikes most civilians as thoughtless. (My boss at State Department, who retired from the Marine Corps after serving 30 years and commanding the 5th Marines, called the purple heart earned in Vietnam, “The NVA Sharpshooter’s Medal.” Since he spent two tours in Vietnam I think he is entitled to make jokes about whatever he wants.)
Here’s the other funny part from the Schieffer/Clark exchange–watching Clark, with a straight face, trying to burnish the leadership experience of Barack:
When Schieffer then asked what executive responsibility Obama had held - the Democrat’s résumé includes work as a community organizer in Chicago and eight years in the Illinois legislature - Clark said that Obama was running on the strength of his character and good judgment.
Judging from Barack’s behavior in the aftermath of Barack’s comments, Clark may be having second thoughts. The North Vietnamese tortured John McCain for years but he resisted until he was physically broken and scarred for life. What did it take to make Barack crack? Some pointed criticism from Republicans. Barack was not hung by his arms and beaten by bamboo. Nonetheless, in a quintessential display of cowardice as a leader, he sold out Wesley Clark. Note to Clark–nice try General, but it is time to realize that Barack does not stand and take the fire. He cuts and runs. He is a coward.
Barack could have said something clever (e.g., just because my opponent could not command a North Vietnamese missile not to shoot him down does not mean he is not qualified to be President) and noted that Clark, as a decorated veteran, is fully qualified to offer his opinions on these matters. Nope. That would have required courage. Instead, Barack joined Republicans criticizing Wes Clark. The Obama campaign issued the following statement:
As he’s said many times before, Senator Obama honors and respects Senator McCain’s service, and of course he rejects yesterday’s statement by General Clark,” said Obama campaign spokeman Bill Burton.
This is world class irony boys and girls. The General trying to make the case that the junior Senator from Illinois is more of a leader than the grumpy Naval aviator from Arizona gets sandbagged by the kid he is trying to convince America is ready to be Commander-in-Chief.
Here’s what a good friend of mine who is a an active duty officer sent me today. The picture and caption tell the story:
Barack had a chance to stand up to the Republicans today. Instead, he wimped out. And he wants to be President? Isn’t that special.
Run Bambi Run
Larry - good comparison.
Could you post the newest Just Say No Deal poster with the information on the July 4th pay the debt?
PUMA$ Who Donate Rock!
You know its true that McCain hasn’t command experience but he did take a boatload of classes on how to be a commander. That command knowledge and the understanding that quick decisions are how you live or die are courses given in military training.
Pilots are pilots because they can make quick decisions.
Obama makes quick decisions because that is how you maintain long term lies.
Character is what matters. McCain and Hillary have it, Obama is trying out different “characters”. So far, looks like somebody from the Sopranos.
Obama has become the Sybil of the Democratic Party.
Clark would never have said something so incendiary without permission from David Axelrove. In fact, these kinds of personal attacks are a staple of the Obama campaign. As Bill Clinton said of the candidate, “He gets other people to slime Hillary.” Now they’re doing it to John McCain. No difference. We should be attacking Obama for the backstabbing creep that he is. (For more reality check on him, please see the article I’ve posted by clicking on my screen name.)
John McCain was quickly promoted to Captain and commanded the largest fighter squadron in the Navy, crushing all predictions that he would never regain flight status to what were thought to have been debilitating injuries. Soon, he was sent to the Naval War College and subsequently as an attache in the US Senate. He flourished in the role, and realized that he could make an effective legislator. The Navy offered him an Admiral’s star on the next review, but rather than remain in the uniformed service, McCain chose instead to leave with intent of pursuing office. That’s not a “reward for surviving.” The US Navy does not hand out Admiral’s stars.
Schieffer should have asked Clark about his Vietnam experience, which wouldn’t have made a pimple on the ass of a 331 in Iraq BTW.
IMS his time in Vietnam was little more than a month.
He’s a fucking perfumed prince with bad judgement like McPeak. Thought McCaffrey is probably the worst of the lot in that department.
This clown was so bad in running the Serbian war, he almost started a war with Russia because the Russians had a cruiser in the Adriatic that was monitoring events. And what does our perfumed prince do? Ordered his subordinate to launch a airstrike against the cruiser and sink it.
Thankfully his British subordinate had more brains than to follow a order like this and instead kicked it upstairs to the Pentagon and Clinton who gave the order that its ok to disobey orders from Clark if they are strange. Like starting WWIII because it offended Dear General.
Later he was put in a position where his bad judgement and temper couldn’t get anyone killed.
Thats the real Clark and explains why he became a stooge for Obama and disgraced himself on national TV. The guy has all the sense of a shithouse rat on crack.
You know what — Clark was only in Viet Nam for a short time because he got four bullets in him, and still managed to command his troops to victory in that engagement.
Perfumed prince is not accurate either. Do some real research on the guy — those are some old character assassination talking points from his 2003 White House run — it is crap.
You have totally misstated actual events.
That “almost starting a war with Russia” b.s. was touted by none other than lefty loony Katrina Vanden Heuvel. Do your homework. This is not accurate. A British three star general had a hissy fit on an airfield, that was it. There was never any danger of any attack by the Russians.
Oh, well. If Clark was so great, he wouldn’t have got shot four times. (snark.)
Does anyone think there is something strange about every former Clinton supporter coming out for Obama makes some kind of faux pau that hurts him? This is just too much and I am not ready to write Gen. Clark off until I understand completely what the hell is going on. Even his own friends do it to him. Wright and Phleger are not stupid, are they? Yet both, with seeming disregard for his candidacy, said things he had to explain. Center For American Progress today had a speaker, made smilier statements about McCain at the same time Obama is making a speech about his patriotism and wearing a flag lapel pin Does anyone believe Hillary helped him unite the Party with her appearance? I understand there is pressure on
Bill Clinton to appear with him and why would
anyone in his campaign think that’s a good
idea? Clinton is without a doubt, the most
intelligent president maybe since Jefferson and
maybe the best communicator since William
Jennings Bryant. Then there’s Rendell with his HOUNDS. It’s just weird to me.
I think BO has A LOT of enemies and some of them look like his friends (e.g. Wright and Fr. Phlegm).
I think Father Phlegm is a garden-variety freak desparate for the limelight. However, Jeremiah Wright is MUCH more interesting. JW is a con-man and a VERY good one. He is BO’s father-figure and mentor. However, he didn’t mentor him in matters of faith (that’s just bulls#@t to both of them). He is the master con-man, BO was the apprentice who stabbed him in the back. BO’s ego is big (real big), so he now believes he’s smarter than Wright. I don’t think he is…we haven’t seen the last of Rev. Wright.
That is because Oblame-o gets someone else to do his dirty work for him.
Clark was just being a loyal Democrat and defending Obama. In fact, the campaign admitted they had discussed what he would say but then distanced themselves by saying they did not tell him to question McCain’s patriotism - which Clark definitely did not do. So reading between the lines, they told Clark what to say (where else do you think he got the dopey talking points he used to defend Obama?) and then when it became controversial they threw him under the bus with the rest of us.
James Carville was great defending Clark last night on CNN. He said Clark had said nothing wrong and that Obama should not have backed down. In fact he seemed really pissed which we all should be Clark deserves our loyalty.
No, Gen. Clark (USA ret) does NOT deserve my respect. I set higher standards, and for me, you EARN my respect. And quite frankly, Gen. Clark lost all my respect when he rolled over and became just another loser Democrat, supporting their selected candidate, loyal to the Party, but not our Country.
If anyone should understand Country first, it should be any person who has served our Country. A political party is just that…a party, with its own vested interests. This democratic party has decided, on its own, to go in a “new” direction (actually, they’ve been caving to the far lefties for years) and they wanted to rid themselves of all semblance of the “old” party, which was defined primarily for working people long ago.
Fine. That’s what they can do. And I, as a citizen, can tell them to go straight to hell, as well as all who support this absolutely dangerous nonsense.
I’m not gonna play patty cake with you pal.
Go fuck yourself…maybe twice would be good.
Clarke didn’t lose a man in your misnamed ‘Serbian war’.
And if after you’ve fucked yourself a few times
Shoot yourself four times.
Asshole.
Yeah, he ran the Kosovo War so bad that not a single allied force died in combat. Ignoramous.
Butcher Milosevic supporter.
You’re funny. I needed to laugh. How do you know all this. Are you a military person like myself?
I have written to Clark. I believe he should not embarrass us (the military family) by supporting a candidate who received money from Aiham Alsammarae, a man who openly calls for the insurgency against our troops in Iraq to continue.
Some candidate we have? And to think that this guy is running for president supported by generals? Phew. Where did we go wrong?
Schirete
Tony McPeak is not a surprise for supporting the corporate candidate. McPeak was the corporate general and is known for ruining the Air Force. And I know this because my husband served under him, and he (my husband) didn’t meet a wing commander during that time who thought McPeak was anything more than an idiot.
ROFLMAO.
Stupid is as stupid does.
My name is Barack Hussein Obama my friends call me Barack Hussein Obama.
Good to see Larry, that you are not playing the Islamaphobia card again. No one could ever suggest that you would do such a bigoted ignorant thing. Great non racist pic. Keep them up, they do your Democrat credentials real justice.
Run O’same run.
Thank you Larry.
I keep wondering what my father would say about BO if he were still alive. He fought in Guadalcanal and then spent several more years in the Pacific. A few years later he spent several years in Korea. He then tried to serve in VN, but was told that he was too old.
The guys like my dad were men of few words, but those words cut like a razor. I think he’d have less than a few for the poseur from Illinois.
Larry fantastic post!
Love it!
McCain was hawt when he was young.
Damn, I was thinking the same thing…I must be ovulating.
LOL
Obama is a Coward! look at his record. Need I say more?
He is the epitome of a POLITICAL COWARD…. PERIOD!
I am so disappointed in Wesley Clark. What a turncoat he is! He knows better, but you’re right, he’s pandering and playing “grasping for straws”. Does he want the VP job that bad? I’m embarrassed for him, but then, again, I’m embarrassed for the whole Democratic Party that I was once so proud of. I spit on the whole lousy bunch of them!
PUMA!
I didn’t actually see this panel, but someone over at another puma site posted earlier that the panel on the situation room seemed to think Wes was trying to make a gaffe intentionally to get thrown off the VP list. It is very hard to say no once you are asked, so Governors like Strickland and Rendell have been very adamant about finishing their terms, which everyone knows is their polite way of declining, and there is speculation that perhaps Clark, who would be available to take the VP spot, made an intentional gaffe to get thrown under the bus…
Not sure I buy it, he has been WAYYYY too enthusiastic in his support if it was out of force, but the theory is circulating…
I have been wondering if Rendell and Clark are really on board with the Obama Express.
Me too.
I have that feeling too. I think Wes Clark’s statements was just as calculated the statements Jeremiah Wright’s were on his FU tour.
So were Gov. Rendell’s when he told us that Obama’s 180 on FISA was because the good in the bill outweighs the bad. He meant it was kind of like the FL dems approving the bill moving the date of the primary forward because it contained a good that outweighs the bad (voter paper trails).
So Rendell tells us, we shouldn’t punish Obama at all for supporting the FISA bill which contains immunity for the telecoms and Nancy Pelosi.
This is what I was talking about up thread. Just too weird someone like Clark would make such a statement. And how about Rendell’s HOUND? How often do you think he will be asked to go on cable news again? It’s a joke.
Yeah but there’s no more room under that bus. I’ve read estimates that close to 50% of the US population or ~150 million are under it already.
Wes Clark is anything but a turncoat.
Thank you. . .
No, Clark is far more concerned about this country than you apparently are. If Obama is the nominee, which now seems likely, Clark is positioning himself to be involved in mending our broken military. That’s why he’s doing the hard job of taking McCain’s so-called military hero status to the cleaners.
Yep, that ’so-called’ 5-1/2 years in a POW camp really needs to be questioned. I mean exactly how badly was McCain tortured? And that limp….I mean really, its not like he was a community organizer or something.
Would you like to volunteer to reenact it?
You are one sick son of a bitch!
The above statement is called sarcasm, beebop.
Eh.
“WES CLARK: I MEANT WHAT I SAID”.
Spine.
That is not the Wesley Clark I knew.
“I can no more disown General Clark than I can my GI Joe collection…”
Obama was ridiculous today. Wes Clark was doing him a favor as one of the only dems who can call McCain out on this issue with any sort of credibility. And while I absolutely honor and respect John McCain’s military service, Wes Clark makes a good point - that alone does not qualify him to be President. It is one credential that should be considered, but it alone does not provide qualification. Seems obvious. The Obama campaign needs to neutralize the benefits McCain gets from military service and Clark was helping him do that.
But I think the reason the Obama campaign threw Wes under the buss (besides the fact that he is a coward) is that Clark’s statement opens up all kinds of questions. If getting shot down does not provide any qualification to be President, what does? Community organizing? I think not…the Obama campaign absolutely has to stay away from any discussion that questions whether McCain is qualified for the job, or else they will be challenged about Obama’s qualifications. MCCain has a lot of bad ideas, a lot of awful ideas, in fact, but I think we can all agree that he meets the basic threshold, not so much for his military experience, but also for his long record in the senate…but I don’t think you will see the Obama campaign attacking McCain’s qualifications from here on out, I even think they will stay away from his record (because they can’t draw attention to the fact that Obama has none) and focus only on current policy differences…
Sad situation, both candidates kind of suck…
Sad, but a good point.
Thanks Howard, thanks Donna for giving us someone that McSame can, and most probably will, beat.
Imagine that.
After all this nation has suffered from the ReichWing Donna and Howard found somebody who could lose!
Historians will marvel at it.
Kind of? LOL
Finally got around to listening to the Harriet Christian interview from Larry. Great to hear that.
It really helps to know there are people out there who feel as I do. You both deserve respect instead of the ridicule you get from the cowards who attack you anonymously with their petty jibs and jabs.
Thanks for all you do, all of you.
When I first heard about Clark’s comments, my first thought was he wanted out of the Obama campaign, and wants to screw with Obama. Clark is a smart man, too smart to make comments that he knew would evoke controversy. Especially when he ended with the party line “Obama was running on the strength of his character and good judgment”. Way to go Clark, you just made a case for McCain, and made Obama look like a fool, again.
Yes — he is a loyal Hillary supporter - I suspect this may be possible, too.
Not a mind reader though, so who knows.
I would laugh if no one wants to be Obama’s VP. People start making gaffe after gaffe just to not be around Obama anymore. I’m still convinced this is what Ed Rendell did. He doesn’t want Obama to bother him anymore.
Rendell has come out and said, on multiple occasions, that he is not a good “number 2,” citing his experience as DNC chair when he had to take orders from above. He says that he has been his own boss for 31 years, and do you really think he wants to take orders from the runt?
Agreed!
There is really something pathetic about military leaders and government officials being willing to endorse Barack Obama and then be willing to humiliate themselves just to get thrown off Obama’s campaign. Is Obama really that fearsome? Does Obama really already have such power even before he is nominated? If so, what will it be like if he is elected because even GWB did not have this kind of omnipotent power.
I’m sure that General Clark has faced far more dangerous enemies than Barack Obama so that leaves three options; one, he really believes Barack Obama’s lack of military experience is better for the country than McCain’s actual military experience or, two, he’s counting Obama’s association with Cousin Odinga as “military experience” or three, Obama’s ties to Chicago’s…political underworld makes him a dangerous fellow to be against. Any one of these reasons evoke the specter of the Bush years where intimidation and fear ruled our lives.
Ironic that this July 4 we are facing the same sort of decision as they did in 1776; we’re in a fight to take back our Constitutional government that they fought to create. Which one are you? Rebel or Tory?
BOINGO! Now Clark no longer has to stump for that coke addict Obama! He’s been officially excused!
Amen! And look at what Gen. Clark said:
He is stating fact. That’s what BO is running on. He didn’t say BO has better character or good judgment.
Gen. Clark chooses his words very carefully.
A lot can be gleaned from what Wes did not say.
I’m a long time fan/supporter of Wes Clark. He speaks truth to power.
Yup, Clark has always gotten my ovaries all aquiver…damn, now I know I’m ovulating…where’s my husband? Hoooooneeeeeeeey?
ROFL
I think he just made a stupid comment. It waa either him or Jim Webb. Clark wants the Presidency. I think he was trying to accommodate the Obama camp.
Nope. You don’t know him. He is willing to be Hillary’s VP. How many men would play second fiddle to a woman. Only really strong men.
When Schieffer then asked what executive responsibility Obama had held - the Democrat’s résumé includes work as a community organizer in Chicago and eight years in the Illinois legislature - Clark said that Obama was running on the strength of his character and good judgment.
Yet another Obama supporter stumped by a reporters question. I laughed out loud when The Speaker of House, of all people, could not answer Greta’s question about what has Obama ever done to back up his change speeches. He’s fresh, she said.
This beyond ridiculous.
I hope someone pulls them all together in a video.
Obama has neither character nor good judgment. Everybody here (except for the trolls) has known this for a long time.
Sure got that right.
That would be a great video.
Please, someone! That would be rich.
FRESH? Oh Great…THE FRESH PRINCE OF HYDE PARK.
Yep…please someone make that video. And use the old Kool and the Gang song “She’s Fresh” as background!!
Off topic — is anyone else getting sick and tired of BO pontificating and lecturing us? I almost barfed when I saw the CNN headline about him making a “major speech on patriotism.” Oh for heaven’s sake! How full of himself must he be???
That picture is apparently being e-mailed like mad around the Army, from my military friend. He’s very thoughtful, and said it made a real point with him.
This is the guy who almost started World War III in Cosovo. Thank God a British officer refused his order to attack the Russians. Clark was fired for this.
Top of the class at the Point? Pretty meaningless after that episode.
You like to say this a lot Cofer. You don’t have your facts straight.
Where have you seen me say this before? And what are the FACTS?
that’s Kosovo, unless of course you are ethnic Albanian, in which case it is Kosova.
The British were in command at the airport when that incident occurred. I wasn’t on the spot but my impression was that by the time knowledge of the situation reached Clark’s ear, he was one of the cooler heads that ultimately prevailed.
wrong, he was the hothead
The C/K argument is moot and actually rather silly. It exposes myopia and cultural chauvinism. Slavic/eastern languages don’t have multiple letters for the K sound. Just one. Some of those countries also use a cyrillic alphabet so you’re really out on a limb. And I can hear wood “kreaking”.
This line of BS has been totally debunked and refuted. The BBC did a documentary on this event, interviewed all the players, and you sir are living in an alternate universe.
Clark was a great general and the non-Serbian people of the Balkans love the man for ending so much death and murder. Clark is a hero.
BO can never hold a candle to the gravitas and wisdom of the General.
Bravo, Newport!
Um, that should be a K, there cofer. And please don’t slam Clark, my husband served under him, he’s a good man, even though he tried to buck up the spawn, Obama. Like I said, Clark got himseldf excused from further stumping for Barky.
You might think that he was pandering for VP, and that is a definite possibility, but somehow I think Clark is not quite that tone deaf. He has been a Hillary backer, and this strikes me as a way to land a punch for Hill in a devious way.
In your culture and your language and your alphabet, yes. It’s a convention. For someone with more linguistic cred it’s expected they confuse the use of C/K in American English. It’s really not a biggie, OK?
Wrong. Read his book, Waging Modern War.
There’s a whole chapter regarding the (non)incident at Kristina Airport.
Is this old canard still being passed around? For god’s sake, get up to date. The WW III story about Clark has been debunked a hundred ways to Sunday.
Wesley Clark has just had his Al Haig moment. When O’boy loses in Nov, the pundits will point to this moment as a big turning point.
Laughable!
What about Wright, Ayers, Meeks, Auchi, Rezko, NAFTA, FISA, campaign finance, gun control? ‘
Oh no, blame it on a highly decorated 4star General, AND OF COURSE the Clintons. It’s always THEIR fault. Putz.
I agree. Trying to say Clarke was trying in his way to be loyal and sabotage Obama is laughable in this case. This was a political gaffe.
No, Clark was asked to Stump for Barky, how would you have acted if you wanted to be Hillary’s VP in 2012? Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
What about Rendell, Hope? He couldn’t have looked more absurd with his Hounds. What about Wright and Pleger(sp) his very own friends of twenty years? Strickland said not no how, not no way. Couldn’t there be some subtle sabotage here?
LMAO
The Vets for Freedom posted an open letter to Wesley Clark that highlghted McCain’s command experience after returning from imprisonment Vietnam
http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/documents/GeneralClark.pdf
I hope they can take out full page ads in every newspaper for that. I will be the first in line if they need a donation.