Wesley Clark Is No Political Genius

Yesterday Wesley Clark appeared on Face the Nation to support Barack Obama for president. In the course of the interview, Clark made some baffling statements about John McCain in regards to his military service.



Here's the part of the transcript when Clark talks about McCain's military service.

SCHIEFFER: 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?

Ludicrous, simply ludicrous. McCain flew a fighter over Vietnam, was shot down, and suffered five years of torture as a POW in Hanoi. But, somehow he is untested and untried? So, if you're in the military but aren't a general you haven't been tested or tried? Did Clark think before he talked? It looks like he's grasping at straws to somehow make McCain's military experience look less appealing.

This shows a complete lack of political skill. McCain has loads of military experience, from his military service and as serving on the Senate Armed Forces Committee. First of all, trying to make McCain's military service look less important is simply nitpicking. To me, to attack McCain's military experience seems to be an utter waste of time for an Obama supporter. It makes the Obama campaign look desperate.

Secondly, if you go after McCain's military experience you inevitably bring up the obvious fact that Obama has absolutely no military experience. The Obama campaign is trying to steer the election away from issues of experience, for obvious reasons. If you bring up McCain's military experience in any way, you're not accomplishing that goal. If the Obama campaign thinks this is a strategic winner, they're not very intelligent. If they don't think this tactic is a good idea, they might want to ask Wesley Clark to open his mouth a lot less.

(Hat tip: Hot Air)