More Wes Clark Foolishness
Posted by Chris Connolly on 06.30.2008
What a pinhead...
Wes Clark has a Facebook page. Why he has one, I have no idea. His "status" message right now says "Wes Clark knows that John McCain is largely untested and untried when it comes to national security matters."
Like I said before, it would be different if McCain was running against someone who had national security experience, like Colin Powell. But to continue to try and press this issue when your candidate has no foreign policy street cred is idiotic. It is especially dumb when you consider the success of the troop surge, which McCain was a forceful proponent of when the violence in Iraq first started to escalate several years ago.
I don't want to give them any advice, but his surrogates are going about this the wrong way. By continuing to bring up McCain's POW past, they are highlighting one of his major strengths: he's a dedicated public servant who sacrificed a lot for his country. The easiest way to make it a nonissue is to say "yeah, he sacrificed a lot for his country, and we respect his service" and not mention the issue again.
The really interesting thing to me is John Kerry's lack of sticking up for his "friend". In 2004, when the attacks over his war record started, John McCain was one of the first people to defend Kerry. Why has Kerry not done the same?
I think you're missing the point. Republicans are not that energized over McCain. One of the few things he has going for him is his status as a war hero. If you muddle that up, it doesn't directly help Obama, but it might lead to some people not showing up to vote for McCain, or volunteering for him, or whatever else. And say Obama can reduce McCain winning the national security issue from 60-40 to 53-47, that is huge, even if he still loses the issue. Weakening one of McCain's top advantages is never a bad thing, whether Obama is strong in that area or not. Karl Rove made an entire career out of taking his opponents strength and trying to turn it into a weakness.
Posted By: Guest#5140 (Guest) on June 30, 2008 at 06:44 PM
If you try and muddle up his war hero status, all you do is piss off center-right voters. Pissing them off makes them vote. Keeping them indifferent keeps them at home (see Dole, Bob). By playing up a hot button issue like this one, you reinforce the "Democrats hate the military" thing that has hampered them since the Vietnam War.
The bottom line is that national security is a losing issue for them, and has been since they spent their time smoking weed and spitting on returning soldiers in the 60s.
Posted By: Chris Connolly (Registered) on June 30, 2008 at 08:00 PM
First off, Clark nor Obama himself has tried to push Barack as having "foreign policy street cred". McCain is the one making that argument. Secondly, Clark was, as has been the case, ASKED, in some form or another, what he thought about McCain's heroic past deeds and the relevance of those deeds regarding his qualifications to be president. And the good General (whos own street cred on military affairs blow McCain's out of the water) gave his own honest opinion.
These kinds of comments are nothing compared to what John Kerry was put through after his great service, yet people are acting like this is some sort of swift boating.
No one is discounting or lessening McCain's sacrifice. But, as General Clark highlighted, it sais nothing of his ability to be president and it certainly has nothing to do with foreign policy credentials.
Posted By: TC (Guest) on June 30, 2008 at 08:42 PM
Yet Obama lacks any experience. Such a great argument from a complete idiot.
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on July 01, 2008 at 01:54 AM
I think the main point we are all missing here is the asinine comment from CON declaring that the troop surge is a sucess!!!!!!!!
You can tell this cretin is a true repukelican!!!
Give me a break!!!!!!!!!!!!! People like Chris CON are a waste of air I could be breathing!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted By: Connolly Sucks! (Guest) on July 01, 2008 at 10:40 AM
Even Obama has admitted that the troop surge worked. Troop deaths are down, sectarian violence is down, al Sadr's militia is in shambles and over half of the country's provinces have been handed over to the Iraqi Army. That equals success.
Posted By: Chris Connolly (Registered) on July 01, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Hear whats going on in Afghanistan? And the troop surge is working? What an indiot you must be.
The troop surge will never be working until none of our boys or innocent iraqi's are killed in this pointless war!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted By: Connolly Sucks (Guest) on July 02, 2008 at 12:31 PM
STAY CURRENT