This lends credence to my belief that in the long run, the comments made by Gen Clark over the weekend - and by that I mean the actual comments, not the nonsense and spin that has been reported over the past few days - are going to be a huge plus for the Obama campaign.
McCain bristled at the comments on "Face the Nation" last weekend by an Obama supporter, retired general Wesley Clark, who belittled the relevance of McCain's wartime experience as a qualification for the Presidency.
"I think it's up to Sen. Obama now not only to repudiate him but to cut him loose," McCain said.McCain became visibly angry when I asked him to explain how his Vietnam experience prepared him for the Presidency.
"Please," he said, recoiling back in his seat in distaste at the very question.
McCain allies Sen. Lindsey Graham stepped in to rescue him. Graham expressed admiration for McCain's stance on the treatment of detainees in US custody.
"That to me is a classic example of how his military experience helped him shape public policy in a way no other senator could have done,'' Graham said.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, also traveling on the trip, expressed admiration for McCain's wartime service as well.
This isn't about "admiration" for his wartime service, but about how and why he thinks that experience helped prepare him to become president. After all, millions of Americans have served in the military during a time of war since the 1960s. Surely all of them aren't equally qualified to serve as president by virtue of that service, are they? So there must be something about his service that has specifically prepared him that is unique.
As for Sen. Graham's rescue attempt. Once upon a time not that long ago, it would have been unremarkable for a Senator to oppose torture. McCain's "bold" stand only appeared bold because so many of his colleagues, including nearly every member of the GOP caucus, are moral cowards who traded away our nation's long, proud heritage of opposing torture for momentary political gain. Until the Bush administration and its enablers came along, McCain's stance was entirely unremarkable precisely because it was nearly universal. So no, I'm sorry, but he gets no special credit for holding fast to his values while everyone around him lost theirs. That's what you are supposed to do in those sorts of circumstances, isn't it?
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