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Clark Praised McCain's Service, While Saying it Wasn't a "Qualification to be President"
Many in the media have cropped Clark's June 29 Face the Nation interview to the short soundbite: "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president."
Those cropping the interview make two serious errors. First, they ignore that Clark was repeating Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer's words in response to Schieffer's statement that, unlike McCain, Obama has not "ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down."
Second, they ignore that shortly before that part of Clark's exchange with Schieffer, Clark praised McCain's service:
"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." Clark continued: "But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in Air -- in the Navy that he commanded, it 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?' He hasn't made those calls, Bob."
Watch it:
What never gets reported is bottom of his class McCain crashed 4 other military aircraft before being shot down in Vietnam.
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"But he hasn't held executive responsibility" while in the Service. That's what Clark said, and yet admits that McCain did command a squardron, but somehow, because that command was not during wartime, it doesn't count??? What kind of logic is that?
It's all just a typical smear campaign. Both sides will do it - use others to make dumb and/or inflamatory and/or false remarks/claims - and then the candidate can take the 'high ground' and condemn the statements.
Call it what it was - some dumb remarks by Clark. The praise he offered was lame: "I honor his service as a prisoner of war." Not I honor his service as a pilot - or his commitment, or anything else? Just his prisoner of war service? It's belittling. "He's been a voice on the Senate Armed Serices Committee..." Wow, more high praise.
Thanks for posting the quote - it does go to hammer home Clark's dismisal of McCain's service.
General Wes Clark: "I'm Not Backing Away From Anything I Said"
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Petition: Thank General Clark for His Straight Talk, Tell Him To Not Back Down
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I would be interested in your excuses for the other four military aircraft lowest 5% in his class at Annapolis, McCain crashed.
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