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By now you've no doubt heard about Gen. Wesley Clark's comment about McCain in the news recently. I hadn't seen the actual video of his comment until this morning. After seeing it, I think the media is doing quite a hatchet job on him and to Obama by extension. Link to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRwsk56lN44

Tim

DAR
Too painful. Only made it half way through. It's like the country becomes a kindergarten class during this silly season.

As mediamatters.com keeps repeating, the mainstream media is falsely reporting that Clark attacked McCain's military service--even though he didn't do any such thing.

NOR did Clark attack McCain's patriotism, so Obama should not have distanced himself from Clark by stating that he would not attack anyone's patriotism. That implies that Clark had done so.

I agree Doug...the problem is just that everyone THINKS Clark has attacked McCains patriotism, so it doesnt actually MATTER what Clark says...perception is reality.

DOUG
And McCain wants to make the most of this misperception. He is calling on Obama to not only denounce Clark but to cut him off entirely. It's not clear what that means since Clark does not work for Obama.

and besides all that, what Clark said was a true observation, in my opinion.

The media grabbed that and ran with it.

I actually agree with Clark. Being a POW does not make you more qualified to be president. Thats all Clark was trying to say.

Also, why is criticism so often seen as an attack? This is a source of endless aggrevation to me. Especially, when I criticize religion, someone will ask, "Why are you attacking my beliefs?" Asking why someone believes something is not the same as bashing that someone's head with a ball bat. Criticism does not equal attack.

Betsy wrote:and besides all that, what Clark said was a true observation, in my opinion.

DAR
As one person put it:

"I believe Wes Clark was simply pointing out that saying McCain's service qualifies him to be
Commander in Chief is like saying being locked in a trunk qualifies you to drive in NASCAR."

Those who, during this silly season, even for a moment, blurt out something true, must be punished. It happens to the best of them. Just notice how often, when the media gets all in a tizzy over some comment, it is because someone said something that is perhaps in poor taste or poorly worded but nonetheless, uncomfortably TRUE.

It happens all the time.

Like the Obama comment about people clinging to their guns. Etc. We could devote a thread to it.

D.

Clark was right, of course. The media was just making sure Obama doesn't choose Clark for veep. Obama-Clark would be impossible to beat, since Clark's CinC cred is hands down better than McCain's - or just about anybody else in the running.

Somehow amongst this media scream I smell a Rove Rat pushing buttons and releasing/managing the news.

Anyone catch FIXED News take or over-reporting the issue? I didn't.

Clark is not the best speaker in the house. He should have learned that snippets play better than all the kindly and honorable things he mentioned about McBush just before his "qualificaton" remark.

But this is the way Rove plays the game. Discredit someone who him self was a wounded veteran.

Bob Schaffer was doing the interview and became indignant when Clark made the comment.

Of course it makes sense that being shot down and taken prisoner is no qualification to be president. Hundreds if not thousands of pilots have been shot down and taken prisoner. Most did not divorce their wife, marry a super rich woman and run for president.