Wesley Clark had the courage to put John McCain’s service in perspective, and for that he was crucified. The Republicans attacked him. The Democrats abandoned him. The media roasted him. However, what he said is...shhhhh- we need to whisper...true.
Yes, John McCain served his country. By all accounts, other than being a stereotypical self-absorbed asshole pilot, he served honorably. Yes, he was tragically shot down over Hanoi and was mistreated for years as a POW at the ‘Hanoi Hilton’. He deserves a measure of respect for that, but it DOES NOT QUALIFY HIM TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!
Hundred of thousands of men and women (myself included) have served our country honorably (if by honorably we mean ’spent 16 out of any given 24 hours drunk- yet managed to stay out of jail and not kill myself’). Thousands of men and women have been held as POW’s. Thousands more have sustained injuries or been permanently maimed defending our country. Is the claim of the McCain campaign that they are all now qualified to lead the country?
People like to elect war heroes. It has gone on around the world for centuries. However, our past military hero presidents- George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses Grant and Dwight Eisenhower- were all military COMMANDERS in conflicts that WE WON. McCain was a bit player in a conflict that WE LOST. Not only did we lose, but he didn’t participate in most of it. He was sitting in Hanoi. Granted- he was being tortured, so I suppose we could argue that he was doing more than most. My point is that he did not make decisions- good, bad, or indifferent- that impacted our success or affected the outcome at all.
Now, he is on the campaign trail reciting his POW / war hero story like a broken record. He claims that because he has served and was a POW / war hero- he knows how to fight and win a war (specifically the War on ‘Terruh’). We should trust him to lead us to victory because of his POW / war hero story. I have a hard time understanding how playing a bit part in a losing conflict where you spent more time in prison than in battle and that we ultimately lost provides one with the experience, skills, and knowledge to lead our troops to victory.
Q: How do you plan to improve the job market in the United States?
A: "I served my country honorably"
Q: What is your plan to fix our economy and make the dollar strong again?
A: "I was a POW in Vietnam"
Q: Can you explain your position on providing healthcare for all Americans?
A: "We already have universal health care. Anybody can go to an ER and they HAVE to treat.....oh wait- I mean ‘I was in the Navy’"
Q: How do you plan to fix our education system and ensure we have the knowledge to lead into the next generation?
A: "Have I mentioned I was a POW?"
Q: Well- you have all of that military experience and honorable service and such. What is your plan to fight the War on ‘Terruh’?
A: "I will continue to keep as many troops in Iraq as long as I can just like my friend George Bush even though the American people and the Iraqi government have expressed a desire for us to leave. I will do so even though there is no connection between our attackers and the previous Iraq government, and even though Iraq has nothing to do with the War on ‘Terruh’, stretching our troops to the breaking point while ignoring the countries where our attackers are probably actually hiding......Dammit! I mean ‘I was a POW....and also - isn’t my VP pick hot?’"
No disrespect to his service, or that of any other man or woman who has served in our military. I have the utmost respect for them. I was one. I just agree with Wesley Clark and don’t consider that to be a qualification for leading our country.