Much as Karl Rove is desperate to spin Wes Clark's honest assessment into campaign fodder for the hapless Republican candidate John McCain. Much as the traditional media has taken the bait like Pavlovian lap dogs, there are wiser heads, including Paul Krugman of the New York Times and Marc S Ellenbogen, UPI International who are standing up to state flatly that Wes Clark told the unvarnished truth about a Republican candidate who is so weak that neither he nor his party can bear it.
Paul Krugman, writing in today's New York Times said:
Al Gore never claimed that he invented the Internet. Howard Dean didn’t scream. Hillary Clinton didn’t say she was staying in the race because Barack Obama might be assassinated. And Wesley Clark didn’t impugn John McCain’s military service.
http://www.nytimes.com/...
This faux scandal is proof, says Krugman, that a McCain presidency would represent Karl Rove's third term.
The latest fake scandal fit the usual pattern as an awkwardly phrased remark, lifted out of context and willfully misinterpreted, exploded across the airwaves.
What General Clark actually said was that Mr. McCain’s war service, though heroic, didn’t necessarily constitute a qualification for the presidency. It was a blunt but truthful remark, and not at all outrageous — especially given the fact that General Clark is himself a bona fide war hero.
The truth is that since the McCain "team" attacked Wes Clark for telling us all what we knew or should have known - that McCain's service at the tactical level, while deserving respect, doesn't imply national security expertise. One achieves national security expertise only at the highest strategic levels of military service, as did General Clark himself.
It seems that Wes Clark's venture into the dangerous world of daring to say "the emperor has no clothes" about a Republican candidate, John McCain, whose carefully developed mythology had been devoured by the press, drove Karl Rove wild:
It was predictable that the McCain campaign would go wild over the Clark remarks. Mr. McCain’s run for the White House has always been based on persona rather than policy: he doesn’t have ideas that voters agree with, but he does have an inspiring life story — which, contrary to the myth of the modest maverick, he talks about all the time. The suggestion that this life story isn’t relevant to his quest for office was bound to provoke a violent reaction.
But perhaps, Karl has cried wolf too often; "not this time" as Barack himself says. :
Furthermore, my sense, though it’s hard to prove, is that the press is feeling a bit ashamed about the way it piled on General Clark. If so, news organizations may think twice before buying into the next fake scandal.
If so, the campaign has just taken a major turn in Mr. Obama’s favor. After all, if this campaign isn’t dominated by faux outrage over fake scandals, it will have to be about things that really did happen, like a failed economic policy and a disastrous war — both of which Mr. McCain promises will continue if he wins.
In "Atlantic Eye: defending Gen. Wesley Clark", UPI International Columnist Marc S. Ellenbogen, (chairman of the Berlin-based Global Panel Foundation and president of the Prague Society for International Cooperation, founding trustee of the Democratic Expat Leadership Council) expresses dismay at how Clark's simple truths were swiftboated.
If we want to learn how truly ill we are as a country, our press terrorized by the likes of Karl Rove et al please read this piece here:
http://www.upi.com/...
As I've suggested in this diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Ellenbogen says the Republicans fear Clark:
Clark's recent comments about John McCain are purposely being taken out of context. There are many who are keen on damaging him as a leading voice in an Obama administration. McCain's strategists fear him.
http://www.upi.com/...
Ellenbogen points out:
Because of his military expertise, Clark is one of the few people who can raise issues about McCain that others dare not.
Ellenbogen says that Democrats shoud be standing up for General Clark we need him and Senator Obama needs him and Republicans know that and are afraid of that.
OXFORD, England, July 3 (UPI) -- Gen. Wesley Clark has served the United States with honor for 45 years -- 38 of them in the military.
He was valedictorian of his class at West Point. He was supreme allied commander Europe. He is a great military strategist, a great commander.
Wes Clark was my choice for president in 2004; I co-hosted him in Geneva. He was my choice again in 2008. I have gotten to know him. I like the man.
Like all great leaders, Clark can be a very difficult compatriot. He has great character. He is temperamental. He is tough, smart and forthright.
Three weeks ago I met Clark in downtown Washington. In typical D.C. fashion his car stopped at 13th and K streets; Clark was driving himself. I hopped into the front seat next to him. During the 20-minute drive to Reagan National Airport we touched on Korea, Iraq, Abkhazia, Russia, our European allies and missile defense.
Last Sunday, when I got back to Europe, I was sitting with fellow members of Magdalen College watching his interview on CBS's "Face the Nation." Wesley Clark is one of us. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Magdalen. The college celebrated its 550th anniversary on the weekend. Several of us have served and come from military families. We are proud of "our general" and our respective countries.
Clark's recent comments about John McCain are purposely being taken out of context. There are many who are keen on damaging him as a leading voice in an Obama administration. McCain's strategists fear him.
Anyone who watched the interview knows Clark's comments were accurate. They were also fair.
Ellenbogen goes on to describe what Clark really said and how he was swiftboated by the McCain allies and an obedient press:
And he, as a friend and admirer of General Clark and his service suggests that Democrats need to have the courage to respond thusly to the swiftboating:
An appropriate response to his comments on McCain would have been: Clark has served our country for 45 years. He is a man with experience, with great character. Clark called McCain a great war hero -- a man to whom he and millions of soldiers look up to. I agree with Clark that McCain is a great war hero. I also agree that he does not have executive experience. Questioning McCain's executive experience does not diminish his war record. It is an appropriate question that should be asked. I stand by Clark, who has served our country with distinction.
This is the only way to deal with Karl Rove and his ilk whose sleaze has brought this country to this sorry point where an administration every day disses true military heroes by abusing their service in unnecessary wars of aggression for profit.
We must take a stand.
Thank you General Clark for your leadership.
I hope our Democratic leader, Senator Barack Obama speaks out on behald of General Clark.
That speech would serve Senator Obama well and help heal our country as well.
And General Clark would be a wonderful choice for Vice President should that come to pass.