unGrid

This past Sunday, retired General Wesley Clark made the following comments on Face the Nation about John McCain’s military service:

Bob Schieffer: Well you, you went so far as to say that you thought John McCain was, quote, and these are your words, “untested and untried,” And I must say I, I had to read that twice, because you’re talking about somebody who was a prisoner of war. He was a squadron commander of the largest squadron in the Navy. He’s been on the Senate Armed Services Committee for lo these many years. How can you say that John McCain is un- untested and untried? General?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Because in the matters of national security policy making, it’s a matter of understanding risk. It’s a matter of gauging your opponents, and it’s a matter of being held accountable. John McCain’s never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in 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. 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-’

Bob Schieffer: Well-

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: ‘ -it publicly.’ He hasn’t made those calls, Bob.

Fast forward a few days and Clark is taking a beating publicly from all sides for these comments, but the real question people should be asking is, “Is he correct in his assessment of McCain’s service experience?” As far as I am concerned there are only a handful of people alive that can make that statement and Clark is definitely one of them. There is some truth to Clark’s statements, but I can’t help but wonder if this tactic will backfire on the Democrats. For one, the party made a big deal about John Kerry’s military service in ‘04 and his military service resume isn’t even in the same area code as John McCain’s. Secondly, these types of comments only help to highlight the complete lack of experience on all counts between McCain and Obama when it comes to national defense. Mr. Clark’s comments might have had a little more weight if he were running against McCain, but alas, such is not the case.