Liberal bloggers are giddy over possible Obama runningmate Gen.
Wesley Clark’s recent ham-handed attacks questioning John McCain’s
readiness to be commander in chief.
Matt Yglesias writes, “No idea how seriously the
idea of Wesley Clark as VP is being considered, but he’s a good
surrogate attacking John McCain’s alleged national security
credentials who’s got the credibility and the guts to take it right
to him.”
Here’s what Clark told the Huffington Post last week:
“The truth is that, in national security terms,
he’s largely untested and untried. He’s never been responsible for
policy formulation. He’s never had leadership in a crisis, or in
anything larger than his own element on an aircraft carrier or [in
managing] his own congressional staff. It’s not clear that this is
going to be the strong suit that he thinks it is.”
Few voters are really going to believe that McCain, who narrowly
escaped death as a Navy pilot and endured five and a half years in
a POW camp, and then went on to become a leading voice on national
security for 25 years in Congress, is insufficiently prepared to
show leadership during a national security crisis.
Clark later elaborated on MSNBC, trying to argue that it
didn’t matter that Barack Obama had no experience on this front
because he isn’t running on experience, but judgment.
But Clark is clearly blowing smoke, and angling for the VP slot.
Last fall, he endorsed Hillary Clinton when she
was seen as the inevitable nominee, saying, “She will be a great
leader for the United States of America and a great commander in
chief for the men and women in uniform.” But unlike McCain, she
didn’t any have military experience, and had spent about one-third
the amount of time in office as McCain. Furthermore, she voted for
the Iraq War, so clearly didn’t display the so-called “judgment” of
Obama.
Liberal bloggers have always had a soft spot for Clark, because
they like the idea of a former general who talks like a liberal
blogger. But the reality of Clark as a politician has been much
different, as evidenced by his disastrous presidential run in
2004.
So, by all means Obama, choose him as your runningmate.
