Wesley Clark Isn't in John McCain's League

So General Wesley Clark goes on CBS' Face The Nation and says with respect to John McCain, "Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President." When I read about the remark about John McCain I thought three things.

First, it tells me that while Clark might have outranked McCain in the military, Clark is clearly outranked by McCain when it comes to having class. Clark is clearly out of McCain's league.

Second, it was during the 2004 Democratic Presidential race that Clark referred to John Kerry as "only a lieutenant." I'm no Kerry fan but I thought that was cheap. Unlike the Swift Boat folks, I never questioned Kerry's military service although the stuff he did after he left the military was quite a different matter. The point is if Clark was willing to say that about the man who represented his party as its presidential candidate four years ago it is no surprise he would say something similarly disrespectful about McCain.

Third, given Clark's remarks about both McCain and Kerry, it calls Barack Obama's judgment into question once again. If you have a general who speaks of men who served with distinction with such disrespect imagine what he thinks of the men and women serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. By extension, one can only wonder if Obama is similarly contemptuous. But by all means Senator Obama, keep Wes Clark as an adviser and keep him talking. That kind of talk will get John McCain elected to the White House.