A NATO ambassador told the International Herald Tribune that Clark’s dismissal seemed to be a “political thing from the United States.”[82] General Hugh Shelton would say of Clark during his 2004 campaign that “the reason he came out of Europe early had to do with integrity and character issues, things that are very near and dear to my heart. I’m not going to say whether I’m a Republican or a Democrat. I’ll just say Wes won’t get my vote.

I think some of the criticism of Clark has been overblown; he always repeats that he respects and admires McCain, but doesn’t think he has the judgment or executive experience needed to be President. This afternoon on CNN, John Roberts pointed out the most glaring contradiction in Clark’s theory of military experience: his enthusiastic endorsement of John Kerry, whose strategic command experience was nowhere near McCain’s. Here was the exchange:

ROBERTS: But when it comes to that same type of qualification, you were very robustly behind John Kerry’s military experience…

CLARK: Absolutely.

ROBERTS: … in your speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, where you talked about his experience of being there under mortar fire.

CLARK: Right.

ROBERTS: And let’s listen to the way that you summed that up.

CLARK: Right.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARK: John Kerry’s combination of physical courage and moral values is my definition of what we need as Americans in our commander in chief.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So, you said it’s what we need in a commander in chief. And I’m wondering how different was John McCain’s experience from John Kerry’s?

CLARK: Well, a lot, because John McCain basically served honorably and well in uniform. He did everything the country could have asked.

What John Kerry did is John Kerry got out of the uniform. He took a judgment, a judgment I didn’t agree with at the time, but he had the moral courage to stand up for himself and oppose the conflict in Vietnam.

ROBERTS: But where was the executive experience that you talked about?

CLARK: The executive experience wasn’t the issue there, because John Kerry wasn’t claiming that he had some special executive experience on national security against George Bush.

So Kerry’s military experience was better than McCain’s because after serving for four months in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. and falsely accused his fellow servicemen of being war criminals. I think it’s time for Wesley Clark to be ushered quietly off the stage. (powerline)

Sums this situation up quite nicely!!!

No, you screwed yourselves by refusing to get behind an alternative when you had the chance. You also screwed yourselves by joining up with the Democrats to make Bush’s life as difficult as possible for the last four years. People have gotten used to hearing the far right bitch, it is all they do. So what? If you give them what they want it is only a matter of time before they turn on you anyway, so why bother? That is what precipitated Ronald Reagan’s comments about how it should be a commandment that a Republican not speak ill of another Republican. It is also was the reason he said that radical conservatives were the most difficult people to deal with, because they would rather starve than take half a loaf. Bitch Bitch Bitch. That is all some people can do.

REM It’s the end of the world as we know it

and McCain feels fine.

austinnelly on July 2, 2008 at 2:08 AM

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel fine, I knew that I would, now
I feel fine, I knew that I would, now
So fine, so fine, conservatives, I screwed you

HEY SUCKAS!!
- Johny McFeelsFine

Your candidate is going to lose. There are two things that he can’t run away from no matter how hard they try 1) his skin color and 2) his name and we’ve already seen what half of your own party thinks about those. the other half voted for him based on his skin color and guilt about his skin color. nice

Earth to McCain: Cut Juan Hernandez loose.

MB4 on July 1, 2008 at 10:00 PM

Backdoor John would sooner turn his back on all those bigoted scumbags that want border enforcement than lose a valued member of his staff..especially since he’s probably the only one who can translate the marching orders from La Raza.
Seriously, I’ve been thinking about a good campaign theme song for McCain. Given that McCain doesn’t seem to care that much about winning, ie he panders relentlessly on the amnesty issue to minority groups, and offers nothing but ‘the other guy sucks worse than me’ to conservatives; I’ve been trying to capture that sense of lazy indifference..all I could come up with is:

REM It’s the end of the world as we know it

and McCain feels fine.

Here’s a hint Backdoor John; you’re not going to cruise to teh Presidency scolding Obama for the stupid things his dirtbag surrogates say about you. Give people a reason to vote for you; illegal aliens can’t vote (yet) so all this pandering to them seems a bit overdone and out of place. Maybe talk about gas prices…Harry Reid is grabbing his ankles on that issue, just for you. For once in your useless Senate tenure, try giving the people what they want, not what you think they deserve.

Maybe Obama will launch some kind of government rehab program for them when he takes office?

Before Mr. Kerry even ascended the stage, his daughters had the thousands of delegates hungry to retake the White House in tears and giggles with warm stories not of a politician, but of dear old dad.

The man known for pulling a drowning soldier from the Mekong River in the Vietnam War had also dived off a dock to save a hamster named Licorice from what the elder sister, Alexandra, called ”a watery doom,” even administering CPR.

Oh, all is lost! Ooh hoo hoo.

Get a grip. You, too, alphie.

Why would McCain want Clark gone? He’s a McCain vote generating machine….

Marcus on July 2, 2008 at 12:07 AM

It all depends on who is leading in which states (I’m not even looking at polls at this point, just people I know, who I cannot believe are even considering him)…on election day. I’m voting McCain, but he needs to get it in gear fast if he doesn’t want to be the next Bob Dole/Gerald Ford replay.

Obama is an ‘emotional’ candidate who has, sadly, captured the fickle popular imagination…with overwhelming media support

Yikes, the guy must be leading by 60 points.

Guys I’m not going to quit or lose heart. Obama MUST NOT become POTUS. So i’m going to keep fighting.

I find it so hard to believe that other voters don’t see what I see, despite how very hard it is to embrace McCain.

Agree with you completely…but this is not the same country it was, even in 2003. Facts and policies and consequences don’t matter at all now. Obama will be the next President because a) Obama is an ‘emotional’ candidate who has, sadly, captured the fickle popular imagination…with overwhelming media support and b) McCain (though a true hero, in every sense of the word, during Vietnam) is a very poor politician who, instead of going after Obama on his abundant weak points, has decided to run away from his own base and fight Obama on Obama’s own turf…disaster in the making…and I hope I’m wrong…but day after day, the facts seem to prove I’m right.

It’s just the long goodbye at this point.

AUINSC on July 1, 2008 at 11:25 PM

I find it so hard to believe that other voters don’t see what I see, despite how very hard it is to embrace McCain.

This seems to say it nicely.

On a more serious note, I would be hammering Obama with these points, every day:

- flip-flopper to end all flip-flopping, changing his positions so fast the press doesn’t know which Obama to cheer for,
- liberal pansy vs. 5th generation war hero Navy fighter pilot who spent 5 years in Vietnam POW camp,
- liberal who is afraid to declare his liberal views, so he lies about his positions on everything,
- radical pro-abortion extremist, who voted against the Born Alive Infant Act,
- corrupt Chicago Democrat who is supported by the gangster Chicago machine, and endorsed the retard Todd Stroger who helped make Chicago and Cook County the highest taxed county in the country.

All truth, no spin. All easy to document, and sound bite.

The obvious rebuke to this line of attack is

To remind the reporters that Clark and McCain obviously spent time in two different Officer’s Clubs.

And with great hyperbole, I suggested that we return fire aggressively.

Jaibones on July 1, 2008 at 11:16 PM

Gotcha…yeah, but McCain won’t do it…he’s super-glued both of his thumbs to his forehead now, so It’s just the long goodbye at this point.

And who is this ‘You’ you keep referring to? Just curious.

AUINSC on July 1, 2008 at 10:04 PM

Not you. The capital Y you. The McCain campaign, of course. I was decrying the suggestion that listening to Obama lie about his own record and positions, and those of McCain, is worthy of a yawn. I disagree.

And with great hyperbole, I suggested that we return fire aggressively.

According to my count, that makes Geraghty’s count up to 10 Obama surrogates who are nailing McCain on McCain’s greatest strength.

This is the Swift Boat Vets on steroids, if you happen to believe the Democrat take on the Swift Boat Vets, which I do not. However, this is what McCain is going to have to expect from these writhing snakes.

No man, it’s not milking it. It’s a big problem and it’s about to spin out of control and McCain has to get on top of it. Demanding that Obama throw Clark under the bus is the least McCain can do.