Ret. Gen. Clark: McCain lacks command experience

I was in Naval aviation for almost 25 years and spent some time in the same Navy attack squadron community that John McCain served in. I have never heard that he crashed 4-5 Navy jets. I do know he had two aircraft shot out from underneath him while flying missions in the Vietnam War and he jumped out of another Navy jet, while burning on the flight deck, during the fire on the USS Forrestal in 1967.

As much as I respect John McCain he does have some character flaws but it pales in comparison to the personal flaws of John F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton. McCain has stated many times that he's done things in his life he's not proud of, including being unfaithful to his first wife. JFK was fooling around with many, many women including Marilynn Monroe. It was a known fact that Bill Clinton had numerous affairs with women, before being elected President, while Governor of Arkansas. Many other Presidents, inc

Flying a jet and getting shot down doesn't qualify you to be president, eh?

US Navy torpedo boat PT-109 was shot out from underneath J.F. Kennedy.

A US Navy torpedo bomber pilot named George H.W. Bush was shot down and rescued by a US submarine.

History says different.

Clark cannot even come close to the viciousness of the attacks by Bush supporters back in 2000 when they accused McCain of betraying his country and his fellow POWs for favorable treatment. They also accused McCain of making a propaganda film against his country.

Let's compare McCain's experience with Obama's. Oh, wait a minute, I can't because Obama has zero experience in..well..just about anything. He's nothing more than junior senator who has accomplished pretty much nothing. At least McCain had the courage to serve, commanded a squadron, was a prisoner of war, and has long served on the senate armed services committee. I'd say he's got a better perspective than Obama because he's actually accomplished something. The only reason Obama is in this race is because he looks and sounds good on camera. Beyond that there is actually nothing substantial about him, but because he looks good and is well spoken people will vote for him. It's a pity that people do more research before buying TV than voting for president. Want to see gas prices really go? Then vote for Obama!

While not a fan of Wesley Clark, I can't say he's wrong. We tend to romanticize McCain's past and overlook other, perhaps important consideratiions. For example, as I understand it, McCain graduated fifth from the bottom of his class at Annapolis. McCain's father was an Admiral, with the power to get him out of trouble when necessary, or, possibly secure favored treatment. He lost several planes (4-5)in his career as a pilot.
And then there's the matter of the divorce of his first wife Carol, horribly difigured in an accident, followed by marriage to his wealthy current wife, Cindy....just one month later. Not a very heroic thing to do.

I'm not passing judgement. I'm simply wondering where, in any of this history, is the stuff that makes a great commander-in-chief.

General Clark is a honorable, courageous and truthful man who isn't afraid to take on the seemingly forbidden area of criticizing Republican candidates military service. I remember when it was the GOP, using the swift boat idiots, who started this with the attack on Kerry and his service. Oh yeah, their were the attacks on Gore , too. And they reugularly criticize Carter's service. But bring up Reagan's lack of sevice or Bush's inability to compleete his contract and you're called a traitor. Give me a break. It's time to grow up and speak to the truth, and part of that is exposing supposed experience as really not what it appears. If experience is an issue with Obama it is with McCAin also.

And for the record I'm a veteran but would never use my experience as positioning me for a leadership role. That is just too bizarre, since the military and civilian government have different jobs. Get real, f

Gen. Clark is merely telling the truth, so why the vitriol? With the economy tanking, inflation roaring, our deficits exploding, credit drying up, housing crashing, oil skyrocketing and jobs disappearing, why do we have this mindset of the "war on terror" as our greatest problem?

If we're going to be defeated in the future, it won't be by force; it will be by some Mid-East or Asian bankers, who sell our debt, refuse to loan us any more money and demand to be paid in their local currencies.

So let's find the candidate who best has the ability to reverse our neocon-driven war mentality, to revive this Great Country's economy, and to burnish our reputation and position as the Leader of the free world.

I'm afraid, however, we might have to wait another four years to find him.

What a jerk you are, General. I, at one time respected you but no more. I guess all the years as an elected senator has no use. How many times have you been elected? You are a typical "not-elected" official who can't say the proper things except to a guy like Hussein Obama....he believes anything, especially from a jerk such as you.

All due respects to the General but this was a stupid comment; political or otherwise. If he took the time (and he has been known to work non-stop) he'd examine both candidate records and see the foolishness and stupidity of his remark. Come on General; you receive a great pension and make a great deal of money on the lecture routes. Don't lower yourself into "gaming" this "horrible election" year.

So why do we care what a retired general says? I put him in the same category as a hollywood star. They don't know what they are talking about and nobody cares what they say. I see George Clooney didn't move somewhere else when George Bush won the election.