McCain told to 'calm down' over service

Seems to be a deliberate and sustained attack on McCains record in order to normalize Obama's lack of military leadership experience. Lets not forget, Obama didn't speak out against Murtha's, Kennedy's or Durbin's remarks either. Silence becomes acceptance and anything after that is simply partonizing. If elected, I see another Clinton era demilitarization coming on.

Clark didn't criticize McCain's service or his prisoner of war suffering. He said, "Everybody admires John McCain's service as a fighter pilot, his courage as a prisoner of war. There's no issue there. He's a great man and an honorable man." His point was, "...I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." - During an interview with National Journal, John McCain was asked if “military service inherently makes somebody better equipped to be commander-in-chief.” McCain said, “Absolutely not…I absolutely don’t believe that it’s necessary.” [National Journal, 2/15/2003]

I recall Webb as the one parading his son's war boots all across Virginia during his election. I wonder why he didn't wear his confederate flag pin as well? If we really want to uncover someone unfit for office, we should begin to examine Webb's preoccupation with the Confederacy. This is a concerted effort from the Obama campaign to smear McCain, because his military service record speaks to his character--something that Obama, Clark, and Webb don't have. Remember 5 1/2 years of torture and McCain could not be broken. This is the selfless strength of character we need as president, and that is why Obama's jackals are on the attack. Shame on you again BARACK.

As a McCain supporter, I have to agree with Old-Norm. I think this is being blown way out of proportion. Democrats AND Republicans with open minds and clean hearts can see clearly that Gen Clark WAS NEITHER attacking nor minimizing Sen McCain's military service. All he said was exactly what every honest American knows ANYway- that riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is not a qualification to be president. And it isn't. Frankly, we ALL need to calm down. I'd like for once in my life to see a decent general election campaign. And with the McCain campaign threatening to "retaliate", we won't get that. That will only lead to both sides swinging at one another, and we'll never get to the issues at hand. Also, and to be quite honest, I don't care for Obama, but we've been taking some pretty cheap shots at him, too. But he's never threatened retaliation. Let's win this thing without all the childish hitting. (I think that's how Obama won their party's nomination- by running a clean campaign.)

Mr Herocks... you might want to check your facts. McCain did break in Vietnam and he actually gave information to the enemy. He even explained his regret on doing so on his own book. Check the facts! I think this is all blown out of proportion, but McCain needs to be careful because his pratriotism might come into question if the true facts start making the rounds in the talk shows and internet.

Mr. Herrocks, you may want to dig up this article: ...in the U.S. News and World Report - May 14, 1973. McCain is quoted as saying "I think it was on the fourth day (after being shot down) that two guards came in, instead of one. One of them pulled back the blanket to show the other guard my injury. I looked at my knee. It was about the size of a football . . . when I saw it, I said to the guard, Ok, get the officer'...an officer came in after a few minutes. It was the man that we came to know very well as 'The Bug'. He was a psychotic torturer, one of the worst fiends that we had to deal with. I said, Ok, I'll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital."

My compliments to VSMelz - as an Obama supporter, I feel exactly the same as you do about this non-issue. Hopefully more voters, on both sides, feel the same. And I wonder how much the media has to do with this - a report is much more likely to get read when it deals with a "controversial" statement. When when when can we get to the real issues? I think everyone needs to "grow up and put on their big girl(boy) panties"!

I think we are missing the point of all of this. Again last night Obama said that McCain's military service should not be part of this campaign. That is a veiled threat that if the McCain campaign or any political group that supports McCain brings up his service, then Obama and his surrogates will attack his service again. Obama has no leadership credentials and no history of leading that he can point to while McCain has a lot of it tied to his service. I'd want McCain's military service to have "no place in this campaign" too if I was Obama. By the way, did I just see a post that admitted that torture can indeed work?

The McCain Campaign needs to remind voters that terror attacks against the U.S. happened on the watch of Presidents that had no warttime experience. Courage under fire is a good attribute. The first Bush who served in WWII was tested by Saddam. He drew a line in the sand. My problem with Obama is that he projects an anti-war demeanor which is a sure way to attract an attack.

These Obama people must think themselves very clever, using their surrogates to deliver hit-and-run attacks on an honorable American POW while Obama poses as though he knows nothing about this and acts as though he is above it all. Utterly pathetic, arrogant, and despicable, yet probably a preview of things to come, no doubt, when this Messiah-type gets elected! I thought that this country that disrespected Vietnam veterans had changed. How wrong I was. I guess this is the reality of the new change that the Obama groupies have repeating ad nauseam since his campaign started.

Thank you, VSMelz. After reading many posts on several websites, Not many people have enough objectivity to make form an intelligent opinion on this, and many other campaign issues. They'd prefer to filter their comments through their politically-colored glasses. It was obvious that Wesley Clarke's comments which started this whole mess didn't question McCain's service record, but merely stated his opinion that it doesn't necessarily qualify him to be president. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't construe that as an attack. It's sad how things have devolved to where insult is taken where none was given. Just too much petty bickering. It's interesting that McCain's outrage at this caused him to form the Truth Squad, with many of the Swift Boat members who maliciously smeared John Kerry's service record. Is it OK for Republicans to take cheap shots at Democrats, but not OK for Democrats to bring up a legitimate point about someone's credentials? Obama hasn't been one to attack, but merely respond and defend himself when he is attacked, as we saw in the primaries. Taking cheap shots aren't part of his M.O. As VSMelz said: We all need to calm down.

It's called normalizing the argument. Lawyers and the U.N. do it all the time. You reduce arguments to a logical or illogical level of equality regardless of reality. Then you attempt to sway the neutrals. It usually gains consensus and nothing else. Take a look at the successful mission record (and corruption) at the U.N. If Obama wins, see if you can hold him accountable for this statements after the election. Like I said he is really good at clarifying.

This article completely misrepresents what Gen. Wesley Clark did when it says: "Army Gen. Wesley Clark... used a Sunday talk show to criticize the presumptive Republican nominee's experience as a Navy pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam." Gen. Clark did not criticize Senator McCain's experience as a pilot and POW. He questioned whether that experience (which Clark called admirable and made McCain a hero to Clark and millions of others) qualifies him to be Commander in Chief. It is a valid question which should not be misconstrued to be a slam against the real work Senator McCain has done for this country. This is a biased blogger's way of presenting facts -- it should not be how a respected news organization presents facts.

1. All of you that THINK McCain is such a hero . GO TO Veitnam Veteran Against McCain . 2 Save it on you tesk top , so you can read through all the stories , it takes time . These Veitnam Veterans explain , things about him that NO ONE KNOWS . Obama has NOTHING to do with them ! Another thing is that as a POW he didn't go through , what the others did ! The Inantry, FRONT LINES , That was what my dad was in WWII. When ones in WWII veteran, like McCain in Veitnam . Flew over the place of battle . They get the same mettle , as the infantry !The POW's of WWII , didn't have to go through the 5 Major Campains , Like dad & the Pa national Gaurds had gone though. Unless you have a love one , like myself who went through a war , learn about things !