Clark Seeks to Clarify Critical Remarks of McCain’s Military Service

Tag : military uniform


John McCain said Tuesday that Barack Obama should cut ties withretired Gen. Wesley Clark, who caused a stir over the weekend whenhe dismissed McCain’s military service as a qualification forthe presidency.

Clark is a national security adviser and high-profile surrogate forObama. On Sunday, Clark — who was also NATO commander underPresident Clinton — said of McCain: “I don’tthink riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is aqualification to be president.”

He stood by his remarks Tuesday, though he stressed that Obama hadnothing to do with them. Obama later downplayed the issue, sayinghe doesn’t think the comment keeps voters “up atnight.”

But McCain told reporters on his campaign plane Tuesday eveningthat “I think it is up to Senator Obama now to not onlyrepudiate him but to cut him loose.”

The challenge is sure to keep alive the widespread conflict overthe Clark comments.



After two days of angry responses and denunciations on both sides,Clark tried to clarify that while he respects McCain’smilitary service, he believes Obama has better judgment —without having served in the military — to be president.

“As a retired serviceman, someone who came home from Vietnamon a stretcher, someone who spent 38 years in uniform, someonewho’s worked his way up through the ranks of the UnitedStates Armed Forces, I would never discredit anyone who chose towear the uniform. I fully respect John McCain and his service, andI’ve said so repeatedly,” Clark told ABC’s“Good Morning America.”

“My point is that there’s a difference in preparingyourself for the highest office in the land. … John McCain asa young officer demonstrated courage and character. But the serviceas president is about judgment. And the experience that he had as afighter pilot isn’t the same as having been at the highestlevels of the military,” he said, adding that Obama hadnothing to do with his remarks.

Asked if he owed McCain an apology, Clark responded: “I wantto say first that Senator Obama had nothing to do with this.… I’m very sorry that this has distracted from themessage of patriotism that Senator Obama wants to put out. But Iwant to make very clear that as a Democrat and as a former Armyofficer, I fully respect Senator McCain and all others who haveserved.”

Obama, talking to reporters in Zanesville, Ohio, didn’taddress Clark’s latest comments, but sought to minimize theirimpact, and said they were not in the same league as thecoordinated effort in 2004 by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth whosought to sully Sen. John Kerry’s military record.

“I don’t think that General Clark, you know, had thesame intent as the Swift Boat ads that we saw four years ago. Idon’t. I reject that analogy,” Obama said.

“But what I’ve said repeatedly is that Sen. McCaindeserves the most, the utmost honor and respect for his service toour country,” he said.

Obama denied that his remarks Monday — where he said“no one should ever devalue that (military) service,especially for the sake of a political campaign, and that goes forsupporters on both sides” — were in response toClark’s comments Sunday; Obama said the line was in a speechdraft he wrote two months ago.

On a follow-up question, Obama said he’d rather be talkingabout issues like poverty, Iraq and Iran, “But the fact thatsomebody on a cable show, or on a news show like General Clark saidsomething that was inartful about Senator McCain I don’tthink is probably the thing that is keeping Ohioans up atnight.”

Clark first made the remarks Sunday morning during an appearance onCBS’ “Face the Nation.” He has since appeared onseveral other broadcasts, trying to revise and extend his remarksand tamp down the dispute they stirred.

The dispute has preoccupied both candidates and their supportersand on Monday threw off track Obama’s message of patriotism.Obama spokesman Bill Burton said Obama rejects Clark’scomments.

Obama himself said “no one should ever devalue”military service, including McCain’s, “especially forthe sake of a political campaign, and that goes for supporters onboth sides.”

McCain, who was captured by North Vietnamese soldiers after hisplane was shot down in 1968, called the comments“unnecessary.”

On Tuesday, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said Clark’s wordsdon’t amount to an apology, and Obama’s campaign aides“are either encouraging or tolerating his attacks.”