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Dr. Strangelove · 07-01-2008, 01:10 PM

Great article on Slate about this.... Democrats attack McCain's war record. McCain rejoices. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine

On Sunday's Face the Nation, Obama supporter retired Gen. Wesley Clark, remarkably, went there: "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." (Full context here.) So did liberal blogger John Aravosis, writing that "[g]etting shot down, tortured, and then doing propaganda for the enemy is not command experience." On Monday, former Obama adviser Rand Beers argued that McCain's isolation as a POW limited his insight on national security issues.

As Obama and his surrogates should know, any chance McCain has to talk about his military service is a net positive for the Arizona senator, especially if it's in the context of an "attack." So far in the campaign, Obama has been hogging all the umbrage. He started a site to refute e-mail smears; he took offense when a Republican congressman referred to him as "that boy"; he cries foul every time someone uses his middle name. Now McCain gets to show that Obama's not the only one being attacked unfairly.

But the best part about McCain's defense? It doubles as offense.

McCain's camp has experience fielding potshots at his military career. Back in April, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., essentially denounced McCain for being a fighter pilot: "What happened when they [the missiles] get to the ground? He doesn't know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues." McCain took public offense; Rockefeller apologized.

Obama's camp is in a bind. On the one hand, Clark's point—that being a prisoner of war has little bearing on one's ability to be commander in chief of the United States—is defensible. It would be political suicide, though, for Obama to say so. The best strategy would be a full-out denunciation of attacks on McCain's record—but only if his supporters actually cut it out.

07-01-2008, 01:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
Dr. Strangelove RCMB Donor Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Triangle Posts: 21,434 Mark Dantonio	Great article on Slate about this.... Democrats attack McCain's war record. McCain rejoices. - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine On Sunday's Face the Nation, Obama supporter retired Gen. Wesley Clark, remarkably, went there: "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." (Full context here.) So did liberal blogger John Aravosis, writing that "[g]etting shot down, tortured, and then doing propaganda for the enemy is not command experience." On Monday, former Obama adviser Rand Beers argued that McCain's isolation as a POW limited his insight on national security issues. As Obama and his surrogates should know, any chance McCain has to talk about his military service is a net positive for the Arizona senator, especially if it's in the context of an "attack." So far in the campaign, Obama has been hogging all the umbrage. He started a site to refute e-mail smears; he took offense when a Republican congressman referred to him as "that boy"; he cries foul every time someone uses his middle name. Now McCain gets to show that Obama's not the only one being attacked unfairly. But the best part about McCain's defense? It doubles as offense. McCain's camp has experience fielding potshots at his military career. Back in April, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., essentially denounced McCain for being a fighter pilot: "What happened when they [the missiles] get to the ground? He doesn't know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues." McCain took public offense; Rockefeller apologized. Obama's camp is in a bind. On the one hand, Clark's point—that being a prisoner of war has little bearing on one's ability to be commander in chief of the United States—is defensible. It would be political suicide, though, for Obama to say so. The best strategy would be a full-out denunciation of attacks on McCain's record—but only if his supporters actually cut it out. __________________ At the end of the year they don't ask you "How" - they ask you "How Many".