John Kerry rebukes Wesley Clark on Meet the Press: Brokaw loses his memory too
In one segment Kerry can be really good on NBC and then be equally bad the next. On Meet the Press today, Tom Brokaw asked John Kerry about Wesley Clark's Face the Nation segment. Why that was even on Brokaw's agenda is mind boggling since the news is clearly focused elsewhere, but I guess McCain's Media felt they could help out their guy today. Kerry immediately threw Wes under the bus. Thanks John---for getting the back of a four star general who has been nothing but brilliant for the progressive movement when he gets slimed by the press. This was a subject that Bob Schieffer made into an issue. Clark only talked about judgment qualities, as we all know. Here's the original transcript of Clark on FTN.
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SEN. KERRY: Yeah, I, I don't agree. I don't agree with Wes Clark's comment. I think it was entirely inappropriate. I have nothing but enormous respect for John McCain's service. I had the privilege of standing with John McCain in the, in the cell in Hanoi when we visited there together, when we worked on the issue of Vietnam together. It was an emotional moment. I, I have awe for John McCain's experience as a prisoner of war, and he, and he does understand duty and service. But...
And John Kerry debated SCHIEFFER about McCain's judgment previously when Bob tried to inject the character issue again so he knew what to say yet went out of his way to trash him.
You'll notice how Brokaw calls Bob his friend, as if he was offended because his pal was. Schieffer blew out of proportion what Clark had said and it was Bob that egged on the whole discussion. And Brokaw suddenly forgets that Obama did distance himself from Clark's remarks, but asks Kerry why Obama didn't. Wake up, Tom. Are you that out of it or did you want Kerry to say it again on national TV? He's been horrible filling in on MTP.
I have an idea, why doesn't John Kerry make a campaign ad for John McCain and praise his service?
Obama's camp has to do a better job at surrogate selection. Not all of them, but most have been just awful either going on the offensive or deflecting a false charge. I'll have another video up on this issue shortly.
MR. BROKAW: We're going to get to all those issues, but I also want to raise what a surrogate for Senator Obama had to say to my friend Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation." This is former General Wesley Clark talking about John McCain. He said, "I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president." He described him as untested and untried. With all due respect, Senator Kerry, he could have been talking about your qualifications. You're a Vietnam veteran...
SEN. KERRY: Yeah, I, I don't agree. I don't agree with Wes Clark's comment. I think it was entirely inappropriate. I have nothing but enormous respect for John McCain's service. I had the privilege of standing with John McCain in the, in the cell in Hanoi when we visited there together, when we worked on the issue of Vietnam together. It was an emotional moment. I, I have awe for John McCain's experience as a prisoner of war, and he, and he does understand duty and service. But...
MR. BROKAW: But unless...
SEN. KERRY: But...
MR. BROKAW: Unless I missed it, though, Senator Obama has not specifically rebuked Wesley Clark's comments.
SEN. KERRY: Oh, I think they--I thought--I did, and others did, and I thought Obama had at the time. But here's what's important, Tom. Let's not get lost in this, you know--John McCain said this ought to be about big ideas. Medicare is about to implode. You know, John McCain has a health care plan that every expert has said does nothing for the people who have no health care.
Nice. I voted for you, Kerry, but not for lack of trying to find a better candidate in '04.
Maybe Kerry forgot how McCain piled on during the fake controversy over Kerry's botched joke (if you don't study you end up in Iraq...) during the 2004 campaign. Find that clip.
So is John McCain's military service now officially a graven image?
Apparently Kerry is following the message from the party. A shame, because all he has to do is say "Do you really think being a POW entitles someone to be president? That talking point works on you?"
John, you don't have to agree with Clark, but that doesn't mean helping another guy on the opposing team get elected, either-jerk.
Kerry's an ass kissing fool. Clark never denigrated McCain's service and went out of his way to state that repeatedly. What he said was being a pilot and getting shot down isn't a qualification for being President.
So either Kerry is an idiot or he has a hidden agenda in the VP stakes.
Hillary, Kennedy, Kerry, Biden, Dodd, Edwards... they need to stand up and basically say, "You want to fuck with someone? Fuck with me."
That's the exact moment when I turned it off. Duke Cunningham (R) is in jail for bribery, but is he qualified to be president simply because he was shot down? Wesley Clark was right.
Herman Munster certainly would have been a better President than Bush but his statements about Clark and McCain are simply nuts. These politicians have no shame. They'll say and do whatever way the wind blows. And Tom Brokaw is a has-been newsman who overcame a speech impediment to become somthing of a celebrity. I'll tell ya, I just can't watch this stuff anymore. It makes me sick.
John Kerry lost to the worst president ever. Don't forget that. This type of statement is part of the reason.
The day John Kerry lost the election was on August 9, 2004 when he was asked if he would still vote for authorization to invade Iraq if he knew back then what he knows now, and he responded with "Yes, I would have voted for the authority. I believe it was the right authority for a president to have.” Speaking to reporters at the edge of the Grand Canyon, he added: “[Although] I would have done this very differently from the way President Bush has."
When I saw him make that statement I knew he just threw the election.
Beelzebud: Pretty much. Obama might be a bit on the pandering side, but nowhere near as bad as Kerry.
I wish the individual Dem congresscritters would stop listening to the advice of the Dem party establishment, such as here (to go ahead and throw Clarke under the bus). They are cutting their own legs out from under themselves.
I can't believe this guy was my 1st choice for Democratic nominee in 2004. No wonder the Election was close enough for the scum to steal it. The ticket should have been Clark/Edwards.
The mainstream media is hopeless, and Democrats - even ones who risked life & limb in combat - are total pussies. End of discussion.
Why anyone pays any attention to kerry is puzzling. He is totally irrelevant. Wish he would just go away.
The old adage, the best defense is a good offense, applies to the McCain ads and how Obama and his surrogates might best respond.
Imagine an ad that goes after McCain's supposed strength, in national security. Make him out to be an airhead, trivial, shallow.
“John McCain. Not serious. Silly ads, silly attacks. Trivial. Like his choice of two female celebrities, he’s not to be taken seriously. Sings silly songs about bombing. Whines when criticized. Denies his lies. John McCain. Unserious in serious times."
Just saying.
Feh on John Kerry. For every time he gets it right, he goes and does something like this.
Rasputin @ 6:
Hi Ras, How are you? I agree with your statement above.
I hope the voters in Ma replace him with another Dem.
Well Ras, I'll be seein ya. Today is my only day off for awhile. So I'm gonna rest .
Nice seeing you again.
Be well my friend.
PorridgeGun @ 13:
That's what I said as soon as Clark threw his name into the hat back in the 2004 election - the only candidate who could defeat an incumbent president during war time is a man with an extensive and mighty military background. As usual, though, the Democrats chose poorly. With the exception of the ridiculously charismatic Bill Clinton in 1992, the Democrats haven't chosen a candidate properly since JFK in 1960. They're so clueless it's sad, really.
Man, not one politician is for anyone but him or her self... how effed up is John Kerry?! To support McSame's "service" over Wesley Clark's is so screwed. Everyone is out for themselves; nobody has any integrity, honesty, or commitment to truth or doing the right thing. It's obscene this avarice and greed...
Unfortunately, Party Unity is not the Dems strong suit. You would think, after these past 8 years, that the Dems would be speaking out with one coordinated voice every chance they get to insure that Obama and their congressional bretheren are handily elected in November.....
but Noooooooo.......
i disagree with you people regarding on surrogate selection....i hear the and the unspoken from kerry. this guy is smart and well spoken....he is not giving them any speakings points to reguritate....no he isn't biden who uses less wording that will come...sometimes the very aggressive opposition is a victory for the (R) they want you irritated even if your correct....why? many people have an easier time communicating with body language and emotion....they may not understand the issue but they will pick up on the body language/emotion to make a decision...i think kerry handled fine.....brokaw is NOT replacing russert very well at all....he doesn't have good poker face he is so obvious to me....he gets a thumb's down
Kerry is a twit, he likely is suffering from PTSD after being awarded those three Purple Hearts in Vietnam and is only sticking up for his fellow War Hero.
Lets take an emotional issue, say, ones war time service, remove facts from the argmuent (being a POW makes you not qualified for a fucking thing) and somehow imfer that someones "honor" is being impugned.
STFU John, you had your chance to speak out about Vietnam in 2004 when YOUR service was attacked by the Smear Boat vets.
Dear Dems: You are only on the shows for gotcha' talking points. Please govern yourselves accordingly. Thank you, signed, Still Hopeful. . .
I for the life of me can't believe I voted for that traitor (to the party) John Kerry. And to make it worse Lieberman was along with him. He ran a terrible campaign and then didn't have the b**** to stand up to Bush. Even after the trashing Bush and McCain did to Kerry.
But back to now.....can't the Democrats keep Kerry off the TV shows? He is doing more damage than good. Gen. Clark has more going for him than Kerry ever did. Kerry might as well be working on mcshame's campaign. Wait, he is.
Why haven't we heard anything from Hillary? Where is she? She hasn't even been on any of the Sunday morning call downs. If the Democrats have shut her up they better do the same to Kerry. And I agree, Brokenjaw (as Limbaugh affectionately calls him) is a poor excuse for a Tim Russert. Glad this is only temporary.
John Kerry said this, hmmm....
Can't say I'm especially surprised, he's a 'Nam vet, too....
Let's state the obvious. The McCain campaign is really afraid that Obama can choose a military man as his running mate. It would mean that Obama would be President today. Now the MSM wants all these "military men" to shoot each other one way or another so Obama picks some "pussy" (like Joe Lieberman and many, many others that are circulating as potential Veeps), in other words, we are being played, prepared and slowly conditioned for a lose in November thanks to guys like Brokow and the non-liberal corporate media. It's the only explanation. THE ONLY ONE.
they want to bring that wesley clark issue up again. i don't agree i feel kerry wasn't going to let them try to get more out of that trap.....that's what they wanted....kerry did what everybody feels they have to and that preface your opinion/attack at mccain "we respect his service" personally i'm tired of it......it's done for the simpleton's that's all they know about mccain he was a POW/vet. and they will base their opinion just on that. this is what wes clark was trying to address....mccain has no more executive experience than obama....of course the media couldn't believe clark went there....because they knew how the simpleton's would react. there is a lot of cool smart people on this blog but i don't think it's reasonable to attack kerry.....what would obama say?
Lieberman was allowed to dominate this discussion with pro-McCain talking points. Kerry just allowed Joe to just steamroll them thru. Shame on you John Kerry. Kerry has been coming across a bit weak lately Of course,Brokaw also said nothing to dispute Joe’s hollow talking points. Brokaw is a poor replacement for Tim. He needs to step up and stop these guys as Tim did when they run off their mouths on these highly disputable talking points. Brokaw seems more suited to sports commentary then politics. I don’t understand this choice by NBC.
Someone asked yesterday, "Where is Kerry, Clinton and some others? Why aren't they coming out and defending Obama?" Well there's your answer. Sometimes they just do as much harm as good. Get Dodd, Biden and Feingold. Kerry has a history of gaffes.
This election will be lost to the Republicans. I can't believe that the Democrats are falling for the same trap -- spending more time defending themselves from the mudslinging, so the issues are ignored. It should have been an easy win.
Rush and all the crowd send their thanks and greetings, John. It becomes more and more clear why this fool lost to BUSH, of all people.
Ron @ 30:
wow ron you really thought kerry was that bad.....maybe i need to reconsider my opinion i don't see it
Kerry sounds like he's working for McWars now. Wonder how much they're paying him.
constituent @ 33:
He may not be that bad but, he is not that good.
Kerry has the stink of loser on him.
He should do his job and lay low until 2009.
Ron @ 35:
i respect your entries/judgement regarding these issues
i'm just going to disagree. these topics are nonsense and kerry knows it explained the trying to scare you motive....again to try to sway you but if your over the top then the talking heads say see how upset they are.
i would be curious to know how obama would rate kerry's appearance.
Tom Daschle did almost as bad today when he said Obama had always been in favor of offshore drilling.
I was laughing my tiny butt off today at Lindsey Graham. He worked himself into a frenzy defending his bff, McCain. I think he had a case of vapors. Even Daschle himself was laughing at him.
Is there anyone more aggravating than Lieberman when he is on one of these shows?
Meet the Press sucks. Tom sucks as a host. They better do something quick or that show will become irrelevant.
First time I'd seen MTP in over a month--God, what a waste of time.
Kerry sure seemed to get defensive over Wes Clark's comment. I wish he'd have had the balls to come out and agree with Clark (that being held as a POW qualifies as f.p. experience). Were that the case, I suppose my months spent incarcerated in some of California's finest county jails would qualify me to at least be a congressman or senator.
Wow. Sorry, but just because he's a Republican, Kerry's not even allowed to have respect toward his combat service? I mean, damn, I don't like McCain, but come on, I think it's admirable that Kerry's willing to allow his opponent the good qualities as well as the bad ones. The fact that you make this sound like a bad thing really kind of worries me.
constituent @ 37:
Kerry could have said that it wasn't said about him and he could of then defended Clark. He could of then said that he respected McCains service and let it go at that.
Jeez @ 31:
I disagree. Kerry ignored the swiftboaters and it cost him. He has since acknowledged this publicly as a mistake. As we have learned from the Bush campaigns the more you leave the lie out there undisputed the more of a chance it will be believed. I believe you need to counter these attacks one at a time and dispute them immediately. Since this type of mudslinging is pretty much all McCain has this left has to be addressed and countered. Once you do that he has nothing left. He can't really run on his own policies so he has to attack and other guy.
I use to respect Brokaw but since he has been doing MTP I have lost any respect I ever had. Why has he sold his soul to the corporate store when he does not need them any more? He was retired for Christ’s sake. I hoping he was going to end his career/life in the mold of Bill Moyers. It would have been so easy for him to do that. Instead he has become just another Charlie Gibson or Britney Hume. Shame. Shame on you Tom Brokaw! I thought you were better than that.
I disagree, yeh Kerry was wrong to rebuke but in a strange way I think this good, why? If he had not done the Mccain campaign would have creamed itself and brought it up again in some "disrespect" ad that would have had the MSM in a tizzy for days. I may disagree with Kerry, however, given his tendency to provide candy to the opp I am glad this will not become an issue and another reason for the ditto heads to ignore policy and force Obama to answer the patriotism question yet again.
And maybe Kerry was deflecting the question in the first place, Brokaw was going on to say something about "this could have been said about your service" which is, quite obviously, nothing that made Kerry qualified to be President either.
When we vote for people based on their "war record" it shows how twisted peoples meaurement is of who is qualified to "lead", as if you had to shoot somebody in some illegal war of aggression waged by the U.S. (Iraq, Vietnam, etc..)
I have said it before and I will say it again. Amerika is a one party state.
Repubs and Dems are just siblings fighting over who gets to inherit their old man's money after he dies on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November every four years.
"Obama’s camp has to do a better job at surrogate selection"
More importantly, Obama's campaign has got to do a much better job of controlling the debate and the news cycles. The inability to do so has cost dems the last two presidential elections. If you do not control the two, all the character assasination and distractions are given far more weight than they deserve.
I am all for a non-negative campaign but the responce to the negativity has got to be more intence, focused and direct. subtle doesnt cut it.
I was among the 50,000 people who gathered in Portland, Oregon ("Little Beirut", as GHW Bush called us) one day in 2004 to hear John Kerry campaign for president, and I'll bet every one of those 50,000, including me, think of him now only as a cowering betrayer. There are so many millions of proud liberals in this country -- why can't we get ONE in public office with the balls to say so and stick up for what we believe in at that critical moment when it counts? (Yes, there are a few who try -- Kucinich, Barney Frank -- but they are never in the position of power from which they could actually DO something, like Kerry was just before he tucked tail and ran like a whimpering dog away from the Ohio recount.)
Captain Bitter Whiner Husein Kangaroo @ 43:
Maybe Brokaw's 401k and health insurance went south like most everyone else's.
obama's campaign is very sophisticated. they are going to put the hammer down after the olympics. a good way to make an issue a nonissue is to excuse it without emotion. not going on and on about it. personally i wished clark's side of the argument got some traction earlier but it didn't....they tried...personally i feel clark has a good argument....but that POW/vet/maverik brand is difficult to crack....but i often ask myself why couldn't mccain beat bush in 2000. bush who held a relatively weak governor position.
Plus Brokaw cherry-picked the Clark quote without including the "leading" Schiffer gave him - in the interview Schiffer picked the words and Clark was dumb enough to repeat them, kind of like Colbert asking Wexler (?) to repeat "I like cocaine because its fun" and the moron repeats it.
Schiffer said - does riding in a jet and getting shot down qualify McCain to be president? and Clark just repeats it.
Kerry SHOULD have said it was a leading question and Clark was merely using the framing that Schiffer fed him, which I guess would be tantamount to admitting Clark was dumb to fall for the trick.
Big John @ 46:
Say it again if you like, still doesn't make it so.
Lieberman equated Paris Hilton with "off-shore drilling."
"Obama’s camp has to do a better job at surrogate selection. Not all of them, but most have been just awful either going on the offensive or deflecting a false charge."
I think this is just wrongheaded...
The fact is that it really doesn't matter what surrogates say. It doesn't even matter what Obama says. He says something completely innocuous and it gets turned into the newest "controversy of the week". The problem isn't with the surrogates, it's with the media.
It all comes down to audience size. The bigger the organization, the more likely it is to be controlled by corporations with a motive to shape the news, the more likely they are to feed huge amounts of money into growing their audience, and the larger their audience grows.
We can all come here and preach the obvious truth to each other, but as long as multi-nationals, with no genuine allegiance to the concepts of Democracy or America, get to shape the information the vast majority of us take in, we're cooked. Control of the media was exactly how Hitler gained control of Germany.
So forget about "message control". You can control it all you want, but when, in 2003, the largest worldwide demonstrations in history warrant a 10 minute news cycle on CNN, and they report the NYC crowd as being in the 100,000 range, when by my own count it was obviously nearly 500,000, the issue of "message control" is moot.
Freedom of the press, is simply, those with the press have the freedom. The surrogates can say whatever they like. Either the corporate-owned media wants you in, and therefore will downplay your weaknesses (McCain), or they don't, and will inflate any statement by anyone they can associate you with to the point of overwhelming psychological disconnect (Obama).
Message control only works if you control the message. And we don't.
Ron @ 41:
i agree with that point......all i can say is they and i mean they don't want to give this issue any more time because the public doesn't get it. some people want to decide their opinion on mccains prior service .why? because it's easy...and it's an easy response back to anybody who wants to challenge the public about mccain. it's free pass for some people....that's foolish
Antitheist @ 54:
Amen, brother.
John Kerrry-- More proof that honorable military service does not qualify you to be president.
Rasputin @ 6:
"Clark never denigrated McCain's service..." God forbid anyone, even so-called liberals, should ever dare question why it was all right for people like McCain to bomb the Vietnamese, who never threatened anyone in these United States, from 30,000 feet in the air. It should be remembered that McCain, whom Kerry is so quick to praise, volunteered to participate in Operation "Rolling Thunder", which devastated Vietnam's economy and infrastructure and killed and maimed many hundreds of thousands of its citizens. One would think that Kerry should have instead been showering his laudatory comments upon those soldiers who participated in the GI movement back then, as those soldiers realized the illegality and immorality of that ill conceived war, just as the present day occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq have been illegal and immoral.
I wish Kerry would just disappear. He was a terrible candidate in '04 and every time he opens his mouth there is at least a fifty-fifty chance that what comes out will be utter nonsense. He's an embarrassment, but then, how many Democrats today aren't?
PS On reconsideration, make that eighty-twenty.
Not that I trust him any further than I can throw a grand piano, but I voted for Kerry. Anybody running aginst him?
In other news.....successful media propaganda ploy causes Kerry's face to droop in joy.
Kerry is another in a long line of Democrats with no balls. They throw anyone under the bus to curry favor with the corporate media and to further their own standing.
It's rather sick when you think about the fact that the last two Dem tickets had Lie berman (who is now a neo-con and probably was then) and Kerry.
way to throw john kerry under the bus! hypocrits...
Its My Turn To Play Politician
I said it once, so I will say it again: Serving in a POW camp does not prepare you for being president of the United States. I can't see why the Democrats don't let the facts drive this argument about John McCain's experiences. For that matter, nor does driving a jet prepare you for being a president or kissing someone's ass. None of those things by itself, or together, prepare you for the oval office.
Here is what angered me about what John Kerry just did. Kerry is playing the numbers; he thinks most people would rather stay in denial on this issue because it risk being unpatriotic. He's suppose to a Democrat who's committed to the truth not some blown up sense of patriotism. To me, any logical person can see there is a problem with the point the right-wing media is trying to make. If we follow McCain's POW experience logic, related imprisonments would be an asset to being president not the punishment it was intended to be.
As far as I am concerned, McCain' experiences has only left him with a deep seated anger about America loosing the war in Vietnam. That is why he is so stuck on "winning" in Iraq. It has nothing to do with our nation's security. Its McCain's un-resolve ,multiplied by his capture and 5 years,that drives his opinion on the war. These are war mental injuries not assets.
Joseph
RichStraightWhiteAmericanMale @ 56:
that's it and the media relies heavily on paid sponsorship....i pay particuliar attention to MSNBC online...whose the sponsor? Boeing...my father is an electrical engineer at Boeing..so i take notice...obama is going against much more than we know....mccain is just the mascot
Remember Kerry was going to pick McCain for VP in 2004.
Maybe Kerry wants the VP slot with McCain.
This is simply very understandable. One Senator kissing ass to another Senator. Who knows? He might need McCain in the fiuture, if he is alive that is, No big deal. It's just plain ass kissing.
Rasputin @ 6:
I'll tell you who the real losers are: Anyone who bothers to listen to any of this bullshit. The bottom line is simply this: Power to the people, period.
Way to swiftboat Clark, Sen. Kerry.
Sheesh!
Murray Rizberg @ 19:
The thing with Wesley Clark in '04 was that he wasn't seen as trustworthy by the liberal base. Many people, including myself, thought he was just in the race to get Hillary on the ticket and into the White House. Michael Moore endorsed Clark of course, but it was that video of him praising Bush that turned people off. I also remember Amy Goodman confronting Clark on the campaign trail. He could've treated her like shit, but he answered all her questions and treated her with respect. He actually came across really well.
I also recall Peter Jennings, during one of the debates, more or less demanding that Wesley Clark throw Michael Moore under the bus for criticizing Bush and the Iraq occupation. Clark reponded to jennings hackery by saying Moore is entitled to his views and he was proud of his endorsement. Looking back it was typical Wes Clark.
Overall, I think there were too many questions surrounding Wesley Clark. That's why the majority of voters went with Kerry instead, whose liberal bonafides weren't in doubt. It also didn't help that the Clark campaign skipped the opening contests of the Democratic primaries, which were launchpad to the nomination. As for Clark being trustworthy, today, Wesley Clark is a huge favorite with the netroots. If Democratic voters knew in '04 what they know now, Wes Clark would've been the nominee.
Let's face it, the Democrats are still a little scared of what the republicans might say or do as they go about their negative campaign. It serves no use to throw an ally under the bus. Rather it is better to stand behind our alles and fight. Kerry did us and Clark a disservice.
harley @ 65:
was that how that went for sure.......i was thinking mccain maybe wanted/volunteered for the position. i personally never heard a solid answer about that.
Dire Lobo @ 52:
Republicans and Democrats are two wings of the same party.
Period.
Kerry is an acknowledged idiot and he personifies why the Dems will lose again. He would rather praise McKeating than stick up for Clark who said nothing wrong. The Neos shake in their boots at the thought of Clark as VP. Kerry, Shurmer, et al are only a small notch from Lieberman.
It hit me this morning, all the trivial things that are being talked about in the media regarding this campaign. It's exactly what Obama said, funny name, the color of his skin, etc, etc, etc. The media and apparently their audience, don't want to take the trouble to learn about and discuss the real issues, they would rather talk about who said what when about Obama being a black man. Of course he's an interracial man, but that doesn't keep tongues from wagging. I'm just disgusted with the trivial bs right now when so much is at stake for this country.
If I was going to vote for a war hero for POTUS, it wouldn't be a captain that crashed a jet plane. It would be for a General who was a hero and actually won a war.
Wesley Clark has more military experience in his little finger that John Kerry and John McCain have combined. He also has more political experience than either George Bush or Barack Obama. It's too bad the generals didn't gather for a coup in this country after the invasion of Iraq.
Has anyone from the Obama camp mentioned the McCain dollar bill ad yet? I've been waiting for someone to mention it on TV, but so far there's been nothing.
Joseph @ 63:
I think you hit the nail on the head.
jon @ 77:
Not that I've seen and I have emailed it to the news networks and campaign. I can only guess they are holding back for some reason. Can't imagine what that is.
Ron @ 75:
in addition to that clark is much smarter than mccain...for some.. clark's weakness he is not a politician....if i remember correctly the media was saying he was riding the fence regarding advent of iraq conflict....maybe regarding giving the president the authority to declare war. personally i feel clark would be a good v.p. or cabinet pick
The reason Kerry was the dem. candidate in 04 was because the media manufactured the Dean scream and made everyone think Dr. Dean was some sort of idiot.
So we can't touch McCain because of his military record? Is that the new rule. This morning Bob Schrieffer said something to the fact that the left was trying to denigrate McCain's military record. This was during his closing words at the end of the show. He said that both sides were trying to destroy the other sides candidate. I don't recall anyone speaking for Obama who has tried to say anything to destroy McCain. That wasn't what Wes Clark was trying to do. Clark was stating the obvious as far as I'm concerned.
I didn't hear a word on any of the shows today about Ted Stevens and his seven indictments for fraud.
Kerry once again demonstrates why he was such a bumbling disaster of a presidential candidate. He won't stand up for what is right because either a) he doesn't understand the issue or b) he lacks a fucking spine.
John Kerry is apparently not content to merely sabotage his own run for the White House. Skull and Bones bastard.
constituent @ 80:
I have given him a lot of thought myself lately especialy since he defended his statement about McCain. We need more of them to come out and be honest about how they think.
Barrett D @ 62:
To hell with you Barrett.
I campaigned for Kerry in 2004. I spent a lot of time. I gave him a lot of money. I wrote a lot of messages and made a lot of phone calls for him. I worked my ass off for him. Then when the rubber met the road the guy shit on me. The votes in Ohio were obviously stolen but Kerry gave up before he even had time to analyze the situation. Edwards wanted to fight to see what happened but John Kerry GAVE UP!!! Threw in the towel. Raised the white flag without even a fight. He had $50,000,000 in the bank. He had plenty of power to say “Hey wait a minute here.” But no. He fucked me. He fucked everybody who voted for him. He can go straight to hell as far as I am concerned. He is a worthless asshole. Get off the stage John Kerry!!!
"throw john kerry under the bus"? Give me a fucken break.
Dang it Kerry STFU and fade away from the political spotlight.
Democrats and Obama should want to put as much distance as possible between themselves and Kerry.
It sounds brutal to say, but John Kerry should be mothballed and barred from the MSM. In the mind of the average American, Kerry is the face of a failed campaign. In the simple-minded public's way of thinking, they are going to recover all their Republican-manufactured repressed memories of windsurfing, elitist Kerry and now associate those thoughts with Obama.
pissed off patricia @ 74:
What angers me most about the media is they bring this shit up. They then set back and evaluate it in a third party perspective as if they had nothing to do with it. Somehow some way we have got to confront them, meaning CNN and MSNBC, on this dynamic in a lasting way.
Joseph
Wes Clarke onlyu said "Being a POW does not qualify you to be President of the United States. What is not true about that statement?
That is all Kerry had to say but he punked out. Fuck him!
Ron @ 84:
there aren't many four star generals,rhodes scholar,oxford graduate.....clark was very clear. the media spun it for the public....i mean ratings...if clark doesn't get the v.p. nod i think he may address it again.
the public can't handle or understand the truth.
Kerry is totally wrong in attacking Gen. W. Clark.
The General did not say anything wrong..
Kerry showed why he lost the last election.
He is not strong enough.
He plays politics..He is trying to be nice to McCain,and that's Washington politics.
I hope Obama chooses W. Clark who defended his statements about 'McCain and the presidency' and what he said without fear.
I think Gen. Clark will be a great selection with a good resume.
McCain camp staregists are worried about nobody more than Gen Clark,and that's why Brokaw brought the question today.
Taht's because Brokaw expected Kerry to defend his friend McCain,and to belittle W.Clark.
Kerry is a loser
The Obama campaign would do well not to ever let John Kerry speak for him again. Tell him to get the hell out of here. Your help is not wanted.
Testing
I agree with the general sentiment that Kerry needs to go away. Why he isn't hearing this from Obama's campaign is a mystery to me. At the very least, no one wants to be reminded of the loser in 2004. Let's not forget at least Clark (who was right) fights. Kerry let the Swifters beat him up only to take off the gloves after the election.
How about a list of toxic Dems/advisors that Obama should sequester on their own desert island:
--Jesse Jackson
--John Kerry
Feel free to add to it...
FROM THE ARTICLE...
I have an idea, why doesn’t John Kerry make a campaign ad for John McCain and praise his service?
ACTUAL POST...
Don't give Kerry any ideas! Kerry might do it because it's "bipartisan". Bill Clinton will join him.
What Wes Clark said was not inappropriate. Being a POW some forty years ago does not, in itself, qualify John McSame to be the President of the USA. Get real, folks. There are many qualifying standards and according to constitution, written by the founding fathers, being a war veteran or a POW is not one of the qualifications. We are getting dumber and dumber because the MSM and the cable news media is too damned lazy to use their brains. They have become talking heads for the RNC which has never run an honorable campaign in their entire being. They are liars, crooks, dirty tricksters and they attack personal beings but never have anything to offer but fear.
Don't give Kerry any ideas! He might just do it because it will be "bipartisan".
My favorite Kerry quote "I will make sure every vote is counted", then folds like a straw house in a hurricane when it counted (bad pun, I know).
kerry didn't attack mccain. kerry responded to a calculated closed end question. brokaw was trying to entangle/compare both men's military service for the legit. to run for president....it's a trap and kerry knows it. to me the spoken and unspoken message from kerry was let's discuss issues...ie.medicare.....if kerry over reacts there becomes potential for this issue to reopen if you will......and obama doesn't want it now anyways
but i do want to say i understand some opinions that are being made....but to attack kerry i don't see it....that's what the (R) wants us to do. look for your contrarian hat people....
GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! I live in the Eastern End of Massachusetts so Ted Kennedy is my Senator, but I gotta say WTF to all my fellow citizens in western MA who keep re-electing this moron who if it weren't for his wife (the Heinz Heiress) he wouldn't even have a job.
Jeez, he's like the Democrats version of McCain--and just as stupid.
this is why kerry lost
fucking pussy
hey obama...take heed
i know you want to be the new kind of pol...but dont let the repugs paint you into a corner...and they have already started
This is why Kerry isn't in the White House. Another Democrat who buys into Republicans memes on McCain. What Clark said is completely correct, and instead of Kerry explaining the intent of Clark's comments, he just folds. The same not fighting back attitude that got Bush into the White House for a second term. So, I guess by Kerry's, the MSM, and McCain, we should call up all wounded vets from any army and have them run for president. Apparently being wounded or help captive in a war qualifies. Once again Tom Brokaw, a person I had immense respect for as a sound journalist, descends into the madness of the MSM. Let's not discuss real issues, lets keep controversy alive on an issue that in no way reflects issues Americans are worried about, for rating sake. No wonder we have a public largely ignorant when it comes to the political arena. Good job Tom. Kerry needs to go home and sit down.
Brokaw has been away from the interview process too long. He allowed Lieberman to dominate every exchange and then to bring up something Clark said a month ago?
Tim Russert is spinning in his grave.
"So we can’t touch McCain because of his military record? Is that the new rule."
Nope in politics there are no rules. Obama needs to play offense eventually and I believe he will.
A warning of possible terrorist activity by the Bush administration during the presidential election will be very prudent and desirable and we all agree with that (The Spanish terrorist attack in 2004, etc will be cited as a reason among other things), SO Obama and Sebelious, etc, will be NOT a reassuring ticket BECAUSE as much as we would like to control half of this nation, namely conservative chicken shit f***ktards, we can't, that's why it will be very easy to predict whether we're f**ked in November very soon. A guy like Clark means one issue less to worry about. Otherwise we're vulnerable to the very end and it's lottery. THIS IS what's scary!!! We know the game plan, we know what's at stake and we choose lottery and a belief in American sanity and emotional balance. Wow.
pissed off patricia @ 81:
The media didn't manufacture the Dean Scream, but they definately contributed to it. Howard Dean lost his cool on live television, which was totally justified considering he had been getting beat up for weeks by the MSM and Joe Lieberman on Iraq and the capture of Saddam, and John Edwards and Al Sharpton on the confederate flag. But the fact remains he lost the plot on live television and was gonna be ridiculed in the media and late night shows. There was no way back after that. Thankfully, he's DNC chairman now and is doing a pretty good job.
Jeff F @ 104:
I think that Obama has done a good job of using Mcain's own statements against him. It just doesn't get as much coverage in the MSM.
Bonkers @ 1:
Sounds like me now with Obama. Ugh.
Kennedy and Kerry are both your senators--U.S. Senators represent the whole state, and the whole state gets to vote for each senator every 6 years (not usually in the same election). But you knew that (I hope).
Uncle Joe Mccarthy @ 101:
Too late, Unka. It started with the premise of his entire campaign. "Change We Can Believe In".
Well, that's history now. Its shriveled to "Better than McCain".
Just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?
I also voted for Kerry ,only because the alternative was Chimpy. I've never liked Kerry,even when I lived in Massachusetts. To me,he was the most boring, un-lifelike politician I've ever seen until McCain came along...
Barrett D @ 62:
Kerry threw US under the bus, Barrett D.
PorridgeGun @ 106:
The media went after Dean because he would have been a much stronger candidate than Kerry or anyone else. The media then TOTALLY ignored Edwards this spring because polls showed he beat each and every Repub candidate head to head and they wanted either Clinton or Obama because neither of them can win....thats right. Obama is the better candidate--big time--but he just can't win and the Repubs are laughing all the way to the bank. The proof is in the polls. The MSM will NOT allow Obama to win. Learn to live with it.
"you shall not speak bad of your fellow Senator" that is the the senate club motto. Maybe it should be the "yellow club"or the "No back bone club"
Kerry is not a bad guy, but he should have defended General Clark by saying : "It is the general's opinion..and I don't see anything wrong with what he said" ...
But the way Kerry let himself being used by Brokaw to defend McCain instead was wrong and that gave a big push for McCain coming from him,and also gave a big joy to Lieberman sitting listening beside him
The msm is not as almighty as many of you think. People have the final word.
Is this the Bonesman talking or the CFR member? I can't tell.
Jeff F @ 116:
And the people will be heard...how?
RichStraightWhiteAmericanMale @ 118:
On election day of course.
A lot of the Obama surrogates are the OLD democrats who are used to being beaten and are frightened of standing up for principles or for whats right. They are scared of the new ideas and the hope and inspiration that Obama brings. He needs to say thanks, but no thanks to these people. They are campaigning like it is 2004. They want to apologize for every democrat who says ANYTHING that might be misconstrued. Kerry is not the person you want covering your back. He is too frightened of the GOP even though it is falling apart at the seams. He like the other DLC democrats roll over like dogs whenever anyone challenges them on anything. That is why Kerry lost. Obama doesn't need him or his apologies for someone else. If Kerry can't look Tom Brokaw in the eye and say "you need to talk to General Clark about that" and move on, then he doesn't need to be Obama's surrogate. Obama needs someone younger, braver, who isn't afraid of new ideas, who isn't afraid of challenging a competitor, who isn't afraid of questioning the qualifications of that challenger.
I happen to agree with General Clark, getting 3 planes shot out from under you and being captured by the enemy does not qualify you to be the President of the United States. And if John McCain "knows how to win wars" then why didn't he do it in Vietnam and why hasn't he done it in Iraq or Afghanistan?
Jeff F @ 119:
And, of course, elections are foolproof.
Kerry's ineptness once again explains why he lost the 2004 election. Ideally what he should have done is point out that Clark's statement that being a fighter pilot and getting shot down does not qualify one to be commander in chief is absolutely correct. But since the Obama campaign has decided to wimp out on this, at least Kerry should have pointed out that Obama threw Clark under the bus on this.
pissed off patricia @ 81:
As usual, excellent point here about Stevens. As I stated earlier.......all these shows are total bullshit. Why bother to watch, they have their agenda set by the corporate boyz, and of course will not bother with something as bizarre as Teddy's escapades...........as if real events that are destroying our country count.........as if, duh!!!
I'm beyond world weary of these assholes...............just get Obama in there, and hope for the best. We can always just start a massive protest and not pay another cent of income taxes if need be, right?????
After being smeared, swiftboated and kicked in the teeth by the Rethuglicans you'd think Kerry would have some fight in him and defend one of his own for a true statement Clark made against a Rethuglican. But alas, Kerry is still a milquetoast. No wonder he lost.
Ruthless People @ 124:
Milquetoast? How kind. Benedict Arnold was a milquetoast.
I stubbed my toe trying to help a little old lady across the street. If being shot down qualifies McCain for the presidency then that should at least qualify me for mayor.
Not even going to take the time to read above comments. All that needs to be said
is that, as always, Kerry is a wuss.
i could be wrong but i don't believe kerry is "afraid" of the
republicans......in 2004 i don't believe he was prepared for how dirty/far they would go to defeat him. beyond kerry the bush administration used the iraq conflict and fear in 2004....it was too much to overcome....kerry got kicked in the balls when the rules say you can't do that...i realize there is plenty of hind sight now....this bush campaign/administration is nothing anyone has ever seen.
obama is fully aware what he's up against.....very dirtythis is why people don't get more involved because of the negative/dirty tactics and that's what the (R) wants for us not to participate.
constituent @ 128:
After the Clinton impeachment there should have been no question as to how far the Republicans would go to take and hold power. There is no excuse for misunderestimating their level of dirty trickery and lies after that. Sure, there is plenty of hindsight now, but there was plenty of foresight then -- except by the continually blindsided Democrats.
It isn't bad enough Kerry throws his own constituents' into the trash bin by throwing the election to Bush last time,
but he personally throws Wesley Clark into the trash bin while aggrandizing himself.
Kerry just doesn't get it does he?
[Deleted. Off topic. Flame bait-Sitemonitor]
PorridgeGun @ 106:
I must disagree. Candy Crowley admitted it was a media creation on CNN.
elbrucce @ 109:
Ok, but I've never seen his name on any ballots (and I've lived here 8 years). Does he have a "go to congress for free" card?
RichStraightWhiteAmericanMale @ 129:
that's a good point......personally clinton was wrong i'm sure were in agreement with that but i always wondered if she was planted doesn't matter it's just my curious mind wandering....but i will say this the iraqi war/fear propaganda helped bush in 2004
I don't respect John McCain. His 'service' to this country in one of the many illegal wars fought by 'us' isn't worth respecting either. He made no moral stand. I respect the people that laid it all on the line and protested Vietnam. Left the country, went to jail, stuff like that. Those that 'served'? Suckers, each and every one of em. It took no moral, ethic, or value call to 'serve'. Only people that are willing to stand up for what is right and just will ever get my respect. Period.
Marco @ 132:
"dean scream" that was a rove creation
I totally am against Wes Clark being Obama's VP choice for two reasons. One, he's just as bad as Kerry on camera. He flubs, flounders and backtracks. Two, he will embolden conservative military veterans to attack him, most likely on Kosovo and Waco. He'll get Swift Boated, and there won't be time to let the dust settle.
Clark's statement about how a military background doesn't matter to the Presidency applies to himself as well. It's a huge mistake to pick a VP to fill a supposed 'voter void' that your Presidential candidate has, or to shore them up on an issue. It makes your candidate look weak. The VP slot isn't important, make sure there's no controversy with the VP pick, keep them out of the limelight. Keep the focus on Obama.
Kerry V Bush , I had my money on the Skull and Bones candidate , OOPS, they both were Skull And Bones . It's McSame that uses images of his capture by the Vietnamese in his campaign ads , so HOW exactly does being shot down and being a POW give you qualifications for president, Council on Foreign Relations Brokaw ?
Certainly graduating at the BOTTOM of your graduation calls doesn't give you any qualifications , unless the corporate media says it does .
'I am against what Wesley Clark said, and now I will repeat what Clark himself said.'
This is the nut of it.
Wesley Clark mentioned repeatedly that he has nothing but respect for John McCain's service to his country. On the other hand, that service doesn't qualify someone to be President in and of itself. This is key.
constituent @ 136:
"Dean scream". It rhymes, therefore it must be newsworthy. That is the beginning and end of our MSM journalistic integrity.
Sean-B @ 137:
hey sean you make some good points but i believe clark's military experience was of the executive type experience...but i will agree with you on clark being v.p....one simplistic reason he is NOT a good politician having said that if obama could chose after being elected i would say clark is a good choice bhut that's not real world
Sean-B @ 137:
because of the role played in the bush administration the vice president is no longer thought as a not important position....obama agrees
I am so sick and tired of his comments being taken out of context.....he was just repeating what Bob Schieffer implied, he did not utter these words on his own!!!!
Bob Schieffer: "I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean-"
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President.
Bob Schieffer: Really?!
The Democrats are going to blow it again in 2008 if they don't have the backbone to stand up to the MSM and challenge their "gotcha" antics. To quote Wes Clark who summed it up better than anyone:
"The American people will trust the Democratic Party to defend America when they believe that Democrats will defend other Democrats."
Meat @ 139:
maybe i listened to that interview with democrat ears but clark was correct it opposes people who believe mccains military experience from 40 yrs. had any executive experience...neither of them have executive i believe so they're even.....mccain's past military experience doesn't trump obama from how i look at it.the four star general and rhodes scholar was clearly explaining that.
Is Hillary ever going to go on these shows to defend Obama? Where is Hillary?
Kelvinator @ 145:
you'll be seeing her after the feel good olympics
mark my word...we need her...i can admit it and i support obama
St. Paul Scout @ 135:
Intelligently and articulately well stated. One of the very few comments on this post to get it right. My comments at #58 echo what you have written. Those who participated in the GI rebellion those many years ago are the ones who merit our respect today instead of those who unblinkingly went along with the illegal and immoral orders that they were given and that would be someone like the odious John McCain. It should never be forgotten what McCain himself said on a 60 Minutes interview in 1997: "I am a war criminal; I bombed innocent women and children". This then begs the question why the then honest McCain did not join the VVAW [Vietnam Veterans Against the War] to speak out against what he and others did to the Vietnamese people. Perhaps he realized back then that it would not look too good on his resume that a United States senator had the audacity to protest against the policies of the United States government.
The corporate media celebrity shills are just plain lazy and clearly biased for the status quo. They have to much to lose therefore they see change as something to fear.
How cum nobody in the MSM or anyone else ever mentions the obvious. Who in the hell wants a 75-76 year old president??? Who?? If the shoe were on the other foot, OMG!
I don't get it. Isn't Gen. Clark's service in Vietnam worthy of respect too? He was injured in combat and left the country on a stretcher. He has more combat and command experience than any presidential contender since Eisenhower.
Kerry may as well join Lieberman on the podium at the GOP convention. Very, very disappointing.
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