IS THAT A WHITE FLAG, GENERAL? - Just a Minute for Friday 07-11-08

HI – End of the week again – It’s been a long one!

 

            Our JUST A MINUTE today deals with words one wishes he might take back.  Gen. Wesley Clark (ret. U.S. Army) former NATO commander, was once hot on the trail of the Presidential nomination. His competition was rather stiff – and so was he apparently. Unwilling to change, he dropped out fairly early in the contest – but kept on talking like a man who feels his trip across the infield was not fairly considered.  So as the campaign continued he was tapped, apparently, as one of Sen. Obama’s military advisors – since Obama’s military experience was, and is, non-existent.

 

            Gen. Clark has given the impression from time to time – somewhat like Alexander Haig of the Nixon Administration, another retired military person – that if he isn’t actually in charge, it’s obvious he *should* be. And so on Face the Nation a couple of weeks back he delivered himself of the opinion that being a shot-down fighter jock, who spent 5 plus years under the torture tutelage of Vietnamese schoolmasters – who so ‘fixed’ him he can’t raise his arms above his shoulders – did not really qualify one to be anointed Commander in Chief. Obviously the Nation had missed its chance when it had a NATO commander in prospect but didn’t take it.

 

            The Wall St. Journal reporter John Fund said Democrat strategists, after coming down off the ceiling, begged Clark to retract, recant, do something … he was doing Obama’s cause harm; On a scale of 1-10 it was a 12. So Clark did pull back a bit – and ever since has been unavailable to make any more TV appearances. The official line is he is going off campaign to handle his other clients that ‘pay the bills’ – which Fund says sounds like a campaign strategist who has been fired saying he really wants to spend more time with his family.

 

            I’ve never met General Clark – and have no idea how he got along with his superiors, inferiors or equals in the command structure of the Army – but the read I get between the lines is Obama’s campaign seems to be relieved not to have him loose on the deck during the countdown to November. Campaigns don’t share that same title with the mauling that goes on during battles for nothing. It’s not exactly a walk in the park. You’d better watch where you step – a hard lesson severely learned.

 

Cordially, IN HIM

 

Jack

 

http://www.jebcovoice.net/audio/jama07-11-08.mp3

 

http://www.jebcovoice.net/scripts/jamt07-11-08.doc

 

 

“JUST A MINUTE”

IS THAT A WHITE FLAG, GENERAL?

Just A Minute – Retired NATO Commander Wesley Clark was recently identified as a top Obama military advisor until about a week and a half ago.

General Clark has been a total critic of the Iraqi war after retiring from active duty. Thus he was admirably suited to the Obama campaign of getting the troops out in 16 months. However since the surge now looks to be succeeding -- the value of his currency has gone down.

The biggest nosedive, however, came after the General appeared a couple of weeks ago on “Face the Nation” and allowed as how he didn’t think getting shot down over Viet Nam, and spending five plus years in a POW camp was especially qualifying experience to become Commander in Chief. Particularly ironic coming from an advisor to a candidate with exactly zero military experience. Never even been a Cub Scout.

Anyway – his present VP hopes lie apparently somewhere between renegade GOP Senator Chuck Hagel and Osama Bin Laden. John Fund of the Wall St. Journal advises Clark not to wait by the phone for Obama’s call.

<> I’m Jack Buttram

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