McCain’s Service
Barack Obama “had nothing to do” with Gen. Wesley Clarks curt dismissal of John McCains military record, the retired Army officer wants everyone to know.
“I dont think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president,” Clark said of McCain on “Face the Nation” - and then repeated it on several nationally broadcast venues.
But Obamas not about to stop using Clark as a campaign surrogate. Nor is the onetime NATO commander about to retract his remarks about the man who spent five years as a prisoner of war.
What a far cry from four years ago - when Wesley Clark was denouncing criticism of John Kerry by groups supporting President Bush.
“In the heat of a political campaign,” wrote Clark in a New York Times op-ed, “attacks come from all directions.
“Although President Bush has not engaged personally in such accusations, he has done nothing to stop others from making them. I believe those who didnt serve . . . should have the decency to respect those who did serve.”
Now, it might be easy to dismiss Clarks comments as a pathetic attempt to stay politically revelant.
But Clark is the eighth prominent Democrat and Obama supporter to throw darts at McCains military service.
It is patently obvious that the Obama campaign has chosen this particular line of attack. That choice can, and should, reflect upon him as a candidate and a potential president. I also think his disavowal of this obviously coordinated line of attack speaks to his character, and is a further display of reluctance to ever except any blame or responsibility.
That being said, I do want to talk about McCain’s military record and other connections to the military, and what it says about him as a person and a candidate.
First off, the obvious thing is that McCain served his country, and sacrificed far more for it them even most military people are called to do. Anyone can say they love their country, but demonstrating it as McCain has done is a rare thing. I don’t like a lot of things about John McCain’s politics, but I honor him as a man and a hero, and I can’t help thinking less of anyone who doesn’t.
McCain faced imprisonment and torture, and he has used that experience to directly inform his opinions on important issues of our time, most particularly how we treat captured illegal combatants. McCain has been a powerful voice against the Bush ‘harsh interrogation techniques’ and that power has been due to his direct experience and hence passionate feelings about torture. I personally am not 100% convinced that McCain’s position is correct, but I certainly have paid attention to what he has said because of the unique value his experience has.
I believe that along with the specific focus on treatment of captives, McCain’s experience as a POW also gave him an important perspective that most of us don’t have on how bad a thuggish regime can be. At the expense of perhaps sounding trite, McCain has directly faced evil. It appears to me that part of the lesson he learned from that experience is that such men must be confronted, not appeased or disregarded.
Certainly it is true that McCain doesn’t have a lot of executive experience. He did serve as the commanding officer of a training squadron after his rehabilitation, and by all accounts did a good job, leading it to a Meritorious Unit Commendation. Beyond that, the general training in leadership that any officer in the military receives has some bearing on the question of experience and leadership ability. That isn’t a whole lot though. He hasn’t lead armies, companies or held an executive position in government (although admittedly, other candidates have even less.) He hasn’t even really worked at all in the private sector, which is a reason for concern on economic issues.
McCain has though as a long time legislator been closely connected with all the issues facing our nation. If he hasn’t made the executive decisions directly, he has been able to closely observe others doing so, and has also certainly played a significant part as a legislator in formulating policy. In particular, he has used his military knowledge and experience on the Senate Armed Services committee.
Another connection to McCain and the military that isn’t talked about a lot is that of other members of his family. Most people know that his father and grandfather were both Admirals, but fewer know about his children. His son Doug was a naval aviator and Jack is at the U.S. Naval Academy working to become a naval aviator as well. Most interesting, his son Jim is a Marine who is currently deployed to Iraq. Obviously John McCain knows the possible cost the policies he endorses can have on soldiers in the battlefield, and it is equally obvious that these effects might land directly on his own family members, as they once landed on him.
I think though that the most significant aspect of McCain’s military service as it relates to his qualifications for the Presidency is how those experiences have helped to form his character. John McCain was tested as a POW. At times, he was tested beyond what he could bear, leading him to participate in making a propaganda confession. Even after that though, he was able to must the will to continue to defy his captors. His story is deeply inspiring. It seems to me that there are two character traits in particular that his POW experience heightened. First, is a terribly strong will. I don’t think that McCain will blink in the face of adversity or let something as insignificant as public polling turn him away from doing what he believes is right. Second, and perhaps even more comforting, is a deep humility. McCain, having been pushed beyond his limits, seems to have really learned about human limitations and frailty. He isn’t perfect, and he knows he isn’t perfect.
In the end, everything a person has been in their life makes them what they are. John McCain has been a lot of things, and these things will affect the kind of President he would be. What McCain has been and how it has made him what he is are some things I respect a whole lot. He is a genuine hero. That doesn’t automatically make him worthy of being President of course, even a hero can be wrong about policy. Even a hero may not have the particular skills needed at this particular time. There are plenty of ways of to legitimately argue that John McCain is not the man for the job.
What I don’t appreciate though is attacking that heroism itself. It displays to me a fundamental lack of respect for heroism itself and the character traits that make this sort of heroism possible. I can’t help but believe that anyone who has so little respect for the sacrifice, courage and commitment that John McCain has displayed must be pretty lacking in these qualities themselves.
