2008 Woodie Awards
Sink the swiftboat talk before it starts
Jeffrey Riley
Issue date: 7/3/08 Section: Opinions
Just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water without getting ran over by a political swiftboat, you would be wrong.
On Sunday, Gen. Wesley Clark decided to remark on Sen. John McCain's military service. The remarks were not positive either. He said that McCain's time in the military does not equal positive experience for the White House.
Just saying that on its own is not insulting. Wrong maybe, but not insulting. Trying to say that military experience in a situation where you are in charge of a group of soldiers does not equate to leadership experience is pretty ludicrous, especially coming from a fellow Vietnam war veteran.
No, if you really want to make something like that insulting, you need to say it like Clark did, by saying "I don't think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president."
Of course this attack could not go unnoticed, and one of McCain's fellow soldiers said that Clark's last military position, the Allied Commander of NATO, was "somewhat less than stellar."
Come on, really? We had to deal with an entire election season when four years ago certain political groups decided to make it their mission to belittle presidential candidate John Kerry's military service by sinking his swiftboat.
They dragged up every slur they could find. The ironic part was at fundraisers for George Bush, who prided himself as being the strong choice for the military vote, his supporters wore Band-Aids with purple heart stickers on them to mock John Kerry's wartime injuries.
Someone committing themselves to serving their country is nothing that should be mocked, not in 2004 and not in 2008.
If you want to question how much being in the military will really help someone in the Oval Office, that is one thing, but at the very least be tactful about it and not say that getting shot down is worth nothing.
Can we please keep this presidential race clear from the soldier smears? The race is bound to be filled with all sorts of other slurs and attacks of mud, there is no need to drag it into such an insulting realm.
Both Clark and McCain were injured in Vietnam. Both know what it is like to carry the scars of service for their country.
Former military service is not something that should be politicized one way or another. It adds nothing to the political dialogue of our nation. We have so many issues facing our country right now. We are in two wars and are facing a crippled economy.
Swiftboating candidates is something that should be sank early.
On Sunday, Gen. Wesley Clark decided to remark on Sen. John McCain's military service. The remarks were not positive either. He said that McCain's time in the military does not equal positive experience for the White House.
Just saying that on its own is not insulting. Wrong maybe, but not insulting. Trying to say that military experience in a situation where you are in charge of a group of soldiers does not equate to leadership experience is pretty ludicrous, especially coming from a fellow Vietnam war veteran.
No, if you really want to make something like that insulting, you need to say it like Clark did, by saying "I don't think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president."
Of course this attack could not go unnoticed, and one of McCain's fellow soldiers said that Clark's last military position, the Allied Commander of NATO, was "somewhat less than stellar."
Come on, really? We had to deal with an entire election season when four years ago certain political groups decided to make it their mission to belittle presidential candidate John Kerry's military service by sinking his swiftboat.
They dragged up every slur they could find. The ironic part was at fundraisers for George Bush, who prided himself as being the strong choice for the military vote, his supporters wore Band-Aids with purple heart stickers on them to mock John Kerry's wartime injuries.
Someone committing themselves to serving their country is nothing that should be mocked, not in 2004 and not in 2008.
If you want to question how much being in the military will really help someone in the Oval Office, that is one thing, but at the very least be tactful about it and not say that getting shot down is worth nothing.
Can we please keep this presidential race clear from the soldier smears? The race is bound to be filled with all sorts of other slurs and attacks of mud, there is no need to drag it into such an insulting realm.
Both Clark and McCain were injured in Vietnam. Both know what it is like to carry the scars of service for their country.
Former military service is not something that should be politicized one way or another. It adds nothing to the political dialogue of our nation. We have so many issues facing our country right now. We are in two wars and are facing a crippled economy.
Swiftboating candidates is something that should be sank early.