How Barack Obama Intends To Repay His Surrogate Lap-Dog General Wesley Clark For The McCain Military Service Smear

Jim Webb Embarrasses And Disappoints Virginia Yet Again By Showing His Complete Ignorance Of War Experience Issue

How many times is this guy going break his 2006 campaign promise of being an independent? Now he is sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong and making unsolicited comments about an issue on which he appears to be completely ignorant.

According to The Hill:

Webb, a Barack Obama supporter, was on MSNBC's "Countdown" to talk about his G.I. Bill to increase education benefits for returning veterans which is now law. Webb criticized both McCain and President Bush for not supporting the bill. Then, unprompted, Webb weighed in on the debate over retired Gen. Wesley Clark's remark that "riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down" isn't "a qualification to be president." "I think what we really need to work on over the next four, five months, and it goes back to the speech that Sen. Obama gave [Monday] and this little fight that I've been watching and that is, we need to make sure that we take politics out of service," Webb said. "People don't serve their country for political issues." He continued: "And John McCain's my long-time friend, if that is one area that I would ask him to calm down on, it`s that, don't be standing up and uttering your political views and implying that all the people in the military support them because they don't, any more than when the Democrats have political issues during the Vietnam War. Let's get the politics out of the military, take care of our military people, or have our political arguments in other areas."

And this shows exactly how ignorant Webb is. It is not the McCain camp who keeps bringing up John McCain's military service, it is the Obama camp that keeps bringing it up. You would think that Webb, as an Obama supporter, would know this. How he has deluded himself into thinking otherwise is a mystery. The only explanation that makes sense here is that the DNC is artificially pushing this issue to help sugar coat the fact that Barack Obama has no military experience at all.

But, let us remember that it was General Wesley Clark who started this firestorm with comments he made on CBS's Face The Nation. Here is what he said:

"In the matters of national security policy making, it's a matter of understanding risk," Clark said "It's a matter of gauging your opponents, and it's a matter of being held accountable. John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in the armed forces, as a prisoner of war. "He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee and he has traveled all over the world, but he hasn't held executive responsibility," Clark said. "That large squadron in the Navy that he commanded - that wasn't a wartime squadron." Clark has said as much before, but drew little notice. CBS moderator Bob Schieffer cited Clark's earlier remarks and noted that Obama hadn't had those experiences either nor had he ridden in a fighter plane and been shot down. "Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president," Clark replied.

But General Clark didn't hold that viewpoint in 2004 with Sen. John Kerry's Presidential Campaign. When Kerry made his wartime service a centerpiece, Gen. Clark and Jim Webb were perfectly okay with it. Now, whenever the GOP and McCain respond to the hypocisy of the Dems who have been attacking McCain's wartime record, they cry foul.

And if asked what experience Barack Obama has in those areas, the answer from Clark and Webb would be complete silence.

Clearly, Webb is positioning himself to go from campaign surrogate to Barack Obama's rubber-stamp, lapdog VP running-mate and is even offering unsolicited talking points to do so.

But Senator McCain has the best rebuttal to Webb and Clark:

McCain himself said, "If that's the kind of campaign Sen. Obama and his surrogates and supporters want to engage in, I understand that. But it doesn't reduce the price of gas by one penny. It doesn't achieve our energy independence or make it come any closer. Doesn't make any American stay in their home who's at risk of losing it today. And it certainly doesn't do anything to address the challenges Americans have in keeping their jobs, homes and supporting their families."

Webb is a typical Dem in that he does not want to discuss the real issues facing us.

We, the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia, were hoping for much better out of that man. He has been nothing but a colossal embarassment and disappointment to us.

You can access the complete articles on-line here:

Webb: McCain Should 'Calm Down' On Using Military Service
Walter Alarkin
The Hill
July 1, 2008

Obama Disowns Critique Of McCain's Military Record
Beth Fouhy
My Way News
July 1, 2008

Obama Supporters Attacking McCain's War Record And Senator Jim Webb Embarrasses Virginia Again

Back in 2000 and 2004, the libs were all about the fact that their candidates had war records while President Bush had National Guard service only. Now, the libs have a candidate who doesn't even have National Guard service while the Republicans have war hero John McCain. You think the libs would respect that? Not in the least bit.

From The Politico:

The highest voltage third rail of this presidential campaign may not be race, sex, or age, but Senator John McCain's military service. McCain's campaign Sunday issued a pair of outraged statements after retired general and Barack Obama supporter Wesley Clark said he didn't think that McCain’s service as a fighter pilot and prisoner of war was relevant to running the country.

Wesley Clark, if you will recall, was a political appointee (by Bill Clinton) at NATO and damn near started a war with Russia because of his antics in Kosovo. The Brits stopped him from going over the edge.

More:

Obama and the Democratic establishment haven't challenged McCain's record. Indeed, even Clark's words came in response to a direct question from CBS's Bob Schieffer on the specific relevance of McCain's service to the presidency. West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller in April cut a bit closer, suggesting that McCain's days as a fighter pilot were themselves a critique of his character. "What happened when they [the missiles] get to the ground?" he asked. "He doesn't know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues." Rockefeller promptly, abjectly apologized, praising McCain's "honorable and noble service to our country" and deploring his own "inaccurate and wrong analogy." His apology reflected a conventional political wisdom that McCain's heroism is too well established, and a climate of respect for soldiers too strong, for attacks on his service to do anything but backfire.

But that hasn't been stopping Obama's surrogates.

David Fenton, a prominent progressive public relations executive who works for MoveOn.org and other groups, also inquired to old anti-Vietnam War circles about details of McCain's Navy sorties, a source familiar with the inquiries told Politico. Fenton declined to comment on the inquiries, and a person familiar with them said they were unconnected to his work for MoveOn. Some anti-war activists link McCain's current position on Iraq to his time in Vietnam. "I wouldn't characterize anybody who fought in Vietnam as a war hero," said Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of the theatrical anti-war group Code Pink. "In 23 bombing sorties, there must have been civilians that were killed and there's no heroism to that." "Anyone who can't look back and admit how wrong it was to be in Vietnam and be killing civilians deserves to be challenged," she said, though she stressed that her group is more focused on McCain's present support for the war in Iraq than on his past. ... A search of Obama’s community website, my.BarackObama.com, finds two posts calling McCain a “war criminal.”

If Obama truly wants to keep his promise about not criticizing John McCain's war service, he should also tells his supporters to refrain from criticizing as well.

You can access the complete column on-line here:

Some On Left Target McCin's War Record
Ben Smith
The Politico
June 30, 2008

---

And Senator Jim Webb is still providing no end of embarrassment to the Commonwealth of Virginia. This time, he is using his Senatorial power for personal gain. When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House, she insisted that she be given an entire Boeing 757 to transport herself, family and staff back and forth from San Francisco, despite the fact that the former Speaker only had a Gulf Stream jet to transport himself back home.

From Human Events Online:

According to Senate sources, Senator Jim Webb is now staging a similar struggle for family travel. Sen. Webb has “holds” on four Department of Defense nominees. The nominees are Hon. Nelson M. Ford to be Under Secretary of the Army; Mr. Joseph A. Benkert to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs; Mr. Sean J. Stackley to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition; and Mr. Frederick S. Celec to be Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs. Their nominations can’t be voted on while the “holds” remain. Behind the scenes, Sen. Webb has told colleagues the holds are punishment for the Pentagon failing to provide him answers relating to Blackwater Worldwide, the security firm routinely used by the Pentagon. However, multiple Senate sources report the real reason for the hold is far different and very personal. Sen. Webb is expected to travel on a tax-payer funded junket to Southeast Asia. He wants both his wife and his 18 month old child to accompany him without having to pay reimbursement to the government. Unfortunately, according to a March 9, 2007, letter from Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), while spouses are permitted to go with the Senator, “relatives of Senators (other than spouses) will not be permitted to travel with Senate delegations.” While none of this controversy has been made public, a senior Republican aide provided a me with a copy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s letter of June 26, 2008 to Senator Webb. The letter “follow[ed] up on [their] recent phone conversation and respond[ed] to [Senator Webb’s] letter regarding a training facility proposed by Blackwater Worldwide in Otay Mesa, CA.” Senator Webb’s letter asked a number of questions about Blackwater Worldwide. Gates’ response curiously goes on to the real reason for Webb’s feud with the Pentagon, “You asked me about the differences between the Department’s policy on military air travel for DoD dependents and for family of members of Congress.” Senate sources say Senator Webb most likely made it clear on the phone, and not in writing to the Secretary of Defense, that his hold was as much related to personal travel as it was to Blackwater. Curiously, and relevant to the speculation, Secretary Gates felt the need to add a paragraph to his letter about travel of “relatives other than spouses” of members of Congress. A Senate Republican aide said, “Webb is suggesting that he is holding nominations as punishment for not getting answers back from questions relating to Blackwater, but in reality, it is leverage to get the Secretary to let his wife and eighteen month old both accompany him on this trip.” With the Secretary of Defense’s admonition to Senator Webb that “Senate travel is governed by a memo signed by the Senate leadership dated March 9, 2007, specifically stating that relatives other than spouses are not permitted to travel with Senate delegations” and “DoD Directive 4515.12 prescribes policy for DoD travel support for members of Congress” in a manner reflecting the Senate policy, Senator Webb has run out of legitimate reasons for his holds.

The really sad part is that Webb makes enough royalties from his pedophile themed books to cover this trip from his own pocket and doesn't need us hard-working taxpayers to fund it for him.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is looking forward to getting rid of this worthless waste of flesh in the next four years.

You can access the complete article on-line here:

Jim Webb Pulls A Pelosi
Erick Erickson
Human Events Online
June 30, 2008