Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 41 Editor's Choice: 7
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No, Joan. He did not have to reject Clark's statements
[Read the article: Slamming Wesley Clark]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I cannot figure out what the Obama campaign thinks it is doing.
Not only was Clark's statement undeniably correct - being a POW does not qualify you for the presidency - but it was something that needed desperately to be said.
The entire rationale for John McCain's candidacy rests on the notion that his service in Vietnam, particularly his captivity and the torture he endured, gives him special standing as an expert on national security. McCain has not hesitated to suggest that because Barack Obama did not serve in the military, Obama is less qualified than he to serve as Commander in Chief of the U.S. military.
What Clark said on Face the Nation yesterday, and to the Huffington Post and on MSNBC a few weeks ago, served to puncture the balloon of McCain's mythic status as a foreign policy expert. It was brilliant. I remember watching the hacks on Morning Joe sputtering in slack-jawed astonishment as Clark not only refused to disavow his previous statement to the Huffington Post, but actually advanced the argument. I cheered when he did that. I thought, Finally!
Now, this.
Not only has Obama thrown Clark under the bus, but he has managed to legitmize the rationale for his rival's candidacy. He has guaranteed that from this point forward, any criticism of McCain's claim to foreign policy superiority will be dismissed as "swift-boating."
And who will go out on a limb now to challenge the GOP's attack memes on Obama's behalf, knowing that he is as likely to disavow them as he did Wes Clark?
I hope that we have seen the last of Obama's unforced errors for awhile. Starting with his capitulation on telecom immunity, through his denunciation of Gen. Clark, to his oblique swipe at MoveOn, Obama's "move to the center" is looking more like a surrender to the right.
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Um... have you tasted bacon?
[Read the article: Bacon mania]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]All those words to discuss something that's ridiculously simple.
Bacon tastes great. Period.
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"The Incredibles" didn't make this list?
[Read the article: The ultimate family DVD list]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I just don't understand that.
I loved "The Incredibles" as much as my son did, if not more.
That would be the very definition of family-friendly, would it not?
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Mockery
[Read the article: This Modern World]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]During the 2000 campaign, as the Bush team mocked Al Gore mercilessly, I always thought he could have turned the tables if he had turned to W. during one of the debates and said, "just what is it about peace and prosperity that you don't like, George?"
I think Obama can brush off some of this stuff coming from the Bush/Rove/McCain axis by asking simply, "why exactly do you prefer hopelessness to hope, John?"
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She was amazing, and the speech was great, too
[Read the article: What'd you think of Hillary Clinton's speech?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If the Hillary Clinton who delivered that speech tonight had showed up on the campaign trail this year, she would be the one accepting her party's nomination Thursday night.
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Vanity, thy name is Ralph
[Read the article: Nader is on the ballot in 45 states and D.C.]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ralph Nader has the same right to run for president as any native-born American who has reached the age of 35.
But if this little vanity exercise results in John McCain winning the presidency, I wouldn't want to be the person responsible for Nader's safety. The only advice I could give him would be to go into exile in a place inaccessible by plane or boat - like one of Saturn's moons.
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McCain hasn't suspended anything
[Read the article: Obama speaks about economy in new ad]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]McCain and his surrogates have been on television all day.
Sarah Palin is holding a rally in Philadelphia today.
His commercials are still on the air.
McCain has suspended nothing.
Yet, he still gets TV commentators and bloggers to assert that he has suspended his campaign.
All the benefits, none of the risks. Brilliant.
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I can't figure out what this ad is supposed to be
[Read the article: Latest McCain ad repeats dubious "most liberal" tag]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Maybe there is some value in allowing your opponent to call you a liar in your own ad, and leaving that assertion completely unchallenged. Maybe this is so brilliant that my unsophisticated intellect just can't process it.
But to me, from its content to its amateurish production values, this ad is joke.