If McCain is such a macho fighting man, why does his campaign freak out over this? Is he such a delicate wilting flower that he can't take a line of questioning?

Or is it that he's just so gosh-darn American he can't be questioned?

Honestly, politics has nothing whatsoever to do with real events anymore.

Seriously, calm down a bit...you are starting to sound like a whining child. The Obama advisers and campaign strategists are DESTROYING his campaign. You need to call these fools out before the wreck it permanently. You can't get all pissy at the media misrepresentations or McCain taking advantage of it - that's politics! The thing that should piss off all democrats / Obama supporters is that it was clear that he didn't read Clark's statement before 'rejecting' it! There was nothing to reject...Clark was just being pragmatic. If anyone in the Obama camp had actually read / watched the comments and filled Barack in - he wouldn't have reacted to reflexively and this would be a non-issue. By quickly rejecting the statement without considering the comment, the Dems have lent credence to the argument instead of simply defusing

To the McCain camp, good luck. As a matter of fact, I encurage you to continue to poke Jim Webb with a sharp stick, although you may not be that happy with the results. Perhaps you can ask George Allen for some advice on how that's done, I understand he's available.

Clark, a four-star general (recently retired) could claim that he had the management and policy experience to lead the military.

Since McCain has not been shy about alluding to DDE (who directed the Normandy landing and the European theater in WWII), he should be reminded about that.

Clark is also right in saying that being shot down and being tortured (while making you a hero) does not necessarily amount to the qualifications required to lead.

Anyway, has McCain been retired from the military so long (probably since his career prospects had peaked?) that he has forgotten the respect that is due to someone with a higher rank?

Traditionally, you only say someone "got greedy" when their grotesquely voracious appetite for ill-gotten spoils (or cheap political "points") causes some sort of downfall.

I am yet to see anyone in the media call out the McCain campaign for its whining childishness. If nothing, I am sure that the Media (oh they of the mythical liberal bias) will parrot this latest nonsensical talking point until anyone who is only paying fleeting attention (read: a frightening percentage of the population) thinks that Clark and Webb were caught plotting to kidnap and physically pummel The Lunatic McCain under direct orders from Obama.

Personally, I am sickened by this entire debacle. I can understand the Republicans' tactics. This kind of bullshit has been their bread and butter ever since some time around mid-september back in '01. But why are the media so siccophantically addicted to the taste of McCain's ass upon their lips?

Do they not understand what is at stake in this syphilitic bitch of an election? Must they make every single effort to quash rational thought and meaningful analysis? Are they so dependent on the notion of a population which only thinks in soundbites?

And while I know Obama has been kind of skirting this issue, he needs to come out guns blazing. I want him standing up for Clark, pointing out the veracity of the man's arguement, and showing the right-wing nutjobs that Patriotism is about a hell of a lot more than blind commiseration to the reactionary militarism of the Neo-Con movement.

Until Obama's stance against McCain strengthens, he will simply be what we are stuck with rather than our candidate. I know I am feeling severely let down by the Illinois Senator these days.

He also wants to attack Iran.

He also thinks the economy is doing A-OK, and that we should start drilling for oil off the coast of California and in Alaska.

It's no wonder they blow comments like Clark's out of proportion. Get ready for more of this in the next few months. McCain can't run on the issues, because he knows the public doesn't want what he's selling. Petty stuff like this is all his campaign has.

Alex you are the one "whining", it is classic Obama to jump into the "victim" role, it is always someone else's fault. Reverend Wright's Gospel of victimization was learned well by Obama during his 20 year apprenticeship. Can't you give the "poor me" story line a rest?

conservatives start their quivering-lipped blubbering that the Obama campaign is treating McCain worse than the North Vietnamese did.

Why is it that John Kerry's service could be and was significantly examined and attacked by the MSM after the swiftboating--and that in comparison to Bush's lack of service during the Vietnam war--but McCain's service is somehow sacred and not-to-be-questioned? Why is it that examinations of Bush's service was also never taken seriously by the MSM? I'm sick and tired of McCain being treated like a "war hero"--whose lives did he save? What heroic act did he perform? How many victories did he lead? I'm not denigrating his strength and endurance as a POW nor am I denigrating his service--both are admirable. But Clark was and is correct--where was the leadership in getting show down and imprisoned? Did he lead a prison break???

One more thing--last night on Cafferty a commentor stated that McCain's education at the Naval Academy was proof he had been trained to be a leader--without mention, of course, that he graduated at the bottom of his class.

Liberal media?

McCain can't run on the issues, because he knows the public doesn't want what he's selling. Petty stuff like this is all his campaign has.

Presumably they see that it worked for Bush's campaigns, so why try anything different?

After watching the Dem primary, I have some hope that Obama has a sufficiently different approach to Gore and Kerry that the Rovian approach won't work as well this time. Post-primary performance so far, well, I dunno.

Granted, now he's up against a Repub, so the media bias is more lop-sided. But I hope the Obama campaign finds some better traction soon.